Marked

Chapter 22

"Where were you yesterday?" Jen said, slinging her backpack over her shoulder. The bell had just recently rung; we stuck next to other trying to exit the classroom creating a jam. "You didn't come home until late last night".

The jam was slowly clearing, people rushed across the halls, finals were next week and you could almost feel the anxiety and nerves climbing onto the air. Perfect timing, as if I didn't have enough things on my plate.

"I was studying, with Marcus" that, was a lie.

"Oh really?" Jen and I began walking towards my locker, carefully avoiding the masses in the way and also trying not to step on the people that sat on the floor, books spread wide open on their laps, most of them colored all the way through with highlighters. "So things are going well with you guys then"

"Yeah, things are great." That was another lie.

I wasn't studying, at all. Things with Marcus seemed to be hitting rock bottom. I couldn't pay attention in class, it was difficult before and it was much more of a challenge now. I had been training with Terrence, and I had learned so many things that I never thought could be real. Marcus was almost completely against it; he wanted to keep on digging at my old house. I just wanted to move on. But I wanted to fix things with Marcus. I just didn't want to lose myself again. And he seemed like the right way to go.

"Skylar?" Jen voice suddenly boomed inside my head, making me realize that my mind had flown away. Seconds later I could finally compose the frown on my face for a fake reassuring smile.

"Yeah?"

"What were you thinking about?"

"Finals." Another lie, they just seemed to pile up. I changed my fake smile into a heartfelt frown. "I'm worried I might not pass, and they'll be here next week."

"Aren't you going to Mr. Hounds tutoring anymore?" her tone was completely insouciant, she was in an eternal state of calm. She had always been like a steady ocean or a firm rock.

"Oh shit!"

"What?"

"I stopped going! I had just been so caught up I..." my words got caught in my throat, what was I to say? I got caught up in being some magical being? That I was distracted by the voices in my head? But none of that gave me the right of being such a jerk. I had to fix it and fast.

"I have to go." I said as I turned around and sped off to my chemistry classroom as fast as I could.

Mr. Hound was siting on hi desk chair. His eyes completely focused on a stack of papers in front of him. His attire was the same as always. White button up shirt, black dress pants, a black tie and a immaculately white lab coat which generally seemed pointless since experiments were banned after the lab was blown up by some senior pranksters.

I timidly knocked on the wooden door. I stood awkwardly in the doorway, moving my feet around nervously. He looked up and then down again, he continued grading his papers with his signature blood red pen.

"Come in Miss Johnson." His tone was completely dry and uninviting.

I walked inside timidly and stood right in front of his wooden desk.

"I came to apologize" I gulped. He looked up through his glasses, which were on the bridge of his nose. "I haven't been taking this help your giving me as seriously as I should have. I took it for granted and I..."

Then he interrupted me.

"I don't generally give second chances Miss Johnson. But I see something in you. You are no ordinary student, and since you apparently are owning up to the current situation I have decided to give you a second chance."