I see Riven glaring at someone. I turn my head round to see Bloom holding Layla back who looks like she wants to crush Riven to a pulp. I see Miss Faragonda holding Riven back. My head is throbbing and I can't feel my arms.
"What's going on?" I whisper. Professor Avalon kneels next to me and helps keep me up straight.
"Don't worry, Flora, you'll be just fine." I sit against him and breathe heavily. My vision clouds and I struggle to remember what put me in this position. "Take it easy, Flora." He whispers. Then I remember the sharp jab. I remember falling. I realize it was Riven who jabbed me.
"What happened?" I ask.
"Mr Jeffreys here jabbed a fork in your back. It was one of those newly sharpened ones." He glares up at Riven. "Can you stand?" He helps me stand and immediately a sharp pain spreads through my back. I wince and lean against Avalon. "Shh, Flora. Keep still." I still can't feel my arms from falling on them at a wierd angle. My knees throb but not as bad. I use Avalon as a pole and start walking to the infirmary.
"Riven... did this?" I ask Bloom as she drags Layla and follows me.
"Now you know how evil he is." Layla mutters darkly.
"That's enough, thank you, Miss Regina!" Avalon scolds.
I am made to lie on the bed while they examine my back. There's a deep cut where the fork made contact and my arms will feel numb from where I fell on them.
I ask if I can go to my lesson but I am not allowed. I will use a laptop for Computing and for Music, I'll compose my new tune.
A knock comes on the door. A girl with a short bob of pink hair enters with Bloom. She has a wad of paper in her hands and Bloom is carrying a laptop.
"Use this," the pink haired girl jabs at the laptop, "to complete these research pages and then draw a cartoon of what interpreted from the novel you read in English Literature." She drops the papers onto my lap and huffs. She turns on her heel and walks off. Bloom places the laptop next to me onto the bed and sits down on the edge.
"That's Tecna, by the way. Tecna Ferman. She sometimes drifts off to the dark side when it comes to technology." She smiles and adds, "And Layla's doing pretty well after she managed to punch Riven in the face. She may be in detention but at least her spirits are up, don't you think?" I laugh and then wince after it hurts my back.
"Yeah. Shouldn't you be getting back to Computing?" I ask. She smiles.
"Can you manage on your own?" She asks. It might not have been totally sarcastic but it seemed like she was trying to get a point across. I move my arms and still can't feel them.
"OK, fine." I roll my eyes, giving in. "You do the laptop and writing and I'll be the dictator."
"Got it!" I tell her what I want to search and then watch her write it down.
"Bloom?" I ask. She stops writing and turns her head towards me. "Are you... are you sure it was Riven?"
"Positive. Everyone saw. And there was no one beside him." I sigh. "Why do you ask?"
"Because... I just have a feeling it wasn't Riven." I whisper. Her head jerks towards me and she puts on a somewhat cocky smirk.
"You don't like him, do you?" She asks. Her face falls when I sigh.
"I... don't know..."
Yes, you do. You can't take your mind off him, even though you've only met him."
And how would you know?
Because I am you. I am your mind. Your conscience. Your heart. Whichever you want to call you do, I do. Everything I do, you do.
OK. But I still don't know about Riven.
"Flora! Snap out of it!"
"Huh?" I see Bloom frowning at me. "Oh, sorry, Bloom. What did you say?" Bloom sighs.
"I said the bell's going off soon. I need to log off." She replies.
"OK. Are you going to go back to Music?" I ask.
"I'll return this to Computing and then go get your work. If Layla's out of detention then we'll come together if not, it'll be me."
"K. I'll see you later." She waves and smiles. I try to wave back but I still can't feel my arms. Numbness shouldn't stay that long, should it?
It may be that the Gods don't want you fawning all over Riven. Or should I say, Goddesses?
Shut up! I don't compare to the Goddesses! Riven won't like me!
Yes you do. Soft, light brown hair, jade green eyes and not a trace of a pimple. Perfection. And you don't know if Riven doesn't like you.
