Wicked Game

One

 

NOW. 

 

 

The shrill sound of the morning bell pierced the still morning’s air. Students grunted, shifting in their uniforms as they pulled their heavy school bags over their shoulders and filed into the doors slowly, being cautious to waste as much time as possible, hardly excited for the school day to begin. 

Estella shrugged into her blazer -- a heavy coat which weighed her shoulders down and made her look like a square -- She forced her feet forwards, and they sluggishly moved towards the school’s open doors. Estella always associated the open doors of the school with the gaping, open mouth of a hungry beast. Willing to devour any defenseless student which walked into it’s trap. 

“Welcome back students,” the first-day-back-at-school announcements began, but still Estella walked sluggishly, not bothering picking up her pace as the other students did. 

Estella found her locker, chucked in her bag and pulled out her books. She closed it, ignoring the welcoming announcements that filled the hallway. Estella walked towards the open door of her first class, not bothering to look around at the people crowding the room. She sat in the back corner, the seat which was reserved for people who didn’t want to be noticed. Usually it was shrouded by darkness, because there were no windows in that corner. 

But since the long summer break, a break Estella spent reading each book on her reading list twice and working at the diner until the dead, cold hours of the night, and avoiding the attention of a very annoying guide. They’d put in windows in the corners, making the rooms brighter, and Estella’s secretive corner, no longer secretive. 

She slumped forwards, resting on her forearms and watched the students file through the doors. There weren’t many people she knew, let alone people she’d bothered speak to.

Estella was an enigma, something which didn’t like people talking to her. She enjoyed the solitude that came from not being bothered, which is why when everyone was talking and discussing exciting holiday things, Estella sat in the back, resting on her forearms and not bothering to stand or greet anyone. 

She didn’t expect to see her guide, the woman who had annoyed her from the first moment of her summer break, sitting at the table in front of her. She lent down, eyes meeting Estella’s. 

“You seem down, anything up?” 

Estella didn’t answer, she’d learned to ignore the figment of her imagination. But never knew how to get her to disappear at will, everything was up to her. Estella may’ve been imagining her, but she couldn’t get rid of her. 

“Is it because you don’t have any friends, I could help with that. I was very popular in high school.” 

“I thought you were a figment of my imagination?” Estella whispered under her breath, hardly able to hear her own words, but certain that her guide could. 

“I am. That doesn’t mean I didn’t have a life before I was in your noggin,” She smiled warmly, “Oh, I better go. Attractive people are coming, you’ll want a get a good look at them.” She disappeared, and I sighed. Staring at the whiteboard before me, empty as my mind. 

I finally looked over at the doorframe, just in time to see the door open and see the teacher walk in. His eyes glazed over, but met mine with curiosity. He was tall, and had choppy black hair, falling over his eyes which made him look a lot younger then he really was. At first glance he almost looked like a teenager, but Estella knew better, he came to the diner often.