A day late posting but still within a week of my last post. So far so good. I've been keeping up with my page a day quota which is making this a lot easier on me. Bear with me just a little longer, I have two chapters in the pipelines right now. I'm not sure how many chapters it will be before I call part one Warm Life Cold Spirit done but give it a few weeks and I'll be sure to let you know.
Chapter 10: Difference of Opinion
"Hey Teresa! Have you heard? Somebody new arrived a few days ago." Called a brunette from where she sat at a long table in the large cafeteria.
She was surrounded by a gaggle of girls picking at their oatmeal and porridge more focused on getting the morning gossip. Teresa sidled over to them placing her tray on the table taking an empty seat on the wooden bench. The strawberry blond rolled her eyes shoving a bite of oatmeal into her mouth.
"I met him already." She said around her food avoiding the prying eyes of her friends.
"What?" Exclaimed Margaret, a red head seated further down the table, "But Lacey said he's been in the infirmary since he got here."
Teresa put her elbow on the table leaning forward so that she could see their faces and pointedly put her spoon back on her tray.
"She's half right." She supplied, "But he's been here for longer than a few days."
"Alright then, if you're so all knowing then how long?" Asked Tina a tall thin stick of a girl with frizzy dirty blond hair.
"You remember how I was put on a special assignment for about a week?" Countered Teresa looking over the girls getting a mix of nods and shrugs, it was about the best that she was going to get. "Well I was put in charge of assisting in his care while he was in the infirmary."
The girls snickered to one another, a handful just laughed at her response. Of course they didn't believe her after some of the stunts she's pulled. One time stood out in her mind of when she had spread a rumor about Sister Annabelle having a thing for one of the officers she forgot which it was at this point. She had gotten a stern talking to about by Sister Camellia her guardian. Turning her attention away from the girls less than positive reaction she picked up her abandoned spoon taking another bite.
"What's he like?" Asked one of the smaller girls who had her hair tied into neat pigtails on either side of her head.
With her mouth stuffed with a few spoonfuls of the thick concoction Teresa waved her spoon in the air like a baton until she swallowed.
"He's a prissy little prince." She answered, "Doesn't get along very well with others and is more apt to make a rude comment and walk off than to have an actual conversation with."
Next to her, the girl who had called her over – Mavis chuckled in a lighthearted sort of way inclining her head to look at Teresa.
"Sounds a little like you." Mavis giggled into her open palm.
Scarlet eyed Teresa huffed into her glass of milk.
"She's got a point you know." Butt in Connie with a elbow to the girl's ribs almost causing her to spit out her drink.
In response the strawberry blond took a jab at the offending limb with her spoon smiling at the exclamation in protest. It was the usual banter at her expense, they meant nothing by it, but she just couldn't help herself getting a little payback in spurs.
"But anyway," Continued Mavis, "He's supposed to be doing chores with as of today." She looked giddy, grinning like an idiot.
"Yeah sure he is." Retorted Teresa, with a flourish of her glass as she lifted it to her lips, "And I'll never make a fool of myself ever again." She muttered under her breath taking a sip while glancing at the front of the room only to spit it back out in a white spray all over the girl sitting opposite her.
"Way to prove a point." Commented Connie with a snide smirk on her face.
"It's him." Teresa deadpanned ignoring the verbal barb.
Sure enough there he was at the front of the room fresh out of the line for getting his morning rations. The blond boy stood at the end of the pickup line staring out into the crowded room loaded tray in hand. As his eyes scanned the tables his azure orbs met her scarlet ones, held there for a moment.
"Where?" Asked Mavis trying to aline her head with that of her friend.
Not looking away from the boy Teresa grabbed the brunette's head with both hands turning it in the direction she was gawking in. The result was instantaneous all the girls turned to follow the gaze of the other two. In unison eight sets of eyes set on him, he visibly flinched. His blank stare turned cold just before he turned on his heel slinking out of the cafeteria. The strawberry blond's attention was brought back by a series of sighs stemming from her immediate area.
"He's cute." Said one.
