"Quinn? QUINN? QUINN RIDER? HAS ANYONE SEEN QUINN RIDER??" Ms Jacobs called out over the scramble of teenagers mingling about near the front of Oakwood High. The deafening chorus of voices increased its volume. "COULD YOU PLEASE BE QUIET? QUINN RIDER IS MISSING, WE MUST FIND HER NOW!!!"
The 16-year-old kids silenced. This was the loudest they had ever heard their quietly spoken, shy teacher talk. Eyeballs scanned the area of lush, green grass and towering school gates. "Could everyone please split up and search the schoolyard" Ms Jacobs said inhaling a deep breath, trying to cover for her raging outburst, "We have to leave in 10 minutes, please meet here as soon as possible!"
The students separated, like a trail of ants going to scavenger. None of them actually wanted to find Quinn. Half of them didnt even know that Quinn Rider existed! But one person was certain where Quinn was.
Courtney Woods sprinted to the girls bathroom on the second floor of Oakwood High. Courtney, being Quinns friend from middle school, knew this was where Quinn disappeared to. Even though they werent close friends anymore, Courtney had always had a soft spot for Quinn, however, she hated to be seen around her. It made perfect sense. Courtney was the beautiful, smart, talented girl, with her blonde curls and big blue eyes, the one that everyone wanted to be friends with. Quinn was the weird, clumsy, hopeless one, with her bright red frizzy hair and sharp green eyes, Quinn was the loner.
Skidding to a stop in front of the last stall in the row of bathrooms, Courtney took a smoothed down her perfect ponytail and pushed the door ajar slightly. Inside was Quinn. A small, skinny girl with a mass of unruly red curls and shimmery green eyes. A girl with tear streaks running down her face and snow white knuckles that made her already pale skin look ghostly.
Courtneys heart shattered as she looked at the poor Quinn. Quinn looked startled, angry and hopeful. A million questions ran through her head. Why is Courtney here? Did I do something wrong? Is she here to comfort me? How dare she open the door? Why does she even care?!? Before she could ask any of those questions, Courtney spoke quietly. "Are you okay?"
Quinn gaped at her, stunned at her question. Not exactly what I was expecting. "I..I.I" she stuttered, struggling to speak. Was she okay? She wasnt sure, "I....I am," Quinn said. Courtney raised one eyebrow, "you dont look okay." Quinn frowned, does she think Im some sort of injured person? "Of course I am!" she said, standing up, then instantly sitting down when she couldnt steady herself. Courtney smiled, Quinns determination was what she had liked when they first met.
"Come on, the entire class is looking for you and we have to leave for that excursion soon!" Courtney said, grabbing Quinn by her elbow and dragging her out of the stall. Quinn pulled away, "no, I....I can't." She could never tell Courtney what the real reason was. Courtney stood back on one leg, propping up her left heel and scanning Quinn from top to bottom said, "honey, lifes not fair and sometimes you just have to go with the flow." Dramatically sighing, Quinn stomped after Courtney, muttering about something or the other under her breath.
"Ah, Quinn! There you are!" Ms Jacobs said, patting Quinn on the shoulder, "Thank you Courtney for finding her!" Courtney flashed a wide toothy grin at her teacher and said, "No worries! I'm always happy to help!" Quinn rolled her eyes, probably just dragged me out here to earn merit points
The bus ride to Mt Reed was extremely tedious for Quinn. She said alone on the bus, contemplating with herself whether agreeing to come was a good idea. The students chattered excitedly, ignoring Quinn. The thought of what had happened last time she haunted her and no matter how hard she tried to forget about it, it was always there, lurking in the shadows in the back of her head.
As they approached the top of Mt Reed, Quinn felt the uneasy feeling come back to her. The bus started to rotate, starting slow, and gradually increasing its speed. The sea of faces swivelled around Quinn, making her feel trapped. Gulping in air, Quinn grasped the side of the seat, holding back a scream. It was worse than ever before.
The bus drew to a stop in front of the cabin and the students began filing off. Cautiously, Quinn stood, using her right hand to steady herself. The bus's spinning had decreased a little, and Quinn nervously took a few steps forward. Reassuring herself that everything was alright, she edged towards to bus door.
Suddenly, a wave of panic hit her. The aisles began tilting, starting off at snails pace, and getting faster by the second. Rows and rows of empty seats rushed past her, choking her, squeezing her. Quinn blindly stumbled to the bus door, but as she lifted her foot to step outside, she froze, her heart skipping a beat.
Outside, she could see jet black creatures emerging out of thin air. The world around her continued to spin, making her dizzy, and the enormous charcoal beasts formed a circle around the bus. Ready and poised. Ready to attack. To attack her.
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Yeah, I know, SUPER LONG CHAPTER
Anyways, hope you like it...there's more action to come!
Nikki out!
YOU ARE READING
Vertigo
General FictionQuinn Rider seems to be good at nothing. She fails her tests, can't catch a ball to save her life and sings like a strangled duck. However, one special discovery about her could mean that the future of the world rests on her shoulders. She realises...
