First, I want to say sorry. I didn't realize how long it had been since I updated. I had some difficulty deciding whose POV I was going to write this in, but I finally settled on Derek. Just a little side note, some of you are going to hate me after this chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own The Darkest Powers
The answer to the last riddle was wake up. I also accepted open your eyes for 10 points. This is the last riddle of the round, so don't forget to make a guess and see if you can get a preview.
What cannot be seen but only heard, and what will not speak unless it is spoken to?
Saying I was in a bad mood would be an understatement. Saying I wasn't happy would be an understatement. Saying I was downright pissed, however, is not an understatement. After risking both Simon's and my hides, all we managed to get were a bunch of encoded documents. I don't know how, but apparently after they were transported onto the USB drive, all the documents became encoded and unusable until they were un-encoded. That pissed me off in itself, but that wasn't all. I gave the drive to Tori to see what she could do with it and apparently it would take her at least a week, which is a week too long.
Waking up the next morning, I was still as pissed. I wasn't looking forward to school. I really couldn't take anything else. I was on the brink of a change right now and I couldn't risk losing control. Simon wasn't any better. He had maybe one serious bad mood a year and this was it. He even snapped at Tori when she sarcastically commented on a job well done. Not that I really blame him. The whole night was a complete waste of time. The only accomplishment was the papers that Simon had managed to grab, though they weren't much help. They were basically a bunch of names that I didn't recognize and I didn't understand the connection. I'd have to study them more later.
I made Tori drive to school, not that she complained. I never let any of them drive my car, so their only option was Dad's, but after denting the passenger door, Simon wasn't allowed to. Tori was only allowed under certain circumstances. So when I handed Tori the keys, she automatically ran to the driver's seat before I could change my mind. I didn't really trust her with my car, but I was in no condition to be driving. Road rage isn't good for an already pissed off werewolf.
Once we got to school, Tori handed me my keys and walked off with Simon following her, leaving me to myself. I took a deep breath and started toward the door. If I just ignored everyone, I might be able to make it through the day without changing. I would only talk when absolutely necessary. That might limit the chance of me snapping at someone.
Walking to my locker, I unlocked it and started filling my bag with my stuff. I heard giggling to my right and I looked over. A group of girls were standing in front of the girl's bathroom. I had expected some of the members of the basketball team standing close to them, but to my confusion, there were none. I was more surprised, though when I figured out what they were giggling about. They were staring at me. What the hell? I turned back to my locker and tried to ignore them. Why the hell are they giggling at me? I took one last look and figured out why. In the middle of the group was a girl I recognized from the dance committee, which meant the she had seen what was under my sweatshirt. I really hoped that she didn't have that big of a mouth. The last thing I needed was a fan club.
I shut my locker and walked past them on my way to government. I scowled when I heard them still giggling. When I finally got to class, my mood had only worsened. I had passed at least three other groups who started at me when I walked past them. Sitting down in my chair, I leaned back and crossed my arms. As the universal sign of 'leave me alone' I hoped people got the message. From the corner of my eye, I saw Jake and Simon walk in. They stopped whatever they were talking about as soon as they saw me. I assumed it was about the dance. They sat down and Jake said,
"Who pissed in your cheerios?"
"Girls who can't keep their mouths shut," I said.
"The whole abs thing?" he said.
"What abs thing?" Simon asked.
"There's a rumor travelling around the girls that he has abs as hard as bricks," Jake said.
I groaned and leaned my head back. It was worse than I thought.
"Seriously?" Simon said. "How did that rumor start?"
"I'm not sure who started it, but apparently at least twenty girls saw his abs yesterday," Jake said.
Simon looked at me expectantly. I sighed and said, "Chloe spilled paint on me yesterday. When I took off my sweatshirt, my shirt rode up. It's not like I did it on purpose."
"Whatever you say," Simon said.
I fixed him with a look and said, "I have a pretty good idea who started the rumor."
"Who?" he asked.
"Amber," I said.
