Royally Flushed

Intrigue

~Malia~

"Class, eyes up.  This is our newest student so I expect you treat her with dignity and respect.  Please, introduce yourself," the short, stumpy looking woman told me.

Curious eyes all swept my way and I wanted to bury my head in my hands.  It was a class of at least twenty students, all looking perfectly polished in their white button up shirts and plaid blue skirts for the girls and navy blue dress pants for the boys.

I was thankful that I had allowed Mar to do my hair and makeup that morning, glad that I wasn't going to stand out too much.  The two nights I spent with my grandparents was healing, to say the least.   They were a lot more light hearted than I had hoped, albeit a bit withdrawn but I was used to abuse so anything even remotely gentle was good enough for me. I brought my attention to the teacher who looked like she was seething at me because of my ignoring her request.

I quirked my eyebrows up at her glare, annoyed that I even had to stand in front of the classroom to begin with, let alone say who I was.  I sighed and began to speak.

"My name is Malia Echols."

Murmurs erupted from the students and I didn't hide my confusion or surprise at their reaction.  Was I the talk of the town or something?

The teacher who I compared to Mrs. Trunchbull from Matilda looked at me expectantly to say more.

"I'm from America?" I said, more like a question in response to her probe for more information out of me.

The class started giggling at my admonition.  Of course I was from America, that was stupid of me.  I should have said something different but it didn't matter anymore, it had already come out of my mouth. No use fretting over the past and things that no one could ever change. 

Mrs. Trunchbull clicked her tongue and swept her dark eyes framed by bushy black eyebrows over my uniform and sent me on my way to an empty seat that was thankfully in the back.  I didn't mind that the longer distance made my arms quake with the pressure of the crutches I still had to use.

I had to wear a skirt, which was to my dismay. My pale skin never looked good in a skirt and the scars littered across my legs were difficult to cover up, but Mar helped me, she gave me something that helped women cover up blemishes on their faces and we put it on my legs.  The official story was that I was in a car accident and we were keeping my tragic past to ourselves, not wanting to incite a "scandal" for the Spencer family name.

I didn't mind that they thought of my past as a scandal, but honestly it was more for my personal protection than anything. If someone found out about Robert, they could go and try to interview him and he could spew all kinds of lies about me and my mother, which wouldn't just hurt the Spencer's, it would hurt me as well.

Hobbling my way past the curious stares and whispers, I found myself seated next to a brooding boy with dark brown hair who was too busy writing in his notebook to even spare me a second glance.

There was a very dark air to him that intrigued me as it reminded me of my own darkness that was ever present inside of me, something that I worked very hard to keep hidden, but with him it was like he didn't care who saw it. 

He must have sensed me staring at him and his eyes swept up to meet mine in an angry challenge, something glittering beneath the surface of his dark brown eyes and strikingly handsome face. 

I panicked and quickly looked away, hoping that he would forget all about it and leave me alone. 

Mrs. Trunchbull instructed all of us to open our books and started our lesson, causing me to sigh and withdraw into myself yet again, wondering how I was going to survive in this place.