Flower

Chapter 13: Raven

Derek and I sauntered into the hall together.  His father was not at his podium, or anywhere in the room. He took my hand and intertwined his fingers into mine.  I saw Betty sitting alone as we headed to our table.

            "Betty, why are you sitting alone? Where is everyone?" Today she wore a coral color dress with white (You guessed it) butterflies floating around on the fabric.  White sandals and little gold butterfly earrings complimented the outfit, along with a white bow that was placed in her hair to try and cover up the dark brown mess of her hair.  She probably had just gotten up.

            "No one was in your dorm room and I know Whitney's still in the infirmary. I don't really know if she's going to be here and I suspect Rhett was with her. Chelsey dragged Jane off somewhere. I'm not sure where Flora is."

            "Flora’s with Rhett and Whitney." I mumbled. "We'll sit with you." I tried to give the best, cute smile ever. It must have failed because Derek coughed back a laugh. We sat down and I kicked him.  I had finally noticed that he wore a black and white plaid flannel shirt with jeans and a pair of black converse. We were matching.  His blue eagle IPhone case was visible from his pocket and a chain that ended under his shirt sat proudly around his neck.

            "What's this?" I pulled the gold chain gently.  I peeked over at Betty who was texting someone. I assumed it was to ask where Jane was.

            "It’s an eagle pendant. My father says it was my mothers.  My father gave it to me when my change happened. He said she always loved eagles."  I reached the end and a brilliant eagle hung there.  It was beautiful. 

            "Where is your mother?" I asked.  More students filed in, we still had time to talk.

            "She left when I was 5. She couldn't stand my father anymore so she just packed up and left.  I heard that a year or two later she was killed by a demon. What I don't understand is why she didn't take me with.  Father told me that she loved me to death and I don't understand why a mother wouldn't take her child with her."

            "Everything happens for a reason." I whispered and then Principal Williams cleared his throat in the podium. His eyes scanned the room until he saw his son and where he was sitting, sitting next to me. The man on the podium squinted his eyes in disgust. Derek would get hell for this.  I leaned back, into his chest and Derek wrapped his arms around me, as if to protect me from something.

            "Students!" Williams began. "We've had a devastating loss last night. Leo Vanderwine was killed last night during the capture the flag game." My eyebrows went up. Someone killed him? I had so much bad history with him I was confused on how I should feel. I was sort of glad he was gone so he wouldn’t abuse me anymore, but I never wanted him to die. Someone screamed; a girl.

            "NO! IT COULDN'T HAVE BEEN HIM!" She screamed bloody murder as she was dragged out of the room by a friend.

            "Poor Vanessa." Derek mourned quietly. Williams shuffled awkwardly as everyone could still here Vanessa scream her head off outside the grand oak doors.

            "It was her!" Someone else shouted in the eerie silence. "It was that blond bitch Whitney!" Everyone turned their heads toward Bradon who stood on the table. 

            I stood up and countered him, breaking Derek's embrace. "The hell it was!" Bradon looked around the room for his opponent and when he saw me, he just smirked and laughed.

            "I saw it go down with my own eyes. I saw her pounce on Leo and rake his guts out until he had nothing left unlike you who was probably making out in the bushes." My blood boiled in anger but I kept my composer on the outside.