And a cut in the back. From the boy I - no, we - supposedly like. Hey, if you are me, does that mean whatever you say are my thoughts?
Maybe. Anyway, just admit to Bloom you like Riven. Then you don't have to worry about me. No, won't have to worry about you.
"It wasn't me!" I hear a voice say, snapping me from my thoughts. It's a male voice. A familiar male voice. "All I'm saying is, is that I was pushed towards her and I would never hurt her on purpose!" The voice quietens as the owner moves away. I realize it is Riven. "I'm innocent!" He protests.
"Hey, Flo." I hear. Layla is at the door with an Asian girl. She has dark blue, long hair, almost black and deep blue eyes.
"Hey, Layla." I try to be cheerful but a pain in my back prevents me.
"Layla, just hurry!" The Asian pleads. "You have the entire lesson with her. I want to get back!" She dumps the maracas she is holding on to the nightstand and steps back. Layla glares at her. "Just compose the African song, OK?"
"Musa, shut up! Set an example."
"Whatever." 'Musa' walks out of the room. Layla gives me an apologetic smile.
"Musa... has anger issues." She explains.
"Surname?"
"Wang. Musa Wang. Chinese."
"Let's go."
We start to write the lyrics to the song but my mind keeps wandering off. My arm movement comes back and I can contribute but I can't seem to keep my conscience under control. It'll pop up whenever I need to concentrate, reminding me of a certain Mr Jeffreys.
You're thinking about him. We do the same things, think the same thoughts. I am your heart and we both know hearts speak the truth so its confirmed you like him.
Confirmed by you, idiot.
You're the idiot since you just insulted yourself. I am you and you are me so if you insult me, you insult-
OK! I get it! "Layla, what happened with you and Riven?" I ask above maracas.
"Ugh, nothing!" She looks disgusted.
"No, not like that! I mean when he 'jabbed' me." I hold my fingers up to emphasise the word.
"Oh! Sorry. You were taken to the infirmary and I found him waiting outside Mrs Woolside's office, looking really grumpy and I just punched the hell out of him. I got caught by Avalon."
"Poor you." We continue the song without making general conversation. We carry on just using musical vocabulary and other necessary words. The bell rings when we are just halfway thorough.
"Damn it!" Layla screeches. She gathers up the sheets and instruments. "I'll come with Bloom to see what they're going to do with you." She waves and I am able to wave back this time.
Fifteen minutes later, Avalon appears with a pair of crutches.
"You'll need to go home on crutches, Flora. Are you walking?" I nod, and think about Miele and Dad. Miele will cut me some slack, but Dad? No way. Layla and Bloom come in and see me on crutches and sigh. "OK. Or maybe you're friends can give you a lift. They seem very friendly." He says. He nods in their direction and walks off.
Duh! Your friends are gonna be friendly towards you.
Shut up!
"Come on, Flo." Bloom says. "We'll give you a lift home."
"Yeah. You'll get to ride a Lamborghini! Bloom's Lamborghini." My eyes widen when I hear this.
"I'm seventeen, Flo." Bloom explains, seeing my shocked expression. "They put me down a year because I flunked a course." She pulled a face. "One course!" She pulls out her license card for proof. I walk out of the infirmary, with Bloom and Layla holding doors open for me.
The other children stare at us, well me, and some snigger while others nudge their friends. They're all thinking the same thing: the clumsy new kid already had an accident. What a dweeb.
Just ignore them.
You can ignore them but not me. I'll just keep on taunting you until the end of your days. Just you wait and see.
I don't retort and it doesn't say anything back. I see Miele waiting at the North Gate.
"Guys! We need to pick up Miele!" I screech. We walk off towards Miele and she gasps when she sees me.
"What happened, Flora!" She exclaims.
"We'll explain in Bloom's car."
We walk off towards Bloom's Lamborghini.
"Well..." I start.
A/N: So, Flora has her first encounter with her conscience.
This is the longest chapter so far in this story.
Next chapter, we meet the villians and the boys (apart from Riven)
Review!