The Masked War

Chapter 2

At first, the voices were only whispers, muffled as sound slowly returned to my senses.

"Is she awake?" A voice whispers, high like the voice of a girl's.

"Not sure," another said, their voice deep and flowy.

"I think that's the third time you've asked that," another voice scoffed, a British accent sharp as they spoke.

My eyes broke open as I sucked in a deep breath, springing up.

Pain stabbed at my head like a sharp dagger, digging it's blade through my skull. Stars danced in my vision as a groan broke from my lips. Around me, gasps shot from mouths, only making my head throb more.

"She's up!" says the high-pitched voice, and I glance up at her, surprised to find her face familiar. Ellen Smith sat beside me, her striking green eyes even lighter as a beam of light struck them, turning them to a mint green color. Her blonde hair cascaded past her shoulders in waves, the light making it look nearly gold.

The British voice spoke up, "No shit, Ellen."

"Ellen?" I muttered, putting a hand to my head as I tried to calm the pain.

The mutters around the room increased, the people in the room crowding around me to get a look, as though I was an experiment that had survived all the obstacles.

"Can everyone just shut up?" I growled, squeezing my eyes shut in pain as the constant throbbing became like stabs, sharp and deep.

Instantly, the room turned silent, save for a few murmurs that the British girl hissed at to quiet.

The throbbing calmed, no longer a turbulent storm within my head but more like the dripping of water. Still there, but quiet enough to ignore.

Opening my eyes, I observed my surroundings, eyeing the people I knew and narrowing my eyes at the ones I didn't.

Amongst Ellen, the only other person I knew among the crowd of people around me was Aaron Kim, a boy in my grade.

Aaron Kim, though I'd never talked to him, was talked about a lot. He was the star student of the grade, the favorite of the teachers, and on both the hockey and lacrosse team. Not only that, but many girls liked him for his tousled black hair, and playful smirk. But despite how many girls proclaimed their love for him, he never dated any of them, not once. It had sparked numerous rumors, like the one that he was gay, which had lasted for about three months. But all the rumors had been shut down, because he was not only the handsomest boy in school, but also the one that everyone looked up to. No one wanted their beloved idol to fall from the top. By the time school had closed halfway through last year, he had still stayed date-free.

"Bryony?" Ellen says carefully, laying her soft, delicate hand atop of mine. "Are you alright?"

"I think I have brain damage," I grumbled, removing my hand from where it laid on my head. "But otherwise I'm perfectly fine."

"Do you -" Ellen began, her green eyes filled with concern.

"Where's Rory?" I interrupted, panic jolting me like electricity as I realized his small body was no longer pressed against mine.

"We let him sleep in the auditorium," the British girl spoke up, dark brown eyes piercing mine.

I observed her, studying her face. She looked stubborn, carrying the air of an arrogant person. Her expression was annoyed, and her dark brown eyes seemed strong-willed. The straight, blonde hair that flowed down her back was similar to Ellen's in terms of color, but nothing else was the same. Where Ellen was gentle, this girl seemed harsh. Where Ellen was naive, this girl was wordly, looking as though she'd seen too many horrors.