Experiment: Black Fire

Chapter 9

Experiment: Black Fire

_________________________________

Took too long, I know. Well, please comment, vote, or fan!

_________________________________

Chapter 9: Back to Normality

"This is bad," Mick told a frustrated Damiel one day. He wrung his hands and bit his lip repeatedly.

Damiel stared at Mick with skeptical eyes.

"Oh, really?"

"There has been no contact from either Ashlee or Miss Fanning. We do not even know if she is alive!"

"Well, we're trying."

"And that's not good enough!"

"So what can we do?!"

"Arrgh!" Mick banged his hands onto the table so hard that a few of the other maids who had been watching the heated discussion jumped. He turned abruptly to them and they started to scurry away.

"All we can do keep looking for hints! Any messages that Ashlee might have left, any signs of struggles!"

Mick banged his hands on the table again.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Thom slowed his car to a stop in the parking lot. He parked, and got out of the leathered seat. The glossy paint of the car shone with the early light of the day. He locked the car and looked around. He already knew what he'd find. Ashlee had skipped school. Again. He was getting seriously pissed off at her.

He started to walk away sullenly with his bag slung over his shoulder. The shining sun so early in the morning seemed to mock him from inside. He didn't know why he kept going the Rose Academy when it had given him so many unwelcome memories.

And speaking of unwelcome memories, he thought as Ellen walked past with her head held high. She sniffed when she realized that he was staring at her.

Her friend nudged her in the side. "He's staring at you!" she whispered loudly.

"So?" was the nonchalant reply.

"It could mean-"

"It doesn't!" Ellen's reply was sharper than before. Thom smirked. It seemed that he wasn't the only one with disturbing memories.

He continued his slow walk, his shoulders hunched down and his hands stuffed into his pants. If they were visible to others, they would have noticed that they were shaking.

He calmed himself, breathing in deeply.

He entered class just as it was beginning. He sat at the very back of the room looking distastefully at the teacher who strolled in a minute after he had.

He sat down at the desk and took roll. Only two students were absent: Cecelia Fanning and Ashlee Redwood. Thom's frown deepened as he heard Ashlee's name being called.

The teacher had noticed the whispering that sounded from the students. "Is something wrong?" He stood at the desk looking disapprovingly at his students in front of him.

"Yes," Ellen answered. "Why isn't Ashlee here, or Cecelia?" she added as an afterthough.

"All I know is that they're on vacation," he answered. He sat back down as the whispering stopped and finished taking roll.

"I hope that's a permanent vacation," Thom heard Ellen mutter loudly. "Enough of them!"

Ellen's friends laughed even though no one else did.