A raven's secret

Horror movie school

When my alarm clock went off at 7 my first instinct was to throw it against the wall as hard as possible. Going to school was hard enough, I didn't need to start it with a heart attack too.

It took me a considerable amount of time to get ready. I wasn't sure what to wear. Should I try to dress like the kids who lived here, or did I stick to my own style? What did kids around here look like? I wasn't sure, since I hadn't seen any kids on our quick trip to the grocery store. And I wasn't dressing up like the cashier. My own style it was then.

Skinny jeans and a white top was what I decided on. A quick glance out the window showed clouds heavy with rain, and I grabbed my red coat on the last minute.

"Good morning sunshine," Dad said when I came into the kitchen for breakfast.

"Morning," I greeted and took my seat opposite him at the table. I poured myself a cup of coffee and threw some cereal into a bowl. My entire family, except Scott, was addicted to coffee. Mom and Dad's job was the main reason behind their coffee drinking habits, and I happened to adopt them, thinking it was normal to drink pots of coffee every day. Scott only drank tea, because he hated the bitter aftertaste that coffee had. He was so British.

"Where's Scott?" I asked Mom when she took her seat beside me.

"Still in his room, probably fretting about what to wear," Mom said while buttering a piece of toast.

I laughed into my coffee cup. Scott was looking to make a good impression at school, especially on the girls. He was definitely throwing the band card their way.

After breakfast I grabbed my backpack and headed for the car. Mom and Dad were both starting their new jobs today. Dad would be dropping us off at school and than Mom at the gallery. Dad would drive to work with our car. After school Scott and I had to walk the little way to the gallery and stay there for the rest of the afternoon until Dad came to pick us up. This would be our daily arrangement until further notice.

Scott had already started asking about the possibility that he could get his own car. Which was unfair, since I had my own drivers licence, and you didn't see my car parked anywhere in the driveway.

Mom and Dad were already in the car when Scott finally came out of the house. He was wearing a black T-shirt with the band's logo on it. A golden crown with red blood dripping off it and landing on The Killer Kings written below it in fancy script. A jacket was slung over his arm.

"Hallo Little Red," Scott greeted with a sly smile.

At first I wanted to argue with him that I wasn't Red Riding Hood, but than I saw the red coat I was wearing. I yelled internally at myself for being so stupid.

The drive to school was silent in the back seat, but at the front Mom and Dad were talking about work. I didn't really pay attention to their conversation.

The school was off the main road and only two blocks away from Mom's gallery. It was a white building, but the paint was peeling off at some places and green ivy was climbing up the walls in all directions. It was two storeys high and all the windows and doors were made of dark wood. A fence separated the school from the woods behind it.

Horror movie perfect.

Mom and Dad had to register us first, which meant Scott and I spent half an hour in the office while our parents signed papers and filled in forms.

The woman who helped us was tall and lean, but she had a round nose that didn't suite the rest of her sharp features. Even her voice was sharp. But she was kind enough to let Scott and I wait in the office until the next class began. We sat in silence in the plastic chairs that lined one of the walls.