Chapter 7: Lady Godiva Was Calling My Name
"And you, Ms. Brynhildr, you harassed a student, disobeyed a teachers orders and you directly violated one of our most important rules when you made a student doubt themselves," Mr. McCorrigan paced behind his desk.
Tamsin giggled under her breath, watching the man whom was merely inches taller than his mahogany table. Bo sat beside her doing the same, her hand covering the smile growing on her face.
Mr. McCorrigan paused, seeing the girls faces. "Are you laughing?"
Tamsin and Bo straightened in their seats, becoming serious.
"No sir," Tamsin spoke.
Mr. McCorrigan continued, "Detention, today after school, tomorrow after school and every Saturday for six weeks."
Tamsin sighed, "Mr. McCorrigan, it wasn't Bo's fault, this was mine-"
"I know Ms. Brynhildr, but she did follow you, and skip half of sixth period," he interrupted. "Didn't you Ms. Dennis?"
"Yes sir," Bo slid further down in her seat.
Mr. McCorrigan continued pacing behind his desk for a moment. "Detention starts at four thirty sharp, if you're not their you will be here tomorrow, and you will have another six weeks to think about why punctuality is important, are we understood?"
"Yes Mr. McCorrigan," the girls groaned in unison.
He paused before them, glaring at each before releasing them.
Tamsin grabbed her bag from under the seat, watching mud stick to the carpet. She looked up meeting Mr. McCorrigan's scowl. "Sorry?" she smiled sweetly before rushing after Bo.
Tamsin ran into the hall, crashing into Bo. Bo fell backwards, colliding with the floor, soon followed by Tamsin.
Bo began laughing, "Wow, klutz much?" Her voice echoed against the solid surfaces around them, the empty hall filling with laughter.
Tamsin kicked the girl before standing. Once she was on her feet she grabbed Bo's hand, pulling her up. "Who told you standing directly outside of a door was smart?"
"No one," Bo breathed, grabbing her bag from the floor.
Tamsin smirked, "What is that, twice today? There must be a record." Tamsin began walking down the hall, her boots clacking against the tile.
"Brynhildr? Is that even a last name?" Bo jabbed at Tamsin.
Tamsin ran her fingers along the edge of her hair. She turned her head toward Bo as they walked, "No, Brynhildr was a a Valkyrie."
Bo laughed, "So your last name is the name of a Valkyrie?"
Tamsin smirked as she knocked a clump of mud from her boots, smashing it with her heel. "Not exactly, she was the daughter of this really old Swedish king, and when she was a Valkyrie she had to deal with these other two feuding kings and they made her choose which one was right. Well, everyone thought she would side with Odin-"
"The guy that lost his eye for power!" Bo interrupted. Bo pressed her hand over her mouth, smiling apologetically, "Sorry, continue."
"Well after she went against Odin, the guy who lost his eye," she smiled. "And he sent her to an abandoned castle with a bunch of shields and a ring of fire so she couldn't escape," Tamsin paused, peaking at Bo's face.
Her lips had parted into a smile with her arms swinging back and forth at her sides and her eyebrows furrowed slightly, "So what does this story have to do with your last name? Is she like your great great grandmother?"
Tamsin laughed, "Valkyries don't get surnames, only the names we go by, but the school required one and I thought Brynhildr would work, it's not a very common myth and I liked the story so I thought it could work." She looked up and down the hall before whispering under her breath, "And most of the teachers can't pronounce it, so that's a bonus."
The period bell rang, releasing students from their classes. The empty, echoing halls quickly filled with bustling students, their backpack too heavy and their shoulders hunched.
Bo realized the direction she and Tamsin had been headed and paused, "Where were we going?"
Tamsin stopped, turning to face Bo, hoards of children moaning and groaning because of the space they took up. "I don't know," Tamsin pulled Bo to the edge of the hall so the traffic could pass. The blonde pulled a few loose strands of hair from her face, pushing them behind her ear.
"This way blondie," Bo pulled Tamsin down the hall.
