The Monthly Mystery

march

Thursday | March 1st
The first of another month, the beginning of another mystery. Tapping my pencil against my notebook, I stared at the clock. My beady eyes followed the seconds hand. Once, twice. I let out a groan and looked back to the board. Study of society, a subject I'd been forced to take despite my lack of interest. I scribbled down some notes from the PowerPoint as it was flicked to the next. At the back of the room mumbles and distracting chatter echoed around the room, but my teacher didn't care. He had as much interested at being at school as I did. My only motivation to get through the day: midday.
Our theory had to be correct. After over analysing all the evidence for hours the day before I'd come to the conclusion it was solid evidence. At midday today, someone would be struck with superpowers.
Pushing my palms against my eyes I rubbed and looked up again. The world appeared a blur for a few seconds and I turned to my right. Victoria, my quiet desk buddy wrote furiously in her notebook. My vision cleared and she looked up, eyebrows raised.
"Sorry," I mumbled, turning away and putting my pen to paper. She shook her head and leant closer, eyes looking over my notes.
"I heard you went to the hospital and talked to Georgia?" She asks and I look up suddenly. We'd tried to keep our visit on the down low, not wanting to cause suspicion. She giggled at my reaction and I sighed.
"Yeah, but I didn't talk to her. But I saw her."
Victoria's eyes lit up, "How is she."
I laughed. I really shouldn't have and my cheeks burned to remind me of my morals, "She's in a government facility. She's as good as she can be."
"So not great."
"No," I confirmed. Victoria nodded sadly, quickly writing down a short paragraph of definitions from the PowerPoint. I took one glance at the words and then back at my notes. The page was only half covered and I flipped to the back of my notebook. I was too tired and my mind too preoccupied to think about anything academic. On the back page I wrote out a bunch of theories Xavier and I'd discussed. Theories to do with aliens, government experiments going wrong, disease, nanotechnology (my addition inspired by my chemistry assignment) and other more far fetched ones. Creating a column down the centre I wrote down Harvey and Georgia, leaving five empty lines. In those lines I tried to jot down what similarities they had. After five minutes of pen hovering I gave up, no similarities jumping out at me. Instead I looked around my classroom. Who would be next? Would it be smart Andrew, his perfect record a contrast to his teeth? Creative Daisy, her music compositions award winning, her understanding of music more than I could ever achieve. Young historian Oliver, who sat up the front, his pen a flurry against the paper. I thought back to my friends, to Xavier, Marlene, Louise and Peter. None of them had anything in common with Harvey and Georgia. I ruled them out of my mind.

