Part 7
The following morning when I went to school, I was in a much better mood that usual. Normally I hated dragging myself up and forcing myself into a place where I was nameless and would just pass through another boring day just like the one before.
I could think about nothing else but the exchange. I wasn't sure I believed Diamond was a real witch. How else, though, would she be able to do what she had promised me she would do?
She hadn't exactly been very talkative on what she wanted me to do when I became Branwen. I guessed I'd just have to wait and see. The waiting, of course, was the worst part of the whole thing.
Diamond hadn't said when she would do the spell, or whatever it was she would do to make me switch bodies with Branwen. That thought made me a little nervous.
As I sat in my classes, a faceless member of the crowd, I wondered how Branwen would cope being me. I didn't want her going through my private things. Then again, I guessed she wouldn't want me looking at hers. That part was touch and go really. I didn't have any real secrets that people would care about.
I hadn't seen Diamond since that morning. I didn't know how she was coping with her new classes, and a bunch of new faces. I'd actually enjoy that, a chance to settle down somewhere different, where I could be someone else. I knew nothing about her life wherever she came from, so once again, I could only guess.
"Did you realise your cousin is the biggest bitch in the world?"
I was sitting alone in the cafeteria at lunch picking at a cheese and tomato sandwich when the shadow of Mi-Chi Arlin fell over me. She was glowering as if Diamond's attitude problem was /my/ fault. "What's that got to do with me?"
"She's sticking her nose in where it doesn't belong," Mi-Chi said, her voice almost a hiss. "Maybe you should warn her against that."
I could see some girls at a near by table whispering, a look of - well, almost like /fear/ in their eyes as Mi-Chi raged at me. I didn't see why people were so scared of her. So Mi-Chi looked like fire in flesh, big deal. "Why would I bother?" I was just curious to see where this was going.
When I became Branwen I was going to have to be friends with people like Mi-Chi. It'd be interesting to know what made them tick.
"Because something might just *happen* top your cousin." Mi-Chi's smile was nasty. "You wouldn't want that, now would you?"
I just shrugged. "I don't even know her. Try threatening someone who cares."
Mi-Chi just stared at me in disbelief. Then shook her head and stalked off with as much dignity as she could manage. I couldn't help smirking to myself.
The other day I'd barely been able to say two words when Ruby had yelled at me for nothing. Now I was even developing something of an attitude. I was almost proud of myself.
"You'd better be careful," one of the girls who'd been watching my exchange with Mi-Chi said as she and her friends stood up.
"Why?" I asked.
"Well, there's a rumour, the last girl who stood up to Ruby and Mi-Chi disappeared, and was never seen again," another girl said. The group left.
I watched them go, my good mood disappearing. It was just a rumour. There was probably nothing more to it than that. Just a rumour.
* * *
The following morning when I went to school, I was in a much better mood that usual. Normally I hated dragging myself up and forcing myself into a place where I was nameless and would just pass through another boring day just like the one before.
I could think about nothing else but the exchange. I wasn't sure I believed Diamond was a real witch. How else, though, would she be able to do what she had promised me she would do?
She hadn't exactly been very talkative on what she wanted me to do when I became Branwen. I guessed I'd just have to wait and see. The waiting, of course, was the worst part of the whole thing.
Diamond hadn't said when she would do the spell, or whatever it was she would do to make me switch bodies with Branwen. That thought made me a little nervous.
As I sat in my classes, a faceless member of the crowd, I wondered how Branwen would cope being me. I didn't want her going through my private things. Then again, I guessed she wouldn't want me looking at hers. That part was touch and go really. I didn't have any real secrets that people would care about.
I hadn't seen Diamond since that morning. I didn't know how she was coping with her new classes, and a bunch of new faces. I'd actually enjoy that, a chance to settle down somewhere different, where I could be someone else. I knew nothing about her life wherever she came from, so once again, I could only guess.
"Did you realise your cousin is the biggest bitch in the world?"
I was sitting alone in the cafeteria at lunch picking at a cheese and tomato sandwich when the shadow of Mi-Chi Arlin fell over me. She was glowering as if Diamond's attitude problem was /my/ fault. "What's that got to do with me?"
"She's sticking her nose in where it doesn't belong," Mi-Chi said, her voice almost a hiss. "Maybe you should warn her against that."
I could see some girls at a near by table whispering, a look of - well, almost like /fear/ in their eyes as Mi-Chi raged at me. I didn't see why people were so scared of her. So Mi-Chi looked like fire in flesh, big deal. "Why would I bother?" I was just curious to see where this was going.
When I became Branwen I was going to have to be friends with people like Mi-Chi. It'd be interesting to know what made them tick.
"Because something might just *happen* top your cousin." Mi-Chi's smile was nasty. "You wouldn't want that, now would you?"
I just shrugged. "I don't even know her. Try threatening someone who cares."
Mi-Chi just stared at me in disbelief. Then shook her head and stalked off with as much dignity as she could manage. I couldn't help smirking to myself.
The other day I'd barely been able to say two words when Ruby had yelled at me for nothing. Now I was even developing something of an attitude. I was almost proud of myself.
"You'd better be careful," one of the girls who'd been watching my exchange with Mi-Chi said as she and her friends stood up.
"Why?" I asked.
"Well, there's a rumour, the last girl who stood up to Ruby and Mi-Chi disappeared, and was never seen again," another girl said. The group left.
I watched them go, my good mood disappearing. It was just a rumour. There was probably nothing more to it than that. Just a rumour.
* * *