"Amber Long?" Jake asked.
"Yeah," I said. "She must have gotten a good view because she came over and said that she just had to tell me she was single."
"She hit on you?" Simon asked, fighting a laugh. "What did you say?"
"What do you think I said?" I answered.
"You said no?" he asked.
"Technically, no," I said. "I actually insulted her and left with Chloe."
"Which explains the next rumor," Jake said.
"What rumor?" I asked.
"Brady told me that he heard you were dating Chloe," he said.
I groaned and let my head fall back, saying, "I hate this school."
"Now you have no excuse for not asking her to the dance," Simon said, rather excitedly.
"For the last time, I am not asking Chloe to the dance," I said.
"Looks like I'm gonna win," Jake said, puffing out his chest.
I snorted and said, "Tori hates you. Why the hell would she go out with you?"
"Because I will dazzle her with my charm," he said, smiling.
"Not if you want to win Tori over. She hates that," I said.
"Okay, why don't you tell me about her?" he suggested.
"You want me to give you a list of ways to get Tori to go out with you?" I said. An idea hit me and I said, "Okay."
"What?" Simon said, surprised.
"Seriously?" Jake asked.
"Yeah," I said.
"Sweet," he said.
"Why are you giving him tips?" Simon asked.
"If Tori says yes, Jake wins and you'll stop bugging me about asking Chloe," I said, quite proud with myself.
"Traitor," Simon said as the teacher walked in. I just ignored him and focused my attention on what Mr. Carnahan was saying. I almost laughed out loud when I heard what we were learning: strategies of the development of the Constitution.
I spent math making a list for Jake. I was already done with my homework, so Mr. Griggs didn't care what I did. He just gave me the homework packet for next week and left me alone. I'd have it done by tomorrow anyway, so I just stuffed it in my bag. So far, the list was half a page long. I tried to put everything I could that would get her to say yes. I really wanted Simon to stop bugging me.
Once math was done, I went back to my locker to empty my bag. This time, the same group of girls was closer. They were right across the hall and their giggling was giving me a headache. My temper, which had started to cool off, returned. It didn't help that I saw one of them staring at my butt. I growled lowly and shut my door. It took everything not to put a dent in it. My face set in a scowl, I set off down the hall toward English. I looked over my shoulder to see them following me. What the hell is wrong with them?
I walked into English and the first thing I saw was Chloe sitting in her spot. Her face was set in concentration as she looked down. Her hair was falling in her face, but she didn't seem to notice. As I walked down the aisle, I watched her determined face. I also noticed what she was wearing. It was a step above what she usually wore, but not as bad as when she looked like a cheerleader. Her hair was slightly curled, held together in a pony with that stubborn lock determined to stay in her face. Her shirt was low cut, but not enough to see anything. I wasn't going to admit it to Simon, but she was actually pretty. When I got to my seat, I could see that her legs were crossed as she bent over a paper. I sat down and silently watched her for a little bit. She didn't seem to notice me. I looked at the paper to see what she was so focused on. It was a drawing of skull. Every so often, she would get frustrated and erase something. Every time she did, I watched her face. Her lips would pinch together and her nose flared a little. I hated to admit it, but it was kind of cute.
"What's that for?" I asked.
She yelped and jumped, her chair tipping back. Before she could fall, I caught her chair, her hand grabbing my arm. She kept her grip on my arm as she calmed down. I could feel her heart racing. Once it had slowed and her breathing was back to normal, she looked up at me. I could hear whispers around the classroom discussing our 'dating status.' Chloe quickly let go of my arm and looked down.
"You didn't answer my question," I said.
"What question?" she said, not looking at me.
"What's that for?" I asked again.
"Nothing," she said, shoving it in her folder. She still wouldn't look at me.
"Are you okay?" I asked, confused. Is she mad at me?
"Why wouldn't I be?" she said, looking forward.
"I don't know," I said. "You seem…angry."
"I'm not," she said, still not looking at me.