"Where are we going now?" Tamsin asked, her hand locked into the tight grip of the succubus, pulling her through the groupings of classmates.
Bo pulled at her shirt and glanced at her sneakers, "We need to change and lucky for you I have clothes."
"You know you're like way shorter than me, and where are we even going to change?" Tamsin shrugged slightly as they walked.
Bo smiled as she broke through the crowd and stepped into an empty hallway, "Come on Valkyrie, don't you trust me?"
"No, definitely not," Tamsin noticed their hands were still intertwined.
"Good."
XX
Bo dragged Tamsin through a small room with lockers paneled on each wall with small sets of shiny blue lockers placed in the middle of the room, forming a maze like structure with long metal benches out of place from previous classes storming to and fro. Bo paused in front of a set of lockers with red paint chipping away at the edges. The succubus fiddled with the black dial on the lock, finally pulling it open, grabbing a ball of black cloth.
"So these are kinda not your size, but it beats muddying up the school," Bo smirked, handing Tamsin a pair or shorts and a shirt from the mass.
Tamsin followed Bo into the bathroom and leaned against one of the bigger stalls, smirking at Bo. "Oh," Tamsin chuckled, "and who's fault was that?"
Bo laughed, "Shut it, and go change."
Tamsin smiled, backing into the stall, "Aye aye captain."
The Succubus slid into the stall on the other end of the room. Bo pulled her jacket from her arms, watching the dirt fall onto the floor. She laughed to her self for a second, smiling at the thin layer of dust gathering around her. She smacked at the coat, knocking small chunks and sheets from the fabric.
"What's so funny," Tamsin asked from across the room. Her voice bounced against the small tiles that layered the room.
Bo smiled, "My shirt is clean." She shook her jacket against the wall, freeing the rest of the muddy spots, leaving noticeable stains.
Tamsin frowned, seeing her shirt riddled with mud and moss, much worse off than Bo's. "Well, that makes one of us," the blonde shoved her clothes into her bag.
Bo replaced her pants with a pair of old and faded basketball shorts. She folded her pants and jacket and threw them into her bag before leaving the stall. The Succubus set her bag on the counter, puddles of water and damp paper towels scattered around. Bo turned on the faucet, washing her hands with the cheap soap the school kept stocked.
Tamsin grabbed the pair of shorts from the the top of the toilet paper holder. She scowled at the length of the shorts once she put them on.
"Tamsin, hurry up," Bo knocked on the bathroom stall.
"Coming," Tamsin replied, gathering her things.
Bo was leaning against the wall across from Tamsin. The black tile wall behind her was faded from years past, with small carvings and drawings from the girls before them. Bo focused on the small sketches, drawing over some with her finger.
Tamsin frowned, noticing Bo's basketball shorts. "So, why do you get those, when I have to wear these?" she tugged at the thin black fabric that barley met the middle of her thigh.
Bo laughed as she turned to face Tamsin, the girl was clearly uncomfortable with the amount of skin she was showing. The succubus walked into the the main locker room. Walking to her locker, she shoved her dirty clothes into the cramped space. Bo threw her arm out, making a grabbing motion.
Tamsin looked confused. "What?"
"Hand me your dirty clothes, I can stash them here so you have space for books and stuff," Bo kept her arm outstretched.
The girl pulled the clothes from her bag and handed them to Bo. "I still don't forgive you for this," Tamsin motioned to her shorts.
"I don't know Tammers, they seem to fit," Bo smiled, leaning against the lockers next to hers.
Tamsin pushed Bo's arm lightly, "You're the devil," Tamsin teased.
"Sorry to disappoint," Bo purred. "I'm just a lowly succubus."
Tamsin smiled and pushed Bo playfully, "Same thing."
"Oh, and put these on," Bo pulled a pair of lime green sneakers from the bottom of her locker. "Sorry but boots don't really go with shorts."
The Valkyrie huffed, "Fine."
XX
Kenzi laughed as Bo and Tamsin entered the cafeteria. "Wow Tamsin, who knew you had legs?"
Tamsin pulled at the shorts, very conscious of the fact that they were not nearly long enough to be comfortable.
