Chapter One: You're in a freak storm and you're thinking about engraved rocks?
Aimee
If there's one thing I'm certain of, it's that our half-baked gym coach knows I cut gym on rainy days. Spring is in bloom so we go outside like, every day. On days when the sky cries we play Danish Rounder's inside, which is the dumbest idea in the world.
The red rubber ball will slam against the ceiling when some fat kid kicks, then it'll rain down on the unathlectic girls that hide in the back.
Namely, Me.
Days when the wind is raged and rain hammers down when everyone else is screaming at the downer to catch the ball, I am sitting in the yearbook office.
The yearbook office is about the size of my bedroom. It's got a window on the side with a direct view of the baseball field and another parallel leads to the courtyard. A mini fringe and microwave are stacked in the corner behind the huge desk. Our ugly thrift shop couch takes up too much space on the other wall and looks gigantic next to the computer. The pattern looks like something that would be on my grandmother's wall. A shelf with all the yearbooks the school has ever made (Thirty-seven to be exact) stands next to the door. That is also the shelf that keeps my infinite supply of popcorn.
Today, I drop my green backpack on the desk, my curly blonde hair sprinkled with rain. Reaching into the fridge, I grab the microwaveable Chinese food I keep in there. I slam it into the microwave and hit the power button. Glancing out the window I see the pond in the courtyard filled with water lilies and cattails and many little fish. My copy of Divergent sits at the bottom and I can imagine the ink bleeding into the pond. I slam my fist down on the windowsill.
There goes my favorite book and best friend.
I shake my head. If Carrie hadn't ditched me in the fifth grade I guess we still would be friends. Now she just points at me in the hallway an laughs. She's the queen bee, and made everyone avoid my friendship at all costs. My real friends reside in books, where I can dive into the world and emerge myself in Katniss Everdeen, and Hazel Grace, and Harry Potter, and most importantly, Tris Prior.
And I'm sure that I would be there right now, reading about Dauntless and Tobias and the Divergent, if I wasn't accident prone and I wouldn't have slipped. And then the magic book flew out of my hand and into the crappy, neglected pond.
BEEP BEEP BEEP. The microwave interrupts my thoughts. I roll my eyes a little and take out my food. It steams a little and burns my taste buds but I ignore the pain as it dives down my throat. I check the fridge for water and find a sweet tea from Chick-Fil-A. I look for a name then take the top off once I see there isn't one.
I plop down at the desk, checking the time on the computer since there's no wall clock. It's one of the many inconveniences of the office. 3:10. One hour and I'm free.
One hour.
The rain slicks down the windows and I hear thunder rumble in the distance.
I really hope we don't have a tornado drill. It would be our fourth one this year.
Outside lightning cracks. I'm usually not shaken by storms since they're so common but this one gives me the chills. I settle my Chinese, half eaten, into the mini fridge and sling my green backpack over my shoulder while cutting the computer monitor off. 3:11.
The lights flicker.
I whip my head around as they flicker again. It's just a power outage, or a short in the circuit or something.
I turn the handle and the lights flicker, only outside. It's coming from the courtyard.
"Poltergeists…" I mutter thinking of my favorite horror movie.
The door to the yearbook office slams shut and I round the corner headed for the courtyard. The tiny tree branches hit the windows with a vexing rhythmic thump that fills the hall. Rain slams onto the window harder than I would have imagined possible.
A wet spray hits me in the face as I stand like dead weight in the courtyard. Wind whistles in my ear and blows my loose hair to one side. I see the flickering again and shrug my backpack under a bush.
I dodge memorial benches and Class of 2005 rocks. Who engraves their class into a rock anyway? I mentally scold myself. You're in a freak storm and you're thinking about engraved rocks? Nice job Aimee.
Light catches my eye.
The pond. It's coming from the pond.
I take a quick look around to see if anyone's watching when a huge clap of thunder blows me to the ground. My ears feel like they're filled with sand and the only sound I can hear is my heart's vibrations.
When I regain balance I see a girl sitting near the side of the pond. My heart races with fear. She wasn't there before.
"Hello!" I call out to her.
Her head whips around as she looks at me. Her hair is damp, blonde, and curly. It sticks to her face. She has a thin frame and a sad expression on her face. Her eyes are gray, a watery gray that matches the color of rain.
I'm certain I've never seen this girl in my life, but in an instant I know who she is.
She looks into my green eyes. The questions seem to be buzzing around inside of her head as her brow furrows. I say anything before she can.
"Tris," I whisper.
It's Tris Prior.