A/N: Sorry this chapter is so short! I was in a little bit of a rush! Enjoy:)
Chap. 2
"JESSIE!" I screamed through the house. I didn't know if she was home yet. She had been gone for ages. She said she was going for a swim. Who can swim for THAT long?
When I heard no reply, I dialed her number into my phone. It rang once before the stupid automated voice told me that there was no service. The same voice I had gotten for the past hour after trying to call over ten times.
Gosh, what was up with her? Ever since she went to that island she's been acting weird. She's never around the house, and when she is, she sneaks around. She seems to have a miniature, barely noticeable freak out every time she's near water, too. She never answers her phone when she's out. And whenever I ask her about it she just says "Shut up, LeeAnne," or "None of your business." Yeesh. And she thinks I'm moody?
Whatever. Who needs her anyway?
After hanging up on the automated voice, I got up and shuffled to the kitchen. I got out a cup of yogurt and looked for a spoon. There weren't any. They were all in the sink, which was filled with soapy water. Jessie forgot to do the dishes again.
Just then, I heard the front door open and Jessie came into the kitchen. I began to reprimand her.
"You forgot to do the dishes!" I scolded. "AGAIN."
She wasn't paying much attention. "Sorry…" she said, half-mindedly. "I'll get to it later."
"No!" I was yelling now. "Do them NOW!" I took the sponge that was floating in the sudsy water and threw it at her. It hit her shoulder, soaking the back of her shirt and send water dripping down her arm. She spun around, her eyes wide. She was obviously mad. Good.
She looked as if she was going to say something, but instead, she just stuttered, turned on her heel, bolted up the steps.
I felt satisfied with myself. That'll teach her.
But seriously. What was up with her lately?
The third period bell rang. We all got up from our seats in the science room and filed into the hallway. I met Mary outside the door. We had gym next.
"Hey, Anna," Mary said with a smile as I met her in the hall.
"Hey," I replied. She looked kind of dazed and distracted as we walked through the halls. "Ready for gym?" I asked.
She hesitated a moment before answering. "Oh," she suddenly tuned in. "Uh, yeah, I guess…"
"Are you ok?" I asked severely. She's been acting like this for almost three weeks. She wasn't herself, she's been acting weird. Ever since… Mako. "You've seemed… off lately."
"I'm fine," she said quickly, almost as severely.
I was quiet for a moment as I pulled it together in my head. It made sense. I swear, she had been avoiding the water fountain and was never swimming when I came by her house like normal. She must be scared after what happened at Mako, with the water tentacle and everything. That had to be it.
I decided to concede to her. "It's just… you've been acting… different since, ya know… Mako" I said quietly.
"I'm fine," she restated. "There's nothing wrong with me. Just forget about Mako and everything. It's not a big deal."
I could tell she meant it. I could feel the edge in her voice and see the look on her face.
I decided to change the subject. "So… You wanna hang out after school today?" I asked.
"I can't," she said. "I'm going swimming with Jessie." She seemed to have calmed down. A good sign.
"Oh, that's ok," I replied. "Maybe tomorrow."
"Yeah, sounds good," she said.
I breathed a mental sigh of relief. At least she wasn't terrified of the water as I feared.
But wait… Then what was it?
Mary came inside after school by herself. She's usually been with Jessie for the past couple weeks. They've seemed inseperable lately.
"Hey, kiddo," I said.
"Hey Will!" Mary called as she walked to her room. She dropped her bag and went to the fridge. She opened it and took out a bottle of water. She opened it and took a sip unusually carefully. I ignored it and tried to make conversation. "How was your day today?"
"Good," she said plainly. She sat down in a chair across from where i was sitting, grabbed her favorite book off of the end table, pulled her legs to her chest and began reading. I still continued talking.
"Anything new?" I said, hoping to get more than a one word answer out of her.
"Not really," she said, occupied by her reading. She absentmidedly took another sip of water.
"Do you have any homework?" I tried again.
"Only a little," she said, still distracted.
"That's cool..." I said. I picked up a magazine off the end table to look busy, but I was really thinking. This was Mary. She's usually so social and talkative. But lately, she's been acting different. She's been so reserved, to herself. Almost secretive. I really didn't know why.
"Is there anything you want to talk about?" I said, trying to appease my uneasy thoughts.
This finally got her attention. She looked up from her reading and gave me a strange look. She chuckled. "I don't think so..." She shook her head with a teasing smile and went back to reading.
I was puzzled. What was going on with Mary?
