Thanks to madgoatgrl, sawyer105, RedPandasAtMidnight47, Shadow At Midnight, abbydobbie, Aliasin, Ruby killer, Tiger64, KoolBrunette06, Angelz1251 and bluegirlalexis for the favs and follows! Y'all are dolls!
Also, whilst I was absent, I recieved a very lovely and heartwarming message from the dearest DhamarFlowers1.5 explaining that she had drawn some fanart for my story. They're very accurate to what I had in mind and beautifully drawn, please check them out at post/168406915856/woou-hey-helga-g-pataki-the-hillwoods-new
anyway, let's crack on, shall we?
I'd never hated storms.
In fact, I preferred them to sunny, cloudless skies. Nothing was more soothing then rain that clapped and poured down your roof—which was what made me so frustrated. Normally, if it rained—or better yet, stormed—the rattling was enough to lull me into a deep sleep, even on stressful nights.
But, as you can tell, I wasn't asleep.
Time was trickling by—I don't know how many hours, but it was definitely morning. I felt Nel's warm puffs of air at my feet and felt a twinge of jealousy. How was it she was able to fall asleep when I was the one with school the next day?
It was dark but my mind was bright. Instead of dreams rested a motionless silhouette. I was staring up at my roof, but my mind was far away. My brain ran with possibilities, with dangers—excitement. I wanted to let them go—let it all go—and tried counting sheep to relax, but even their whispers sent shivers down my spine.
Letting loose a breath, I rolled to my side—
Two obsidian eyes stared back.
My eyes flew wide.
I wrenched upright and my hand flew to grasp my pin as the other switched on my lamp. Light seared my vision and I had to blink against the dark spots. I prepared myself to face the white-haired man—his grin—but he was no longer there.
My heart was hurtling as I whipped my face across the room in search of those eyes. I wasn't sure if I was relieved or disappointed when I didn't find anything. Irritation burnt my chest and I rubbed my eyes—my lack of sleep was taking a toll on me. I could already feel the bags underneath my eyes. But I knew sleep wasn't a likely option.
I glanced to the digital clock on my nightstand.
04:02am
I groaned and fell back onto my pillows. Jesus Christ—rolling onto my stomach, I reached over to flip off the switch and squeezed my eyes shut. I practically heard the seconds as they dragged on and felt my blood boil underneath my skin. Gritting my teeth, I rolled back over and forced myself to breathe evenly through my nose. I tried staying there, but the uncomfortable churning in my stomach pushed me to roll over again, squashing my face into the pillow.
More seconds passed—I pulled the pillow over my eyes. It was no use, though. My subconscious assembled images I'd been avoided—they held me hostage in long, dark claws.
Sitting up, I flicked on the light. My head spun when the bright glare assaulted my vision. Pinching my nose, I pressed my forehead to my knee. If I wasn't getting any sleep, what was I supposed to do?
I noticed that my limbs were trembling and decided I could use some air.
Grabbing a pair of basketball shorts from my floor, I pulled them over my boy shorts and shrugged on a much-to-large grey T-shirt. Pulling on my hoodie and tying up my trainers, I crossed the room and had the door handle in my grasp when I heard a familiar voice. "I told you, Nick, I—no, we're not doing this now."
It was Olga. And she sounded angry.
"Listen—I needed the space, alright? From you. I—" she stopped. I assumed whoever she was talking to—Nick—had interrupted her.
Regardless, with her awake, there was no way I was sneaking out. Not without her sticking her nose in my business and prying for answers. And, judging from her rising voice, her door was open which eliminated tiptoeing past her.
Gritting my teeth, I marched across my room and leaned over my vanity to glare into my reflection's eyes. I needed to get out of here. But Olga demanding questions wouldn't go unnoticed by Bob or even Miriam. I'd need a thorough, fool-proof explanation with zero holes.
My stomach lurched as the walls began closing in. I wanted to rip through them until I could feel the rain on my skin.
My eyes landed on the window in my reflection.
And before I knew it, I'd zipped across the room and gripped the frame in my hands. Sliding it open was agonisingly slow but I didn't want to chance waking Nel. To be honest, I think I'd rather facing a nosey Olga then Nel—at least she wouldn't give me an hour long lecture. I bit down on my tongue when the window screeched and glanced over my shoulder. Nel's tailed flicked, but she rolled over and her heavy breathing continued. Breathing a sigh, I pushed the window up as far as it would. The city was a grey wall of water—nothing but a few foggy specks of light could be seen.
I pursed my lips. It wasn't really the ideal weather for a walk, but I'd waited long enough.
I pocketed my phone and, gripping the frame, thrust myself out the window. Outside, the rain was like bullets as droplets beat against my hoodie. The wind was unmerciful, whipping harshly as the sky rumbled.
Clasping the frame, I sucked in a breath before kicking from the sill and griping the gaps between the bricks. My heart hurtled; I was tempted to transform but I'd left my pin on my pillow. It was too late to get it, I decided with a shake of my head.
The bricks were slippery, but my grip was resistant. Blue Jay's strength pumped through my veins. Holding my breath, I began my conquest up the wall, pushing upwards and gripping higher. I followed with my feet and made some progress but didn't allow myself to rush. Rushing would rise the chances of slipping and falling. I had to take my time.
My hoodie was drenched as rain slid down my skin. A gust of wind pushed back my hood, exposing my face to icy water. A shock of white forked the black sky as a thunderous boom pierced the cold air. My hands and legs were throbbing, but I didn't stop—I'd already passed the halfway mark.
The corners of my mouth stretched, but not in a grimace.
I could do this.
For a moment, I imagined everyone's faces if they could see me now. The disbelief on Gerald's face, Lila growing green with envy, Phoebe's astonishing pride, the admiration in Arnold's eyes.
My footing slipped.
A scream caught itself in my throat as I dropped. But an instinctive spark had my fingers keeping me in place. My knuckled cramped as my grip became stone–like, but I continued dragging my body up further.
I wasn't falling. Not when I'd gotten this far.
Grunting, I pushed again, feeling sweat slide down my temples. I couldn't leap for the top—it looked close, but I couldn't risk loosing my grip. I had to climb at a steady pace.
Another jagged bolt filled the sky. Pressing my palms flat on the roof, I pushed up on my arms and, swivelling my hips, thrust my body upwards and—
Shit!
—found myself standing on the Pataki roof.
I didn't realise how loudly I'd been breathing was until then. My limbs were shaky, my feet throbbing, but I was astonished. Utterly astonished that I hadn't felt that discomfort.
Not until I collapsed to my knees.
But I was so content that I didn't give a crap. Laughing, I shot out my fists and fell onto my back. Puddles soaked into my clothes and I shivered but I couldn't stop smiling toward the flashing sky. I pushed my hair back and allowed the rain to wash away my exhaustion.
I couldn't begin to describe what I felt. Too much adrenaline rushed through me and I couldn't sit still. Climbing from my window suddenly felt like a cinch as I advanced to the roof's edge. I peered at the distance from my feet to the cement ground.
Criminy.
I looked from my toes to the neighbours' roof. Ordinarily, I wouldn't call the span large, perhaps generous, but nothing bigger. However ordinarily, I'd be on the ground.
