I Am Anna

That's Not What Happened and You Know It

FOUR

That's Not What Happened and You Know It

        I stared at Alex in shock. I didn't know his father was a coroner.

        "What?" I asked in disbelief. "Don't joke about that, Alex."

        "I'm not! When they found the things you left on the cliff, they figured you killed yourself and he was asked to sign it. You've got to tell him you're alive, unless you're still going by 'Blair'," he snapped. "I wanted to tell you earlier, I just...never mind."

        I thought of Maisie and Nia and everyone else in Augusta. What were they going to think if it hit the news and there were pictures? They might hate me for lying to them.

        "I am still going by Blair. I can be Anna Clayton here and Blair Samuels in-" I quickly stopped. He didn't need to know where I went. "Where I went."

        "Last time I checked, it's against the law to commit pseudocide. If you confess now your punishment won't be as harsh." He'd looked it up?

        "Well you didn't check very well. That's if you're collecting life insurance, avoiding taxes or affecting your spouse, and I wasn't doing any of those things." He huffed in defeat. Of course I did my research, dumbass.

        "You still need to say something." He walked away and I slid down to the floor. I couldn't be bothered to go back into the cafeteria but I was hungry, so I just ate my lunch there as I thought about everything.

//

        "Blair Samuels, please report to the principal's office." People started staring at me strangely when they realised it was me but I ignored them, instead hoping it wasn't about what I thought.

        When I walked in, that hope came crashing down - I took one look at his face and I knew I was in trouble.

        "Blair, take your seat." I sheepishly sat on the chair and looked down at the floor.

"I knew I recognised you from somewhere, Anna, but I didn't think this would be the case. Care to explain?" I sighed.

        "It's really not that big of a deal," I tried. But he shook his head.

        "I think I will be the judge of that. And if a student who was supposedly dead comes back to my school after two years, it's a very big deal. I would like to know why."

        "I moved away and now I'm back, that's all."

      "Which would have been fine, but you came back from the dead with a new identity. That's a criminal offence, Miss. Clayton." I shivered at the mention of my old name. Turned out Alex was right after all, I really was breaking the law.

        "Are you going to call the police?" I asked quietly, my voice shaking in fear.

      "I'm going to have to call in your legal guardian first." Great, my first day at school and I was already in trouble.

        He called Yasmin's cell and after twenty awkward minutes, she rushed into his office. She gave me a What the hell happened? look, and I hung my head down.

        "Miss Clayton, it seems that Blair Samuels is not who she says she is. I can't get a word out of her, so would you care to explain?" Her face went pale, and she tried to defend us.

        "You have no proof! Frankly, I am insulted that you would assume such a thing!" If the situation wasn't as serious as it was, I would have laughed at her tone. But we were in trouble.