The Other World

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Just Another School Day

I wake up tired and exhausted. I just lay there in bed for a good solid twenty minutes deciding if I should go to school today. I decided that I need to get my life back as normal, or at least as close to normal I can get. I drag my body out of bed and put on a baggy jumper and jeans. I pack my bag and make my way downstairs.
"Hey mama," I say while heading in the kitchen.
"You finally going to school?" She asks me while taking a sip of her black coffee. I follow the smell of the coffee and pour myself a cup.
"Yeah, needed to get my grades back up," I say back. I chug my coffee, which burns my mouth but I'm so tired I don't even care. "Coffee is a true friend," I say with a smile. My Mum looks at me, confused about how I drank that so fast.
"Bye sweetie, have fun!" she says while walking out the room.
"Thanks, but I won't," I say. I walk out the door and hop on my black bike.

While on my way to English, I pass the science room. A cold shiver travels down my spine as memories from that night appear in my brain. I shake my head as an attempt to shake away the memories. I walk in class and everyone is either on their phone or talking. Which weirdly I'm glad they are, it's a way to tell they're normal.

Unlike you...

I take a seat at the back of the class and put my books on my desk. A girl next to me is staring at me, she looks nervous but also annoyed. I look at her and raise an eyebrow, questioning her. She puts her pencil down and turns to me. I sit up straight and wait for her to talk.
"Yo..you..you..can't" is all she says. I don't fully understand her so I turn to face the front. "You can't have...your bag...your bag...is not... here" she stutters. She still isn't making sense so I look at her and smile.

She was probably nervous since you have a resting bitch face!

"Okay, just breathe," I tell her calmly. She nods and takes my advice. She takes a deep and very very long breath in and out.
"I was just...trying to say...your not suppose...to have your bag...in class," she says still nervous. I sigh and roll my eyes. Not wanting to be mean, I reach for my bad and stand up. But Ashlee walks past me and pushes me back down into my seat. I put my bag down and get ready to fight, just in case.
"Okay, nerd. Hi, I'm Ashlee. We are best friends now and I need you to follow me" She orders her. The girl is so afraid and confused that she just nods and agrees. Ashlee walks away but when she notices the girl isn't following she clicks her fingers. The girl quickly grabs everything and practically runs after her. I'm confused and worried about what just happened. But the class is about to start, so I stay seated.

Yay. Class.

Luke walks in and welcomes the class. He scans the room but when he notices me he looks again just to check it's me. He offers me a smile and I return the gesture.
"Can anyone tell me what year the Black Death was?" Luke asks the class. The whole class is still minding there own business and ignoring him completely. "Joyce?" He asks. When he says my name the whole class looks at me.
"1347," I say proudly since I actually study.
"Thank you, Joyce," he says while glaring at the rest of the class.
"All good Luke," I say back. "I mean Mr Tinwell" I quickly fix.

At the end of the class, I make my way to the door.
"Joyce" Luke greets.
"Hey, how can I help you?" I say.
"There is actually something very very important to tell you," He says very seriously.
"What is it?" I ask him, I put my bag down and take a seat in the front row. He is still at his desk and he is fiddling with a pen.
"I should have probably told you this, the first time I met you but I didn't know how" he starts with. He looks down at the table and puts the pen down. When he looks up, he looks sad.
"What is it?" I ask him, beginning to come impatient.
"I knew your parents, I was your Dad's high school best friend," he tells me. I look at him a bit annoyed he didn't tell me but it's not that big of a deal. "And there is more" He adds.
"Which is...?" I ask him.
"Your Dad knew what you were, a lupus pythonissam and to keep you save you couldn't know who you were. at least that is what he thought. Every year he got me to cast a spell on you, to hide your powers from yourself and the world. When he died, I wasn't able to cast the spell on you" He tells me. I take a couple of minutes to process what I just got told. He knew He didn't tell me. My Dad knew and kept it from me.