I swallowed. It wasn't a big deal, I just had to jump. The distance couldn't be more then four feet wide—but the fall would be certainly larger. And, lets face it, I may now have Blue Jay's agility, but before that I was clumsy ol' Helga.
Stop, a voice in the back of my head commanded. Holy cow, just stop there, Helga.
Stop what?
Overthinking. That's all you seem to do—putting too much thought into things. You're Blue Jay for cripes sake! You can skip two centimetres onto the next roof!
But what if I—
You won't.
I shut my mouth, swallowing loudly.
That voice—whatever it was—was right. I'd done far worse then this, even as just Helga.
The wind howled stronger.
I swallowed again and backed up a couple of steps. Jumping from the edge wouldn't give me the momentum I needed. I stopped when I'd crossed more then half the space. I purposely looked ahead of the empty space, gluing my gaze to the neighbour's roof.
I could do this.
I drew in a deep breath—
. . . basking in the silence . . .
—and ran.
Crossing the space I'd backed up, I leapt into the air as my toes caressed the roof's edge. My heart was flying as a tingling fuelled my limbs. The world around me became a dark, rainy blur.
An eighty–fourth of a second had barely passed when I found myself landing safely on my toes—
My eyes widened—oh, shit!
Remaining forces sent my body reeling forward. My shoulder took the brunt of the impact as instinctively my body curled into a ball as I rolled further.
I landed in a heap—a messy state of limbs and hair and my chest heaved up with spluttery coughs.
The sky rumbled.
My clothes clung to my body like second skin and my hair stuck together in wet clumps. My muscles were frozen but an odd, warm tingling took over. My heartbeat was loud, like I'd shoved a microphone into my chest. And I was breathing like I'd run a marathon.
Slowly, I pushed myself up and looked over my shoulder.
I'd made it. The corners of my mouth turned up. More then half way—I'd made it!
I turned around to the next roof. A strange, electrifying idea hit me.
Seconds had barely passed when I found myself leaping onto the next roof. The giddy feeling struck again. my heart hammering like a humming bird. My palms were sweaty as a gigantic grin stretched across my face.
It was exhilarating.
My landing was more graceful then before and I found myself back on two feet. I went to jump again when another idea hit me. I pulled out my phone from my pocket, which was thankfully undamaged from my fall, and selected a particular song. I buried it back into my pocket and popped in my earphones, shutting my eyes.
A lively tempo filled my ears that elevated my spirit. Throwing back my head, I smiled and exhaled as water droplets slid down my face.
So you come a long way
But you'll never have me
I hadn't realised I'd begun walking until I opened my eyes again. The feeling was strong and, before I knew it, I began dancing. My steps had a bounce to them and I wiggled my hips, making corny gestures. Throwing back my head, I laughed.
I didn't know why, but I felt so free.
Never have things for a normal life
It might've been because, for once, it was just me. There was no crowd, no reporters, no Mutants, no Serec and no Nel—just me. I could finally enjoy my abilities for myself.
It's time to busy earnin'
You can't get enough
My heart kept in time with the beat, pumping the music through my veins as I lost myself in the movements. Then, I sent my body leaping into the air—
This busy earnin'
You can't get enough
—landing firmly on the balls of my feet.
You think that all your time is used
To busy learnin'
You can't get enough
Like the notes, I was soaring. I was unshackled, untied . . . liberated.
And I get always
But I bet it won't change, no
The cold air rushed past me as I landed on my toes. The notes swirling in my head made the leap feel almost too easy.
Damn, that's a boring life
It's quite busy earnin'
You can't get enough
A raw power thrived in my muscles. Ascending in a magical flight, I managed to elaborately twist my body in the air, kicking out my leg and letting it direct my landing. My movements were like silk, flowing like a waterfall, as if I'd practised for months.
This busy earnin'
I was back on my toes, my hair falling over my shoulders in wet, golden streams. My arms were held up in the air in a V stance—like I were on stage.
You can't get enough
The voices, the beats—they were my applause. I laughed again through chapped lips. I felt infallible—limitless.
You think that all your time is used
To busy earnin'
Leaping from roof to roof, without cares, I was invisible. Not in the sense that nobody cared, but in the sense that I couldn't care. My movements, my decisions—they were up to me.
You can't get enou–
Until they no longer were.
My eyes popped open.
Just busy earnin'
I was falling.
Time became distorted. Everything slowed until nothing else existed. I looked to the sky that swallowed me whole and reached out a hand. It was a blur, one that swirled in an endless abyss of black as the world rushed by. I squeezed my eyes shut and wrapped my arms around my shoulders, bracing myself for the impact.
Fortunately, it wasn't with the cold, cemented ground. Unfortunately, instead it was three silver trashcans.
Every inch of me felt bruised. My head spun as a dull throbbing burned my muscles. But it was my shoulder that hurt the most. Its throbbing was warm and deep, like someone repeatedly was punching it with boxing gloves.
But thankfully, I didn't suffer anything serious. Other then the shoulder, I was mostly bruised. I chalked it up to Blue Jay's abilities and honestly felt grateful. Hadn't it been for her, I would probably be crawling away with cracked ribs, broken legs and a lack of several teeth.
Plop!
Something landed on my scalp.
I blinked, pulling the object from my head.
And growled—it was a banana skin. A sloppy, dark and large banana skin.
Chucking the thing away, I limped away from the trashcans. My bones ached and felt jangled. But honestly, the pain was nothing compared to the feeling of ickiness. I ran my hand through my hair, trying to extract any of the banana's gross remains. I could feel gunk underneath my fingernails and groaned, deciding I'd just have to have the longest shower when I got home.
Grumbling, I shoved my earphones into my pocket and looked around. The buildings were tight together and loomed over me. The roofs were close to one another as rain trickled down the stone walls.
Small pellets of water hit my face. I yanked my hoodie up and shoved my fists into my pockets.
Great, I'd have to walk home in this rain.
I contemplated using Blue Jay's abilities to kick myself up from wall to wall, but an illuminated window above caught my attention. For a moment, I panicked and worried that the person living behind that glass had seen a teenager falling from the roof and picking herself up as if she'd had a small tumble. Then I noticed the shut curtains and let out a relieved breath. If someone had seen something, they'd get up to check the commotion rather then watch far away where their silhouette wouldn't show up.
They must've fallen asleep with the light on.
Still . . . I squinted. Now that I think about it, this place rang a bell in the back of my min—
Crash!
I jumped, whipping around and clutching my heart.
There was no figure, dark and terrorising, standing at the back of the alleyway. I narrowed my eyes—nothing. Absolutely nothing. I scanned for any unusual shapes or sudden movements but could only see the trash cans.
Okaaaaaaay, then. I think its time I headed back.
After another glance, I turned around to speedily leave this creepy place. In fact, not only was it creepy, it was also eerily quiet, dark, stinky and—
CRASH!
I suddenly heard feral growling from behind me and didn't waste my time running down the alleyway. Panic clouded my mind as I heard the thunderous footsteps following close behind. My breaths were shallow puffs as the world spun around me. I reached into my pocket for my pin when a cold realisation hit me—I'd left it at home.
I bit down on my tongue.
Shit.
I could smell the blood dripping from its fangs. Hear it baring its teeth, barking my name savagely. I broke out from the alleyway and ran down the main road, where no cars drove down. My fingers were white-knuckled as I swung around my fists; my steps shakier and shakier as the urgency sank in.
