The Knife Thrower

Chapter 2

"Good morning. You may now take a seat." Mrs Baxter says as she pulls out the roll. Quickly she calls out the names and I bite my lip. When she is done, I have to do my speech.

"Kyra Avedel?" She calls.

"Here."

"Vanessa Moran?"

"Here." My best friend calls, without looking up from her book. She loves to read, and with nerdy glasses and honey-coloured hair, she's the perfect package. Not to mention, her parents are the nicest people on earth.

"Hayley Rodrigues?"

"Sup." My other best friend calls, which incites some nervous laughter. Mrs Baxter raises an eyebrow, but says nothing. Hayley flicks her mini braids over her coffee coloured shoulder, openly daring Mrs Baxter to say something about her gum or her feet resting on her desk.

Finally all the names have been called, and all the absences noted, and I am called up to recite my Loyalty speech. But before I can get up, Mrs Baxter is interrupted by the entrance of someone I have never seen before, and all heads swivel in his direction. New students are rare, especially for this year group. There are twenty-three year twelve student's altogether so we are all in one class. There hasn't been a new student since... year seven, I think. 

He is tall with thick, wavy black hair that falls down his neck and partially obscures his light-blue eyes. He walks over to Mrs Baxter and hands her a piece of paper, clearly declaring his new arrival. She nods and sends him to a desk.

"Please introduce yourself to the class." She asks as he grabs a seat at the back.

"I'm Blake, Blake Anderson," he says, completely ignoring the whole class gawking at him. She nods again, causing her double chin to become a triple chin, and introduces herself.

"Kyra, your loyalties please." She says again, and I jump. Loyalties... Ah yes. I walk up to the front of the class and turn around. I scan the room and my eyes land on Blake. His calm, collected blue eyes burn into me, making me shiver. I look away before I feel the blood rushing up my cheeks. He looks like bad news. He's definitely not from around here.

I take a deep breath, my heart racing at a hundred miles per hour, and begin, just like I had rehearsed.

"The year is 2247 and two hundred and thirteen years ago, the world fell apart. A global –"

"RING RING. RING RING. A MESSAGE FROM YOUR PRINCIPLE." The loud speakers overhead blare, cutting me off. A pause, and then the message is related.

"ATTENTION ALL YEAR TWELVE STUDENTS, PROMPTLY REPORT TO THE GYMNASIUM. THIS IS YOUR PRINCIPLE SPEAKING. I REPEAT, ATTENTION ALL YEAR TWELVE STUDENTS, PROMPTLY REPORT TO THE GYMNASIUM. THANK YOU." The mechanical voice says and everybody stand up. Relief pools through me. I don't have to give my Loyalties. I have really been saved by the bell.

In an orderly fashion we file out our math room and head to the gym. The halls are silent, except for the patter of feet and hushed conversations.

Around me I hear snippets of conversation.

"What is going on?"

"First a new student, then a Year twelve only assembly?"

"Do you think there is a fire?"

"Why Year twelve only?"

I fall back to walk with Hayley and Vanessa and we make our way to the second floor, past the reception, and into the gym, which is cold and almost completely empty, expect for a row of chairs at the front. Mr Kavelux, stands on the stage, sombre and silent.