DayDreamer 9- T.G.I.F. means "Thank God It's Friday." Thanks for reviewing!
And thanks to SecretAgentX, KaNdRaKaRgrl, and guitarmania for their reviews as well!
Chapter 2
Something Wrong
Cornelia slammed her lunch tray down on the table where the rest of W.I.T.C.H. was sitting.
"I have had the worst day!" she roared.
"Um, Cornelia," said Will.
"First, I'm late because my stupid sister turns off my alarm, AGAIN!"
"Cornelia?" Hay Lin had her hand on Taranee's back.
"Then no one compliments me on the ensemble I spent three hours picking out last night!"
"Corny!" Irma shouted waving her hands.
"What?" Cornelia snapped.
"Taranee got detention in first period," Will explained. Taranee just stared down at her food.
"So what? We've all had detention before," Cornelia stated. "Remember last year, when our astral drops hosed down our play audience?"
"Yeah, but…" Hay Lin quickly explained Taranee's problem. Cornelia stared at her friends in disbelief. Then she shook her head.
"Well, it sounds like it's her own fault!"
"Cornelia!" Will lowered her voice to a whisper. "Could you be a little less… ya know…?"
"She's right." Everyone turned back to Taranee. She was shaking her head back and forth, and she threw her spork down in disgust.
"I'm not hungry anymore." She got up and walked away.
"Wait!" Hay Lin called after her. "We're not supposed to leave the cafeteria until lunch is over!"
Without even stopping or turning around, Taranee said, "I don't care."
And she left.
A while later, Will was walking down the hall to her biology class when a very worried and out-of-breath Irma ran up to her and grabbed her shoulder.
"Will!" she said, trying to catch her breath. "Taranee…she's…gone!"
"Gone?" asked Will. "Where?"
"I dunno. I have social studies with her after lunch and she wasn't there, and Martin said she ditched last period too!"
"School's almost over," said Will. "I'm sure she's fine. Just…blowing off some steam I guess."
Taranee blew out a small cloud of smoke, holding the cigarette between her index and middle fingers. She was sitting in a secluded woodsy area, not too far away from school, but far enough.
She finished off her cigarette and put it out in the dirt beside her. She took the pack out of her pocket and pulled out another cancer-stick. She created a small flame at the tip of her finger to light it, but stopped.
What am I doing? I'm supposed to be the good girl…
She sighed. She had started smoking not too long ago. No one except her "supplier" knew about it, and that was the way she intended to keep it. She knew it was bad for her, but it relaxed her, calmed her nerves. She frowned.
That's just what they want. Goodie-Two-Shoes Taranee. I'll show them…
She lit the cigarette, and nearly jumped out of her skin when a voice behind her said, "That's an awful habit to start."
Taranee gulped. She was busted. She turned to see who had caught her.
She was startled to see a tall, handsome man. He had short, snow-white hair and didn't look like any teacher Taranee had seen.
"Don't worry," he assured her. "I'm not with the school."
Taranee was shocked. Can he read minds?
"Maybe," said the man with a smile.
Taranee got up, dropping her cigarette.
"Who the hell are you?"
The man just kept smiling. "All will be explained in due time."
"No! Explain yourself now!" said an enraged Taranee.
"Alas, I cannot do that," said the man. "All I can say is that with what's coming, you and your friends will be quite busy. We all stand on the thin line between absolution and oblivion. Keep your friends close, Taranee…" With that, he turned and left, and seemed to vanish.
Taranee just stood there for a moment, thinking. Then she finished his last thought.
"…And my enemies closer."
The last bell rang, and all of the students quickly scuttled out of Mr. Fields' class. He began twiddling his thumbs, waiting for Miss Cook to arrive for her detention. He waited…and waited…and waited…
Meanwhile, Will and the others were waiting outside the school. Will was looking at her watch.
"Five…four…three…two…one…time! It's three-thirty! Detention is now over. Taranee should be coming out any second.
"Wait," said Irma. "Isn't your watch five minutes fast?"
"Oh, you're right," said Will. "Son of a-"
"Hey!" said Hay Lin. "We'll just go inside and convince Mr. Fields to let Taranee out a little early. Okay?"
Everyone agreed on that plan.
"What do you mean, 'she's not here'?" Cornelia demanded.
Mr. Fields sighed. "She never showed up for her detention. I just don't know what I'm going to do with her."
"Um, thanks anyway, Mr. Fields!' said Will as she waved and herded the other girls out of the room.
"Have a good weekend, girls!" Mr. Fields called after them.
"Where is she?" Hay Lin wondered out loud once they got away from the room.
"We waited for her!" Cornelia raged. "And what does she do? She ditches us! My plans are shot!"
Irma raised an eyebrow. "Corny…it's only three-forty in the afternoon."
Cornelia groaned in frustration.
Taranee was running. At first she had been walking home briskly, and then she got the feeling she was being followed, and broke into a run. She was out of breath when she reached her house. She opened the door and hurried inside. She then slammed the door and locked it. She caught her breath again, and then sighed with relief.
"I wasn't being followed. I was just paranoid because I skipped school and detention, and was caught by a stranger," she told herself.
Taranee walked through her empty house. Her parents weren't home yet, so she had the house to herself. She couldn't help but think of her encounter with the stranger as climbed the stairs up to her room.
What was up with that? Why did he speak in riddles? Why did he tell me to 'keep my friends close…'?
The fire guardian took off her shoes as she entered her room and threw them into a corner. Her once-tidy living quarters were now very cluttered.
Taranee took a few steps forward and collapsed onto her bed. She rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. Tears welled up in her eyes.
What's wrong with me?
To Be Continued...