I was alone.
Strings of curses unravelled from my tongue as I felt teeth graze my ankles. Something ran down my face as I fought to pick up my pace. I threw my hand to the ground when I lost my balance, but forced myself back to my feet.
It was dark. The remnants of my nightmares clung to my mind—his eyes. That grin. I had to get out of—I couldn't—no, not anymore—
My leg slipped when I rounded a corner.
The cold air pierced my lungs when my elbow smashed into the concrete. My bones rattled, my ears ringing. Adrenaline demanded I run but my head was spinning. My breath was shaking.
My fists enclosed around a stone and I spun around—
No one was there.
I looked in another direction but couldn't see any movements. I couldn't hear that barbaric panting. Couldn't taste its sadistic pleasure or spilt blood. None other than my own.
I dropped the stone.
My cheeks were wet, and my body covered in sweat. Blood dripped from my elbow and I grasped onto my injury. What had just happened?
Lightning illuminated the area. Horror dug into my chest as it revealed that I'd been entirely alone. Gravel dug into my legs and the wind swept my hair up like a flag. Shadows soaked up the illumination, leaving me the victim of sky full of bright static. I hadn't heard any scream—there were no signs of any Mutants.
I'd been scared.
Blood soaked my fingers in a sticky mess. The sky continued to rumble, but I barely heard it over my pulse.
It'd been twenty–four hours since Serec discovered I had no powers.
I looked up to the sky; the rain poured down and soaked my face, washing away the blood.
Where was he?
Wha—SHIT.
Shaky hands yanked open the door as my feet pounded across the squeaky tiles. I bolted down the hallway, bag wrapped up in my arms. The slapping of my shoes resonated around the creamy walls and grey lockers.
I'm a fucking moron.
Seriously, a fucking moron in fucking trouble. All because I wanted to uphold my promise to myself by skipping P.E. Actually, no, scratch that—all because of Ainsley. If it wasn't for her and her weirdness, I wouldn't be tempted to skip out on my classes. Because, honestly, I'd never felt much of a duty towards her lessons, but much less now that I'd gotten less then two hours of sleep and had a psycho of a teacher.
The familiar door with bright, lame posters popped into my vision. My heart jumped with relief and horror. Relief because I made it relatively quickly but horror because, well, it was closed. As in everyone–who–needed–to–be–inside–is–already–in–closed.
I'd have to sneak in.
Digging my heels into the ground, I tried skidding to a halt while reaching forward to grasp the handle—
Slam!
—and promptly flew straight into the door.
I blinked, staring up at the roof from my spot on the ground. What . . . the fu—
The door burst open and there was a loud gasp.
"¿Oh, Helga? ¡ ¿Qué estás haciendo?!" I was yanked to my feet as large, dark hands dusted my shoulders. Behind her glasses, Belmonte's eyes were intense enough to send Mutants screaming for the hills. "Por Dios, mi niña, ¿estás bien? ¡ Jesús, esta chica! Eso fue un golpe sólido, tal vez deberías ser llevado a la enfermería, por si acaso. No quiero que tengas una conmoción cerebral-¡ no en mi reloj! Ya era bastante malo cuando ese chico tuvo ese ataque durante la clase cuando yo estaba ocupado, ¡ no puedo tener otro estudiante yendo al hospital bajo mi guardia! ¡ Estás bien, mi niña! ¡ Háblame, háblame!"
Of course, not knowing any of what she said, I stared blankly at her. ". . . umm, Sí?"
She scowled, crossing her arms, and cocked her eyebrow. "You're late," she said, in a flat voice. "Why?"
Mentally, I rolled my eyes. There's the stick–in–the–mud Belmonte I was used to. But I couldn't tell her the truth—that I'd been ditching my P.E. lesson to sleep in a broom closet—so I shrugged.
"Got held up," I lied smoothly. I ducked my head and slid past her, searching the room for my usual partner. A smiling set of white teeth greeted me from the desk next to the window. The corners of my mouth tilted upwards and I headed for the spare seat next to her. Nadine gave me a small nod when I sat down, but neither of us spoke until Belmonte had continued her teaching, giving us another one of her tedious lectures.
Keeping my eyes trained on the larger woman, I whispered from the corner of my mouth, "Miss anything?"
Nadine turned to me, grinning behind her glasses. "Nah, dude, just another one of Monte's tangents again."
Nadine was one of the most physically interesting people I knew. Her skin was dark, like warm sienna, and dusted with even darker freckles. It contrasted with her bright blonde hair, tied back in tiny, elaborate braids. She called them cornrows and normally she wore them in a high ponytail that ran down her back. Her brown eyes were done up in thick rings of black, topped with a sharp wing at the corners. And generally, she wore loose-fitting, brightly coloured clothes, either in blues, greens or reds.
She rose her thin eyebrows at me, silently asking why I'd been so late, but didn't verbally press for an answer. That's why I liked Nadine; she respected my privacy. She didn't feel the need to butt into my life for answers. But I guess it was because of that that I hardly knew anything about her.
I rose my eyebrow back at her and rested my temple on my fist, quirking the corner of my mouth up. My hair tickled my forearm and the sun sunk into my face through the window. Realising she wasn't getting an answer, she nodded her head to the back of the glass. I looked where she gestured and had to bite my tongue to conceal my laughter.
"She didn't even realise that Stinky fell asleep," Nadine whispered, adjusting her purple glasses. As she said that, Stinky's jaw dropped and he began snoring. Sitting next to him, Sid grimaced at the drool hanging from Stinky's mouth and inched away from him.
Nadine and I exchanged looks, pursing our lips to hold our amusement. But some chortles managed to escape and we had to clamp our fingers over our mouths.
But then I felt something—eyes boring into my back.
The hairs on my neck shot up and my laughter halted. Looking over my shoulder, I was surprised to meet a pair of familiar eyes—sapphires.
Lila.
Pink flushed her cheeks and she turned back to the front of the class. I frowned, what was her problem? The way she'd been looking at me . . . it'd looked like suspicion.
I dismissed the thought immediately. Honestly, who cared? I had bigger problems then those concerning little Miss Perfect.
"—due on Monday."
There was a chorus of groans.
I blinked, turning to the front of the class. What just happened?
Belmonte looked less then impressed. "Oh, por el amor de Dios," she muttered, shutting her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose. "It's not that bad of an assignment."
My stomach shifted—assignment?
She attempted to continue. "You even get partners—"
"Do we get to pick our partners?"
Belmonte sent a particularly unsettling look to the student who'd interrupted her. The student, a pale redhead with a olive beanie, shrank back, his face matching his hair. Belmonte stuck her nose in the air, pursing her lips, "No."
There were more groans.
Enraged, Belmonte grabbed a crinkled piece of paper from her desk and waved it like a white flag. "I have the pair written right here!" she exclaimed, then under her breath, muttered, "Niños estúpidos."
Nadine turned back to me, her eyes glimmering. "Hopefully," she whispered, playing with one of her braids, "We're partners for this one."
I nodded. Nadine was a whiz at biology and actually enjoyed it. She wouldn't have too many objections about doing most of the work, which would leave me time to focus on Blue Jay.
Clearing her throat, Belmonte began reading out the names. "Uhh, okay, let's see—Billy, you're with Samuel." A boy with swept up brown hair turned to give a grin to the earlier redhead, who groaned.
