Locked

Chapter 6

The moment Elle stepped inside the school, she knew something was up. Something seemed different. Everybody was reunited in small crowds around their lockers. Elle could see everybody murmuring to their friends.

Elle watched in confusion as she walked to her locker. Jade was already waiting for her, Elle knew she was gonna tell her what all the fuss was about.

Jade was already beaming before Elle even reached her locker.

"What is it?" Asked Elle with an amused smile.

"There's a new guy in the school!" It looked like Jade was going to burst of excitement.

"Oh," Elle didn't find that that interesting; new kids got in the school all the time.

"Don't just say "oh"!" Jade slapped Elle's arm in disbelief.

"Ow! I just don't see why that would concern me, or even why everybody's so engrossed by it," Elle mumbled while rubbing her arm. She was never the type to care about the latest gossip going around, unlike her friend, who knew everything there was to know about everyone.

"Well, for starters, he's an exchange student, his name is Colton Garret, he came from Australia, let me just tell you that he has an accent that... Oh my God!

"Wait, you have spoken to him?" Elle interrupted Jade on her rant about the new student.

"No...." she trailed off, "but the few that have spoken to him say that his accent is very Australian!"

Elle rolled her eyes at her friend and turned back to her locker.

"You should see him! He doesn't look bad at all if I may say so," smirked Jade triumphantly.

The bell of the hallway rang signaling that the class was about to start.

"I'll see you at lunch, I have something to tell you," Elle said in a small voice, and greeted her friend goodbye.

She had decided that she was going to tell Jade about the locket and about Isaac. She needed to tell someone. She felt as if she didn't she would explode.

When she got to the classroom, she sat on her usual seat, and focused on the last notes taken on her notebook, she was so focused on memorizing her notes that she didn't notice when someone sat on the seat to her right.

"Um, would you mind if take a look at those notes? I would like to catch up with the class," Elle looked up at the unknown voice. The accent.

Elle stared at the guy. He, indeed, was pleasing to the eyes, she wasn't going to lie.

"Um, yeah sure..."

The stranger— well not stranger, she knew his name was Colton, and everything Jade had told her— took the notebook and smiled charmingly.

"Thank you Elle," Elle's color faded from her face.

"How do you know my name?" The nonbelief evident in her tone.

"Um, it's on the top of the page?" Colton chuckled.

"Oh yes..." Elle's cheeks were on fire as the blush rushed to them. She had just embarrassed herself in front of the— cute— new guy.

The final bell rang just as the teacher entered through the door to start the class.

Saved by the bell.

When lunch time came around Elle had already thought of a thousand ways to tell Jade her secret, yet none of them made her sound less crazy, but who could blame her? She still couldn't believe that she talks to a ghost that protects a locket with superpowers. All because she likes antiques.

She was sat in a secluded table in the cafeteria waiting for jade to arrive; she was so engrossed on how to tell her that she didn't notice her standing there until Jade basically slammed her lunch tray on the table, making Elle jump by the sudden commotion.

"Ok, I'm here. Now tell."

"I know you're gonna think I'm crazy but," Elle sighed. This was more difficult than what she thought it would be, "just listen to it all and then you can ask questions. Just let me explain it all without freaking out."

Elle could see the doubt on Jade's face even from a mile ago.

"Um remember the locket I bought a couple weeks ago?" Jade nodded doubtfully.

"Well, it came with a little surprise, you could call it..." Elle trailed off, and yet again, sighed. Could someone please tell her how to tell her best friend that she's seeing a ghost in the least concerning way? No one? Yeah, that's what she thought.

"You know what? I'm just gonna say it and... The locket has super compelling powers— or something like that— so it has to be guarded by this 19-year-old-looking ghost that is actually over a hundred years old because there's someone, that I still haven't figured out, that wants the locket," Elle said it all in one breath and exhaled loudly in relief at the end. It felt good to finally tell someone.

Jade's mouth was open in shock, and she looked like she wasn't even breathing. Elle waved her hand in front of her face a couple times until she blinked and closed her mouth.

"You're joking," was the only thing that came from her mouth. Elle expected her to be all and about what she had just told her, but for the first time, the usually bubbly and talkative Jade Mason was speechless.

"I wish I were!"

"So you're saying that there's a ghost following you around, and that you talk to him and he talks to you?" Jade was still dumbfounded.

"No! It's not like that! He only follows the locket," Elle said with an airy laugh. That sounded a lot better in her head.

Jade's eyes widened at Elle's statement.

"So is he in here right now?" She glanced everywhere around her, probably causing attention to the both of them. "Wait, is it a he? What even is he?" The questions just poured out of Jade's mouth.

"Yes, he's a he, he's a ghost, and no, he's not here right now, I left the locket at home," Elle didn't know why she was so calmed explaining all these; just a week ago she didn't understand a thing— she still didn't but now she just went along with it.

The next question surprised Elle more than it should, after all, this was what she was originally expecting, "can I meet him?"

"Well, you can come home with me and we'll see what we can do," she was cut off by the sudden arrival of someone next to her.

"Hey Elle, would you mind if I sit with you guys?" Elle and Jade looked up at Colton; Jade almost drooling on the table.

Jade was first to speak, "yeah, yeah, of course, take a sit!"

Colton smiled, kind of awkwardly, and took a seat next to Elle.

"Sorry, you know, it's my first day and I still don't know a lot of people," Colton chuckled.

Well a lot of people know you, thought Elle.

Elle just smiled and responded, "it's okay."

"Well, what were you guys talking about, you seemed very into it," he laughed.

"Oh you know, Elle was just telling me about her locket and the gh- OW!"

Elle sent daggers with her eyes to Jade as she kicked her under the table and mouthed BE QUIET.

Jade then understood that this was a secret that was to be kept between the two of them— and Isaac.

Elle and Jade just exchanged glances while they steered the topic, and kept talking to Colton.