Chapter two is up! And I don't feel like putting a long author's note, so here's a summary: Review. I don't own GONE. Review. Penny gets powers. Review. Penny shows actual emotion. Review. I ate cheesecake today. Review.
Penny led me up a staircase and through a few hallways until we came to a nondescript door, numbered 312. "This is the room you'll be sharing with Isabella and me," Penny said, then opened the door and flicked on the light switch. The room was small but not cramped. A bunk bed was in one corner, and a single bed was in another. A small closet was open, revealing clothes and old uniforms haphazardly shoved inside. A table was near the center of the room with two chairs for studying, and a small couch was under the window at the far side of the room. A tiny television hung in the corner where the wall met the ceiling. "Well, go ahead and dump your stuff," Penny said, and I put my suitcase and bags in a corner.
I turned to find Penny glaring at me with her arms crossed. For a second I had a dizzy spell and saw a vision of a huge monster with eyes like fire and teeth like knives grinning down at me. I was filled with absolute, complete terror for a single moment, but I blinked and it was gone. "So," Penny spat, "I see you've taken an interest in Caine."
I blushed. "No, w-wh-what do you mean? I-"
"Oh, shut up," Penny said. "I know what liking Caine looks like." She softened then and turned away. "Whatever. It's not like we're dating or anything." I went to stand next to her.
"What do you mean?" I asked. Penny was actually really pretty. She had clear skin, long hair that framed her face well, not to mention she was model-thin.
"Diana," Penny said resentfully, and I remembered that beautiful girl from before. "She's sarcastic, rude, a total b!tch, but gorgeous. Caine's obsessed with her. And all she ever does is use him."
"Well, he'll probably get tired of her eventually, right?" I asked, and Penny nodded uncertainly. I couldn't believe I was actually giving guy advice to a girl I barely knew. I had never even had a boyfriend before. "Look, since we both like him, let's help each other out. We try to stop Diana from keeping all of his attention, and then we help each other out to get his attention. Sound like a plan?"
Penny turned to me with a suspicious look on her face, and I saw the monster again, roaring, preparing to strike and sink its teeth into my flesh. Then it was gone as quickly as it had come, and Penny nodded. "Fine. Friends?"
"Friends," I assured her, and she tossed me a headband.
"Well, if we're helping each other, then you need to fix your hair desperately. It isn't showing your good looks at all." I put the headband on and ran a hand through my hair in an attempt to untangle it. "Better," Penny nodded, and then she opened the door. "Time for dinner," she said, and I followed her out, back to the cafeteria, where all the students were gathered around small tables. I got a plate and picked out a lump of mashed potatoes, a piece of what looked like beef, and some broccoli. I took a glass of water and followed Penny to the table with my sister and her group of friends: Caine, Drake, and Diana. Caine smiled at me when he saw me, and my heart sped up as I smiled back tentatively.
The meal was pretty much just filled with jokes and laughter between the others at the table. My sister made no effort to include me, and no one really talked to me, so I just listened.
"So I grab this kid and literally lift him up and pin him to the wall, I'm not even joking, and he wets his f**king pants. I just started laughing, and then the kid just faints!"
"And then I said, what the hell. I'm not a dumbass."
"Dekka seems to be getting more powerful…"
I froze for a second, focusing on what Caine had just said. But the cafeteria was loud, and I couldn't hear him above the other noises in the room. I gave up trying to listen. He was speaking to Drake, who only looked half interested with one arm draped over Isabella's shoulders as she talked to Diana, who looked slightly less bored than she had when I first saw her. I watched Caine talk to Drake as Penny shifted her gaze to a kid sitting across the room who was maybe three or four years younger than us.
"Who's that?" I asked quietly, and Penny shook her head before turning back to the table.
"Bug," she answered. "He's a creepy little kid. He's always staring." I saw another kid who looked about my age sitting by himself, shoveling food into his mouth while furiously typing on a laptop. He was blond and wore big glasses. I saw a group of loud, obnoxious-looking boys at one table, a redhead girl who looked about my age or maybe a little younger laughing loudly with a group of girls, and a huge African-American girl watching the redhead intensely.
After dinner, Penny led me back to the dorm, where I had to get used to changing in front of her, which was kind of awkward. I had never had to share a room in my life, even at home. Isabella and I always had our own. After going to the girls bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face, I went back to my room, where I collapsed on the top bunk after a truly exhausting day.