Wolf Sirens: Forbidden: Discover The Legend Page 4

  I recalled my great plan, the one where I was supposed to go through the motions, finish school, get a car and leave home. Bec and I had plans, but since the time we had made them I knew without asking they had changed. Boys tended to do that. If I could have fun with the popular kids in the meantime maybe it would go all the quicker? I wanted to believe that, but something was up. Cresida James had gone out of her way to warn me away from them. Her warning disenchanted me.

  The library was the same as yesterday - warm and dry, empty except for the bustle behind the counter of the fat and thin librarians. The primary green carpet, which was barely noticeable yesterday, now hurt my eyes again.

  I had to turn quickly through the door during a temporary lapse in memory to put my bag obediently in the rack outside. There was one other bag there.

  I walked through the doors for the second time. Where was the frightening yellow-haired Cresida?

  She was tucked behind the first two rows of shelves on a beanbag just as before, her back to the door. Her nose was in a book.

  I crept up. “Hi,” I interrupted, “I just wanted to know what the hell the other day was about?” It had come out in a more defensive tone than I had intended.

  She looked at me, blinking. I hadn’t imagined it? I couldn’t just brush it off nor could I just heed her warning.“I thought I’d seen you here before.”I pointed to the green floor of the library. I took a softer tact. “You kind of… startled me yesterday.” Following her lack of reaction I continued, “I’ve seen your picture in the year book.” My voice sounded a bit too casually chirpy, an after-effect from being with Giny. I came closer and sharpened my tone and lowered my voice. “Listen. Did Sam and Bianca and Lily do anything to you?” I needed to know.

  She dropped her book deliberately and looked at me. She sprang with far too much agility to her feet and stared at me, wide-eyed. Her cerulean blue eyes suddenly fearful, they assessed me, questioningly. Following my lack of response, she eased her posture and her narrowed eyes relaxed.

  “Are you going to practice?” she finally replied.

  “No,” I spat out, to appease her. “Not if you give me a good explanation.”

  “Good,” she replied her eyes hard. “Then I’m doing you a service.”

  A thought occurred to me. “Did they kick you out or something? Did they…set you up? I have to know, is that what they’re doing to me?” I urged.

  She laughed a little, huffing.“They’re bitches that’s all, don’t hang out with them, you’ll regret it.” Her brows rose upwards in an expression of genuineness. She stuck her chin out, like a defensive gangster.

  “What’s wrong with them apart from that?” She seemed to think they were pure evil. “Giny said they want me to join because they’re short a member for trials.” I made my voice sound sceptical.

  A scorned laugh escaped her lips.“Yeah, I know, hey it doesn’t bother me they’ll chew you up and spit you out.” She attempted to turn away then.

  I went to say something, but she turned back and grabbed my arm and pulled me down to squat, like she was attempting to hide us. She looked into my eyes. Hers were the deepest brightest blue that I had ever seen and we weren’t in the sun, but they sparkled. I looked down listening to the voice, which sounded like any young chirpy girl. I couldn’t make out what she was saying. Was she after me or this strange terrified looking girl who held my arm too tightly? Seconds ticked by, and she loosened her grip. Cresida seemed embarrassed for a moment that she had squeezed it so hard. I couldn’t be sure. I rubbed my arm and peeked through the books. It looked like the girl from science, Angie, leaving through the door.

  “What the hell is all this about, are you on crack or something?” I whispered. Honestly, I was beginning to think so. “Who was that? Is she after you too?” I frowned, continuing to rub my arm. It appeared Angie had simply returned a book.

  “That was…nothing.” She pursed her lips, still intensely watching through the crack between some books.When the library door bumped close she spoke as though she were waiting for it to thud before it was safe to speak.

  “-That was for your benefit.” She dusted some lint off her pants for a moment. Then her posture straightened with ease. “I’ll show you something. If I do, will you promise to stay away from them? - And me,” she added scowling.

  I straightened up.

