Illusion

Ominous

"Hey, Dad, can I speak to you for a second?" My Dad looked up from the newspaper he was reading. It was Tuesday morning, two days after my visit to the Iverson house. My Dad was sitting at the kitchen table. It was still early, and I needed to speak to him about the Iversons, and also the Nikolases. Maybe he knew them, and maybe he didn't.
"Of course you can, Anna," he laughed, putting the newspaper he was reading down. I sat down at the table, across from him.
"Do you know the Iverson family?" I asked, as innocently as I could. He looked shocked.
"I think everybody does. They are almost like celebrities in this town," he chuckled.
"Don't you think they are kind of... Weird?" I mumbled. He raised an eyebrow.
"I think the mother is quite strange. But the rest seem fine to me. The eldest, Elijah, is a real gentleman. Why do you ask?" He wondered. I shrugged.
"I just heard somebody talking about them. And do you know the Nikolas family, Dad?" I asked.
"Not well. They are a very private family. I have only seen the father once, but nobody else. Why are you asking this, Anna?" He asked, sighing. He obviously wasn't fond of the Nikolas family either.
"I saw Valkyrie Nikolas at school the other day. She just looked kind of... Different," I said. He snorted.
"They're all different. I do know that Valkyrie and Isaac, the two children, were born in England, but their parents were born in Romania." That explained the accent. I nodded.
"Thanks, Dad," I smiled. He still looked confused. I checked my watch. It was still early, but I didn't want my Dad to ask any more questions.
"I've got to get to school, Dad. See you later," I smiled, and rushed out of the door.

Rylee wasn't at school yesterday, so I hoped she was at school today. Clarice wasn't there either. And neither was Lukas. Or Valkyrie. Or Isaac. I was early once again when I arrived, but I noticed Clarice's Mercedes in the parking lot. I walked to Homeroom, tying my hair into a high ponytail. It was quite warm today. Well, warm for Cedarwood. I was actually wearing a short-sleeved t-shirt today. I pushed open the door to Homeroom. I noticed Clarice sitting in the furthest corner of the classroom. Her eyes were red and puffy. She was crying. I rushed over to her.
"Clarice! Are you okay?" I asked, putting my hand on her shoulder. She sniffed, wiped her eyes and looked up at me, wearing a fake smile.
"Yes. I'm fine," she said, firmly. Her voice was like a squeak. I knelt down next to her and held her hand.
"No you're not. What's the matter?" She looked down at her hands.
"Family drama, if that's what you want to call it," she said, coldly.
"Family drama?" I asked.
"My Dad is very... Controlling, I guess. It's nothing you need to worry about," she said quickly.
"Don't be stupid. You're my friend. I can help you..."
"I don't need your help," she suddenly snapped, and she walked out of the classroom. I stood up, dazed with shock. I had never heard Clarice so angry before.

I arrived early for Advanced Math, and luckily Rylee was already there. She was chatting to a very handsome boy with perfectly styled blonde hair, and olive skin. His eyes were emerald green. He laughed at something Rylee said. I smiled at Rylee as she looked up at me. She said something to him and came over to me.
"Hey! I haven't seen you the whole morning!" She grinned.
"I need to speak to you. It's about Clarice," I murmured. She stopped smiling.
"I know." I frowned.
"You know? How?" I wondered.
"Clarice and I have been friends for a very long time, Anna. She tells me everything," she replied. I nodded.
"She said it was 'family drama'. And that her Dad was 'controlling'. What does that even mean?" I hissed. Rylee shook her head.
"I know you're curious. But it's best to stay out of it, okay?" She smiled. I narrowed my eyebrows at her as she went and sat back down next to the handsome boy, who gave me a very warm smile as I sat in my seat.