Havoc - Piper McLean

2: Crash course for the amnesiac

|crash course for the amnesiac|

—The bus dropped them in front of a big red stucco complex like a museum, (Museum of what, you ask? Cam had no idea either. Maybe it was the National Museum of Nowhere, since Camilla figured that's where they were)

A cold wind blew across the desert, and she was glad she was wearing a band tee with a leather jacket and her nicest pair of dark, baggy jeans that provided some comfort from the biting wind. Then she had second thoughts about the all dark outfit. Even her converse were black. She'd heard everyone call her a punk and troublemaker so much, she'd started to dress and act like one as well.

"So, a crash course for the amnesiac," Leo said, in a helpful tone that made Camilla think this was going to be anything but helpful. "We go to the 'Wilderness School'"—Leo made air quotes with his fingers.

"Which means we're 'bad kids.'" Camilla shrugged. "Your family, or the court, or whoever, decided you were too much trouble, so they shipped you off to this shitty prison—sorry, 'boarding school'—in Armpit, Nevada"

So she guessed they were really playing into the whole amnesia thing, huh?

"Yeah" Leo nodded his head enthusiastically, "We get to learn valuable nature skills like running ten miles a day through the cacti and weaving daisies into hats! And for a special treat we go on 'educational' field trips with Coach Hedge, who keeps order with a baseball bat. Is it all coming back to you now?"

"No." Jason glanced apprehensively at the other kids: maybe twenty guys, half that many girls. None of them looked like hardened criminals, but Camilla had spent enough time to know everyone there deserved to be where they were.

Except maybe Jason. Now that she was thinking about it, Camilla really couldn't remember if Jason had ever told them why he was sent to the school or why none of them ever questioned how a rule follower like Jason was sent to a school for delinquents.

Leo rolled his eyes. "You're really gonna play this out, huh? Okay, so the three of us started here together this semester. You and I? We're totally tight. You do everything I say and give me your dessert and do my chores—"

"Leo!" Piper snapped.

"Fine. Ignore that last part. But we are friends. Well, Piper's a little more than your friend, the last few weeks—"

"Leo, stop it!" Piper's face turned red. The tips of Jason's ears turned red and a light blush coated his cheeks.

Camilla just frowned and looked down at her feet.

"Cam, here," Leo slung an arm around his shoulder and pulled him close which was maybe not cool, but Camilla didn't say anything, "She shares a dorm room with Pipes, she's been here for two semesters. She came here straight from juvie!"

Camilla pushed Leo's arm off at that. If the comments in the bus from Henry and George weren't enough, she didn't need Leo to bring that up too.

Jason frowned at her with concern, Camilla glared back, "What? You seriously don't remember any of us?"

"He's got amnesia or something," Piper said. "We've got to tell somebody."

Camilla scoffed. "Who, Coach Hedge? He'd try to fix Jason by whacking him upside the head."

The coach was at the front of the group, barking orders and blowing his whistle to keep the kids in line; but every so often he'd glance back at Jason and scowl.

"Guys, Jason needs help," Piper insisted. "He's got a concussion or—"

"Yo, Piper, Cam!" One of the other guys dropped back to join them as the group was heading into the museum. Ugh, Dylan. Leo glanced at Camilla and Piper sympathetically as Dylan wedged himself between Jason and Piper and knocked Leo down. "Don't talk to these bottom-feeders. You two should hang out with me"