The Timekeepers

Volume 1 Chapter 2: The Hallway

8:00 a.m.

"Oh my gosh, where is she??" Harriet complained glancing down at her watch, impatiently.

"I dunno...but it's surprising that she's not here when she's the one who gave you the wake-up call," Scarlet said back with her hands in her pockets.

They were both standing in the hallway, near the lockers outside of their first-period class. They watched as other kids walked into the class.

"I'm surprised you of all people even got here earlier than her. How'd that happen?" Harriet asked, looking up at her, still adjusting her watch.

"Well my brother was playing his music loud as hell this morning...and also-" Scarlet says, about to tell Harriet about the strange dream and weird way she woke up this morning but she decides not to.

"Ehm, never mind." She says, figuring it's not important.

"Hm well, your morning could not have been worse than mine. I had to peel my brother out of his bed today. He would not wake up. He was like a corpse." Harriet says shaking her head and sighing.

"Damn...brothers am I right?" Scarlet said.

"Heh yeah..." Harriet smirks, remembering how they first met, arguing about whose brother was worse.

"Mornin' ladies, I have arrived." A voice said as the sound of heels clicked against the floor. Harriet and Scarlet both looked until they saw Vivian, the girl herself. They both rolled their eyes and groaned without her seeing.

"Hey" "Hi," The both of them said, not much enthusiasm on their faces.

"How are things?" She asked with a smile on her face that they questioned if it was real or not.

"Alright so far, we're just-" Harriet said until she was cut off.

"Oh wait hold on," Vivian said, holding her phone up and putting out her finger. She texted fast to whomever she was messaging with one hand and pressed send.

"Okay go ahead." She said.

"waiting for Lillian to get here," Harriet said annoyed.

"Oh...she's not here?" Vivian said, looking around the two of them.

"Obviously cause then she'd be standing here-" Scarlet was saying until Harriet bumped her in the arm.

"Ah, I see...glad I got here early tho. Sorry I didn't see you guys' texts. I was too busy."

"...We didn't send you any text-" Scarlet started saying but Harriet bumped her in the arm again.

"It's okay, hopefully, you see it next time," Harriet said grabbing Vivian's arm in a friendly gesture.

"Definitely," Vivian said as she started getting out a mirror compact and looking at herself in it.

"I'm finally here!" A voice said from the side hallway as a distressed Lilith came running towards them.

"Lilith!" "You're finally here." Harriet and Scarlet both said as the blonde girl came scrambling by.

She rested her hands on her knees as she felt her head feel lightheaded from running and she tried to catch her breath.

Vivian closed her compact and stared at Lillian, crossing her arms.

"You guys actually waited for me...T-Thank you." She said through shaky breath as they put their hands on her back.

"We always do this. What's new?" Scarlet said with a small laugh.

"Well I mean, with the new "wake-up call" system, I thought you guys would want to get to class on time faster, no matter what." She said innocently, specifically looking at Harriet.