Something Peculiar

2

They had given me a study hall fourth period in an attempt to help me catch up on my work, but I had been using it for napping. At one end of the library, buried amongst the reference books and an outdated card catalogue, they had a few round tables scattered about. That's where study hall was held. The librarian was at the other side of the room, and she would occasionally come check on us, but she didn't really care what we were doing. The room was massive with insanely high ceilings topped with sky lights, and there was this constant sound of white noise, so she couldn't hear anything we were saying anyway.

Unfortunately, I had promised to crack down on my studies, so I felt obligated to actually do that. I had briefly considered witting at a table by myself, but Kai was already down there, sitting alone, so I thought I had better join him. It was all part of my initiative to fit in and act like a normal teenager. Since I spent most of the time or somewhere else napping, I hadn't really noticed any of the kids that had study hall with me. That meant that I hadn't noticed Lalisa, either, who sunk in a few minutes after I did and took a seat at the table behind me.

"So what are you working on?" Kai asked me jovially, as if schoolwork were an amusing topic. he had his English book open to The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, a short story I had also been assigned to read. It was like five pages long, but I hadn't gotten past the title.

"Um, English," I decided, I needed to read it anyway, and since that's what he was working on, maybe he could help me. " I have to read that too."

"It's pretty weird," Kai assured me with wide eyed seriousness.

There was something tremendously innocent about him, and despite myself, I found that kind of endearing. "I'm gonna warn you. I'm a little shocked we read this in school."

"What do you mean?" I bent over to dug my English text book out of my bag, and I just happened to glance back at the table behind us.

Lalisa sat by herself, her slender fingers absently straightening out her orange hair. She had her head bowed, looking at her biology book, but only for a second. She must've sensed me looking at her, because she almost instantly lifted her eyes t meet mine. I wanted to keep looking at her and beat her at his little staring contest, but failed immediately. Quickly grabbing my textbook, I turned to look at Kai, who had launched into a explanation of The Lottery.

"It's just so disturbing," Kai shook his head. :I know it's mostly an allegory, but... I just can't believe that people would ever be like that. i don't know. Maybe I'm just naïve.

"People are pretty disturbing," I shrugged. I was trying to keep my mannerisms and my conversations nonchalant, but it was hard to act normal when I knew I had an audience, in the form of Lalisa staring at the back of me.

"You think so?" Kai's forehead creased in confusion and concern.

something about my tone of voice had given away too much. Plus, I think I had that face ta=hat kind of screamed "emotionally damaged."

"Yeah, I'd say so." My hand instinctively went to my stomach, where the foot long scar was safely hidden underneath my shirt. As soon as I realized what I was doing, I pulled it away and busied my hand with twirling a stray hair around my fingers.

"Is that why you transferred here?" Kai asked.

"Cause people are disturbing?" I smiled, purposely hedging his question.

"No, I don't know," Kai laughed and ran his hand through his thick hair. "That's probably too personal, anyway. Sorry."

"No, it's not that personal," I lied.