Disclaimer: Ralphie, Piggy-Pigster and the other boy schnoodle doodles in this chapter are the brain children of a certain William Golding, but little Emily is mine :)
The fat boy went down the line of children, huffing as he diligently attempted to gather the names of each girl and boy as they arrived under the palm shaded triangle. No one paid him much mind, save one girl, who traced his path with steady eyes. How funny, she thought, the effort he put in to learn their names, while never proffering his own. And how funny, that he would continue to yell them up to the attractive, fair haired boy, who obviously seemed to be in a world of his own.
The fat boy stood before her now. "What's yer name?" he asked, as he had nearly a dozen times before.
"Emily," she said softly, and the fat boy shouted up to the fair once more. As he moved to ask the next person, she felt almost compelled to ask his name in return. She stubbornly bit down the urge, and watched him to continue his struggle down the line.
Emily would be lying if she said she cared what the fat boy's name was, and her mum always taught her never to lie. Had it been a formal situation, she would have complied begrudgingly, but here...
The fat boy had an odd way about him, one that spoke of uptmost intelligence, or very nearly that. One most certainly underappreciated by other boys of his age. One rather underappreciated by Emily herself.
But he seemed to had a connection with the fair boy, albeit one she certainly could not comprehead. The fair boy was a leader, judging by his easy smile and confident stance, and almost seemed oblivious to the fact that the fat one had taken a fancy to him. But she senses the friendship, be it one-sided or not.
For a fleeting moment, she wondered whether she should have made the simple step of friendliness that only comes in exchanging names. But she felt sound in her decision, and made up her mind that if she was to befriend anyone, it would be someone like the fair boy, not his name-loving follower.
Already bored with the pudgy boy, Emily took a chance to observe what she could of the strange, tropical wonderland. It was certainly a picturesque island, if it was an island at all. Beauty seeped out from every tree, bird, and grain of sand. However, despite its good looks, something menaing stirred within Emily's mind, the silvery jingle of a warning bell. She couldn't explain the anxiety and forced it away, away, away to the darkest corner of her subconscious.
A dark shadow had crept over the sand, notable enough now as to fully capture Emily's attention. It had started as a speckle of black, but seemed to grow wider and closer every moment she blinked, a stalking midday phantom. As the dim blotch drew nearer and nearer, she was quickly able to make out a shock of red among the darkness, then a pale, freckled cheek, and suddenly the sea of silent, cool faces on an army of marching boys.
They looked a fright, sweat-sodden hair sticking wetly to their brows as a dozen deep black cloaks billowed ominously about. Their apparent leader was a lanky freckled boy with piercing red hair and a heavy scowl. He looked as though he were someone who knew exactly what he wanted and exactly how to get it.
Emily was suddenly aware that the blaring conch had fallen silent, and at a glance, realized that the golden boy was now seated with the rest of the assembly, the creamy shell softly resting on the cap of his knee.
He spoke an incredible mildness as the cloaked boy, this Merridew, fired off a flood of frustrated words. Without warning, one of the boys standing behind him slipped heavily into the sand, apparently faint from the stifling combination of heat and heavy apparel. The leader released a defeated huff, and allowed his group to break and heave the unconscious member onto a nearby log.
As they settled into the group, Emily wondered if they ever chanced to notice the curious girl intently watching their every move.
Thanks for the read! Sorry if it's starting out a little slow, I just wanted an opportunity to introduce some of the girls before delving into the serious plot. If you enjoyed, please, please continue to read and review!
Catchya!
