The Truth Never Told A Lie

Chapter 4.

Cassi Aemon stared at me in shock. The food she was chewing was in plain view. It looked disgusting. It looked just like what she really was. Like I said she was.
"I did not just hear that, did I?" She almost choked. The others gaped at me. By the others, I mean the other people in my class at Mountain View High School. If you could call them people. They were more like animals. There was Ivan, who looked like a thousand pounds; Clay, whose face resembled his name; Tara, Lee and Tuna, (seriously, I don't know why they call her that; her real name is Tess) who were all covered in freckles and had like fifteen different dyes in their hair; Cassi, who was boss, and all the rest, who preferred to follow her lead. I gulped as her eyes bore into mine. They narrowed, making her look like a snake ready to strike. All around us, heads were popping up and looking our way. Cassi swallowed hard.
"I did not just hear that, did I?" She repeated again. The cool kids backed away from me and began whispering and pointing at me. I was sitting just across from Cassi in the cafeteria. I looked back at her and stared straight into her cold blue eyes. I said nothing. Just stared at her and nodded.
Everyone gasped in horror. Tara and Lee started laughing. Cassi's eyes widened. Her fist clenched.

"Leave this table now, Emily." Her face was like stone.

I got up and left the table, slinging my backpack over my shoulder. I didn't even bother to pick up my tray.

I left school among the taunts and jostles of almost everyone. I opened my locker to grab my books and found it full of notes. I knew all too well what they said. I didn't even look at them; just scooped them up and walked to the nearest trash bin. I grabbed my books and walked outside, out from under the sunburned words: "Mountain View High School Academy".

I didn't need the bus. My home wasn't far. I strode along the sidewalk, scarcely knowing where I was, other than the fact that I was heading home. I knew one thing for sure: I wanted to be back home in Canada. Before the lab. Before the Experiment. That was almost seven years ago. I was only nine then. I tried to shut out the painful memory, but it came swirling back like a black mist. I was oblivious to everything else.

A hand tapped my shoulder. I spun around and struck out with my arm.

"Hey! Hold it a sec!" A boy, who looked about two years older than me, stepped back to avoid my fist. I pulled it back, just inches from bloodying his nose. He grinned. "You've got fire in you, don't you? I didn't mean to scare you. The name's Tate." He stuck out his hand.

I relaxed and shook his hand. "Who are you?" I asked, still wary. I took a moment to survey his features. Brown, curly hair on top of a light face. He looked about six feet tall, two inches taller than me.

"I thought I made it pretty clear," He said with a smile. "My name is Tate Carlson. I go to Mountain View. Ya' know, where you go to."

I shrugged and turned to keep walking. He fell in step beside me. "Your name's Emily, right? Emily Wilkes?"

I nodded.

"I saw you stand up to Cassi. That took some nerve."

I remained silent, inwardly seething.

"I really admire you for doing that." He spoke quietly.

I stopped and looked him in the face. His eyes looked back into mind. Brown. Clear. Honest. He didn't look away. I was secretly relieved. "Here, at least," I thought, "Is someone who I can trust."

I smiled faintly. We turned and kept walking down the crowded sidewalk. Pearl, California was a huge city. Some bragged that it was even bigger than NYC. I spoke up.

"I haven't met you before."

"Naw. But I know you."

"Really?" I asked sarcastically.

"Well, I know about you. I can't say I've really met you."

"I almost pulverized you back there."

He laughed. "Yeah, I know. But that's okay. You looked pretty lost in thought, so I'm not terribly surprised."

"Sorry." I looked at him out of the corner of my eye. He was twirling a pencil between his fingers.

"I don't believe I've seen you in my class."

He laughed again. It was a nice laugh. Not mean. "I'm not a sophomore, you know."

I dared to look him in the eyes again. The Truth kicked in.

"Yeah. I know. You're a senior. And you are exactly two years, one month and three days older than me." The words wouldn't stop. I tried to contain them, but they flowed out of my mouth.

Tate stopped walking and stared at me.

"Great. Now I've done it. He's going to walk away, and never talk to me again. And why not? I am weird. At least, I am now."

"Exactly how old are you?" He asked. He didn't scream or go nuts. Just "how old are you?"

"Fifteen. I'll be sixteen on October 8th." He did the math. His eyes widened. But still, he didn't go nuts.

"That's cool. How'd you know?" He asked.

"I didn't."

"Then why---?" I cut him off.

"No! Never ask me that question. That's just who I am. Okay?" I almost yelled. I was so mad at myself. Once again, I had given myself away.

"And for your own good, I'd advise you not to stick around me either," I said more softly. I turned at the lane to my house. "I've got a lot of homework to do," I called briefly. "Good afternoon, Tate."

"I'll see you tomorrow, Emily."

I didn't reply.