  “Yeah, sure,” I said, eyebrows raised. I began to realize why the clique didn’t hang with her anymore. She had to know I was placating her, otherwise she truly had lost it. Was it induced behaviour from weed or bad ice, I wondered? She was too wired for that - it must have been narcotics - or something. I’d seen it before. Despite suspicions I’d never done serious drugs, just raided my parent’s liquor cabinet, which they hadn’t noticed. I didn’t set the rumour mill straight; at the time I had a reputation.

  “What’s your name?” Cresida asked.

  “Lila Crain.”

  “Do you know about the Wolves, Lila?” “The Wolves? Doesn’t everyone?” I said curtly.

  She smirked.“This way.” She led me towards the open part of the library. She stopped at the bottom of the stairs and tugged my arm. “Wait here.”

  I glanced at the librarians. They were busying themselves sorting, paying no attention to us. She was off out the door swiftly and came back with a black object in her hand concealed in her palm. She jogged past me up the stairs and I followed her. At the top she led me to the second seat in the computer study room for year eleven, as the sign clearly stated. She leant over the computer, got it up and going with a few adept switches and clicks as it hummed to life. She stared at the screen. I scrutinized her from side on. I noticed her lashes were jet black and her eyebrows too, her skin was mat white, pitted with blackheads along her soft squareish nose. She must have felt my gaze but didn’t look at me once as the screen flicked to life. She clicked the portal open and selected a file. Who is this strange girl? I thought. The files all had code names. I couldn’t decipher them. Was this a conspiracy theory? The white screen opened a square, which displayed a frozen picture. She looked at me. “Just watch,” she said clicking play and glaring at it.

  It was badly pixelated camera footage.

  “They are monsters,” she said glaring at the screen, as though willing it to unfold. I watched as the badly flickering footage, which showed Lily and Bianca, their hair unmistakable. I could make out Giny’s voice, I thought. Sam appeared. She was evidently even the ringleader in this poorly lit video. I started to wonder if they were filming me. Was this some sort of initiation joke? It must be. I decided I had walked straight into a hazing, which at this high school was obviously at a different level than that what I was used to. She touched my hand with warm chewed nails. “Just watch,” she warned suddenly. I felt the urge to leave. I felt an aversion to the warm moisture, which radiated from her body.

  “Is this a joke,” I began to say as I watched the girls in the darkly coloured video tremor, shake and tear out of their dresses and mutate into huge grizzly snarling hairy beasts and run off. The camera flickered over a dark background and stopped. They must have had a good budget to fund this. Sam looked like she could have easily managed it. Everything about her screamed spoilt rich girl.

  I was a little freaked to my core, but I restricted any obvious reaction. No matter which way I looked at it their intentions were less than honourable. “I’ve seen enough,” I barked. “What the hell is this?” I almost raised my voice, raining in my projection at the last second,to avoid the attention of the librarians.

  She looked at me questioningly.

  “Now do you see why you shouldn’t hang around with them?” She searched my expression for a response. She seemed almost pleased with herself. I looked in her eyes and decided she was slightly mad and that they were all waiting for my reaction somewhere, as some cruel joke and this drugged-out girl was the bait or something. They were probably filming this now, for all I knew.

  I looked around.

  “Where
’s the hidden camera?” My tone was sharp. I waited for her reply. She looked confused.

  “Is this a joke?” I angrily accused again.

  “No, I’m warning you.” Her face was stern.

  “This is bullshit.” I kept my demeanour low key; I wasn’t going to give them a reaction. I huffed and shook my head. “You’re a little bit sick.” I scowled turning away, stopping at the stairway. I yelled at her: “You all are!” - before racing down the stairs and out the doors before the librarians could scold me.

  This took twisted to a whole new level. I could see them all laughing at my expense: Sam, Bianca, Giny and Lily and the Guys. I was fuming and about to turn and leave the school altogether. Then instead, I considered going to this ‘practice’ and confronting them, but why give them the reaction they craved? I knew exactly what would screw them. I turned and headed for the office. I wasn’t going to play their games.