"Savannah is with Patricia."
Several students let out loud, relieved sighs, shoulders heaving. Nadine and I were among them. Biker Patty had only grown taller, stronger and scarier with time and no one wanted to be paired with her. Sympathetic looks were shot to the one chosen—a petite auburn–haired girl with bangs. The girl—Savannah—shook as she looked for Biker Patty but breathed with relief upon finding the larger girl absent—again.
"Stinky's with Nadine."
My jaw dropped as Nadine and I looked at each other, shocked. We'd never been separated for a project in Biology. Our gazes slid over to the boys at the back; Sid was shaking Stinky's shoulder, trying to rouse his snoring friend.
"Oh," Nadine sighed. "You've gotta be fuckin' with me."
Amen.
"Helga—" my eyes snapped to the front, heart in my throat "—you're with Lila."
There was a sharp bang! as my forehead connected with my desk. Several pairs of eyes buried into my defeated form, turning away with disgusted scoffs. Unaffected, Belmonte continued listing the names. "Lucy—you're with Rowan."
Vieja bruja.
"I don't get it," Nadine whispered. Forehead still on the table, I looked up at her. "She's, like, super nice, dude—what's your beef with her?"
Appalled, I scrunched my face at her. Did she not know how my beloved felt towards her? How that automatically made her the enemy? How she refused to leave me alone?
I didn't say any of this however. Instead, I just stared at her like she'd picked a bug from her skull. Scanning my face, Nadine crossed her arms and sighed. "Geeze, tough crowd," she muttered.
I opened my mouth in rebuttal when Belmonte cut in. "Alright," she dropped her clipboard on her desk and turned to us like she were in an anime. "Now that we've gotten that sorted—" she pointed her finger dramatically "—for this assignment, your partner will also be your seating partner."
The only response she got was groans.
"Well, go on!" she clapped her hands.
Swinging my bag onto my shoulder, I stood to my feet and sent Nadine a quick look before trudging forward. Several others shuffled around me as they traded seats with one another. Chairs screeched as they were pulled back but nothing was louder then the pounding in my ears.
Dumping my bag, I sat down as far away from Lila as I could. I didn't look at her, turning to face the front, but I could feel her obnoxious grinning.
"Hey," she whispered, planting her elbows on the table.
But I ignored her.
"Now that we've gotten all cosy with one another," Belmonte pushed the rim of her glasses up her nose as she took out another sheet of paper. "For this assignment, you'll be required to work with your partner to produce notes on the frog's anatomy—"
Patty's partner's pale hand suddenly shot up from the back of the class. "Will we be getting a diagram for this assignment, Mrs. Belmonte?"
"No, Savannah," Belmonte replied, shaking her head. The girl, Savannah, sat by herself at the back, at a desk normally reserved for Patty. "I know how easy it is for you to simply google answers these days. No, instead for this assignment, you'll be relying entirely on your own notes to do this dissection."
I froze. "Di—what?"
Maybe I hadn't heard that right.
"Dissection," Lila whispered from the corner of her mouth. She leaned in closer so her braids brushed against my shoulder. I tried moving away, but I was already at the edge. "We're dissecting a frog."
It was against my best interest to continue this conversation, but Nel would have a fit if my grades kept slipping. "When?"
She looked at me curiously, eyebrows drawing together. "The one on Monday?" she responded, phrasing it like a question. "Were you even listening, Helga?"
Slamming my forehead into my palm, I groaned. As if I didn't already have enough on my plate.
"And," Savannah continued, not looking up from scribbling over her palm, "How long does the report have to be—since its due the next day?"
"I'm expecting at least a page," Belmonte answered, ignoring the classes groans. "It should be a formalised presentation of your notes and findings from the dissection."
She placed her hands onto her hips and continued. "Now, as Savannah said, the report will be due the day after the dissection—online. So, are there any questions?" Everyone exchanged blank looks, but none voiced concerns. "Good. I'll let you talk to your partners to plan your study times."
Lila turned back to me with her flashing, green eyes. "So, I was thinking we could try meeting up at the town library this afternoon," she proposed with a friendly smile. "We can get a head start in our research if we do."
"Can't."
She paused, her smile for a moment wavering. "And, uhh, why is that?"
I shrugged and looked away from her. Nadine had moved to the back of the class where Stinky sat at his desk, one over from Savannah. She looked close to crying, her dark skin turning pink, as she rubbed her temples in frustration. Stinky chuckled at something she said, rubbing his neck sheepishly, and said something in his pumpkin accent.
I rolled my eyes, my lips tugging up slightly. Maybe Nadine had gotten the worse end of the stick.
"Oh," Lila said in a surprised voice. I turned back to her and she quickly forced another smile, one that didn't reach her eyes. "Um, well, perhaps Saturday?"
I considered rejecting the offer (I really didn't want to see little miss perfect more then I had to). But I knew that, at some point, I'd have to start putting in some effort. This did count towards our grade and, even if I personally didn't give two shits about mine, I wasn't into dragging someone else down with me. "Okay—whatever."
The corners of Lila's lips turned up and her expression relaxed. I turned away again and placed my chin in my palm. Hopefully there wouldn't be any attacks on Saturday.
"So," Lila continued and I mentally rolled my eyes. Criminy, what else could this girl want? "Whatever were you doing in an alleyway at five in the morning?"
My palm slipped and my chin collided with the desk. Sharp pain lanced from my chin all the way to the back of my jaw. I heard Lila making a hiss out of sympathy as she reached out for my face. I batted her hands away and rubbed the throbbing area, whipping around to the concerned redhead. "What?"
She rose an eyebrow, tilting her head and lowering her hands. "There was a crash outside my window and it woke me, so I got up to check it out," she told me. My heart gave a loud thud as her lips formed her next sentence. "And you—you looked quite scared . . . then you ran off."
I could feel my skin turning to a ripe strawberry. I knew what I'd seen—or rather, what I'd thought I'd seen. My pulse raced in my ears as I tried forming a decent explanation. "U–Uh, well, I . . . j–just felt like going for a j–jog—duh!"
Which technically wasn't a lie.
Breathing through my nostrils, I gave a steadier response. "I couldn't sleep."
Lila's forehead furrowed as her eyes fell to my hands, namely the bandages around my right palm. My heart dropped; it still hadn't completely healed yet. It was better then yesterday, but it still occasionally throbbed if I put too much pressure on it.
I quickly hid it behind my back. Lila's piercing eyes turned back to mine, boring into me like fire. I didn't return her look, keeping my gaze on the desk and praying for the bell to ring.
"You . . ." she paused, deciding how to force out her response. "You looked so scared after that crash."
Looking up, I met her gaze. It had softened, her eyes turning back to a gentle green. "But it had only been a cat that had made the ruckus," she continued.
. . .
"Ex—" I felt numb. "Excuse me?"
She blinked, then slowly a sly grin spread across her face. "Why, Helga," she said, amused. "It was just a cat."
. . .
. . .
Sweltering heat bust through my pores.
Concern overtook Lila's face as she leaned forward and placed a hand to my shoulder. "Hel—"
"I could hardly be blamed!" I suddenly burst, throwing my fists to my sides. Lila jumped back, hands flying to her chest, and her mouth dropped. Several curious gazes turned in our direction so I lowered my voice to a whisper. "Hillwood's been attacked three times in the past week—so I thought it was one of those mut—things!"
