The Secrets of the Aorta Ruins

Chapter One

Becca sat silently in the principal's office silently, her one leg folded in front of her resting on the chair. Her parents had already been called and were on their way. To her left sat her brother Zackary and beside him sat another boy holding his arm. Neither of them dared to spoke a word either. The clock on the wall ticking was the only sound in the room, until the parents of the other boy busted into the room and began yelling at Becca angrily and pointing fingers accusingly. She hadn't even gotten to tell her side of the story and the only witness was sitting in class. It was going to be her word against the other boy's.

"How dare you harm our son!" The other boy's mother yelled at her.

"We got called down here because you got beat up by a girl this time!" The boy's father yelled at his own son.

"He started it!" Becca yelled back at the woman.

"Everyone! Enough!" No one had even noticed the principal re-enter his own office. He took a seat behind his desk and the boy's parents each helped themselves to a seat behind their son, quietly watching Becca. No one spoke another word until Becca and Zackary's parents had arrived at the school another ten minutes later. It had been the longest ten minutes of Becca's life so far and knew it was going to be worse once they had gotten there. She had already been warned about getting into more trouble at school.

They entered the door hesitantly, surprised to see both of their children in the office. While Becca was a frequent visitor to see the principal, this had been Zackary's first trip. They quietly took a seat behind their kids, looking questioningly at the other boy in the office and back at the principal, waiting for someone to speak. The middle school principal looked at the office full of people trying to gauge the wide range of emotions in front of him and there were many in the small room. When the principal took too long to speak, the father of the other boy took the chance to, still as angry as when they had first walked through the door.

"I want that delinquent expelled!" he yelled, pointing a fat finger toward Becca, "How dare she say our son would start a fight!"

"If I deserve an expulsion so does your monster you call a son!" Becca fired back, defending herself.

"Listen, I know our daughter is no angel, but we don't even know what happened yet," Becca's mother said, still confused.

"Can we all calm down, so we can figure this out together?" The principal said, near actual begging. Becca turned around in her seat as her mother shifted how she was sitting obviously uncomfortable at the situation and the firm look on her father's face was all the convincing she needed to turn back around to face her principal. She allowed her foot to slide to the floor with a small thud, sitting up straight, waiting for her turn to speak. Despite always being in trouble, Becca would admit her principal was a fair man about doling punishments and listening to all sides at the least. It had only been a few minutes that had felt like hours but the principal spoke again.

"Now, young man. First what is your name? You have never been in my office before," He questioned the boy Becca had fought with earlier. Becca realized that wasn't a good sign for her considering she had been in her quite a bit that year.

"Dwyane. Dwyane Salgado." Becca wanted to laugh at the name but figured she was already in enough trouble. No wonder he had picked Zackary to try to bully. He must be used to being bullied himself by now.

"Very well, Mr. Salgado, would you mind telling me your side of the...incident that happened today then?"

"Yes, sir. You see, what happened was," he paused for a moment trying to formulate his story and Becca wondered too how exactly he would lie to sound innocent in this. He recovered quickly and continued after a fake cough to fill his moment of silence, "Sorry. You see, I was walking down the hallway and stopped to talk to my buddy Zack for a moment. We're in the same class. I was hoping to borrow his notes, so I could bring my grade up. When she came around the corner and attacked me! She burned my arm sir!" He whined, holding up the arm he had been holding the entire time they had been sitting in the office. The principal checked the few notes he had received on the incident which wasn't much. He raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything other than asking for Becca for her side of the incident.