  Outside the principal’s office, I told the receptionist that I needed to speak with him regarding a “student bullying matter”. She saw the urgency in my face.

  “Take a seat.” She gestured towards the waiting area. I sat upright in my chair and took the opportunity to assemble my thoughts, tapping nervously. What was I going to say to get the principal to take this as a serious matter? Had they done anything like it before? Was there anything that he knew about? I wondered if they were done yet or if there were more theatrics to come. I imagined an after-school prank

  - this time Giny taking me out to the empty parking lot and all of them jumping out in dog masks and claws and watching me scream in terror while the dirty yellow-haired girl filmed it and they posted it on the internet.

  I imagined what I’d say to mum: ‘Sorry, I tried.’

  After waiting slightly too long on the row of chairs in the office foyer, I began to calm down, much to my disappointment. I thought about how to tell it all concisely to the principal. I concentrated on the swirling facts in my head. There weren’t many. I considered getting proof. Then it dawned on me that they really hadn’t done anything concrete, they could all deny it. It was my word against this local group of kids that were well known and probably well liked, with teachers to vouch for them and then there was me, the new girl - trouble from the city seen getting a lift home and arriving safely. Even my mother had seen me chatting happily enough on the phone to Sam and I’d let her believe we were better friends than we were, which I now recalled with regret.

  Then I realized I had to get the USB stick with the footage. The principal’s office door opened, I quickly got up to hurry away, but as I turned to leave it was too late. I may not have been acquainted with the principal but the principal was acquainted with me.

  “Lila Crain,” he said to my escaping back. He had caught me.

  I stopped and turned. “Hello,” I said faking a smile, which wouldn’t have fooled anyone; it was more of a cringe.

  “Come this way. I am glad you have decided to take the initiative. I was going to have to catch up with you, but here you are and before school!” He was impressed. Maybe if I impressed him enough on this occasion it would make me more credible when I took the clique down for their hazing. I went with him into his office, playing along.

  He was a portly man with white hair I noticed as he pulled my file.

  He seemed pleased.“Good grades,” he chirped, “good, good.”

  I had the genuine feeling that he hadn’t looked it over prior to this meeting and my results weren’t all that good. I knew if I had tried they actually might be good. I recalled mostly satisfactory results. He looked me over and his chair creaked as he leant forward.

  “Any trouble at your old school?” He wasn’t as dumb as he looked.

  “A little.” I wondered how much my mother had divulged and why he didn’t mention how much I looked like her, which was common. We had the same brown-blonde hair and grey-blue eyes, the only difference being that mine glowed green at night.

  “I understand there won’t be any difficulties here?”

  “No sir.”

  “Any trouble settling in?” he asked.

  “No,” I replied sweetly. I felt he knew this would be my answer.

  “Made friends yet?” He smiled, his eyebrows raised in expectation.

  “Yes,” I said editing my tone. I didn’t know if I should elaborate. After a moment I decided it would be wise to. If I was to implicate them in hazing new students, now was my time to ever so innocently do so. It may work in my favour. I had learnt this the hard way. That I could play manipulation too, a trick I had acquired out of necessity.

  I batted my lids. “Oh yeah, the girls are really sweet they have been giving me a ride to school and been great in class helping me catch up.” My teeth gritted into a smile.

  “Yes,” he said, “and which girls are those?” It was as though he had already picked names. I cleared my throat.

  “Sam and Gin-Giane Archer and Lily…and Bianca,” I trailed off.

  I waited for his reply.

  “Hmm, yes, I see - and Tealy?” he offered.

  “Who?” I didn’t conceal my confusion; maybe this too would work in my favour. I tried not to panic.

  “Tealy and Angie.” He stopped short, pointedly. I looked blankly at him, blinking.

  “Tealy Sutton and, um, Monica Jones, Angele... err,” he trailed off. “Oh well, you haven’t had time to meet them all yet, I’m sure busy, busy,” he sighed, probably thinking more of his own experience as the single head of a large high school.

  The intercom beeped and the office lady’s voice crackled in.

  “Your nine AM, John.”

