Secrets

Chapter Twenty Seven

Hello all! I would love some feedback on this and comments on how you think it's going, if you are seeing these things coming and what you think of the characters. Especially after this chapter. Any feedback would be brilliant - thank you! :)

Devan

It's been two weeks of silence. Everyone is cautious around me and I don't blame them. I'm a ticking time bomb and everything sets me off.

I looked everywhere that I could think of looking for Anya, but nobody has seen her or knows anything. I spoke to the school, she didn't let them know anything either. I've had Collins calling her friends from the UK almost every day but to no avail. 

Several times a day I try calling her cell but it's still disconnected. Every time I hope, though. I hope that by some miracle it'll be reconnected and if I hear her voice everything will be okay.

"Hi Devan. So I was thinking maybe we could go out for dinner sometime?" I turn to the left and the first thing I spot is Anya's empty chair in Spanish, the only class we had together. Someone jumps in my line of vision. I have no idea what her name is although she looks vaguely familiar.

"So what do you say?" Part of me wonders why girls keep approaching me when they never did before, but a larger part of me doesn't care enough to think about it further. 

I look at the girl for a second but it's almost like staring into space, which is pretty much all I have been doing for two weeks. I consider responding to her but seem unable to form words. All I can think about is how her brown hair doesn't shine like Anya's, that her eyes don't sparkle like Anya's, and the many other comparisons I make every day. I drag my eyes back to Anya's empty chair and feel the tears coming back.

I jump up quickly, knocking my chair to the ground and storm out of class. I'm rushing down the corridors, my mind consumed with the fog that is Anya when something tackles me to the ground. Hard.

*****

Sam

History sucks. I hate it. I get good grades in it because I have no choice, but it's not for want of falling asleep in class. Our teacher is old and dull and has some serious attention span issues, often forgetting what he's telling us halfway through.

I'm on Devan duty today and am anxious to get back to him. Devan duty was initiated this week as per Ricky's suggestion. I don't think he's had a single conversation with any of us since she left and I'm worried about what's going on in his head.

Who knew her leaving would affect him this much? We're all upset to see her go and miss her like crazy. She really has become like family to us all, but we're also pissed at her for not explaining. Although I guess she never imagined her leaving would have this effect.

The only good thing that has come out of it is Jackson has come around to our way of thinking with Josh and Ricky. As soon as Josh called him to tell him Anya had left he was over in a matter of minutes and all was forgotten. Her letter made no sense to me or any of the others, and seen as Devan isn't talking I don't know if he has an explanation for it. 

I look up at the clock. Twenty minutes left of class - sometimes I think I could die of boredom in this very chair. Something catches my eye and I look up to see Devan running past the classroom door. I'm out of my seat in a heartbeat and chasing him down the corridor, calling his name.

I'm not surprised when he doesn't respond and do the only thing that I can think of. I tackle him to the ground.

"Where's the fire, Dev? Why are you running?"