That night I lay awake in the creaky bed that was provided for a comfortable night in the dorms. I combed through every second of that days detention, every single movement to isolate the one quality in those four that attracted me so. It wasn't a romantic attraction, just one of curiosity and intrigue. It was like a magnetic pull or a rotational gravity, I couldn't resist if I wanted to.
My eyes were wide open as I mulled this over, all this wasn't natural it all seemed somehow planned, it was meant to be, not that I believe in that sort of thing. I don't believe that there's some kind of order to out existence but now this started to make me rethink my whole philosophy, was there something out there, a god of some sort, controlling us? so the big question was; why did he or she want us to be together?
I found myself staring at the cracks in the ceiling where the spiders spun there webs and wondered who such a small fragile creature could produce such a strong and resilient silk.
A blink and a sigh, I got from underneath the flimsy sheets and padded towards the sink in my room. When there I splash cold water up into my face, I gave the pale drawn face a once over in the mirror. The thin features, small thin lips, slender nose drawing to my large storm grey eyes and their intelligent and knowing gaze. I tried to stare myself out, searching in the depths, looking in myself for what I saw in theirs, the spark that I wanted so much to be there. I leant forward and brushed my blue-black hair out of my eyes, it was easily long enough to cover them and had a tendency of doing so. The rest of the scruffy mass reached just below my ears (I refused to have anybody else cut it) but this style suited me.
I jumped back in surprise, there just for a moment was a flash of bright light deep in the pupils. I had seen it, hadn't I? It was real, wasn't it? I wasn't imagining it, was I? I stood there shocked and started to breathe deep and hard.
I went to the spare bunk – they weren't going to put anyone new in here, not after last time, so many flashing lights. I heaved up the mattress and pulled out the plan I had made earlier, a network of line diagrams and numbers criss-crossed the large A3 page. This was my idea and I needed to know it of by heart.
For the rest of that night I studied and changed, wrote and scribbled out, squinted and calculated until finally the sun rose and cast a strip of bright sunshine through the gap in the curtains. The day was officially born and I was ready.
That day I did my utmost to get detention, it was crucial that I get one that afternoon. Sure enough in maths (my best subject) I saw a mistake and found bound to point it out.
"Miss? that's actually 2x over pi." I gesture to the equation on the board.
"what!" she demands, enraged, her face turned a lovely beetroot colour. This teacher had a proper ego problem.
I take a big risk here "can't you see, you old hag? You've got to multiply everything in the bracket by 2 and then divide by pi!" the class took in a sharp breathe and waited for the onslaught that was inevitable.
It was a rant to be proud of – one to tell your grandchildren about – that is if you survived to have them. By and by I was sent outside, as I passed the front I leant in and whispered that she had also forgot to factor in the powers, with that I sauntered into the hallway.
that's how I made my date with fate as you might say. As I rounded the door to execute my master plan.
That's when my plan went down the drain and I was left to improvise. Oh just what i needed.
Instead of the young and indeed wholly depressing Mr Terrence there was a middle aged man behind the desk. His eyes were older than he looked and he had a well trimmed beard. As I approached the desk to present my slip I noticed that he was in a wheelchair.
"Good afternoon" he greeted me, calm and well-spoken, this took me back almost as much as the accent, American or perhaps Canadian.
"Erm... um..." is all I could manage.
"I'm sorry, I didn't introduce myself, I am Mr Brunner, I teach Latin and Ancient History" he smiled and I knew that he would be no problem, he would interfere or anything. Indeed he had a cup of coffee and a paperback. He was interesting, too.
"scientia potestas" I slowly pronounced each syllable, my Latin was shaky but I had picked up one or two phrases from my dad. One single eyebrow raised.
His charming smile widened into a grin and his eyes twinkled with understanding "knowledge is indeed power"
I nodded at strode towards the girls who had been sat chatting for sometime it seems. I was amazed that there was only two sitting there; the thief, Ellie and the unknown drunk, who as well as the customary shades had a denim fishing hat with a pocket on the top. This would make everything so much easier.
I took a seat two rows behind my target and stared at them, there's this phenomenon whereby if you stare at someone for long enough they notice you doing it and stare back. It didn't take long for it too work and soon I was staring into two pairs of confused and defensive eyes.
"what?" one demanded I just smiled and hoped for the best, this was hopeless, like they'd just look at me and think; yeah she looks like a perfect friend I'll just talk to her even though she's giving me this well strange look. I think not.
"Um... I was just wondering if you had left a pencil yesterday?" lame I know but it just sprang from my mouth.
"No but I'll have it anyway" the bespectacled girl leant back on her chair and I stretched forward, couldn't quite reach so I moved a row forward and she swiftly snatched the pencil out of my hand so fast I nearly missed it.
"so, who are you?" the other spoke for the first time, she had a broad welsh accent and bluntness of the pencil I had just given her mate.
"Helen McAvoy, I've been her for 2 years, I can tell you're new and might need a few pointers" I wondered if they'd recognise my surname but as if these youths had read any great works of literature or philosophy, My dad was a lecturer at a highly prestigious university and had published many famous papers alas there was no flicker of recognition. "you?"
"Jane Grisham but you can call me Grish if you like," she pushed her sunglasses down her nose and winked at me, I noted the bags under her eyes that were big enough to carry shopping in.
"Hay, I'm Ellie Wilson" the other mused, twisting the pencil between her fingers.
"Where are your other friends?" I enquired nonchalantly. it was strange that these two were on their own but I guessed the others were in worse trouble than mere detention, it wasn't as if they were quick reformers and suddenly didn't deserve detention.
"They got busted for fighting today" Ellie said "well Sam did atleast, Daisy tried to break it up, she's not big on the violence thing, it's a balance to Sam and her mean streak, it's almost instinctive" she started to giggle at something I wasn't aware of, Jane (Grish) joined in, her laugh vibrated a lot like a guinea pigs frantic squeals.
I sat there, like a lemon, oh yeah you just laugh, inside jokes and all that, because I'm not here at all.
"Soooo" I cut across there merriment "How did you get sent here?" I didn't direct it at anyone specific. They just exchanged conspiratorial glances and shrugged.
"if you couldn't guess, I like a good time" Grish grinned wickedly, shoving her hat further down over her eyes "well I kind of got a bit too happy and may have got too familiar with a police officer" jeez I hadn't expected that!
I wasn't quite sure what response was suitable so I just said "cool. And you?"
"it's a bit embarrassing actually" she paused in contemplation, whether or not to tell me "um… iaccidentlystolemyownstuff" she said in a quick breath.
"Pardon me?" I raised my eyebrows in confusion.
"What she is trying to say is that she stole some stuff that she thought was a guests but was actually her" I was informed by Grish.
"Cool" I repeated "so like what?"
"erm…i did do some other people too, the list goes on, well there was the one time…" she stopped at that point as the door burst open and everyone jumped, even Mr Brunner who had his cup of coffee in his hand, a splash of which appeared down his shirt.
"YOU!" someone shouted from the doorway, their arm outstretched jabbing a finger directly at me. Suddenly the figure grabbed a plastic chair from behind a table, raising it above their head and brought it forward and let it go.
The person had actually launched a chair at me, I had to think fast or in the near future I would have a chair shaped hole in my head.