Clear Lake Academy holds the worst of the worst delinquents from around the country. Each and every student there holds a notorious background that led them there and almost everyone avoids them.
After setting the tenth building on fire, which just...
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I took a seat on the plastic chair, body instantly leaning towards the blazing fire before me. My gaze quickly wandered over the various crowds of students around their own built fires; the flames sparking and blowing with the gentle wind.
I hugged myself tighter, the silk of my pajamas sliding softly across my skin as I focused on the shifting colors of the fire. My mind drifted toward the party my father had demanded I attend—but before I could fully dive into it, I remembered the three texts that had popped up over the last three hours.
One text per hour.
What unsettled me wasn't the frequency—it was the context. Each one was short, sharp, and utterly devoid of explanation, like someone was keeping track of me, watching, or testing something. Most of all, they were confusing; obvious facts.
I shivered, though not from the chill in the night air. Something about them made my stomach twist.
The first one had been simple.
Wilson.
The second had made my brows furrowing
Kate Wilson.
The third made me question why I was being bothered with such trivial messages.
Colton Wilson.
That was all I'd received; my name, my mother's and my father's. It was odd but I couldn't help but think that it was a simple prank. Everyone knew who my parents. It was stupid, plain and utter waste of time.
I blew a piece of hair out of my face, watching the boys chat. They all looked happy; smiling and chatting. They sat in their pyjamas, looking cozy as we bundled around the small fire, sitting on spare coats and blankets.
I assumed that they were taking about the incident earlier involving a boy, spray paint and the school roof. Let's just say that when we all walked out with our bags earlier, we had the privilege to witness a boy on the school roof, writing something on the wall which sat on the roof.
So now whenever we walked past, a bright... very unfriendly word shined in bright red on the top wall of the school. The boy probably got a month of detention, but he strolled away with a grin, clearly proud of his handiwork.
Other students and their fires sat around us as everyone settled down with the stars among us.
Other students clustered around their fires, and the night sky stretched endlessly above us, stars sparkling like scattered diamonds. We were about to start our first activity, but honestly, nobody seemed to care. Even reckless teens like us could fall under the spell of a perfect starry night. There was just something peaceful about it and I could walk hours at night freely, if I could.
I wrung my hands in the cold, realizing I hadn't brought a jacket and was sitting on my blazer, unable to wear it. I could have gone inside for a hoodie, but the sky had me rooted. Unfortunately, a familiar ding shattered the calm.
