Ghosts of the Future

Hate Her

Max's POV

I want to hate her.

Smug, arrogant, fierce Saira Collings. I want to hate her, but I can't seem to. She's too beautiful, in her haunty way. She's too strong, with her I'll-never-give-up attitude. She's too much like Lily, and that's why I can't resist her.

She can resist me, though. As I approach her the day after our fight, her eyes stop me. So beautiful, such a pale, amazing green, like fresh grass laced in the thinnest layer of frost. It almost stops my heart.

"What do you want?" Saira asks, looking up at me over the rim of her book. I can't read the title. It looks to be in Arabic. I look down at Saira, and see immense anger in her eyes. Who knew someone so small could have so much fury?

"I wanted to apologize. I didn't mean to say those things yesterday," I say. I glance up, and see my buddies Mark and Adam across the room, having a conversation with two cheerleaders. Saira follows my gaze, then looks back at her book.

"You did, though," she says, making me look back at her. She flips a page, and glances up at me and says, "You said them. So, you meant them." Fear trills through me, and I feel my chance slipping away.

"People say things they don't mean all the time," I say, my voice a low whisper. The teacher walks in, and people start filing into their seats. Saira watches me for an agonizingly long moment, before whispering, just as softly, "Not me. Words have meaning to me."

The teacher calls for me to go to my seat, and I do, earning glances and glares. Saira ducks back into her book, reading from right to left. Backwards. What the hell is wrong with her? part of me wonders. The other part says that nothing is, and she's perfect.

I try to focus on the lesson, but I keep stealing glances at Saira, though she never looks at me. Actually, she never looks up from her book. She simply keeps flipping pages, until the teacher gets tired of it.

Ms. Bigan walks over to Saira's desk, and taps her foot loudly against the floor. Saira doesn't look up or even acknowledge the teacher's presence. She simply flips another page, still reading.

The entire class goes quiet as Ms. Bigan sighs and rolls her eyes. Phones flash out as the teacher takes Saira's book, causing her to leap to her feet. "Arjaeaha!" she shouts, reaching for the book. Everyone stares at her, but she only has eyes for the book in Ms. Brigan's hands.

"What the hell is this?" the teacher asks, flipping the book upside down and flipping through the pages. Saira growls, and says calmly, "Iieadatuh, min fadlik." Ms. Bigan stares at her some more, and she says, "Return it, please. Give my book back."

Ms. Brigan laughs, and says, "Oh, no, child. This book doesn't belong to you. It belongs to me." Saira snarls, and a fire alights in her eyes. I'm amazed that she isn't combusting with the hot fury emanating from her small body.

"I doubt you can read Arabic," Saira says, reaching out her hand for the book. Ms. Brigan laughs, and asks sarcastically, "And you can, Saira Collings?" Saira continues to glare, and says calmly, "Jag kan." Ms. Bigan blinks at her, and Saira takes the opportunity to grab the book.

She hugs it to her chest, and scowls at Ms. Brigan, who turns the color of a tomato. The teacher starts to sputter half-formed insults, but she can't manage a full sentence. So, she marches over to her desk and takes out a white slip of paper and starts to write.

The class looks from Saira to Ms. Bigan, but the teenager doesn't seem concerned. She's looking into the corner, and a trill of fear runs down my spine. Maybe she's talking to Lily, some part of my brain says. The rest of my brain screams back, You idiot! Ghosts aren't real! Lily is dead, and will stay dead!

Saira glances over to me, and smiles. The fear immediately disappears, replaced by happiness. A strange voice in my mind, though, shouts at me to look at her arms, so my eyes go there.

A ripped piece of cloth shows from one of Saira's cuffs. As she hugs the book closer to her chest, her sleeve rides up, revealing pale white skin bisected by a long black mark.

I look up, and see Saira's eyes on me. Her expression is shuttered, though, no longer smiling and friendly. An angry fire burns in her eyes, and she looks back to the corner.

Ms. Bigan finishes writing, and marches over to Saira, who looks up at the taller woman, no fear showing on her face. "To the office with you, Collings," the teacher hisses, shoving the paper into Saira's hands. Saira takes it wordlessly, then walks to the door, where she stops.

She turns back towards the classroom, where everyone is watching her. She smiles a devil's smile at Ms. Bigan, and says sweetly, "Jag kan is Swedish, by the way. Not Arabic."

Then, with that, she leaves, and I laugh. She will be the death of me, I swear.