Chapter 2

'For goodness sake, Natalie Sphinx, will you please just grace me with you attention for once.'

Miss. Allison appeared at Natalie's side like a spider emerging from its sinister shadows. Sitting next to her was two of Natalie's best friends; Sal and Tracii. They were laughing silently and dramatically from behind the teachers back. 'I know you must be swamped with things that make a mathematics lesson simply superfluous, but if you have any desire to pass this exam then you better had listen.'

'My deepest apologies.' Began Natalie; all too familiar sarcasm slipping easily from her tongue. 'Please, continue displaying to the class that math's is the only alternative for a woman that hasn't even a personality to fall back on.' The class erupted into laughter, which was odd for Natalie, as she was used to being mocked or ignored by the vast majority of them. A couple of people gasped in horror too, but Natalie didn't care, nor did she want their sudden approval in the form of laughter. She did not take her eyes from those of the teachers. 'Detention,' Miss. Allison's lip was shaking in fury, 'after school, and don't bother thinking up an excuse.' Natalie's nod was barely noticed. 'Now get out of my classroom.' Expecting this, the addressed picked up her Corpse Bride™ rucksack and moved towards the door, catching eyes with only Sal, who threw her a grin, one she didn't return.

On entering the corridor, Natalie threw her back to the wall, resting her head on it, closing her eyes and breathing slowly and deeply. She really hadn't meant to be so nasty, she was usually never nasty. But the anger that resided in her was incredible, unmitigated. She couldn't assuage it so she would instead force it onto others, which she hated doing, especially since it didn't even help.

She opened her eyes and a single tear glided down her cheek, destined to comfort her bitten, trembling lip. Why did every second have to be so damn hard?

Laughing loudly in his face, Deeshah stared at the teacher as though he were alien.

'What are you on about?'

'No, Deeshah, De que hablas?' he replied calmly.

'Yeah, whatever you say, love.' Turning away, a paper ball was thrown at Deeshah, Steven being the culprit. Laughing; she picked it up and was about to send it back when Mr. Gadd grabbed her arm in mid throw, gently spun her around, push her to her seat and said; 'I'll give you one guess to what 'detención' means.'

'Detention?!' she exclaimed, standing back up, her heart sinking. Not another one, her parents would kill her. 'Well give Ste detention too, he threw it first!'

'Aww,' Ste called mockingly from his seat 'Is poor Dee getting detention?'

'Hmph, as if I care, I've been to about a million of them.' She said sitting back down airily. He leant over and went to kiss her, but she moved back. 'Er,' she stumbled on an excuse for a moment. 'Don't; he'll send me out like last-'

'Miss. Ali, I've had quite enough of your flippant behaviour. Out of my classroom please... if your over large head can fit through that is.' Said Mr. Gadd, a slight smirk on his face.

Steven, along with the rest of their circle, burst into hysterical laughter and Deeshah barely resisted screaming at him. Acting as though she couldn't care less, she briefly threw in a feeble fake laugh with Ste and swanned out the door, making sure he and the rest of them saw her pull her tongue at Mr. Gadd's back.

On entering the corridor, Deeshah threw her back to the wall, put her head in her hands, and rubbed her temples. She was sick of the pretence. Sick of acting like a person she wasn't, a person she didn't want to be. And she was sick of Ste, and the whole lot of them. Plus, she had a pile of coursework that she actually would like to complete. But oh yeah, she thought angrily, people like me don't work, do they?

Resting her head back against the wall, she sighed. Would things have been easier if she hadn't of picked Ste? Would she be happier if she'd have picked...' The bell went, interrupting Deeshah's thought and setting a new one in her mind. Time to repaint her smile. Time to disguise her soul. Time to, once again, be the girl that people thought so clear as glass, but the girl that people never dared to look inside of.

Like a ghost trapped between the breach of restlessness and peace, Alurra sat, slightly cramped, underneath the stage stairs, staring at the dusty blackness around her, as if waiting for the light. In her secret sanctuary she could finally think about the only thing that didn't hurt... nothing.

She had slowly adapted to blocking out every emotion, every feeling. Anger, misery, loneliness... guilt. She had a cold, stone exterior and not a friend in the world. Well I don't deserve friends, her bitter thoughts reflected in her haunted eyes, I deserve to stay in this silent life forever... I don't even deserve the relief of death.

Suddenly, someone pulled away the boxes concealing Allura's hide-away. Allura probably would have jumped in fright, had she the strength to react. The youngest and only music teacher of the school - Mr. Daniels, crouched down, looked at the 16 year old and sighed. His face a picture of pity.

'Allura,' he spoke softly, as if to a drowsy child. She didn't look at him. 'Come and have a cuppa in my office, you look as if you need someone to talk to.' Allura blinked, stood up and walked past him, avoiding his gaze. 'Fuck you.' She said simply, though her tone ached in forced back aggression that had been there long before he had disturbed her.