Before I could question her further, Ms. Wallus walked in, followed by the new principal. I involuntarily tensed, remembering where I was last night. I kept my face emotionless as he began to talk.
"Good morning, everyone," he said. "For all of you who aren't aware, my name is Marcel Davidoff and I am your new principal. I wish I could start my introduction with good news, but I cannot. It seems we had a break in last night. Unfortunately, the cameras didn't catch the event, but something was left behind."
If I wasn't tense before, I was after he held up the item. It was something I saw almost every day. It was Simon's mini colored pencil bag. He carried it with him everywhere. I remembered last night when I heard something drop. I had forgotten about it. Shit.
"I'm sorry to say that until we know who did it, the dance will be cancelled," he said.
The entire class roared in protest. I saw Chloe in the corner of my eye. She leaned forward and her eyebrows knitted together in confusion. Her eyes were focused on the pencil case. Her eyes darted to me, but I refused to look at her. She recognized it.
"If anyone has any information, please come see me in my office," he said. With that, he turned and left the room. The class continued to protest. Ms. Wallus couldn't get them to shut up, so she just put in earplugs and started reading. I would have laughed at how unteacherly it was, but I was a little preoccupied. The sound of the yelling was drowned out by my racing heart and the blood rushing in my ears. This is bad. This is very bad. If somebody recognizes it, there was no way they were letting us off easy.
I spent the hour staring at my book. I wasn't reading it. I was thinking. I really hoped that nobody recognized it. We haven't been here that long, so what are the odds that somebody will. It wasn't like he had a reason to take it out. They were painting in art.
By the time the bell rang, I was practically bouncing in my seat to leave. Once it did, I shot from my seat and out the door. I ignored my new entourage of giggling girls and focused on finding Simon. I caught his scent and followed it, finding him at his locker. He was putting his bag in his locker. I walked up to him just as he was shutting it.
"Hey, bro," he said. "What's up?"
"We have a problem," I said.
"What kind of problem?" he asked.
I looked around and looked back at him. "Can you skip lunch today?"
"Sure," he said. "Not very hungry anyway."
"Meet me in the back of the library in five minutes," I said.
"Okay," he said. "I've gotta tell Jake I'll be skipping."
I nodded at watched as he walked off toward the cafeteria. I turned around and started to make my way to the library. I had to duck behind walls a few times to avoid those damn girls, but I finally made it. I sat down at a table and waited. After a few minutes, Simon showed up. He sat down across from me.
"Alright," he said. "So what's the problem?"
"Did you hear about the dance being cancelled?" I asked.
"Yeah," he said, "but I didn't hear why."
"They know about the break in," I said, quietly. "And they have proof."
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"You dropped something when you went thought he window," I said. "Your pencils."
His eyes widened and he said, "Oh shit. That's what fell."
"Yeah," I said, "The new principal showed up in my English class and presented it, asking if anyone recognized it. Did you show it to anyone?"
"I don't think so," he said.
"Think really hard," I said. "We can't risk anything."
He thought for a second before, "I think I took them out in art once. Ms. Tuppern commented on them, but I can't remember if it was those ones or my bigger set."
"Let's hope it was the bigger ones," I said.
He was about to say something when I shushed him. I thought I heard something. It sounded like the rustling of fabric. I slowly got up and started walking toward the aisle closest to us. I quickly looked on the other side, but I didn't see anything. I did however, smell someone. Chloe.
"What is it?" Simon asked.
"Chloe heard," I said.
"She won't tell, will she?" he asked, walking up behind me. "I mean, why would she get us in trouble?"
"I think she's mad at me," I said, turning around.
"Why?" he asked.
"She wouldn't look at me in English and I think she was ignoring me," I said.
"What did you do?" he asked.
"That's just it," I said. "I have no idea. I don't think I did anything."
"Did you say anything to her yesterday?" he asked.
"I don't think so," I said.
"Maybe she's just in a bad mood," he said.
