Crazy Enough...

Chapter 4

Even though I didn't know her, I still felt the loss. An empty void had opened up inside me, and I assumed inside everyone. A question remained, though I didn't dare ask it. When they said missing, did they mean kidnapped, or that she left of her own accord? There probably were a million more questions, but I couldn't think of any others. What a great first day of school.

The first bell ran, signalling all the students to rise from their seats on the benches at tables, and shuffle towards their classes. I dreaded going to class, being introduced as the new kid, and probably being the follow up of the missing girl.

My first class was ENG2D, Academic English, and a wondrous way to start the day. Upon entering the classroom, I was hit with a potent scent of cinnamon and vanilla. Looking around I saw a seat open in the centre of the classroom, and I took it, just hoping that no one noticed that I was new. Looking around at the other students, I saw that none of them had a binder, notebook, textbook or even a pencil out, and so I did the same. Like all the rest of them I went on my phone, only for me this was pointless because I had nobody to text around here.

"Hey," someone called from behind me. I turned to see a girl with sleek, straight, jet black hair that went down to her waist, and a septum piercing.

"Ummm, hi?" I was unsure what she wanted from me, and therefore unsure how to react to her.

"You new? You look lost," she said this in a gravelly toned voice.

"Yeah," I looked down at my shoes rather than at her face.

"I can tell. Keep your head low and the teacher won't notice that you're new, he'll just mark you present like he does the rest of the class," she nodded towards the teacher's desk were a plump, middle-aged man sat reading a book.

"Oh, uh thanks, I guess," I said, but as I went to turn back to the front of the room she muttered something else to me.

"I was new once, and glad to have been told that. Too bad it didn't work like that in my other classes," I turned around again to face her as she said this.

"When'd you move here?"

"Three months ago, I would ask you, but it's pretty obvious it was over the weekend."

"Hehe, yeah," I forced an awkward laugh.

"Names Cecei by the way," she smiled a more natural looking smile.

"Short for Cecilia?"

"Yeah, you going to tell me your name?" I pause before answering. I didn't want my full name, but I didn't want Els.

"El, short for Elsabeth," I made it up, but I liked it.

"Huh, would've thought an Elsabeth would go by Beth not El," Cecei shrugged.

"We're not all that basic," I replied and swivelled around to face the front of the class.

Our teachers name was Mr. Vlazen, and he droned on about Shakespearean literature for about ten minutes before being interrupted. Even ten minutes of him talking was enough to put me into a dull, half asleep state. The vice-principal walked briskly into the classroom, crossed to the middle to he was in front of Mr. Vlazen, then muttered something inaudible to him.

"Our vice principal, Mr. Shaun, has a few words that he'd like to say," Mr. Vlazen said this, then looked over and up at Mr. Shaun, who was about a head and a half taller than him.

"As many of you already know, a student named Lauryn Hommes is missing currently. We urge you to bring an information you have about her disappearance to the police, and to be watchful for anyone suspicious. Any questions?" as soon as Mr. Shaun said this almost every hand in the room went up.