In Plain Sight (A Hunted Rose)

Chapter Five

I looked at the schedule in my hand as the teacher droned on.  Next I had United States History, and then I would be going to lunch.  Each of the grades had lunch with their class.  So, I was with the juniors.  I normally liked science, but that was when we did hands-on types of things.  In this science class, the teacher stood at a podium while we looked at our textbooks on our desk.  I heaved a silent sigh as I tried to pay attention to Mr. Mason’s lecture, but with his lackluster performance, I found it hard.  Lectures given by a teacher can either be really good, and interesting, or really boring.  This one was really boring.  Using a small portion of my concentration, I listened to the lesson, while I used the rest of my brain power to try and understand the people of this town.  Everyone I met so far seemed really nice, but so did River and I guess aside from the fact that Ryder could be an ass, he wasn’t too bad.  I couldn’t figure out why everyone seemed to dislike them so much.  I was tempted to ask someone, but I didn’t want to draw attention to the fact that I was new.  It was bad enough when you were a normal kid in a new school.  A vampire surrounded by hundreds of heartbeats and scents…  Let’s just say that doesn’t always work out well.  I looked at the person who would be my lab partner.  She was a petite girl with thin, wispy blonde hair.  She looked really shy, and avoided eye contact with most people.  I had noticed she had a habit of tapping her fingers lightly on her desk while she thought.  Five minutes before the bell rang, Mr. Mason said the lesson was over and we could talk.  I turned to the girl next to me and gave her a small smile.

“Hi,” I said.  “I’m new; could you answer a question of mine?”

 “I’d be happy to,” she said quietly.  “My name is Charlotte.”

 “Rose,” I said.  “So, why does everyone seem scared of Ryder and River?”

 “The Anderson Twins?” she squeaked.  “You know them?”

“Tall, black hair, leather jackets and Harley’s?” I asked to verify.

She nodded mutely.  I was even more curious now.  Why were people so darn scared?  Charlotte took in a deep breath and started to speak, her voice so low that if I didn’t have enhanced hearing I might not have heard her.

“I’m not sure, I moved here in eighth grade, but apparently in like fifth grade, something happened.  I heard that there were murders in the town, and then they just stopped.  I also heard that during the investigation, they found Ryder and River and a few other kids a mile or so from one of the murder scenes covered in blood.  Nothing has happened since, and they couldn’t pin any charges on them, but everyone got scared and lots of people thought they did it.  But, how could five eleven year-olds commit murders?  That is what doesn’t make sense to me.”

“Five?” I asked.

“Yeah,” she said.  “Ryder and River hang out with three other guys.  They’re practically inseparable.”

“Do you know their names?”

She gave a small, sarcastic snort before she spoke again.  “Who doesn’t?  There’s Ryder and River, Jason, Cameron, and Seth.”

I noticed that as she spoke to me more, she broke out of her shell a little bit and seemed more confident.  “Cameron Wagner?”

“You know him too?” Charlotte looked positively terrified.

“I just ran into him in the hallway,” I said.  Under my breath I added, “Literally.”  The bell rang and I made my way to my history class. 

When I walked in, I went through my new routine of going up to the teacher, introducing myself, and asking what I needed.  Mr. Kincaid pointed at a desk and told me to take a seat.  Apparently, they had just taken the chapter test and would be starting a new unit today.  That was lucky timing, because it meant I didn’t miss anything form this lesson.  Although, Liam had moved from Ireland to America when he was really young, so I could just ask him for help if I needed it.  He probably lived through whatever we were talking about.  Next to me, books slammed onto the desk and startled me out of my thoughts.  I turned around and found a smirking River, his polka-dotted eyes brimming with restrained laughter.