"I guess," I said, turning back to look down the aisle.
"So, what are we going to do about the pencils?" he asked.
"Act like nothing happened," I said. "If anyone asks, you've never seen them before."
He nodded as the bell rang. We walked out of the library together and then went our separate ways.
Chloe's POV
"I can't believe he cancelled the dance," Beth said. "I mean, who does he think he is?"
"The principal?" I said.
"Like that gives him the right," she said, pacing the girls' bathroom.
I didn't bother arguing. She had been ranting for ten minutes straight and I really didn't think I could stop her. I had tried pointing out that I was missing lunch but apparently the dance was more important than my eating. She'd been complaining since Mr. Davidoff made the announcement. It made concentrating on my English very hard, not that I could have concentrated anyway. I was too focused on another critical situation. When Mr. Davidoff had said that there was a break-in, it really didn't faze me. Whoever broke in didn't cause any great damage or we would have heard about beforehand. However, when he held up the colored pencils, my attention was snared. They were Simon's. I had seen them when he was digging the books out of his bag. Of course, the logical part of my brain was telling me that anyone can have the same colored pencils, but I had seen Derek's face and though he was wearing his emotionless mask, I could plainly see how tense he was. Though I didn't want to believe they would break into the school, I couldn't deny that Derek looked guilty.
I hopped down from the sink I was sitting on and caught Beth's attention. She stopped talking and gave me a confused look.
"I have to talk to Derek," I said.
"Why?" she said. "I really don't think he'll help with the petition."
"Petition?" I asked. What was she talking about?
"The petition to get the dance back? Haven't you been listening to a thing I said?" she said, her hands going to her hips.
"Honestly no," I said. "Didn't you see what Mr. Davidoff was holding?"
"Why would I care about what he was holding? The dance was cancelled!" she practically shouted. "This is horrible!"
"Will you calm down?" I said. "It's not the end of the world."
"Of course you would say that," she said, "You were against this from the start."
"Which is why I'm not freaking out about it and can focus on the real problem," I said.
"Which is?" she said.
"Simon and Derek broke into the school last night," I explained.
Beth wouldn't meet my eye as she said, "What makes you think that?"
"Mr. Davidoff has Simon's colored pencils," I said.
"They could be anybody's colored pencils," she said, "I mean, everybody has colored pencils."
"But these were Simon's. I saw them the other day," I argued.
"Maybe you're just confused," she said.
"Why are you so against this?" I asked.
"I just think we should think of all possibilities, that's all," she said, rather defensively.
"Well I'm going to talk to Derek," I said, starting to walk to the door.
Beth jumped in front of me, holding up her hands and said, "Maybe you should wait until you know more. If you go in too early, he might close up."
I sighed and said, "I guess you're right. But I still need to talk to him."
"What for?" she said.
"I need to apologize for acting like such a bitch this morning," I said.
"You? A bitch?" she said. "What did he do?"
"Nothing," I said, "I was mad and I took it out on him. I guess I was sick of being asked how long I've been dating Derek and if I had a picture of his abs. I've been hearing it all morning."
Beth looked stricken and said, "You've been dating Derek and you didn't tell me?"
"I didn't tell you because I am NOT dating Derek!" I said, walking around Beth and out of the bathroom. I saw Beth walk up to my side, but she didn't say anything. She looked a little worried, actually. I would have asked her what was wrong, but I didn't want to be caught talking to myself in the middle of the hallway. I also wanted to talk to her about the break-in. She knew something. I don't know what, but I'm sure she does.
I walked into the library and looked around for Derek. I wasn't positive where he would be, but I knew he wasn't in the cafeteria. I saw him walking out of the library after lunch last week, but I hadn't though anything about it. I also saw him walk out of it earlier this week. Once was a coincidence. Twice meant something. I didn't see him in the front seats, so I went further back. I made it all the way to the back before I found him. He wasn't alone, so I ducked behind the bookcase and listened. He was talking to Simon.