I almost smacked myself. Blue Jay only knew the proper names for Mutants. No one else did. Especially not Helga.
"But if you're so paranoid about the attacks," Lila tilted curiously, blinking, "why would you go out in the morning, defenceless?"
. . . words left me.
I stared into those bright eyes that burned with stubbornness and my heart fell silent. Her mouth screwed to the side as she searched my face for any clue to what I wasn't telling her. I had to say something, I knew she didn't believe me. But my lips wouldn't move.
Then, the school bell sounded.
Swinging around my bag, I tripped over my shoes as I flew to my feet. Cheeks burning, I muttered a quick, "Seeya Saturday," and bolted out the room.
Her eyes narrowed.
Entering the cafeteria, I was greeted with an odd sight.
The chairs—those ugly, plastic red things—had been moved. Not one table (save for Rhonda's group) held regular seat. Rhonda and her followers sat at their usual table, the one in the very middle of the room, where the sunlight still managed to reach them. Princess looked quite frustrated, stabbing into her salad like it were the face of her enemy and shoving it into her mouth. Chewing it, she looked up to glare over at Arnold's table, which was crowded with practically the entire school.
Arnold's table was on the far right of the room, underneath one of the fluorescent lights. But I could barely even see the table, it was so flocked with people. They were all so jubilant and eager, palpable excitement buzzed through the charged air. Infectious grins were worn as hands held up recording phones, cameras pointed in the direction of their apparent leader.
I smacked my forehead—Gerald stood above the crowd, on top of the table. The fluorescent light rained down over his body as he held out his hands, booming over the crowd.
"It stood slumped against the wall—its one eye staring her like– like this—" he widened his eyes comically, throwing down his fists, and demonstrated his vision. His audience oooh'd in response, leaning in further. I felt Rhonda bristling from anger, even from here, as she turned back to her salad and kept stabbing the broccoli. Her friends each turned to give each other confused glances as Rhonda's lips pulled back to reveal her grinding teeth.
I tilted my head in confusion. I know that Princess liked being in the centre of attention, but did it really merit this reaction?
Blinking away his tears, Gerald continued, "And with a mighty yell, she screamed—her voice shaking us like a—an earthquake!"
Must be another one of his stupid urban legends.
I rolled my eyes and crossed the room to my usual table, where there at least was one leftover chair. I pulled out the sandwich Olga had packed for me—a PB&J—but as I chewed on it, I couldn't help turning back to Gerald's direction.
A very red–faced Arnold clasped his friend's shoulder, trying to bring him down from the table. But Gerald shrugged away his hand and continued addressing the crowd. "Please, everybody, calm down!" He yelled over the chattering crowd. "We'll answer all your questions as soon as we finish telling you about our encounter with Blue Jay!"
The sandwich slid from my hands as my mouth fell open, the chewed, soggy ball plopping to the table. Did he just say—
"So, then Blue Jay walks—no, she marches for it, but she's swinging this bat in a super cool way—kinda like Harley Quinn!" He looked to Arnold for approval, who, although uncomfortable with the attention, nodded in agreement. "Then, like a cat, it leaps in the air, but Blue Jay—she's unaffected and swings her bat and—wham! Nails itg right in the face!"
The crowd cheered and the grin across Gerald's face stretched. A small smile spread across my face; yeah, no wonder Princess Entitled was steaming.
"She throws her bat to the ground and pounces at the thing—and boy oh boy, what a fight! So much blood, so many injuries!" I couldn't help snickering at Gerald's recount. Suddenly, I found myself intrigued and continued chewing on my sandwich as I listened to his story.
"Then, like a flying squirrel—she's standing in front of it again with the bat and slays the beast effortlessly!" The students clapped and whistled. "And just in time too—because in walks this white–haired guy!" The crowd cut him off to voice their displeasure. "He's practically oozing with evil—with sharp teeth, razor sharp claws and—and demon eyes!"
I could remember those eyes. The ones that I couldn't shake from my head. I could still envision every detail as he stood over me. They were depthless, pits of malice and cruelty, bottomless pools of darkness.
I shivered.
Gerald continued. "Yeah! Eyes that were completely black a–and soulless! Anyway, he steals Will's bat and disappears, but Blue Jay—she's off before we can say anything!"
He made it sound like I'd leapt into danger without any hesitation. That hadn't been the case; I'd been left there, shivering like a coward.
Gerald's voice suddenly felt a million miles away. I was back in the alley, darkness pushing in. His depthless eyes drilling into mine. He didn't need to touch me for it to hurt. It'd been two nights since our encounter, but I could stil recall how my body jarred with each blow, how the pain seared my skin.
My knuckles drained their colour as I gripped the table's edges. My ribs were heaving like I were bound with chains. I couldn't—I can't—
I was on my feet, heading for the door in a blur. I moved so fast I could feel the wind on my eyes.
The shaking became too much when I reached the abandoned hallways. I couldn't force myself to keep going. Every muscle was tight, ready for action, but unable to move.
My hands shook against the wall. I had no powers—Blue Jay had no powers. How could I defend myself from a powerful, unhinged psychopath?
"Helga!"
My heart clenched and my knees trembled. I knew that voice. Squeezing my eyes shut, I prayed it wasn't who I knew it was.
"Are you alright?" he asked, closer to me now. His footsteps came to a halt as his breath travelled to my ears.
I sucked in a breath and pushed back my shoulders but didn't face him. "Yeah,
my voice was heavy, and I cleared my throat. "I'm fine.
"You don't seem it," Arnold said slowly. I wasn't looking, but I felt his gaze shift between me and his shoes. A habit of his, ducking his gaze when uncomfortable or scared. I wonder which he felt the most when around me. "Helga are you su—?"
My eyes snapped open. "I'm fine, Arnold," I snapped, swinging around and bashing my fist into the wall.
He jumped, stepping back, with his eyes wide. My heart shuddered. The way he stared at me, it was like we were back in elementary, where I'd hid my feelings for him by scaring him.
Nothing had changed.
It felt like someone had shoved glass into my lungs. I couldn't bare Arnold thinking of me like how I thought of Serec.
My gaze fell down to my shoes.
Maybe it was better that he was afraid of me. Maybe then he would leave me alone. It was a matter of time before Serec came for me and I didn't want anyone near when it happened.
Suspicion slowly overtook Arnold's gaze as he scanned my form. I shifted my bandaged hand behind my back, ignoring the throbbing. Hopefully, he would grow bored and leave, so I wouldn't have to be cruel to him.
"Did you read that letter?"
My heart raced in my chest. The letter—George's letter.
"Y–Yes," I answered.
"U–um, George made me write it," he stuttered. I looked up at him and was surprised by how red his cheeks glowed. He shuffled his feet but kept his pleading eyes on mine. "He—he wouldn't go to bed if I didn't."
I didn't know why Arnold was telling me this. Nor why he cared so much. As far as he knew, I had nothing to do with Blue Jay. George had only given it to me because I reminded him of her. Why did he think I cared?
"Did—was George—" damn those beautifully vibrant eyes. "Was it just George that thought that?"
Arnold blinked, forehead creasing as he raised his eyebrows in surprise. He didn't speak at first, taking his time to form an answer.