The defined featured teacher shook his head inwardly, a pained expression on his face, as though he had anticipated her response. 'You know this means I have to give you detention, right?' Allura walked away, not really planning any particular destination, and muttered grimly to herself; 'Think detention is bad? Try living in hell.'

The rhythmic pulse of the corridor pounding vigorously around her, the perfume of hot, energetic teenagers in the air, and carrying unrequited love for a person merely inches from her, Natalie dragged her feet down the fit to burst corridor, her small, laughing group of friends surrounding her.

Natalie was vaguely aware of knocking shoulders with another random student, one she had never and probably would never know in her 5 year high school 'experience'. Dan and Tracii were bouncing off each other as usual, their faces full of glee, a laugh barely leaving their lips before they breathlessly continued with the restless rant. They two alone truly appreciated the contents.

'Do it again, do it again!' Tracii begged Dan, his eyes dancing with amusement. They performed, for no-one in particular, some routine they had made up, involving peculiar facial expressions and rather odd sound effects. The group laughed, even the deep in thought Natalie grinned in spite of herself, watching Tracii in particular, his enthusiasm never failing to bring a smile to her face.

Sal, who had somehow forced his laughing to cease said; 'Is it completely absurd that you look like two old women to me?' This did make Natalie laugh, along with the rest of them, which of course gained them one or two disgusted looks from the students around them. They didn't care.

All seven of them, the four girls and the three lads; a group of hopeful spirits who would probably live to not a quarter or their true soul potential... but for now, just let them live.

And they were Natalie's only reason to actually wake after sleep. Especially one of them in particular.

The fuzzy colours of the sickly corridor rushing past her, the sweaty smell of sniggering, immature young people aggravating every inch of her, and hatred that had once been love, bubbling ever so frantically within, for the person with his hands around her waist, Deeshah jadedly tried in vain to quicken the pace of her and the large, above the crowd, group of friends.

A raven haired girl with paper white skin and distant eyes accidently knocked shoulders with Deeshah, and Ste turned aggressively shouting 'Goth' in the girls wake, but it was unheard as the group surrounding her burst into loud laughter. Deeshah envied them all.

'Coming straight to ours after school?' Kirsty demanded of Deeshah, in the shrill, annoying voice that seemed signature for all the girls she knew.

'Nope. Detention.' Who knew detention could be such a godsend eh?

'Well don't go, bitch.'

'And get 2 hours on Monday instead? No thanks.' Kirsty sighed heavily.

'Fine, Jade can come instead, better hope she doesn't get her hands on Ste while you're not there.' She teased cruelly, her tongue sticking out slightly between her grinning teeth, as it always did when she attacked her many victims.

John laughed, 'Oh come on Dee, she only joking, no-one in their right mind would chose Jade over you.' Deeshah smiled faintly in reply.

The girl in question was currently flirting with some-one she hads never met, oblivious to any accusations or insults aimed at her.

Deeshah really should watch were she was going – she bumped into yet another fellow pupil, a girl with curly white hair and a lonely look about her. On collision they both looked at each other for a moment, each surveying the other, each wondering who the happier of the two was... each surmising not themselves.

Allura watched from inside one of the classrooms as the void between lessons filtered adolescence through its corridors... she preferred not to be among it though. She observed the many different types of people. 'Geeks' muttering to themselves whilst going over their latest A* essays, though Allura knew that at least one of them would be on drugs. 'Chavs' swearing and grunting at eachother, though Allura knew at least one of them would secretly love romantic comedies. 'Goths' who were laughing hysterically, as ever, though Allura knew that at least one of them would be more depressed than possible for someone their age. Of course there was the 'Popular' gang, who treated each other without loyalty or concern and of whom Allura felt no sympathy, though she knew half of them hated being that way.

No, Allura knew how many different 'categories' there were in the world of high school, hell, in the world in general. There was no use denying that everyone would judge and categorise you and some point and especially that Allura herself would never fit into a single one of those groups. And did she want to? Maybe she did. Maybe she was tired of being silent. But it didn't matter what she wanted, but what she deserved. Not much.

'Allura?' the addressed turned to see, once again, Mr. Daniels arriving in the room to disturb her reflections.

'I'm just leaving.' She muttered rising from the desk and staring toward the door.

'I really wish you'd talk to me. I do worry about you, you know. Despite your best efforts you're not invisible and certainly not insignificant, to me at least.' Why do teachers have to be so god damn annoying? Allura thought, sighing silently.

'See you in detention, sir.' Mr. Daniels sighed at her reply, a lot less inconspicuously than Allura.

'I guess they're right,' he said, more to himself. 'You can take a horse a to water but-'

'You can't stop it from drowning itself.' Allura cut across him, quite gravely. The relatively young man's eyes widened and his eyebrows rose quite drastically. Allura actually almost smiled as his expression. Almost.

'I was joking.' she said, without a hint of humour in her eyes. 'Goodbye sir.'

'Goodbye, Allura.' As she shut the door behind her, Daniels watched her go before rubbing his tired eyes and then running his hands hand through un-kept hair. 'Damn kids.'