Mission 5: Mysteries Unfold

Chapter 1: Biased Bus Drivers

It was a cool, crisp fall morning in the town of Damzo. Dense fog filled the air which lingered with the sweet, musky scent of fallen leaves. Freshly tilled earth wafted in the air while the promise of a chilly day nipped at noses. Yet it was eerily calm. Trees stood still with no breeze and birds remained quiet as though instructed to do so.

Alessandra hated mornings. Her reasons included the typical new high schooler ones: getting up while the sun was still rising only to be forced to learn subjects she despised for eight hours straight. However, she started to feel the tension in the air these days as she walked to school. Like the earth was trying to warn her about something. Her older brother always told her she was paranoid, but her younger sister only ever squeaked in fear when she tried talking about it.

"It's just because you live so far away from town," her mother had said. But she tried subtly to glance over her shoulder, probably not expecting Alessandra to notice. She did.

"We only live five miles from town, and we have a bus stop thirty minutes away," Alessandra replied.

Her mother rolled her eyes, "Well then get out of my hair! I have things to do." She had hastily picked up a towel off the counter at that point and started wiping down the already spotless counter.

Maybe I am being paranoid, Alessandra thought, noticing her eyes had been darting around almost as if searching for any sound. Ever since she had begun her freshman year of high school a month ago, she felt as though everything around her was waiting for something. What that was, she didn't know, but she still struggled to ignore the heaviness lingering in her chest. A twig snapped beneath her heavy rain boot, startling her from her thoughts. She could see the bus stop in the distance, but the bus was approaching it faster than her.

Cursing under her breath: she took off in a swift run, enjoying the sharp wind whirling across her face and through her long and equally wild hair. The bus was almost at the stop urging her to lean even further and run as fast as her now aching legs would allow. It stopped, but she didn't. Almost there-

"Ha!" She laughed breathlessly, smirking at the now scowling bus driver.

"Just sit down," he growled.

Cheeks flushed and forehead damp, most kids looked away from her hoping to keep their seats to themselves. One girl didn't look away - in fact, she stared straight into Alessandra's dark brown eyes with her near-black ones.

The bus driver huffed again, sent Alessandra a sharp glare, and thrust the bus into drive toppling her down the row of squeaking seats. The girl with lingering eye contact reached out and caught her just before she hit the floor. Sliding into the seat next to her Alessandra gave a quick, "Hello," right as the bus abruptly stopped causing her to face plant into the seat in front of her.

"Hey," the girl chuckled. "I noticed you usually sit up there awkwardly. Thought I'd give you a break from our gracious bus driver."

"Thanks-"

"Prudence."

"Prudence." She nodded. "I'm-"

"Alessandra." Prudence quickly added, "I've heard the bus driver yell that out one too many times." She grinned.

Alessandra quickly assessed her: Prudence had the darkest eyes she had ever seen, framed by thick glasses that almost looked to be photoshopped against her fair skin. Her black hair was tied messily atop her head seemingly half-hazard. Her backpack sat on her lap and was stuffed so full of books and papers it couldn't close properly, allowing questionable wires to hang out the sides.

Alessandra envied her thick flannel jacket, it looked so cozy for the chill in the air. Even if the other girls at school made fun of them. Snapping back into reality she noticed Prudence had been staring at her as well.

Prudence was a rather quiet girl, but she thought it put her at an advantage. When one is quiet they hear many more things than others would think. Alessandra had intrigued her more than their classmates did. She didn't seem to care about what others thought, perhaps even taking joy in their judgments. Each day she wore an odd combination of loose-fitting clothes and always had her deep brown, untamed locks in a tied in a ponytail. Her dark eyes seemed to hold promises of mysteries untold that she yearned to hear. She hadn't heard much of her at school other than her being a track champion, something she could never do.

Behind them came obnoxious sniggering, "Wow, look! The two weirdos are lesbos!" Called out a boy from the back. The rest of the bus cackled like geese. When the two girls turned around to peer behind them, they saw it was one of the football players who shouted at them. He sat smirking with his arm around one of both Alessandra's and Prudence's least favorite people: Genevieve.

She too was smirking before saying, "Hey, don't start staring at me now. I ain't lesbian Hons." The rest of the bus started howling as Alessandra blushed and Prudence rolled her eyes.

"I can honestly say that I am not lesbian, and even if I was, care to explain why that is a valid reason to taunt someone?" Alessandra finally replied. It was now Prudence's turn to smirk at the now blushing girl behind them while the rest of the bus started laughing and oohing.

"Alessandra! Face the front NOW!" the bus driver yelled out.

"Of course, he yells at me," she murmured whilst turning back around with Prudence.

"What did you even do to make him hate you so much?" Prudence asked, amused.

"He may or may not be my grandmother's ex."

Prudence burst out laughing when the bus stopped in front of the school. The two girls walked off together quietly, yet it wasn't awkward like Alessandra was used to. She felt she had a knack for making people uncomfortable, which could be both a good and bad thing.

They stopped at the front doors, "I guess I'll see you around?" Prudence asked.

"Yeah, maybe we can meet at lunch?" Alessandra asked. Prudence nodded in answer and pushed the front doors open into the chaos of high school mornings.