"You dropped something when you went thought he window," Derek said. "Your pencils."
"Oh shit. That's what fell," Simon answered. So they did break in.
"Yeah," Derek said, "The new principal showed up in my English class and presented it, asking if anyone recognized it. Did you show it to anyone?"
"I don't think so," Simon said.
"Think really hard," Derek said. "We can't risk anything."
There was a pause before Simon answered. "I think I took them out in art once. Ms. Tuppern commented on them, but I can't remember if it was those ones or my bigger set."
"Let's hope it was the bigger ones," Derek said.
I didn't wait to hear anything more. I could hardly believe what I heard. I mean, I had thought it might be true, but hearing it from Derek's mouth put me into shock. They broke into the school last night. What reason did they have for that? Were they trying to steal something? I wasn't left much time to think. The bell rang, announcing the end of lunch. My stomach protested at missing it, but I couldn't do anything about it so I just headed to my locker. However, when I turned the corner, I saw Tori at her's. Did she break in with them? I shook my head and continued on.
Lucky for me, Tori didn't say anything to me. She just ignored me as I grabbed my stuff and shut my locker door. I turned to see a group of girls walking eagerly in our direction. They were looking at me. When they noticed Tori, they started walking faster, more eager. I glanced over at Tori, who had just turned around. She looked instantly pissed and the lead girl seemed to stop in her tracks. Literally. It was only for an instant, but the way her smile was plastered on her face for that instant wasn't normal. I looked over at Tori in confusion, but she was already walking away. I hurried after her, not wanting to be stuck in the middle of another group of girls begging me for a picture of Derek.
When I walked into the room, I froze. Simon was already sitting at his seat. How am I supposed to act around him? I took a deep breath and started walking toward him. I had to stop halfway. I was too tense. I'd probably get looks if it looks like I'm constipated. I did get looks, though, from most of the girls and, surprisingly, from some of the guys. Simon saw me and smiled. It wasn't his normal smile, though. It was a little strained. I smiled back and he relaxed. When I sat down, he started talking.
"So, I had an idea," he said.
"Oh no," I said, "That's bad. You know you're not supposed to be thinking. Doctors orders. You don't want your head to explode, do you?"
He full on grinned and said, "Well, this idea might make Derek explode if that makes up for it."
My smile faltered and I said, "Literally explode or metaphorically? Cause, something tells me you're capable of it."
He looked fake worried and he said, "They said nobody would find out about that. What am I gonna do? I'll have to flee the country."
I laid my hand on his arm and said, "Don't worry. I'll buy you a sleeping bag and a box of matches. You can camp out in a cave somewhere."
"Think I can get cable?" he asked.
"You'll probably have to choose between cable and running water," I said.
"I choose cable," he said, grinning.
"So, do I get to hear this idea of yours?" I asked.
"Not yet," he said.
"Why not?" I asked.
"Cause I have to get Derek to agree and that might take a few days," he said.
I couldn't help but grin back. I thought it would be awkward around Simon, but I couldn't help but joke around with him. He was comfortable to be around. Even with the fact that his extracurricular activities involved breaking into the school in the middle of the night, he didn't feel dangerous. He reminded me of Jake. They both were comfortable to be around, they both made me laugh, and they both seemed almost brotherly. If I could have a brother, I'd want him to be just like Simon.
We spent the remainder of the class continuing our previous day's talk of dead things. I told him about the whole snow thing and he said he'd send Derek to somebody's backyard. When I asked him why, he said because people bury things in their backyard. I laughed at that and asked what happened when they got him digging and he said run like hell. He also proposed knocking on their door and explaining it was for a good cause. In the end, we went with option one. As good as the cause was, I don't think the little old lady down the road would appreciate it if we dug up Fluffy.