"I admire Blue Jay," he declared, with no shame. Shivers ran along my heart. "Her strength and perseverance . . . they're phenomenal."
My face was hot and my body shaking, but not like before. I was floored; he and Gerald spoke like she made no mistakes. As if she had no second thoughts when protecting them.
"How . . ." I swallowed the lump in my throat. "How can you still say that? She . . . she yelled at you—was injured. How could you all believe that?"
He looked perplexed with my response. I worried that I'd said too much information that I couldn't possibly know. But, seeing realisation cross his face, figured it'd be reasonable to believe that I'd overheard recounts from his friends.
"There's not one part of me that blames her for yelling at me," he said, gaze faltering slightly. "George almost died because of me. And my friends—Gerald, Eugene . . . I don't know what I would've done—what I could've done if any of them were hurt because of me." His eyes suddenly hardened, turning to look at his tightening fists. "And those injuries she had . . . you may see them as weaknesses, but, to me, they're signs of her strengths. She got them from protecting everyone—she had so many for so long, but continued fighting. I admire her for that. So much that I . . ." his voice broke. Grimacing, he looked up at me before ducking down to look at the floor, admitting in a tiny whisper, "I envy her."
Words left me.
I studied his posture—his hunched shoulders and the veins that popped in his arms. Blonde hair guarded his face—those eyes. I stood so close to Arnold but felt so disconnected from him.
I realised, from the pain that shot up my arm, that I'd been squeezing my injured hand tight. Like him, my body was shaking, my rigid muscles quivering, and I didn't know if what he said helped or angered me. I couldn't will my lips to work. I didn't know what I could say.
So, I didn't.
I left.
The sky was a scintillating sapphire.
Candy–floss clouds swam lazily across the unbroken sea of blue. The sun gleamed brightly, forcing people to squint and shade their faces. There was no sign of any nearby rain or any sounds of booming thunder.
It was an ordinary day.
The white birds were silhouettes against the beaming sun. They glided across the azure canvas, unworried and peaceful. I longed to be amongst them—soaring and carefree.
My skirt flapped as the warm breeze tousled my hair. My knuckles were white as I grasped the interlinked chains; my eyes were on the boys playing on the school fields, but my mind was elsewhere.
"I promise I won't be gone long, milady."
I pressed my face into the fence.
"I don't wanna miss you for too long."
And sighed.
It'd been two days.
I suddenly paused, sensing I wasn't alone up here. But I didn't feel the need to look in her direction when I spoke. "He hasn't shown up."
Her eyes bore into my back as she sat down, nodding.
Spinning around to glare at her, I was met with eyes so calm that my blood boiled. "Why hasn't he shown up?" I demanded. "He knows I'm vulnerable."
She dropped her gaze, shifting. Her tail wrapped tightly around her body, tucking over her feet, and the sun fell over her like dust. "I'm sorry," she eventually said, "but I'm afraid I also do not know why."
I let out a harsh breath and stepped away from the fence. Turning away from Nel, I crouched to the ground on my tip toes, hanging my head. My ponytails were pulling too tightly on my scalp, so I untied and shook out my hair. It fell over my shoulders, curling around my neck, and the wind blew the strands above my head.
"Who is Serec?" I asked lowly.
"I—" Nel's eyes darted across the floor, as if she were contemplating to answer truthfully or not. She eventually sighed, shutting her eyes. "I'm afraid I do not know that either. But our best bet is that he is one of Acantha's henchmen."
"I can't wait for Acantha to find out."
She was right; whoever, or whatever, Serec was, he definitely had a relationship with Acantha. But, remembering how effortlessly powerful he was, I wanted to cut out my tongue for even asking.
"Is Serec—" I hesitated. "—is he a Mutant or a Guardian?"
Nel opened her eyes, looking up at me, surprise evident on her face. "It—" she paused, really pondering her answer. "It is possibly that he could be like you, Helga. Some Guardians grow to become so advanced that a transformative device may not be necessary anymore."
I studied her expression and nodded. If what Nel said was true, then Serec was even more powerful then I thought.
I turned back to the sky; the white bodies soaring across the skies. The silver linings of the clouds were sliced by vast, beautiful wings. The sounds they made, they brought me back to my childhood; they took me back to one of the rare quiet moments between Phoebe and I.
We'd sat comfortably on the docks, watching the birds circle above us in a graceful dance. The sunrise set the clouds on fire, falling over our dirty faces.
"We'll be like those birds, Pheebs," I'd told her in a broken voice, wiping away snot with my sleeve. "You watch it—we'll leave this shitty place behind in the dust."
Phoebe had turned back to smile at me, her eyes sad. "Better then the birds," she whispered, placing a hand on my shoulder. My heart ached, remembering that smile on another face. A face that had plagued my dreams for far too long.
"We'll be like fireworks," she'd continued, oblivious to my inner turmoil. "We'll fly across the dark, brightening the night."
For a moment, I smiled—Phoebe.
She'd always believed in me, before all this. And now . . .
My hopes drowned, dying and decaying around me, as my eyes flickered back to the draining skies. The birds were gone now, leaving behind an empty sky as cloud slowly melted through the blue.
"I was never well liked as a kid," I admitted to Nel. The black cat looked up at me, not saying anything and I chuckled. "Shocking, right? Phoebe was my only friend. The only person who cared about me. So, this whole 'admiring' and 'being loved' crap is really weird. I never experienced it from anyone but her. But, as Blue Jay . . . I get it from almost everyone. They look at me, say I'm courageous, strong and selfless." I gave a bitter smile. "Would it be selfish to wish that Blue Jay was someone else?"
Nel frowned, eyes burning with alarm. "Helga—"
"Why—" I turned back to the bird. Their wings beat against the air, each movement precisely on time. "Why was I chosen as a Guardian?"
It was quiet.
My blood ran cold; I didn't know what answer I wanted. I didn't know what good any answer could do. Nothing Nel said could take away the pain.
"I miss being Helga—just Helga," I continued, wrapping my fingers around the interlinked chains. "Things were better then . . . I was selfish—never thought of anyone else's feelings. People always looked down on me. Of course, I'd hated it. My entire sixteen years, I was never a good person. I never had to worry about living for anyone else because . . . I was my number one. I lived for myself only. But now . . . I'm expected to think before I speak. Not to lie, to stand my ground. People—they believe in me, but . . . their faith is nothing but a trap. I'm not allowed to step one foot out of line, otherwise I'm not longer trustworthy."
I dug the heel of my palm into my eye and took a wavering breath. "I . . . I hate Blue Jay."
The silence was like poison.
I expected Nel to scold me, but she didn't. "Is that so?" she asked quietly. Her ears folded against her head and her eyes fell to the ground.
I nodded. "Yes . . . ever since she's come into my life, I've been stuck in a small box. I haven't been able to do anything for myself anymore. I miss everything about Helga . . . I want nothing to do with Blue Jay anymore."
Nel's eyes snapped up with alarm. "Helga, you're not resigning, are you?"
I watched the white birds until they were specks in the horizon. Until the moment they blended into the far away sky.
"No," I shook my head, turning back to Nel. "I want to, but I can't. There's no one else, is there? No, don't worry, I won't resign. But I'll work hard—I'll fight with everything I have, so I—"
I took a shaky breath.
