Opal and I parted after a couple of brief 'see you's' and I made a beeline for the vending machine.
Come on, bear in mind when you read this that I was deprived of lunch today. I forgot to raid my mum for dinner money.
I fumbled with the little change I had and typed in the number for minstrels. and typical temperamental vending machine it stuck.
'Grrrrrrrrr!' I growled at it, imitating the sounds that my indignant stomach was making. Adamant that it was doing this on purpose, I whacked it with the heel of my hand. It budged maybe a millimetre. So then of course I kick it, hard. And again. And again. Frustrated, I walk round the back of it and shove it angrily. Oops. The vending machine was now on its side and making a slight sizzling sound.
Oops. Back away slowly now. Slowly.
'Oi! That's VANDALISM!'
Uh oh. Ok, back away very fast now!
'Wait! I was joking! Come back!'
I swung round. Standing there was a tall, slim girl with long brunette hair reaching her waist.
'Hang on a second.' She studied me long and carefully.
'You....you have power too?'
I breathed in sharply.
'Sometimes I can just be imagining something..somewhere, and then I'm there. Within a matter of minutes.' The girl spoke almost shyly.
'I can hear thoughts. Permanently I hear a slight buzzing sound, and if a focus I can pick out the individual thoughts.'
She nodded steadily, taking a moment to absorb the flow of information.
'Oh sorry, I forgot to mention, my name's Maisie.'
'Zoe.'
'OK. Zoe, do you know of any others, I mean, others like us?'
'Yeah,' I lowered my voice slightly,
'A girl in my maths class can....well, she has a power of persuasion'
Maisie nodded seriously.
'So she can tell someone to jump off a cliff and they'll do it, right?'
I bit my lip remembering a certain conversation from earlier.
'Yeah, but don't tell her that. It...brings up memories.'
'Aaaah I see.'
I feel a nudge into my leg. Pip whined hungrily, pushing his wet nose into my palm.
'Sorry, gotta go. Pip's hungry.'
'KK'
'That really annoys me by the way.'
'KK'
I tipped my head to one side and sighed in exasperation.
'No idea why but that made me like you even more.'
Maisie fluttered her eyelashes jokingly and grinned at me.
'That's because I'm amazing!'
'Huh.' I rolled me eyes and departed, making my way back to the little hovel that I suppose was home.
'Zoe, where are you? ZOE!'
Uh oh,
I'm in trouble,
Something's come along and it's burst my bubble.....
Zoe, no. Not now.
I skulked down the hallway which was supposed to be black but had somewhere along the lines had been splattered with scarlet paint. It looked like it should be a cover for Twilight.
Once I reached the living room I saw my parents standing there looking ruffled.
Signal to back away.
'Zoe! There you are! My father's voice boomed.
Busted.
'Where have you been?! You know what, I don't want to hear it. Get upstairs. Now!'
My body rippled with fury.
'No.'
'What?'
I stared him out, showing him that he couldn't break me.
'NO'
The realisation hit me before the slap did.
'Upstairs NOW!' His face was a deep red with rage. Next to him, my mother paled.
I slid upstairs, defeated and my face tingling. I looked in the mirror and nearly cried out - one side of my face chalk-white, and another bright scarlet.
