HAUNTED

1.

She sat alone... her wavy brown hair that had shimmers of gold and red at times in the sun. She ate her sandwiches silently isolated by the corner paid attention to nothing else. She hid behind her hair, her sole refuge. The rest of the school looked at her with utter adoration for her bravery before teachers and questions. She had chosen such solitude, she thought it would bring me more peace... and it does. No war, fights between friends and most of all no bonds that eventually need to be broken by death.

Someone took a seat before her, she glanced up at him temporarily and let it be... not in the mood to be irritated. At the time, she did not mind the company. This company she knew would get her into trouble. In silence, they sat, she stood up and walked out to class. Literature a subject she quite enjoyed... once... because she understood and still understands the plea of the author as she was one herself. The need to live a life that is not your own even for just a few words, escape the worlds criticism into a world self-created… a world with no bounds… a world of bravery she wished she had, freedom she wished she had and dangerous adventure which always ended happily which she wished she had without all the work.

She sat down on a random seat as always not aware of whoever was sitting around her always in her own world but watching everyone just the same.

“Hi, I’m Jacob,” she heard a whisper by her, she remained quiet. He thought she was rude but the teacher had walked in and she did not favour being in trouble with Miss Zorn because she scared her. He was curious...

“If this upon me be proved wrong then no man ever loved nor I ever writ,” Miss Zorn offered to the class to analyse.

Her hand rose as always, the first to comment in the shy sky, his hand rose too, and he instantly became competition. Answer after answer they shot back at each other, it seemed a class of their own all other students fell silent and word less.

“Anyone else,” Mrs Zorn said as the same two hands rose to the question again. Her hand high the bell went saved Mrs Zorn from the two.

“Nice to have competition,” she said with a light laugh as she walked by Jacob at the exit. He found her odd for some reason. Before he could answer she had disappeared off walking fast to her next lesson, too fast for him to pretend to be human and catch up. He smiled and turned to head for his own lesson.

Only an hour of study left then school was done for the day. She walked to where she always sat with a few girls from class who would soon decide to go to the library for study than sit out in the open. They laughed, a glass cover, “see you tomorrow,” Fran said as she went for basketball practice.

“Bye,” she said back at one of the few by many friends she had. She had nothing against anyone at the school; they were wonderful people at the best of times...

“Bye,” Nom said as she went off to her Head Girl duties. She smiled and waved. Pat sat in class, Yassen, Rumb and the rest with her. On a picnic bench and opened her geography note book to study but soon got distracted by the birds out in the open air, the cool breeze, the soft sun on her cheeks once every while when it decided to appear from behind its clouds.

She felt the energy beside her shift and turned, “do you mind, there isn’t any space anywhere else,” Jacob said. She looked around true all else was occupied. The only other free sitting place available, he had to sit somewhere...

“Not at all,” though she did because the presence of human energy made her want to speak. This was the week she was trying to be quiet for once it had worked this far.

There was a sudden loud sound back at the classes. She dropped everything in that instant and head straight for the classrooms. All other students filed out she tried to find a way in. Jacob knew full well what had happened; he had bumped into the slightly overweight, four-eyed, acne faced and pink-pale boy earlier. He had seen a gun and a tortured mind... this was it. I thought he wouldn’t do it that he would go that far, he thought to himself as he followed her.

“Hey, wait,” he tried to call after her, but she heard nothing caught up in an impulsive jolt of instinct, swallowed by the crowds.