"—so I never have to be Blue Jay again."
His gaze was unabashed.
Arnold wasn't embarrassed when I caught him watching me that afternoon. The line between his brows only deepened when I didn't move to join the line waiting for the bus. Students flocked around, bursting from the open gates and either hoping into their parents cars or clumping together to wait for their school bus. Arnold was amongst them, standing next to Gerald and Lila, who were deeply involved in a passionate conversation.
My heightened senses could pick up parts of their conversation. Well, they're apparent yelling match. I could hear Gerald shouting, "—just don't think its that good!"
"No way!" Lila shouted back, stepping forward and shaking his elbows. "Shingeki no Kyojin deserves every piece of praise it gets!"
"You don't think it's a little overrated?"
"Gerald, I think you're overrated!"
I turned away from the group, drawing up my hoodie and walking away. Arnold's eyes were still on me, I could feel him. I shoved my hands into my pockets and clutched onto my pin. The metal was cool on my fingers, but it felt comforting.
"Helga!"
Turning over my shoulder, I was surprised to see a smiling Phoebe running in my direction. My heart raced, it felt like years since I'd last seen her. I'd missed her so much.
Grey sunlight filtered around her as she ran, tangling in her dark hair and catching in her white smile. It was a smile I hadn't seen one from her for a while, one of genuine excitement. It hit me how long it'd been since we'd gotten to truly be best friends.
The moment she reached me, I couldn't help myself and threw my arms around her, pulling her to my chest. She gave a startled noise as she was yanked to my body. Her arms stayed by her side and her body froze up, no doubt she was surprised by my sudden affection. I was almost hurt with her hesitation but told myself that, for her, it'd only been two days.
Eyes bore into my skin as people watched in astonishment; Helga G. Pataki was being something other then a mega bitch? Lila and Gerald's conversation halted for a moment as their eyes briefly flickered over to us.
"I didn't realise you had missed me so much, Helga," Phoebe finally said light-heartedly. Her arms squeezed around my waist and her body melted into mine.
I breathed slowly. Somehow, Phoebe made everything warmer.
"What brought this on?" she asked me when we separated. But I couldn't handle not having her close so I threw an arm back around her shoulders, keeping her close.
"Nothing," I smiled, feeling content. "Was there something you wanted to say?"
"Oh, well, I managed to get the afternoon off," Phoebe said, sheepishly rubbing the back of her neck. "I can finally manage a Sundae Monday. Even if it is three days late."
I blinked at her.
"Wait, really?" A light flutteriness danced in my chest and I started laughing, tilting back my head. "How'd you manage that?"
"Well, there's just been so many attacks," she explained. And, like that, I could feel my smile shrinking. "The head members don't wanna risk it, so they're pushing us to head straight home."
The air was like ice on my flesh.
I'd actually managed to forget. My gaze shifted from hers back to the ground, to my worn shoes, and my arms fell back to my side. "Shouldn't you listen to them then?" I asked lowly. "If they're so worried. It might be dangerous."
"I considered this," Phoebe said, shrugging. "But it's been quite some time since we've really hung out, Helga, and figured it was worth it. Plus, I haven't had an afternoon to relax in a while."
Her words hung in the air as she waited for my response, or an acknowledgement that I'd heard her. But I didn't know what to say, how to even look at her. She was right, it'd been so long since we'd been able to hang out. It'd been even longer since we'd actually gone to one of our Sundae Monday sessions; her parents were super on her case about going to those stupid classes. And now that we finally were free to hang again . . .
"I can't," I muttered. "Not today."
Or ever.
I could feel Phoebe looking at me strangely, finally picking up on my difference in statue. "Oh, really?" she asked, eyebrows drawing together. "Why?"
"I—" my tongue felt swollen "—Busy. I'm busy, Pheebs."
"Busy?"
"Yeah," I shifted the straps of my bag, shuffling my footing, and looked over my shoulder. "Busy."
"With what?" she asked, the gravel under her feet crunching as she stepped closer.
"Um," I hesitated, looking back at her. I racked my brain for any lie and blurted out the first thing that sprang to mind. "Orthodontist."
I wanted to smack myself.
"Um," Phoebe blinked up at me. "What?"
"At four," I continued, wringing my hands. I couldn't stand looking at her and instead shifted my gaze over her shoulder. I caught Arnold's eyes again, who was watching me like a hawk, trying to overhear our conversation. The bus had pulled up at this point and Gerald was amongst those fighting to proclaim his spot in the line. Lila just looked on like a disappointed mother, sighing and face–palming herself.
"I have a super important orthodontist check–up," I said to Phoebe, even though I was looking at Arnold. Why did I suddenly feel like I was in a separate world from everyone else?
"Oh," Phoebe said, in a voice much too low for her. I looked back down to her, she bowed her head to avoid my gaze. For a moment, I marvelled at how much taller I was compared to this girl. Her head just came up to my chin; this girl was so small, so delicate, I was suddenly fuelled with a desire to protect her.
She'd been there for me my whole life; I needed to do the same for her. I needed to fight for her as Blue Jay, so she'd at least have a chance.
"We'll be like fireworks. We'll fly across the dark, brightening up the night."
No. No, we wouldn't fly across the dark, but maybe she could. If I keep training, keep fighting, I can give her the chance to be those fireworks.
She turned back up to give me a forced, hopeful smile. "Well, then, how abou—"
"Sorry, Phoebe," I was already turning my back on her. "But I gotta go. Seeya later."
I left before she could say anything.
Black spots swirled around me.
Spit gurgled in my lips. The holograms knees pnned me down and a large hand wrapped around my throat. My head was pounding and I could taste my lunch. It reached forward, grasping my injured palm—
And I cried.
I tried fighting it off, but the pain was so distracting. Maybe I could—
The hologram vanished.
I blinked. And frowned.
Sitting up, I clutched my wet palm and glared in Nel's direction. The glass was tinted, but I could still make out her worried gaze as she looked down at my hand. "Helga—"
"Serec's not going to quit cause he sees I'm in a little pain," I growled at her.
"But, Helga," she frowned, "you're still injured."
Fury beat in my chest and, climbing to my feet, I marched forward for the window. Blood was dribbling down my clenched fingers and an aching tore up my wrist right to my shoulder.
"It's my job to protect others. I knew of the consequences when I signed up for this. And you said you'd train me into a formidable for, yeah?" I stopped in front my the window, my eyes never leaving hers. She clamped her mouth shut, her eyes still pained. "How're you supposed to do that if you keep babying me?"
She knew I was right.
She was reluctant, but she knew I had the upper–hand here. Her eyes went back down to palm again, but I hid it behind her back and lifted an eyebrow. She sighed but reluctantly pressed the button.
Smirking, I turned around where the next hologram had zapped into existence. I sized it up, this one was larger then the others, with bulking arms and thunderous legs. It would tower straight over me, even as Blue Jay.
I flipped my hair over my shoulder and my nostrils flared.
And, in unison, we lunged forward.
For once, the weather man got it right.
The blue skies and yellow sun had vanished, and tiny droplets spat onto my face, trickling down my body. The gusting wind carried the rain in wild vortices one moment then diagonal sheets the next. Falling from silver clouds, it bounced from every hard surface.
I didn't mind, I loved the rain.
