The Victim (Book #1)

Chapter 14

I pulled on a black hoodie and my favorite pair of jeans and yellow shoes before heading downstairs and getting in Charlotte's car. The sun hadn't yet risen, but we were on the way to the boy's school with our coffee. My knee was shaking, and I flicked off the radio without consideration. I turned to see Charlotte's expression, but she was still smiling in her little way.

"What if I'm not as smart as you say I am?" I asked her, breaking the tense silence.

"Your intelligence isn't determined by my portrayal of it." Charlotte said, her deep blue eyes catching mine. I looked away.

"I didn't think I was smart before you..." I explained in an incoherent mumble.

"That doesn't mean that you weren't, Maya."

I nodded and looked back out the window. Houses changed to fields of green grass which changed to the town. Eventually, I saw the bright white buildings of what must be the school. They looked too clean, like nobody had been in one before.

I followed Charlotte to the administration building by the flagpole that had people going in and out, despite school not being in yet.

I opened the door for her so as to force her to go in first, and then caught up to her side. I didn't want to look like a child, but I didn't know what to say or do.

The office was large and dark, with a red brick interior. It was cooler than the air outside, and I was thankful for my jacket by the time we reached the main hallway. I pointed to a sign that told us where to go, and we began walking past cases of football and volleyball trophies.

At the end of those, I examined rows of pictures showing the Prom King and Queen of every year in the past decades. When I had almost reached the end, I stopped in my tracks. I grabbed Charlotte's sleeve and pointed to the picture of Dominic in a tuxedo, and a short blonde beside him. She looked kind of like a fairy.

"Yep." Charlotte said with a bit of a smirk. "He was named Prom King a couple years ago, although we had to get the tux the night before off Amazon!"

I laughed and said, "Who's the girl?"

Her lips tightened and eyes squinted angrily. I raised my eyebrows. "That bad?" I asked.

"She was a nightmare. Let's just say she wasn't pregnant, Dominic actually attends classes now, and it's lucky she isn't a little spot on my driveway." She said matter-of-factly.

I laughed in surprise. The fire that Charlotte had in her was nothing you would expect in such a compassionate and empathetic person. I guess that's what made it so funny.

She smiled down at me, and kept walking, heels clicking against the linoleum tile.

Finally, we reached a desk where an angry looking older woman with bright red hair sat. Her face was hanging tiredly whether from the monotony of her work or a general disposition, I couldn't tell. Charlotte spoke.

"Excuse me? I'm Charlotte Anders, and this is my daughter, Maya Anders. I spoke to a Mrs. Wolfson about taking a placement test today?" she said to the woman. I looked up at her in shock. Maya Anders? Why was she lying about my name to the lady?

She said I was her daughter. I felt an uncomfortable twinge in my stomach. Not real. Not real. She was lying.

The woman looked up from over her small spectacles and pointed to a couch on the opposite wall, saying she would call Mrs. Wolfsen out shortly.

We nodded and went to wait on the blue sofa alone. I looked up at her, asking the question with my eyes. Why did she lie?

"Just protocol, Maya. We want to give you the opportunity to start fresh and not be bothered by anything from before, like unexcused absences!" she said cheerfully.