"Yeah," I said softly as she walked to the car and opened the door.
What is real? What is the Matrix?
"What defines reality? This is a question that many actors must face…" Mr. Shailer was frustrated with our concentration again; this means a speech NONE of us understand, just to get us to see that theatre is serious.
Theatre seems utterly unimportant, today at least. Last block, all I could live for was 4:30, 4:30 I understand. What is the Matrix? I had written it in my notebook, only Julie saw it she gave me an odd glance.
"It's a story I'm writing," I said explaining my odd behavior.
"Oh, well explain it sometime…" I gave a weak grin, I had a funny feeling there wouldn't BE a 'sometime'.
The theatre door opened, Mr. Shailer looked up in surprise. Ms. Collins, don't cross her path, one bitchy vice president. She's probably just here to talk to Ian or something; I thought as I re adjusted my legs. The cell phone antenna wasn't very comfortable stabbing into my thigh, neither was the gun.
I had been paranoid someone was going to bump it, or someone would notice the weird bump sticking out of my pants. They were baggy, but I still didn't feel they were baggy enough. Some quick thinking Friday night, I cut the bottom of the pocket and strapped the gun to my leg. Easy, discriminate, and quick to get too, not that I even knew WHO I was going to shoot at.
"Can I borrow Ms. Robinson for a second?" said Ms. Collins in that so deceptively sweet voice.
"M-me?" I said quietly, "what does she want with ME?"
"Sure," she Mr. Shailer looking awfully worried, "go ahead." I got up slowly, waved to Julie and walked out with Ms. Collins who gave me a smile.
The auditorium isn't very far from the office, just across the hall, Ms. Collins opened the door for me. It leads into the front office, there was the freaky short secretary and though she is shorter then me she is extremely overpowering. At the other desk was the other secretary who looked more like a fish then anything else, don't ask me how people look like fish but she does.
Ms. Collins desk was the second office; Mr. Rice was in his desk looking through papers. Mr. Rice is the principal; I'm not sure what he's like I've never talked to him. Farther down are the guidance councilors, I would much rather be there talking to Mr. Kirkland about stuff then seeing the terrorizing Vice Principal.
She closed her office door. Her office is small and bright, unlike her personality. The whole back wall is windows and a desk faces the door, back to the windows.
"Please sit," she said still with that fake sweet voice, and plastic smile. She walked to her desk and stood hands on the desk. I didn't sit; she motioned to the chair in front of the desk.
"I'd rather stand," I said coolly.
"I'd rather you sit," she said sitting in her rolly chair.
"Please get to your point I'm missing my favorite class," I said, still refusing to sit.
"Well," she said losing some of her charm, "how's school?"
"You brought me hear to ask me how's school?" I said.
"Anything you want to tell me?" she said ignoring me. Oh, like how SOMEONE is out to kill me and I have to run away later today, yeah right, like I'm going to tell her that.
"No, can I go?" I said impatiently.
"No, can you sit please?" I sat, barely just sitting on the edge. "Thank you, know, I heard you punched Andrew Friday."
"So?"
"I can't have that in my school."
"Well he was being a jerk like he always is, maybe he learned his lesson." She sighed.
"I'm not tolerant of any of the behavior I have seen from you the whole time you were here," she folded her hands on the desk. "That's a week of detention; would you like to start today?"
"I can't start today."
"Well I'm sorry but you have to," she said looking at her schedule.
"Then why did you ask?" she gave me another fake smile. "I'll take a year's detentions but I can't have one today." I'll be out of here by then, I thought.
Then the phone rang.
"Cell phones aren't allowed in school," said Ms. Collins with a now real smile, "that'll be another week of detentions."
"I swear I turned it off Ms. Collins, here ill turn it off, and it's just for after school." I took it out of my pocket.
"Let me have that, ill keep it until your TWO weeks of detention are filled." She held out her hand.
"No," I said turning it off, "see it's off."
It rang again.
"What the…?"
"Give me the phone!" I answered it.
"Hello…?" I said softly, Ms. Collins rolled her eyes.
"It's Apollos, they found you get out of there, train station there's a train in 15 minutes you better hurry."
"I'll try."
"Don't be in a room alone with ANYONE either…"
"Shit, you're too late."
"Hang up and give that phone to me," said Ms. Collins strongly.
"I can't do that…" I told her still trying to hear Apollos.
"AGENTS!" he yelled and the phone went dead.
Ms. Collins then leapt over the desk. That was it; she was defiantly threatening me there. My hand dove in my pocket and I dropped the phone in the other. Out came the gun, loaded and ready to shot. I pointed it at her with both hands, she stopped dead.
"Don't make me do this Ms. Collins, you understand this less then me even." She stammered, "please, Ms. Collins this is for both of our safety, now don't move, don't get near me."
Then she started the shake, "Ms. Collins?" something was wrong with her, I backed away gun still at her. I hit the door, "Ms. Collins!?! What's wrong, don't get near me." The door opened, I let out a yelp and turned the gun.
It was Rachel; she had a gun pointed straight at Ms. Collins. Then Ms. Collins was no longer Ms. Collins, she turned into a man, wearing a suit and sunglasses. He took out a gun, Rachel shot him. He fell to the floor, and then morphed into Ms. Collins again.
"That's the only time they are vulnerable, common," she said grabbing my arm as I stood horrified. We were running to the front office when Rachel looked back. She pinned me to the ground, a bullet when right over the head and went through the window at the front desk. Rachel rammed into Mr. Rice's office dragging me with her. I caught a glance back, it was the same man who had been Mr. Collins coming down the hall.
Rachel shot out the window wall and shoved me through; the man was now at the door. Then Rachel did something I never though anyone could do, walk on the ceiling. She did it with such ease, just jumped onto the ceiling and shot at the man. He did something I thought no one could do, dodged bullets, it was so fast he seemed a blur, but then one hit its mark. A dead Mr. Kirkland hit the floor. I gasped; probably one of the nicest staff in the school had been shot.
Rachel jumped out after me.
"Hurry more Agents will be coming!" she said running across the short lawn to the parking lot.
"How did you do that?" I said trying to keep up.
"It's easy, for my kind anyways."
"YOUR KIND?!?" I yelled.
"Yes, now quiet we have to hurry." She was now at a beat-up white Honda, "hop in." She said as the door opened, I was so sure it had been locked. Then she started it without keys. She took out a cell phone like mine as she backed out of the parking space.
Wait, Rachel is a sophomore, how come she can drive? I thought.
"Jade?" she said, "yeah, Agents, how's Apollos? SHIT, well, we are getting there right now. Uh-huh I know, I killed him twice Jade I know what I'm doing." She hung up as she turned left out of the school.
"Got to drive normally so they don't know where we are," she said changing the gears.
"Thanks, back there and all," I said still stunned.
"Oh, that's my job, no questions please you'll know everything in due time." What is the Matrix?
I couldn't help myself, "do you know what the Matrix is?" Rachel laughed as we passed the old church.
"Of course, I'm part of it, even more then you are." What a helpful answer, I told myself. It was one fifty eight; train would be there in seven minutes.
"I can't go on the train with you; I got to check to see if your house is safe. The train shouldn't be a problem, so many people they won't dare change." I didn't even try to figure this out anymore. We were at the train station, Rachel stopped the car and we both got out. The police sirens went off.
"Well, at least they aren't coming here," said Rachel softly. The train bell went off, "here," said Rachel pulling out a ten dollar bill, "since you left everything at school, for the train."
I smiled, "thanks."
"Good luck!" she called running towards my house, who knows what was happening there.