Devour My Heart

Chapter 4

I woke up to a painful headache and dulled voices talking quickly. Groaning, I tried to sit up and felt a rush of dizziness when I managed to sit upright. 

"What happened...?" I asked no one in particular. I surveyed my surroundings carefully and noticed a huge desk and shelves filled with books. Where am I? Suddenly the door across the room opened and I noticed Principal Jennings standing there with Evelyn, Alec, and another guy with brown hair.

"Hey, where am I? What happened?" I repeated to them. I rubbed my temples, my head hurting. 

"Emma, are you okay?" Principal Jennings asked worriedly. 

"What do you mean? Am I not suppose to be okay? All that hurts is my head."

"Anywhere else?"

"No. What happened?"

"It seems you fell pretty hard. Alec and Kale found you unconscious on the ground," he said with a glance at them. I followed his gaze, stared at them, and then back to the principal.

"I fainted because I fell?" I looked at him incredulously. Then I frowned. "I had no idea I was so fragile."

Alec let out a snort. Principal Jennings glared at him. Evelyn wouldn't meet my eyes and she stared quietly at a painting. Weird. 

"Anyways, we think maybe you hit your head somewhere as you fell," Principal Jennings continued. "That was probably why you were unconscious."

"I...I don't know. I can't really remember anything," I closed my eyes and racked my brain, but all I got was a rush of pain. "Ow..."

"Kale. Go get some Aspirin," the principal ordered. I shook my head quickly and Kale paused.

"No, it's fine. Can I just get back to my room? Lillian might be...worried." 

"Well, only if you're sure you're okay."

"I'm fine. A good sleep is probably all I need," I said firmly, wanting to just get back to my room. I looked down and noticed my clean, neat uniform. I frowned again.

"What is it?"

"It’s nothing," I said. It looked brand new. There were absolutely no dirt marks or even evidence that I had fallen on the ground. It would have left marks, right? No ground was that clean. "Am I in trouble for staying out past curfew?"

Principal Jennings looked confused for a second as if they idea never crossed his mind. "Oh. No, no. It's your first day. A lot of students make mistakes on their first day, so its fine."

"Great. Anyways, can I go back now?"

Principal Jennings looked at Evelyn who looked at Kale who looked at Alec. Alec looked at me, almost in a scrutinizing way. There was a small silence.

"You can go Emma," Evelyn stated, speaking for the first time. 

"I can walk her back if you want," Kale piped up. I looked at him confused. I didn't need a babysitter.

"No," Principal Jennings said sharply. Kale pouted. "Evelyn, you take her back."

She nodded and helped me up from the couch. I stood shakily, my legs numb. After a few seconds, I could feel my feet again. 

"Oh. By the way, thanks you guys for...you know," I gestured to Alec and Kale.

"Sure, anytime!" Kale chirped. 

"Make sure not to fall again. You might accidently die next time." Alec said monotonously now fiddling with hair. Principal Jennings glared at him again. A small part of me found his statement kind of odd, but I only rolled my eyes and followed Evelyn out. How could I die from tripping myself? Maybe he was just being a jerk.