Bo smiled, patting Tamsin's shoulder as they took their seats. "Don't tease her Kenz, she's already called me the devil," Bo began whispering sarcastically.
"You deserved it," Tamsin mumbled. The Valkyrie began playing with the fraying edge of her black shirt.
"Damn Tamsin," Hale smirked. The siren sat across from the girls with Dyson by his side.
Tamsin covered her face with her hands, "You guys suck," she mumbled.
"You totally love us Tams," Kenzi rest her hand on Tamsin's shoulder for a moment then removed it, noticing the light shade of pink on Tamsin's cheeks. "Anyway, let's get down to business," Kenzi stretched her arms out in front of her and cracked her knuckles.
"What, gonna kill some Huns?" Bo laughed.
Kenzi furrowed her eyebrows at Bo, "Bobo I love you, but can you please pretend this is a serious discussion?"
Bo sighed, "Sure Kenzi."
Kenzi threw her head back an forth as if to ease some sort of tension, "Okay people, let's talk booze."
"Ah, my kinda lady," Hale rested his head on his fist, staring dreamily at the air above Kenzi.
Dyson smacked his friend, "Dude, that's my girlfriend."
"Shh," he whispered, "I'm dreamin' about my lady, Godiva, hmm," he purred.
"Okay then," Bo spoke.
Kenzi reached across Dyson, snapping her finger's in front of Hale's face, "Snap out of it man, you have to write the drink orders."
Hale jumped back slightly, bouncing back to reality. "Sorry lil' mama, Lady Godiva was calling my name," he pulled a small pad of paper from his backpack.
"Yeah well, build a bridge and get over it," Kenzi smirked. "Now I personally have a deep, unforgiving relationship with vodka, not flavored unless it's mixed, okay? Do you hear me Siren? Do not buy me some cheap, knock-off, cranberry shit."
Hale smiled, "As you wish, some good old fashioned Russian vodka for Kenz." He turned to Bo and Tamsin, "And for the lovely ladies?"
"Same," Tamsin smiled.
"And whiskey, and beer," Bo replied, her hands knotting in her lap. "Not crap beer either. Hale I know your sister keeps the good kind in that mini fridge in her room that your dad doesn't know about."
Hale smirked, "I'll see what I can do, just for you." The siren nudged Dyson, "And for the wolf, I gotcha buddy."
Kenzi laughed, "Need a little hair of the dog?" The girl snorted and buried her face in her arms, chocking on air as the giggles kept escaping.
Dyson looked around, not making eye contact with the others. He pushed his bottom lip out, pouting "I thought you said you wouldn't make dog jokes, I'm a wolf, babe."
Kenzi recovered quickly, plastering a semi-serious face on. "Oh I know, I'm sorry Dy," she threw her arm around his shoulders, "Do you forgive me?" She smiled sweetly, kissing his cheek..
The wolf twisted his head before the girls lips could touch his scruffy cheeks and kissed her lips softly. "Anything for you," he whispered as they parted.
"Okay, you know what, you two are cute and all but I mean really it is almost unbearable to watch. I think I speak for all of us when I say, gross," Bo covered her eyes with her hands, peaking through her fingers momentarily.
Kenzi and Dyson laughed, pressing their foreheads together. Kenzi turned sweetly to Bo, her head still connected with Dyson's, "Mwahaha, you will die from the cuteness we bring to the table, may your eyes burn," Kenzi nearly cackled, pulling away from Dyson and moving her fingers like a witch from an old movie.
A boy from across the cafeteria came over to the table and sat next to Hale. "Jay just told me you guys were having a party this weekend." The boy's brown hair swayed a little in front of his piercing blue eyes.
"Hey Frankie," Hale sighed.
"Don't seem so down Siren," Frankie threw his arm around Hale.
Kenzi stopped laughing, "What do you really want, pest? Want me to steak you?"
"Oh, I'm good with that. What do you say human, you play Buffy and I play Angel?" Frankie smirked.
