Hush

> Chapter Three <

Paige

Raine didn't talk to me for all of the first half of Lunch, so I decide to skip our usual recess hangout—the library—to go outside. It's been a while since I've gone outside for the second half of Lunch, but I guess it's time for a change.
          Pushing open the double doors, a wave of cold rushes at me. It feels refreshing as it blows strands of my strawberry-blonde hair behind me. I take a deep breath and step out into the frosty day, pulling the sleeves of my sweater over my hands.
          I walk out into the crowd of kids, swerving this way and that to avoid bumping into people. I make my way to the basketball court and lean against the wall nearby to watch the boys play. I see Will, Ross, and a brunet boy—who's also part of our group of friends—named Jorden on the court.
          Ross descends upon the net with the basketball, doing a quick layup. Will catches the rebound and speeds to the opposite net, Jorden tailing him. He shoots and misses, Jorden catching the ball in midair after it bounces off the backboard. Dribbling down the court, Jorden throws the ball at half-court, making the shot. I smile to myself.
          He's really good at this.
          I make a split-second decision, and saunter over to him. "Hey!" I greet—a little over-excitedly—when I approach him. He leans against the basketball net's pole, his gaze following the player that currently has the ball. He looks up only once I've reached him.
          "Hi." he replies simply, glancing at me for a moment before putting his focus back on the game.
          "So...what's up?"
          "Um, basketball."
          "Oh..." I trail off. "Fun."
"Yeah."
We stand in silence for a few minutes before I decide to just head back to where I was before I entered this conversation. Sitting against the wall, I wait for the buzz of the bell telling us to come inside. My small hands are already frozen, despite my efforts to warm them up in my pockets. I walk to the doors and flow with the sea of people inside and up the stairs.
When I step up the final stair onto the third floor, I see that Raine is already at her locker. She gets her notebook and pencil case almost robotically, and I know this isn't like her. She's usually so giddy, and grabs her things in a rush; she loves to learn, so she tries to get to every class early. But today, she's been off.
Ever since Mme McCarthy mentioned Fellhollow.
Suddenly, everything clicks.
She's anxious. She wants to win this Spelling Bee. And if she doesn't, she's afraid something bad will happen. What that is, I don't know, but it seems she does. Something is pulling her to Fellhollow, almost forcing her to go.
Just like me.
Except, it's not making me act the way she is. What's going on with her that isn't with me? I have to ask her.
But if she doesn't win, I just hope she won't be like this forever.