Caught in the Riptide {Unedited} {Watty Awards 2013}

Caught in the Riptide

Caught in the Riptide

Chapter One:

Rylie: Don't eat the vege pie at the cafetaria, it's making everyone sick.

I sighed and ran my hand through my hair, picking up my pace as I headed towards the school cafetaria. Typing back a quick message to Rylie, I pressed send telling her to meet me at the table near the one and only exit, the table where we always sat.

I walked into the cafetaria and dumped my bag on top of the booth (the table) before sliding into it, stretching my body and groaning in pleasure when I felt a crack in my shoulders. I'd always had dodgy shoulders but as I grown older they'd gotten worse and one of the only things that I enjoyed was strecthing them until they cracked. Gross I know, but after suffering from constant dislocations, it doesn't seem that bad.

I gazed around the cafetaria and froze when I saw a girl who was in my English class. Her name was Caitlyn I think and she was leaning against the wall clutching her head in her hands; there were about 5 people surrounding her with worried expressions and her skin had turned a greyish, ghostly colour.

I winced, wondering if she had had the vege pie that Rylie had warned me about.

Standing up, I reluctantly pulled myself away from the comfortable seat, beginning the trek to the cafetaria line to buy food -I was definitely not buying a vege pie.

I saw Rylie standing near Caitlyn and she smiled at me, waving as I walked past, her naturally pale blonde hair pulled into a high ponytail and her cheeks flushed with colour.

"Rylie!" I called out to her; Rylie frowned at me before quickly saying something to Caitlyn and the group around her who nodded at her and then she trotted up to me. "Is she ok?"

Rylie shrugged at me, "I'm not sure but we don't think if it's the pie."

"Really? What do you think it is then?" I asked, suddenly a lot more interested as we moved towards the food.

The cafeteria was basically just a really big room with grey walls, filled with the standard tables you find at Hungry Jack's. You know the ones that are like sit-in-tables with comfy seats that have been used so many times that they are more likey to give you back problems then actually be comfortable? On one side of the room, there was a big double door and then on the opposite side there was the cafe; the line to the cafe was held in by metal bars almost like a cattle race. Honestly, I had always hoped that we never had a fire or a major problem because there was almost no way that we would all be able to get out safely, especially seeing as there were about 300 of us in the cafeteria at one time on normal day.

"Something bit her this morning when she was walking to school. She can't remember what, just said it was big although apparently the bite mark wasn't and whatever it was disappeared as soon as it came."

"Ow," I frowned. "How come she didn't get it checked out?"

Rylie shrugged, "It's Caitlyn. She'd beat a jellyfish on the lazy scale any day."

I nodded my head realising she had a point -Caitlyn wasn't exactly known for her energy.

"Maybe she has rab-"

I was cut off by a growl erupting from the general direction of where Caitlyn was and I turned around, along with Rylie, staring at the growler in shock -it was Caitlyn. I don't think that was normal for any girl or boy, ever. 

Except she didn't look like a girl anymore.

Caitlyn's skin had turned a splotchy white and the skin around her arms and neck had inflated to an unnatural size, her eyes had clouded over and I suddenly wondered how no one had noticed the sudden change. She didn't exactly look like a happy, healthy person right now.