Dyson growled, "Watch it Frankie, I don't care who your dad is, I will kill you if you touch her."
The boy reclaimed his arm from Hale's shoulder. "Okay okay."
"Spill it before Bo sucks you dry," Kenzi snapped.
Tamsin peaked over at Bo, her eyes blue and somehow angry.
"Who's the new girl?" Frankie looked at Tamsin.
Kenzi clenched her jaw and rolled her eyes at the boy. "Don't even think about it, she can kill you too."
Frankie extended his hand across Bo toward Tamsin, "I'm sorry the human is so rude, I'm Frankie, and you're gorgeous."
"And not interested," Tamsin crossed her arms over her chest.
"Ooh, cold shoulder. I get it, you hang out with these shlubs," Frankie scoffed.
This time Bo growled, "Watch it Frankie, don't make me get my sun lamp."
"Wow, ya know I really thought you were better than that Dennis," the boy pressed his hand to his chest dramatically.
Tamsin noticed the faint touch of black nail polish on the boys finger nails, "You're a vampire."
"Sharp as a tack, this one," Frankie nodded to the girl before turning to her. "What gave you the hint blondie, it was the Buffy reference wasn't it?"
Tamsin scoffed, "Next time you remove your nail polish make sure you get it all. Also it's the flaky skin on your arm."
Frankie looked at his arm, noticing the small pieces of dry skin. "Anybody got lotion?"
"Not for you," Kenzi pulled a tube from her bag and squeezed some of the lotion onto her palm and placing the container back into her bag. "Aren't vampires supposed to have nice skin or something?"
"I'm dead, that doesn't mean I'm exempt from skin care," Frankie picked at the skin.
"What do you want Frankie?" Kenzi snarled.
Frankie sighed, "The party, is it an open invite?"
"Hells to the no, now get out of here before we all kill your undead ass," Kenzi glared at the boy, eventually forcing him to go.
The table sat silently for a moment before Tamsin's phone began beeping from within her bag.
"Acacia?" Tamsin began. "Acacia slow down, what happened?" Tamsin pressed the small speaker closer to her hear, as if it could help her hear.
Acacia sighed, the panic in her voice fading, "Listen Tamsin, there's been another dump out at North Ridge."
Tamsin's features tightened into a scowl, "What do you mean?"
Acacia took a deep breath, "Tamsin..."
"Yeah, I know, I'll be there in a second," Tamsin hung up the phone. She shoved the device deep into her bag passed the muddied clothes.
"Tamsin what's wrong?" Bo asked. She almost placed her hand on Tamsin's arm but stopped just before she made contact.
Tamsin stood, the shorts raising a little and quickly pulled lower. Tamsin pulled her bag onto her shoulder, "I'll see you guys later."
"Tamsin, where are you going?" Kenzi grabbed at Tamsin's bag strap, making her pause and face the petite girl.
"You remember that case file your boy toy brought up? Yeah, well you better get that file back to his dad, he'll need it."
Bo stood, "I'm coming with you." Bo slung her bag over her shoulder.
"No, you can't," Tamsin began walking. "I'll see you guys later."
Bo followed her, "Yeah? Why the hell not?" Tamsin and Bo had begun walking down the hall outside of the cafeteria. It was empty, all of the children nestled at their lunch tables inside the sunny room.
"Because of what we talked about in the woods this morning, Bo. I have to do my job and I don't want you to see me do it," Tamsin smiled, "I know you care and all, but you can't help me with this."
"Tamsin," Bo grabbed her arm, pausing before they left the hallway, her voice echoing against the hard floors, much like earlier in the hall that morning. Bo smiled at Tamsin with almost pleading eyes.
"No, Bo, go back, eat lunch with your friends, I'll be back soon," Tamsin pulled her arm free, smiling at Bo, "I promise," she said before walking deeper into the hall.
"Tamsin," Bo called after her, still standing in the place Tamsin had left her, her arms lying dead at her side. "They're your friends too, whether you like it or not."
Tamsin stopped, "I know Bo," Tamsin smiled a little as she turned down the next hall, leading to the exit.