  “I’ll be out in two,” he shouted into the intercom. I’m sure she could have heard him through the door outside.

  I read his name from a table plaque.

  “Well, thank you, Mr Crealy.” I smiled, seizing the opportunity to exit.

  “Keep up the grades, Miss…” He paused struggling

  “Crain,” I offered.

  He patted my shoulder on the way out.

  “We’ll convene again to check how you’re settling in, Miss Crain.”

  “Thanks.”

  He knew my history, he wouldn’t believe me easily, my feeling had been right. I had retaliated in Horkum after spending my junior years tormented by Arli. When we were suspended for fighting, my brother’s friend, who had bet me I wouldn’t get suspended, won the bet. I wanted to impress him so I ended up at home two hours later drunk, after getting a tattoo on my wrist. It was hard to hide. Mum flipped when she eventually saw it. I had never known her to be so disappointed; she just turned around and walked away. I made her cry.

  It wasn’t easy to hide at the school either. Based on my blatant disregard for school rules and dress code I was expelled; that, and I had missed a few days here and there.

  This was all made worse when I discovered Jeff an older guy who I had a crush on was dating my best friend, so I just kind of fell off the radar for a bit. It was just mum and me at home because Tim was thrown out after mum couldn’t take his behaviour any more. That was just months after my father left with a woman only ten years older than me whom he had been secretly meeting with for two years. That stung. I didn’t think Sophie would recover but she put up a brave front - when she wasn’t weeping.

  As soon as I was out I made straight for the library. I had just enough time to get to her bag, before the bell. She probably had the evidence still on her the USB stick. If I could get it, my case would be a lot more solid. I recalled as I neared the building that it was most likely still in her hand, safely indoors. I wouldn’t have wished to pry it from her with force, recalling her grip on my arm.

  I needed the faces to those names.

  I would have to bide my time. I would have to pay attention in class when the roll was called, if it was called. A lot of the time the teachers simply checked it themselves, despite the large student numbers. I was going to have to talk to someone to get information. I would have to talk to Cresida. I p
lanned to do it at lunch. I didn’t think I would have any classes with her, I would have noticed by now surely. I tried to remember the names Mr Crealy had mentioned

  - Angie, Tealy, Monica. Who were they? I recalled Angie from science, and thought with sarcasm how she had been welcoming and how Cresida had avoided her in the library.

  I noted a Tealy in my class. She was a blonde, pale and freckly, and sat in the middle, beside Monica Jones. The Clique, just like me, definitely outshone them. Monica had brown hair and a row of acne along her pasty chin. Cresida wasn’t in this class or at least not here. The teacher looked up from his desk. He was a sub. Mr Bealy was off – flu was the rumour. Before the class was shushed he called all the names, even the kids who were absent and who had left. I was right about Tealy, and the girl to her right was Monica the dark brunette. Angie was absent and when he crept too slowly to the bottom of the role: “Cresida,” he called, there was a silence.

  “Cresida?” hissed a boy up the back,

  “Cresida James?” the teacher asked, holding his pencil out ready to correct it.

  “She’s not here,” said another male voice from behind me. I glanced over my shoulder. A confident looking boy glared back at me. His eyes were amber. Davies. He was a tall broad shouldered guy with dark cropped spiky hair, brown skin, and his eyes haunted me. He looked too big for his desk. I didn’t like the way he stared at me; maybe he was in on it all too, unless now I was descending into paranoia. My cheeks flushed. When I glanced back at him later in class he smiled, a row of perfectly straight white teeth stark against his warm brown skin.

  After the bell I made my way over to the place where Tealy was seated in class. I tried not to hyperventilate at the thought of being so forward. She casually turned as I approached.

  “Hello,” I said. “Tealy Sutten? I’m Lila Crain.” I don’t know what I expected her to say, and she seemed guarded. I wondered why Principal Crealy had thought she was so friendly. I swallowed hard.

  “Tealy Sutt-on,” she corrected, swinging her pack over a shoulder, tugging her hair from under the strap and flicking it away.