The Apprentice's Apprentice

Part 8

Cora jiggled the handle of her locker a couple of times before she attempted to rip it open again, but it remained stubbornly stuck. She'd been to the office already and they said one of the custodians would look at it today some time but that didn't do her any good now. She kicked the bottom corner with a growl.

"Is it still giving you trouble?"

She turned to look up into Warren's smiling face. Really, he always seemed to be smiling. It was almost unnatural, like he was a character in one of the terrible shojous she read as her guilty pleasure. Still, she nodded. "Yeah, it doesn't want to open. They're supposed to fix it today but..."

"But you're stuck until then. Do you want me to give it a go?"

"Sure. Thanks," Cora said, stepping aside to give him room.

"No problem. Your shadow not with you today?" He said as he stepped up and grabbed the handle.

Cora frowned. No one called Zoe a shadow given she was the louder of the two of them. If either of them was the shadow it was Cora. Maybe she wasn't crazy. Maybe this was a trick of sorts but she'd have to have proof. "Do you mean Fiona or Marie?"

"Oh, Fiona," Warren replied casually before he yanked at her locker's door. It popped open with a thunk as the metal vibrated. Cora barely noticed, her eyes locked onto Warren as he turned to smile at her.

His smile slowly faded as she continued to just stare. "What's the matter?"

"Who are you?" Cora whispered.

He stared at her and smiled as one hand slowly clenched into a fist. "What are you talking about? I'm Warren. We've been in school together for a while now."

"No, we haven't," she replied, feeling joy and fear in equal parts making her neck prickle and the hair on her arms to rise. "Or you'd know that there aren't any students in our grade named Fiona or Marie. My friend is Zoe and if you'd really been in our English class last year you'd know that."

He studied at her for a moment before his eyes widened. Warren glanced around the hall before he stepped closer to her. Before Cora could really process what was happening, Warren had grabbed her wrist and was towing her through the halls. Cora didn't have time to react, just stumbled a step before she managed to match his pace. Several people they passed greeted or waved at Warren, adding to the surreal quality of their journey. If everyone knew Warren then why didn't he seem to know them?

It wasn't until she felt fresh air and sun on her that Cora was able to break out of her little stupor and Warren's grasp. They were outside, by the teachers' parking lot. There was no one around; all the teachers already inside and everyone else preferring not to be near where they were likely to show up. As Cora looked at Warren he nodded towards the picnic table that lay on the grass just to their right. She followed hesitantly, watching as he dropped down onto the far side.

He waited until she sat across from him and then shook his head. "Are you trying to blow my cover?"

Cora sat motionless as her mind tried to process his words. Because they didn't make sense. In fact, nothing since she'd laid eyes on him had made any sense, and here she was, outside and alone with him as he stared at her and talked nonsense. The words formed themselves before she could really think about it and escaped her lips just as quickly. "What cover?"

Now it was his turn to freeze and stare at her.