Shadows

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I pushed the door open to the art room gently, finding that Marley had not yet arrived to the classroom. I set my bad down next to the table where we both usually sat and went to pull out my unfinished work and supplies. I placed it all on the table and sat down with a sigh, gazing at the piece. It was a watercolor piece, like all of the others were, since that was the unit we were on. It was a simple piece, depicting two different roses, one red and one black. I wasn’t exactly sure why I had decided to paint them, but the strokes had just come naturally and turned into the two flowers.

I was just about to pick up my brush and get started when the door opened once more, causing me to look up and check to see if it was Marley. It wasn’t. However, I was positive that Marley would completely flip out when she knew who it was. Dylan Reed had just stepped into the room. He strode over to Ms. Trèson, the art teacher, and handed her a note. Ms. Trèson read it quickly before glancing up at him and smiling. “I’m delighted to have you in my class, you can take a seat and begin working,” She said warmly.

Ms. Trèson was my favorite teacher in the school. She was a young woman with long blonde hair that curled slightly at the ends. She had light brown eyes and high cheekbones. She was fresh out of college and the best thing was that she was crazy about being artistic. She didn’t care how it looked as long as she believed you interpreted and completed the assignment in a creative way.

Dylan nodded and thanked her before he grabbed a blank sheet of watercolor paper and a drawing board. He walked slowly over to my table and stood next to Marley’s still empty seat. “You don’t mind if I sit here do you?” He asked me as he slid into the seat, placing his supplies on top of the table.

“Um, no, I guess not.” I answered, glancing up from my work and pushing a loose strand of hair back behind my ear. It wasn’t like I could tell him he couldn’t sit there after he had already sat down and started working, but I was obviously wrong about that because as soon as I finished speaking his voice flowed into my ear once more.

“What about your friend?” He asked, nodding to Marley who had just come in. I turned my head up once more and looked at Marley as she stepped in. She took one glance at us and walked over to another table to sit next to another friend of hers, Summer Reese.

“I’m sure she’ll be ok with it,” I told Dylan shrugging. I knew I was going to be hearing about this from her later, and there wasn’t anything I could do to avoid it. She was probably about to scream her head off after seeing us sitting together.

Dylan’s mouth twitched into a small smile for a second before fading away as quickly as it had appeared. His eyes turned away from me and focused on the open door. I followed his gaze curiously to see Nick Parks walk in. He flashed me a quick smile before going over to the drying racks and pulling his work out. Dylan was watching him cautiously and intently, as if Nick was a hungry lion that could pounce at any moment.

“What?” I asked him curiously, wondering how he could have a grudge against Nick when he’s only been in the school for a day.

Dylan shook his head as if to clear thoughts away. “Nothing,” He muttered under his breath and turned back towards his work.

I turned back to my painting as well, hoping to finally start working. I caught a glimpse of the sky outside as I turned and stopped, gazing out the window. I hadn’t even realized how overcast it had gotten. There were black clouds covering the sky looming ominously over the school.

All of a sudden a clap of thunder shook the building and vibrated the ground under my feet. A few of the girl’s in the classroom jumped at the sound, crying out in surprise. By then, the entire class had turned towards the window as rain began to fall, pelting the cement outside in an instant downpour. The thunder roared again, the loud sound making me jump in my seat. Lightning streaked across the sky a few seconds later, lighting up the dim room. There was another clap of thunder before the lights began to flicker; creating a soft crackling sound that was barely audible over the rain that was beating down against the window. In seconds the lights had failed and we were left in darkness.