Wisteria

Chapter VII

As soon as I heard the chimes marking the end of class, I bolted for the door.

What was her deal?

CRASH! I didn't have time to react before I was face-down on the floor. Lying next to me was Owen. I helped him up and shook off the force of impact. Once standing he wouldn't stop fidgeting.

"Oh, um, hi. Uh, have you seen Luxory? She was absent second hour. And she was worried about us being late." He whispered that last part with deep exaggeration. "Something probably came up. The great Luxory Evans would not miss class for no reason."

"Well it's just a little odd. She was there this morning and the teacher said that she got an 'out of town slip'."
"Maybe she went back to get something else from Gestulan's. It's probably for extra credit."
"Well, I don't think so; I gotta run."
"Bye."
That was awkward.

I walked down to the dining hall for my free period. I pulled out my reading from first hour and prepared to drench my brain with painful knowledge. I opened my book and turned to page three and deciding that reading would be better with some music.

I closed by book and stood up and realized I had no idea where to go. The dining hall was mostly empty except for a few older kids dressed in all black. I looked around for something to recognize and my eyes settled on the statue near the front entrance.

Yessssssss.
I wasn't totally lost!

I walked to the statue, through the library and up the right staircase.
Right?
Right.
Right was right and left was wrong
I think.

I proceeded up the many stairs the Yephato Commons where I stopped in my tracks.

I flung around behind the doorframe so he wouldn't see me. Curruthers. But he wasn't alone. The blonde boy was there too.

"Eddie, please. I told you. I don't know where it is." Curruthers spoke, "You do. You just don't know you do."
"How am I to find out?"
"I'm not quite sure, but know this. Once we have it, we'll rule the school. So find it fast. I've become irksome of some of the teachers. Maybe we could rearrange the social ladder. I never liked Mistress Pevill."

I had heard enough. I just walked in like I hadn't even been aware of their existence and watched out of the corner of my eye their mortified faces. I followed the hall to my room and dug out my iPod. I plugged my earbuds in my ears and thought that the common room would be a much better place to read. But by the time I got back, the room was deserted. I plopped down into a comfy chair and read the chapter on robins.

🌀🌀🌀

The chimes came just as I finished. I brought my book to the shelf in my dorm before heading back down to the dining hall for lunch.

The lunch periods were divided so I was only with students in eighth and ninth grade. I sat down next to Owen.

"What did you have last hour?" I asked.
"Wist lessons."
"Oh, how was it?"
"I couldn't even make a seed sprout."
He laughed at his own misfortune.
"Well, there's always next time."
I gave him a pat on the back.
"I have that next hour. Maybe I'll be able to start a fire or something."
"You never know."

He winked and I smiled at the encouragement. I pulled my hair to the side nervously as I remembered what I had overheard.

"Do you know anything about that Curruthers boy?"
"That one?" He nodded toward the black-haired thin boy without looking.
"Bingo."
"Not much other than he's really rude to teachers. Except Madame Lane."
"I wonder why," I said sincerely.
"You don't know?"
I shook my head.
"That's his mother."