The Phantoms

chapter 2

"Lydia.You're going to be late."Mom's voice is like a knife through my head.I open my heavy eyes.My hands feel wrong and stiff.I stare at them,suprised to see the bandages wrapped around my palms.The events of last night come back to me, and I want to crawl deeper under the covers.
Instead I plant my face into my pillow and groan loudly ,as if Mom is the most annoying person to exist.Which she totally is."I'll be down,"I mutter in her direction.The door clicks behind her as she leaves.A few minutes later, I force myself to leave the bed.I walk to my closet while stripping off my blood stained t-shirt and black jeans.I stuff them into a plastic bag ,which I throw into my school bag so I can dump them in a garbage can somewhere.I want no reminders from last night.I remember the three kids who were with me and scowl.Too bad things aren't gonna go my way.
Maybe they don't go to my Ebony,I think,walking down the stairs Maybe I won't ever see them again.
For some reason I don't think I'll be lucky this time.
Downstairs,Mom and Carson are having a makeout session.I gag.
They don't stop even though I go around to the fridge and open it,announcing my arrival.There's a Ziploc full of brownies sitting on the top.I take it.
Snatching an apple from the fruit bowl on the island,I walk out of the house.If only that stupid thing hadn't ruined my plans,I would be somewhere across the state now.I wouldn't have to deal with this shit.
Angry thoughts continue to run through my head as I slip through the school gates.As usual Mr.Mcgill is waiting for me on one of the stone benches,pretending to be lost in thought.I roll my eyes and run up the black steps leading into the school.Out of the corner of my eye I see Mcgill up and follow.I sigh.
Whoever said money can't buy everything is wrong.Back in NY, mom used to pay teachers to stalk me, and, by the end of the week,report if I did anything new.None of them knew that I knew.I was one of the school bad girls back then so I had plenty of people to cover for me.Still, it came close to driving me mad.
Here, I'm the new girl.I have no friends and I'm sick of making fake ones.Plus,after the incident with that cheerleader bitch,Mom's upped her tricks.Now there's a lot more teachers stalking me.
Even a month later,the school feels wrong,foreign.I can't get used to how huge it is.And how everyone's uniform is perfect.And how Gucci and Miu-Miu's are the dress codes.And how my locker combination is 5463 instead of 2871.
Whispers follow me as I walk to my locker.And it's not that my tie is loose or that I'm wearing fingerless leather gloves fashioned out of old leather shoes or that my bag and uniform are splattered with paint.It's that I punched some bitch one.fucking.time.
I twist my locker combination in,ignoring all the stares.Someone comes up to me."Hey."I know without looking that it's blondie.Guess she goes here after all
"Hey,"I say,flatly,pushing my bag into the locker.I turn around,ready to leave.A hand latches onto my arm."So-"She clears her throat,making me face her.Up close ,she's almost as short as me."I think we should talk about-"She looks around at the curious faces around us and coughs."Um, last night,"she finishes akwardly.Giggles errupt from the onlookers.I almost laugh with them.She makes it sound worse without even trying.Or maybe she is trying.Pretending to be all innocent and tongue tied so I can answer all the questions I'm sure she has out of a false sense of security.
"I don't know what you're talking about."I say,loudly enough for half the school to hear.I can hear snickers all around us.Her mouth drops open."Gail!"Someone yells from the crowd.Fabien's brown head appears at the end of the hallway.I shake Gail's hand of my arm and disappear into the opposite direction.I can already hear lesbien being added to my list oddities all around the school.
The rest of the day passes by in a blur.I get kicked out of Biology for using vulgar language to explain the definition of some hormone I don't remember.It's not my fault the teacher was
stupid enough to call on me.
Too soon,it's time for detention.I lag down to the basement as slowly as I can.As usual most of the seats are full by the time I arrive so I have to sit up front.I take my favorite purple pen out of my pocket and start drawing a dragon on my wrist.The class door opens again to admit a certain redhead.Patricia glares at me.I beam at her like she's gifting me with three packs of triple layered Trident strawberry gum.After all the bible says to treat your enemies like friends.And yeah,I did shatter her cheekbone with my fist four weeks ago which is the reason we're both in detention right now,but whatever.
A guy steps out from behind her.He reminds me of Camilla's old bulldog.Big,dull-looking,always happy to do his mistress's bidding.Judging from the supressed looks of triumph they both give me,his presence  means Patricia has finally prepared her comeback.
I'll deal with it later,I decide waving cheerily at him then going back to my makeshift tatoo.
The chair next to me screeches as someone sits in it.I glance at it half expecting Patricia or her lackey.When my eyes rest on the boy next to me my heart just about stops.I quickly avert my eyes but it's no use.He's seen me.Probably before I saw him.
"Sleep well last night?" Earrings boy asks casually.I cock my hesd at him,feigning confusion."Of course I did.Why wouldn't I?" Feeling as though I should do this properly I add,"Who are you?"
Earrings boy doesn't look suprised that I'm  denying ever meeting him last night.He just smiles at me.A predator's smile sharp and hungry.I mask my own suprise and study him.There's an edge to him, something dark and bitter that he's not trying to cover up for me.It's comforting.I prefer him over Gail who's either a great actress or an actual innocent, both prospects equally horrifying, and Fabien who seems polite and soft spoken and  tactful.I hate tact.It's the worst display humans have ever shown.I have a feeling this boy has none.I relax a little.We're on equal ground.
"Look at your dragon,"He says,still smiling that humorless smile.I raise an eyebrow and obey my senses on high alert,fully expecting it to be a ruse to get my eyes off him except-
The dragon on my wrist is blue.I clearly remember sketching it with a purple pen.
Then right before my eyes it turns pink.Then red.Then it slithers around my wrist and opens its mouth.My eyes widen and I start shaking my arm trying to throw it off.It huffs in an annoyed sort of way and disappears in a puff of smoke,leaving my mind reeling.
I look at Earrings boy who was watching me,unflinching.
It's him.
Slowly,my mind starts to connect the dots.The mysterious light that saved my life.The ground shaking roars that no one but four kids heard.What other powers are him and his friends hiding?
"Come over to my house,"he says. "We can talk tactics.Find out what's going on."
His words bring me back from my thoughts.I scoff.Although trasparency isn't really my thing I decide to consider it a debt repaid for his.
"And why should I trust you?"
"Because I promise I won't hurt you."
"Is that supposed to be convincing?"
"I don't care if it's convincing.It's a promise and I keep my word."
"I don't."
"So you expect the same from everyone else?"
"Exactly."
He leans forward his eyes trained on mine.They're a light,sea green with silver flecks.His markings,I realize.
"Trust me."
And it's those words that made my mind up for me.
"No."
I stand and walk out of the class,ignoring Mr Sultan's protests.
I've survived this far by depending only on things I can understand,always finding equal ground.
And trusting no one but myself.