When I got to French, the tension of my knowing about Derek and Simon returned. Apparently Derek was feeling it too because he wouldn't look at me. I kept glancing his way but he kept his eyes straight ahead. I couldn't help but feel a little hurt by his ignoring me. I thought he'd say hi at least. Maybe he's regretting taking me for ice cream. Was I really that bad of company? Or maybe he's mad at me for being a bitch this morning. I still hadn't apologized to him. Hopefully that was it. I didn't want to think that the ice cream was for nothing. I had fun. I really liked listening to him tell stories. Oh no. was that it? Was he mad that he had to do all the talking? I'm such an idiot. The guy buys me an ice cream and I make him talk the entire time? No wonder he's mad at me.
I groaned and laid my head on the desk. I felt something poke me in the face. I looked to my right and saw Melissa Barnes looking away. I looked down and saw a note lying on my desk. Picking it up, I opened it. I instantly wished I didn't. It was her email address telling me to send her a picture of Derek. I crumbled the paper and slammed it on my desk. I saw Derek finally look at from the corner of my eye. I looked down at the paper and over to Melissa and I saw him scowl. Apparently I wasn't the only one being pestered.
After French, I went to theatre, but I didn't really pay attention. For some reason we were doing trust exercises and let's just say that full attention is required. I spent the rest of the hour apologizing to Liz for dropping her. She accepted it immediately, but I just felt so bad about it. Jake, being to the gentleman he was, spent the rest of the hour laughing about it.
After theatre, I headed toward Ms. Wallus's room. I didn't have dance committee today and I wanted to know if I would have to tomorrow. I wasn't sure if we still had to plan the dance that was cancelled. When I got to her room, I heard her and a few other teachers talking so I waited outside the room. From what I could hear, she was talking to Mr. Davidoff, Mr. Drake, and Ms. Tuppern. I wasn't really paying attention to their conversation until I heard Ms. Tuppern mention Simon's colored pencils.
"You and I both know, Marcel, that those boys are responsible for it," she said. "The pencils are proof. Why don't you just expel them?"
"You know I can't expel them," he said. "They are too valuable. And besides, I'm sure he isn't the only one with colored pencils." Stupid Beth.
"But he is the only one with those pencils. He showed them to me," she said.
"They can't be one a kind," Mr. Drake said. "I'm sure many kids bought the same ones. And besides, the boys had no reason to break into school." Go Mr. Drake.
"I say you at least suspend them," Ms. Tuppern said.
"You can't do that!" I shouted, bursting in.
They all turned to me and I felt my face turn beet red.
"Can't do what?" Ms. Wallus asked.
"U-um, s-suspend them," I stuttered.
"And why not?" Ms. Tuppern asked, crossing her arms.
"Because they were home last night," I said, trying to think of an excuse.
"And how exactly do you know that?" Ms. Wallus asked.
"Because I was there," I blurted out.
"Why would you be there?" Ms. Tuppern asked.
"We were working on our project for science," I said, looking at Mr. Drake. "We really didn't understand it so Derek was helping us."
Mr. Davidoff nodded and said, "Well, I think that's enough proof."
I sighed in relief. Ms. Tuppern looked down right pissed. Ms. Wallus looked annoyed but she didn't say anything. What most surprised me was Mr. Drake. He was smiling at me. An almost fatherly smile of approval. I had a feeling he knew I was lying, but it seemed like he was glad that I did. They all got up and started leaving, except for Ms. Wallus of course because this was her classroom. When Ms. Tuppern passed me, she was trying not to glare. Mr. Davidoff just nodded and walked past. Mr. Drake was smiling and gave me a thumbs up when nobody was looking. I walked up to Ms. Wallus's desk and asked, "Do we still have dance committee?"
She looked up and said, "Yes, I suppose we should still hold it in case anything happens. The gym probably won't be fully decorated on Friday, but everything can still be prepared."
I nodded and left. Once I got outside the room, I realized what I had just done. I had lied to three teachers and a principal. One of those teachers really didn't count because he seemed to approve, but still. If they found out, I was in serious trouble. I started walking toward the front doors and parking lot when a thought hit me. What did they mean Derek and Simon were too valuable?