Shoving up my sleeves, I massaged the darkening bruises along my arms. The second half the session had quickly become shit; I'd been too distracted. Nel had noticed and tried convincing me that it was time to go home. But I wasn't ready to leave and insisted that we go for another hour.
When we'd finally finished, Nel had left me, explaining she wanted to be on the lookout for any wraiths. Truthfully, I think she was annoyed at how intense the training was getting. And honestly, I didn't want to put up with her grumpiness, so I hadn't said much to her as she'd left.
As I walked down the streets of Hillwood, I shrugged off my blazer and shoved it into my school bag. My hoodie was thin, so I was shivering by the time the rain fell, but I didn't mind. It felt good to feel something again.
Suddenly, words cracked across my face.
I blinked and yanked the old newspaper from my eyes. And growled at the title.
"'Teenagers Saved by Hillwood's Wonder Woman'?" I read, raising a twitching brow. Oh, come on, seriously? I was still considered Wonder Woman? By now, I'd think I'd graduated to Batman.
Reluctantly, I continued reading the article. "Let's see . . . 'by eradicating that warehouse, Blue Jay has essentially set fire to $80,000—' WHAT?" I pulled the paper closer and squinted. "'One construction worker says, 'It's great that she's protecting us from whatever it is that's attacking, but by destroying our property, she's costing us thousands—' ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?"
Squeezing the paper into a tiny ball, I launched it over my shoulder and watched with satisfaction as it disappeared from my sight behind a bench.
Good riddance.
Shoving my hands into my pockets, I stomped down the streets, steam puffing from my nose—
—and paused when I heard a familiar giggle.
Looking over my shoulder, I realised that I'd passed the Sundae Saloon and sighed. That's where Pheebs and I used to have our Sundae Mondays.
My stomach growled and I groaned. I hadn't eaten since lunch and our training session had been thorough. I suppose, all things considered, I did deserve to treat myself with my usual triple chocolate sundae.
So, I headed for the saloon. Yeah, it was cold, but, I reasoned, no weather was too cold for a triple chocolate sundae. Boy, I could feel myself salivating just thinking about it—
I froze.
Peering into the large window, I could see them. Phoebe, Arnold, Gerald, Lila, Horowitz, Sheena—all of them. They were sat in the back booth against the wall, the red plush enveloping around their bodies. A warm light filtered down on them, from the bulb hanging above them, and gave them a heavenly glow.
Horowitz and Sheena were sat in the middle, Lila and Arnold sitting on their right and Phoebe and Gerald were on the right. Lila was between Sheena and Arnold, mostly engaging with her, but his eyes kept flickering back to her and his cheeks glowed. A content smile spread across his lips and his eyes softened as he watched her speak so animatedly.
Gerald must've said something funny cause they were all laughing. Lila had a hand pressed to her mouth, Arnold was wiping away a tear. Phoebe leaned back into Gerald's arms and snickered into her hands.
My heart sunk.
I'd never felt so far away from my best friend. Not even when we went weeks without seeing each other. Not even when she was so busy that she forgot our plans and I was left waiting for her for hours. Not even when I accepted that I'd no longer have anyone to eat lunch with, while she sat surrounded with her new friends.
Nothing was as isolating as this.
My best friend—the only person who loved me—getting swept up in a world that had nothing to do with me, at a place we'd made ours.
I looked to my wrapped hand. No, this was good. This was really good. It's better this way. Phoebe could separate herself from me, which guaranteed her safety.
This worked out for everyone.
The rain grew heavier, washing down my face like sweat. Tilting back my head, I watched the graphite sky and let the water cover my skin.
It's been forty–eight hours since Serec discovered I had no powers.
It was relieving as it washed over my face and trickled down my neck. My clothes were soaked and the chilly air cut right through me. My eyes shifted back to the giggling friends, looking much like dark shadows with bright smiles. My stomach twisted with envy as tears dribbled down my cheeks.
Serec, where are you?
Song(s) Mentioned: Busy Earnin' by Jungle
So, what'd y'all think? Sorry, this one wasn't really action-y, but I wanted a chapter that was mostly kept to Helga and her new life at high school. Also, we got to meet Nadine, so I'm happy. Be sure to leave in the reviews what improvements I could make or anything you liked!
SPEAKING OF REVIEWS, THANKS EVERYONE WHO LEFT ME SOME HEARTWARMING MESSAGES! THEY'RE LITERALLY MY BIGGEST MOTIVATION! Except fanarts, they're even bigger ;)))
Anywhozies, onto my reviewers!
Badwolf123456: ahaha thanks, darl! Yeah, I found myself liking George too, I'll have to bring him back! Unfortunately this one wasn't long, but the next one definitely shall be! Hopefully in time your questions are answered, thanks for the review :))
SymboitShadow: Gave ya some more Phoebe! Not much, but some! Don't worry, she gets a bigger role soon! Thank you so much, hopefully you liked this one too!
Yali Page: these will all be emotional chapters! Granted, I dunno if we'll get to THAT level for a while again, but defs expect that, Helga's got a lot of issues aha. And I dunno, we'll just have to wait and see if Phoebe or Arnold ever find out ;)))
Guest: Yeahh, I have a habit of writing a lot aha. Yeah, expect more songs cause I finally got a spotify and dedicated one playlist specifically for Helga, so I have a better idea of her music tastes! And yus, Phoebe will be included, just don't exactly know when yet! But defs expect her!
Mengsk: Yeah, I honestly enjoyed diving into the human side of Arnold in both this and last chapter! I'm defs gonna try writing more from his perspective cause I think he can be super interesting and I definitely have some plans for him! Thanks for the review, hun! It's really appreciated :)))
miladyswords: ahaha thanks a bunch, darl! Damn, didn't realise I wrote that much! Noice, I'm pretty proud of those references ;) Yeah, I never hated her either, the hate she gets is bothersome as she always seemed pretty chill and in support of Helga x Arnold to me in the show! Yes, definitely going to be writing more of Phoebe soon! Hopefully I can get more of Arnold's perspectives cause I've had some last minute inspirations and many plans for this guy! Don't worry though, his and Helga's relationship is definitely on the slow burn side, their friendship needs some work first XD Thanks for the review, m'dude!
DhamarFlowers1.5: Thanks for the fanart, gurl! It really brightened my day XD Thank you so much, Helga's growth as a person is definitely my biggest concern when writing this! Also, yes, Arnold does in fact care and is very curious and suspicious, just like Lila, as to why she's suddenly so weird and shifty! Thank you so much for motivating me!
dvd123: Yes, I can't stand perfect characters and I don't view Arnold as one - he'd definitely would be making mistakes that could have dire consequences. You're definitely right, Helga is extremely emotionally and mentally exhausted but she's way too stubborn to openly admit it! Don't worry, Nel will grow to be more nurturing Helga as she starts learning more about her life! I honestly enjoy writing their interactions because it can become so bantering one minute, but they'll still show concern in their own way. Everyone seems to love George, so I guess I will have to bring him back XD thanks for your lovely review, hon! Hopefully you enjoyed this chappie too!
Guest 2#: Yes, I've always loved Magical Girl concepts and Helga's inner turmoil is my favourite part to write! Thanks for your lovely words :)))
Okay, so for the Question of the Day: What song do you think would be Helga's #1 repeated on her phone? Leave your answers in the reviews, kiddos!