The Tattooed | Completed | ✔

Chapter 2 - The Checking

My world had sucked in on itself. Ella was here, she had found me after seven years.

"Gwynnie?" Chirsty and I looked up at the door to see Staci Lynn

"What is it?" I asked

"Bethany would like for your friend to leave. She says since your Checking in a few days, she wants the house spotless."

"That's in five days though."

"Actually when you blacked out, it was six days and then you were out for two days, which left you with four days and now that its the end of today, you actually have three days til your Checking." Christy spuddered out

"Christy just shush with your math problems. But three days?" I'd be sixteen in just three days, Ella would be here in three days.

"I guess I'd better be going then. See you at school tomorrow?"

"Yeah." We said our goodbyes and Christy headed home. The rest of the evening I spend doing homework, I could hear Bethany cleaning downstairs and Kevin's constant keyboard clicking. At some point Staci Lynn ended up sitting, and then evenually falling asleep, on my bed.

"Girls wake up. You both need to get ready for school." Bethany stood over my bed shaking the heap of tangled limps that was my sister and me.

Staci Lynn pulled herself away and ended up rolling off the bed into a brown haired mess on the floor.

"Ow..." She mumbled and headed to my bathroom. Bethany just shook her head. Today was Friday, possibly the last time I'd go to school.

"Alright. Why are you so gloomy?" Christy asked as she dropped her linch onto the table. I just gave her one of those 'do you really have to ask' looks but she gives me the 'spill it'.

"Gwyneth, seriously if you don't tell me what's wrong, so help." Her face is twisted with worry despite the joke. I huffed out a long breathe that I'd been holding.

"I'm not going to pass."

"What?"

"I'm not going to pass my Checking."

"Why would you say that?"

"My mother was a Tattooed, more Others blood than most." I pushed the food around on my tray. It looked like paste.

"You're crazy, you'll pass, just watch." Christy gave me a weak smile. The school still seemed down about the recent failed Checking, they seemed more requent. The bell rang and lunch was dismissed.

　

"Ms. Danforth, please pay attention." The teacher, Mr. Lands, tapped the chalk against the blackboard.

"Sorry." I muttered and looked back at towards the front. My Checking was in two days and class work didn't really matter right now. My mind was racing and I glanced around the room trying to find my escape, to leave my mind and get lost in nothingness would be ideal. But the Checking creeped and lurked at the corners of my mind. Either I fail and die or Ella saves me. There was suddenly a knock at the door, which seemed to jar everyone from thoughts or sleep.

"Come in." Mr. Lands says pausing in his writing to look at the door.

"Mr. Lands, this is your new student. He seems to have gotten lost in the halls." An office aid stood in the doorway.

The classroom broke out into whispers.

"Quiet students. Please come in Mr. Valentine. I was beginning to wonder if you'd ever show up." Mr. Lands cheeks turns into an apple from this angle, he's smiling or smirking at the once lost student. The aid steps back to allow the boy into the room. I looked down at my paper, starting to doodle, I hardly cared for a new student on what could be my last day ever.