Small towns hold the most secrets, some more dangerous than others. What happens when people start to be murdered or others begin to go missing? The police don't know who or what is killing these people. Amy is just a 16 year old girl who even in he...
When I traveled back home I was questioned by non-other than Gertrude who I found sitting cross-legged on my bed reading a book. When she saw me trudge into the room she snapped the book shut and set it down. A was too tired and sluggish to question anything.
"Where were you today?" Gertrude questioned. "Do I have to answer?" I rubbed my eyes and yawned.
"You were gone all day! I was worried!" Gertrude exclaimed and slapped the bed in exasperation. Then she looked at me suspiciously. "What were you doing while you were out, you're tired." I didn't want to keep up a charade anymore so I just confessed, " Ok, fine... I went back to that concrete building..."
"And did you have something to do with the firefighters coming towards the rising smoke?" Gertrude raised an eyebrow. "No.." I said nervously then tried to smile.
"Oddly suspicious especially since immediately there was a short power outage. "
I just gave a smile. Gertrude sighed, "Well I can see what you're affinity is now. Just in time to." I was perked up now, because what did she mean 'just in time'? I decided to voice this question. "What do you mean 'Just in time?"
"Well you thought I couldn't get enrolled into school half-way through the year. But I created a backstory for myself and everything, So now I can watch you at school." Her face turned from exasperated to smug at her accomplishment.
"Oh.... I was totally waiting for that day to arrive." I trudged over to my bed and plopped down into the softness of the blankets.
"And geesh you're bleeding." Gertrude reached for my blood-soaked side, but I groaned and rolled away. "How did I not notice that!" She shrieked.
"Maybe because you were too busy interrogating me." I mumbled into my pillow. "Take off your clothes!"
"WHAT NO!"
"If a wound hasn't healed by now there's something wrong with it! I want to check!"
"I'M NOT TAKING OFF MY CLOTHES! IT'S FINE!"
I slapped her hand away and rolled farther away, "Ok, Ok, OK, let me go to your bathroom and get cleaning things and bandages, or Band-Aids or something." Gertrude jumped off the bed and rushed towards the bathroom while I laid down and closed my eyes letting the tiredness drag me into a sleep that blocked out all other noise.
*****
I slept until late into the evening and even then I didn't move, preferring to keep quiet and stare at the darkening sky through the glass window. My side was no longer wet and sticky with blood and I let out a contented sigh. My side wasn't aching or stinging any longer. I fell back into sleep.
*****
When I woke back up it was to the blaring of my new alarm that I had set on my phone after my alarm clock was destroyed. I felt the familiar prickling of energy was hovering just below my skin making me slightly uncomfortable. Wiggling out of bed I tapped the alarm off and sleepily made my way to the closet to get changed for school. It was Monday but my sluggishness that was usually there and ready to take over was quickly evaporated like morning dew.
I wasn't particularly upset but it felt strange for such a sudden change, but then again, my entire life in the past few days has been an entire change.
I changed into my uniform, grabbed my black backpack, sneaked downstairs then out the door to head to school.
Walking to school and passing all the greenery I felt the prickling energy die down a little. I saw a flash of red before something barreled into my side. I grunted in pain and the flash of red spoke up, "Oh sorry, Amy!" Poppy detached from my side skipped around me once and came to halt on my right.
"Good thing you're going to school today, can't miss to many more days or your gonna get a warning." Poppy kicked a stone and sent it skittering across the sidewalk. Again, I felt the heated prickle of energy bubble up and flare across my skin. I tried to force it down it would be bad if I did that explosion thingy in class.
Damn do I have to wrap myself in plastic-wrap? But Gertrude said she enrolled, so where is she?
I looked to Poppy to ask my question, "Hey, Gertrude said she enrolled today, so... Where is she?" Poppy bit her lip in thought, well since your memory span is that of a peanut and you don't remember that when you enroll you have to get your schedule and for that you have to be early to school." The red-haired girl reached out knocked me on the head. "But I didn't Gertrude was coming to school...Why she not smart enough herself to help you with homework?" Poppy mocked and stuck out her tongue.
"No! I can do my homework just fine. Trouble just seems to find me so, Gertrude suggested watching me..." I said slightly embarrassed now that I thought about it.
"Haha! You have a babysitter!" Poppy hooted and shook my arm in her laughter. "You're a great friend." I said sarcastically. Poppy's laughter suddenly cut off when she exclaimed with a sudden yelp "Ouch!... You shocked me!" She drew back from my arm and looked at her hand while her nose wrinkled.
"Static electricity?" I offered an explanation. "If that was the cause then it would of happened as soon as I touched you, plus you have shoes on and I don't see carpets anywhere."
I didn't want to lie to my friend who at the moment was glaring daggers at me which might have added to the reason, so I told her the short conversation about affinities and about mine after making sure no one was around which no one was.
"So.... You... have electricity as an affinity?" She looked still looked slightly skeptical but then the look erased, "Is that why there was a small power outage yesterday? Wow, if that's all you can do, that's kinda sucky and I feel like you pulled the short end of the stick here." Poppy tapped my head and again I felt the surge under my skin only it wasn't just from physical contact but from a mixture of anger that had started to bubble up inside of me.
We continued walking to school all the while I was trying to squash down the raising pulses of energy and anger. When we reached school, I hugged my friend goodbye as the bell rang signaling for classes to start. For the most part I had successfully clamped the prickling and anger down as I entered first period and prepared for a long day.
It turns out that Keon and Chase came back today but I hardly noticed due to the voltage dancing beneath my skin. Poppy's words had stung me, had hurt my pride and that hadn't happened it a while, so now I didn't now how to feel about that or what to do about the hurt and anger still boiling in cauldron of my gut. I wasn't going to cry over hurt feelings but I wanted to get rid of them as well.