"His hair's a little long, but he's pretty handsome." Commented another.
"You've got to be kidding me." Groaned Teresa refraining from slamming her head on the table for the sake of the fact that her breakfast was still half eaten.
"Hey just because he's not your type doesn't mean you have to make him out to sound bad." Chimed in Mavis.
"Come on!" Shouted Teresa making an exaggerated gesture with her arms at the rest of them, "Just a few minutes ago you guys didn't even believe me when I said I was taking care of him at the infirmary!"
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." Waved off Connie, "I hope he's in my group." She all but swooned her short curly hair bouncing as she bobbed her head side to side.
"Ugh." Grumbled Teresa putting the full weight of her head against her open palm.
"Maybe you just got the wrong impression of him. You do have the ability to rub people the wrong way sometimes." Offered Mavis with a slight shrug.
"Sure." She half-heartedly agreed poking at the remainder of her food, the thoughts of her encounter with him in the garden making her lose her appetite.
She could recall how calm he had been while burying the seedling in the flowerbed with such care. The way that he carried out the task like he was trying to hide something of himself that he wanted no one else to know.
Her mind took a turn as she remembered how he had recoiled from her when she had barked at him about his aversion to help. How cold his expression had become had scared her. And how his eyes almost seemed to glow, pupils narrowing to slits. His arm coming up the threat eminent until Sister Camellia showed up stepping between us. Some kind of recognition had shone in her eyes that morning that made her rough with him even after the glow had faded from his eyes. Since that day one week ago she had been wondering what had happened, what had made her feel so afraid of him.
She was snapped from her reverie by the tolling of the church bell, it was time to head to eight o'clock mass. In a flurry of clumsy movements she gathered herself jumping up from her bench tray in hand she dropped them off in their designated spot before scampering off after her friends to the chapel.
"There you are space case." Joked Connie, her fingers laced behind her head a giant grin on her freckled face.
"Why didn't any of you wait for me?" Posed Teresa jogging to catch up with them.
"It's more fun making you rush." Connie chuckled stretching her arms out in front of her.
To Teresa's left Mavis waved her hand in front of her face in dismissal of Connie's comments.
"I tried but you were out of it then Connie pulled me along with her." Explained the brunette.
They were approaching the door of the chapel Teresa looked behind them they weren't the last ones, there were stragglers further behind them. Smiling she made to go forward but was halted by a very solid body in front of her. Stepping back she rubbed her nose.
"Geeze guys, give me a little warning before you stop would ya?" She commented expecting a smart remark from Connie about how she should be watching where she was going. Instead a familiar male voice streamed into her ears turning her cheeks pink with embarrassment..
"Mind watching where you're going." The words were cold.
It was that boy, Renos. He turned and continued his path to the chapel pausing by the holy water fonts where he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his long coat heading inside. Mavis and Connie were standing just off to the the side of the flagstone entrance watching the doors swing shut dumbstruck. They turned to Teresa as she rushed up to them shoving them up to the fonts where they crossed themselves. Together they pressed against the heavy wooden doors ducking into pews in the back.
Looking around Teresa spotted him at a pew with a white haired woman the same one from the garden, Sister Azmaria. From his rigid movements over the course of mass she could guess that he felt rather uncomfortable. When it came to time to receive sacrament he and Sister Azmaria stood off to the side permitting others in the congregation to pass them and waited until they returned to their seats to sit back down. Whenever the Sister tried to reach out to him he seemed to recoil as if her touch burned him somehow.
Mass concluded with a the toll of the bell. Teresa let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. There was a nudge to her right arm drawing her attention as she rose from the pew and heading out to the warm spring air.
"Not a peep from you during mass today," Commented Connie with an air of concern, "You feeling okay?"
Swatting the girl's hand away she lead the way to their daily chores.
"I'm fine, just thinking." Replied Teresa sounding more annoyed than she felt for once.
"Uh, oh. The girl's thinking Mavis." Gasped Connie going to to hide behind the brunette in mock fear, "That can't be good."
Goodnatured Mavis merely chuckled in response.
Until next week!
