The Ninjas

Chapter 1: Savana

Friday, September, 14

"Girls, huddle up. Tonight we try to fit in. It's a new year for us at Westside High, and we need to make ourselves known". Sasha was trying to ease off some of the girls' nervousness. She's always this happy-go-lucky, positive girl. That's our Sasha, our little ray of sunshine. Unless she's upset. If she's mad, then she's raging. But if she's sad, then all the other girls except me and Scarlet are all sappy little puddles with her.

Tonight is the first football game at Westside High School in Manchester, Connecticut. Sasha wanted all of us to go. I didn't want to. Neither did Skylar, Jade, or Jasmine. But of course, Rose wanted to come to watch the hot guys play, Scarlet (my BFF) wanted to come to see if anyone gets hurt (she loves it when that happens), Sasha wants to be social and loves doing everything, and our youngest, Casey, wanted to make some friends outside of our gang. Majority rules, so Sky, Jade, Jas and I had to suck it up because we always did everything as a group, or at least that's what Sasha said, even though it was a tie.

Rose got all excited to dress us now that it was "official" that we were going somewhere. She is all about fashion. We call her Fashion Princess. She is always the one to do makeovers on us. Well except me and Scarlet, we are the tomboys of the group. Rose took one look at my outfit: black skinny jeans, DCs, Linkin Park t-shirt, black unzipped sweatshirt and my black long and wavy hair. Yes, I'm goth and emo. Rose took my outfit in, thought about it, gave me a nervous look, then opened her mouth. "I'm not changing Rose. If you want me to go, I'm goin' as I am", I told her without blinking. She looked defeated. "Fine", she said. "But you're lucky it's just a football game". I rolled my eyes and that was that for me. But that doesn't mean she was done with the rest of my gang.

She started rattling off tips to the rest of the girls. "Sasha, you should let me crinkle your hair". After that, I tuned little Miss Fashion Princess out. I had my own problems to deal with and worry about. I didn't want them to find out about me. My secret.

I had acquired this "gift" last year during Christmas break. My whole body was engulfed in shadows. People were walking right by me and didn't even seem to be noticing that I was there. I called 'hello' to a girl that I knew back in middle school who went to a different high school than I did last year, Breena is her name. She looked in my direction but not dead at me. I reached out to grab her arm and tell her to stop messing with me when my hand completely passed right through her body. The only indication that she felt anything at all, was her shiver like she got a chill or something.

I pulled back and looked down at my arms. They were completely covered in shadows. 'No wonder she can't see me', I thought. I tried hitting one arm with the other, but they just passed through, like wind passing through a loose cloud. I was completely freaked out. I returned to normal about an hour after but was still terrified. 'What the fuck just happened?', I had thought. I don't want my gang to find out t hey would freak. The only one who would think it was cool was Scarlet. The rest would be horrified and scared. I still don't have complete control over my "power" yet, but I try almost every night. I'm just glad that the thing doesn't sneak up on me during the day. Maybe they only work at night. That would be a good thing. I will tell my gang eventually, but I want to be able to fully control it, just in case something weird happens. Like I don't know if it's dangerous to others.

"Savana, you in?" They were all staring at me. "Uhhh... what?" Sasha rolled her big brown eyes and sighed. "Do you ever pay attention?", she asked me. 'Not when you talk', I said in my head. "We all want to go to the movies tomorrow to watch The Best of Me. Are you in? Do I need to repeat myself a third time?" I gave her a "really?" look and rolled my eyes. 'God, you can be such a bítch sometimes'. "If I'm going to the movies tomorrow it's going to be to watch The Chronicles of Riddick. Not some sappy love story. Vin Diesel is one hot muthafucka. Plus, blood and swears and violence add to the hotness". Plus I had already seen The Best of Me and balled my eyes out, but I wasn't gonna tell them that. "Scarlet, you gonna go with me or them?" She looked at me like "duh". "Of course I'm goin' witchu höe. Bring on Mr. Sexy Diesel!", she high fived me as she said it too. We laughed.

"Sasha, um, I really think we should get going so Rose can do her magic on us before the game", said our shy little Jasmine. "Yeah, you're right Jaz. Alright girls, let's move out!" Of course, she had to be all perky and peppy about it. Sometimes this girl really irritates me. Too much pep and prep. Way too much. 

About an hour later, Rose has every one of us all set. Sasha was really excited to try to make our gang known. I wanted to sneak away from the gang and head to the skatepark about a block away, so I could be alone and do my own thing. I'd prefer to skate alone in the dark than to be at a football game at school with a shit ton of annoying, bítchy, stuck-up, snobby teenagers. I can relax when I'm skateboarding. It gives me a sense of freedom and peace. It's my way of belonging, and it just feels right and normal for some reason. I don't really know... But anyway, I couldn't ditch them because then I'd miss Jason's game... And they wouldn't forgive me for that.