English passed in a flurry of paper after study of society. Beneath my chemistry textbook and notebooks (which I believe weighs more than the legal amount, but as if I'm going to take it up with the government) a new shiny task sheet and handouts sat. I teetered into my chemistry class, dropping the pile too loudly on my isle desk. Peter sat down beside me, scooting around as I organised my collection. He gave a polite smile and set out his things as a titration equation was written on the board. I wrote it down, trying to figure it out, somehow believing that by scrunching my eyebrows together the answer would appear. Time passed without my notice, my attention set on the problems facing me. Only half way through the lesson when the door slammed open did I look up, glance at the time and my heart race. It was five past midday. Excuses rattled through my mind and I quickly settled on asking if I could go to the bathroom. Maybe I could 'accidentally' walk through the school and find them.
Only then, as I began to raise my hand, did I look to the door. Standing at the frame, eyes puffy and red, was Marlene. Her hair had loosened from her usual messy bun, her breathing hard.
"Can I help you?" Asked my teacher but Marlene stared right at me.
She sucked in a deep breath, holding herself against the doorframe and whispered, "It's me." I was frozen in shock, heart racing as fast as my thoughts. No, no it can't be you. I thought, staring into her dark and terrified eyes, anyone but you.
"No," I squeaked. She rolled her teary eyes and ran to my desk.
"Miss, what is the matter?" He asked, crossing his arms impatiently.
Marlene ignored him, "Help me get out of here. They'll be here soon, won't they? Get. me. out." My voice was gone, closed up and dry. I resorted to nodding and got to my feet.
"Wanda, where do you think you're going?" My teacher asked again. I gave him an apologetic look, trying to forget how much trouble I could be in later. For now I had to help Marlene.
We ran out into the hallway, Marlene looking up and down it quickly.
I took a deep breath and my voice slowly returned, "What happened?"
She shook her head, rubbing the back of her neck, "I was in art. I wanted to move some dumb statue out of the way. Next moment I'm in pain, so much pain, and I'm on the floor. My heads throbbing and my teachers crying and I get up. I tell everyone I'm fine and move the statue aside, then realise what's happened. So I found you." She said rapidly, pointing down the hall, "But I'll tell you the rest later, right now how do I leave the school grounds without getting caught?" We began to jog down the hall, the options racing through my mind. Front gates, police will arrive there. Back fence, too high and the bush is thick behind it. Possibly the home of a multitude of dangerous animals. The eastern side, a possibility.
"East side," I told her, directing us out a side exit, the usual chain fences shutting the corridor off unlocked during the day. We rush out into the outdoor area, wooden benches under draping sails lining the side of the school. The ocean in the distance looked so peaceful, I don't know why I remember that, but it was so calm. Too calm for a day like today.
The chain fences stood at the start of the dip in the hill. The tips were barbed with coiling wire, protecting whatever cheap valuables the school owned. Marlene made to start running when something gripped my wrist, yanking us both back. I turned and saw a police officer, right before Marlene punched him in the face.
He was flung back, sliding into the hallway. Scarlet dripped from his nose as he gripped it, pinching it tight. Marlene looked down at her hand in awe, a grin spreading up her lips as she ran back inside. I groaned and followed, trying to get her to run towards the fence. Instead she walked up to the officer, picking him up under by the back of his shirt. She pulled him into the air, lifting his stubby legs off the ground. He swung his arm for her face and she grabbed his fist with her free hand. The look of shock on his face will mostly likely be on her mind with glee forever. She dropped him down, walking like a model back to me. With an eyebrow raised she glanced over her shoulder before facing the exit. In the distance two other officers stood, guns raised. From the distance I couldn't tell if they were tasers or stocked with ammunition. But I suspected the later.
"Marlene..." I said, tapping her arm. She looked towards the east exit and bit her lip.
"Meet me at the Humming Bird later," she whispered, turning on her heels and running. She bolted out the side door as the officers tucked their weapons away, running forward. For a second I thought they'd grab me and flinched as they ran out the door after Marlene. I slumped my shoulders and breathed deeply, shaking my head. I hope Marlene is still a fast runner.
The bell went soon after as I approached my chemistry classroom. Peter stumbled out, carrying my books and swaying. I quickly took them from his hands, checked my teacher wasn't behind him and thanked him.
"No problem," he said, looking around as though being seen with me would damage his already crumbling reputation, "The assignment was changed by the way. There's a test in two weeks instead, in exam block."
"No report?" I asked and he shook his head, "Any reason why?"
Peter shrugged, "He didn't give any." Then, without a goodbye, he turned and walked off. I looked after him, rolling my eyes, before going to my locker.
After fitting my books into my locker like Tetris, I leant against it and looked down the hall. Xavier was no where to be found, his usual bounding figure not in sight. I scrunched up my face and took my lunch, walking down the hall. Through the unlocked chain fences I walked, my sight glancing towards the eastern fences as I went. Marlene wasn't around and neither were the officers. It was all I could do to hope she made it out okay.
Around the back of the school I turned, ahead of me Xavier leant against a wall. In his hands he flicked through a thick black notebook. A visual art diary.
"Xavier?" I asked, approaching. He snapped the notebook shut, shoulders tensing as he looked up. On realisation that I wasn't a teacher, he relaxed and waved me over. I joined his side and peered at the notebook.
"It's Marlene's," he explained and I nodded.
"You were in art weren't you?" I asked.
"Yep. And I'm assuming she ran off to find you?"
"Yeah." We stared off into the distance, looking passed the chain fence to the ocean. Rain clouds were brewing quietly in the distance. Xavier opened the notebook again and I recognised the watercolour and charcoal art immediately, "Why do you have Marlene's notebook?"
He stopped on the newest drawing, of a dying tree in charcoal, "I didn't want the police to get it. I'll give it back when we see her again." The opposite artwork displayed some water coloured orbs with inked holes. Skulls. How typical.
"You can give it back at the Hummingbird this afternoon. She'll meet us there."
"Is that safe?" Xavier asked and I shrugged. His eyes lit up, "What's her power?"
"Strength," I said, remembering her display in the hall. "She lifted a security guard into the air."
"Oh wow, what did he do?"
"Nothing. That's when the police arrived and aimed their guns."
"Guns?" Xavier exclaimed. "But Australian police have tasers usually. This isn't America."
I shrugged, "I guess they thought a teenager was dangerous enough to warrant guns." Now that sounds like America.