Untamed

by Steven Harris

  My first class of the day is Computer Science with Professor Kelly in room 101. The classroom is filled with black monitors and long tables. I’m the first to enter class and greet this short woman with straight dark hair, red lipstick, and round glasses. Five minutes later, the class begins. My next class, Social Studies with Professor Patterson, is immediately after.

  It’s a long, tiresome, walk across the campus. A short man with a goatee greets me at the door. This class is unimaginable torture. The professor speaks so slow and lifeless that it makes the class seem longer than an hour.

  After Social Studies class, I head over to the student lounge to refuel. As I finish a slice of pizza, I can’t help but notice two nerdy boys with massive acne arguing in a corner. One of the guys is wearing a black shirt with Mane’s face on it.

  “Dude, Mane’s real. I’m telling you,” the guy with the black shirt rants.

  “Where’s your proof?” the other guy counters.

  “I showed you,” the one with the Mane shirt replies.

  “Let me get this straight…so a random paw print and a picture, that could’ve easily been photo-shopped, qualify as evidence?” he says sarcastically.

  “Wow, this is coming from the guy who believes in Bigfoot.”

  “Bigfoot is real,” he tells him boldly.

  “What makes your evidence more substantial?”

  “Footsteps are more substantial than paw prints.”

  The boy with the black shirt just shakes his head with frustration as he gathers his belongings.

  “You can easily fake a guy in a gorilla suit, my friend. Try faking a man in a lion suit. Not likely.”

  They both wander off together. Their useless debating continues out of the student lounge and slowly fades down the hallway.

  Shortly after, it’s time to find my General Biology class. I have to give out a couple of apologies as I hurry to class. I should’ve seen this one coming, but I’m too much in a rush to avoid it.

  “I’m so sorry. I truly am,” I say as I bump into a girl, which causes her notebook to fall onto the floor.

  I freeze where I stand, and I think my heart did also. I’m staring into the eyes of a pale blonde girl. Her face is expressionless. Next to her is Kendrick. This girl must be his sister, Arlene.

  “Hi, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to run into you,” I say with a shaky voice.

  Using only her eyes, she scans me from head to toe without unblinking.

  “What’s your name?” she says in a void voice.

  “Iva,” I reply timidly.

  “Are you going to pick my shit up, Iva?”

  My heart drops to my stomach the more she speaks to me. My blood is pumping in my body so hard right now that I’m starting to sweat. I kneel down and retrieve her fallen notebook. Her eyes follow me to the floor and when I rise, but her body remains statue-like.

  “Sorry again,” I say nervously.

  Slowly but surely she takes the notebook from my hands without blinking once. She tucks her notebook under her armpit as she gazes at me with her wide, soulless, eyes. This is torture. I don’t know why. I’m very intimidated by her.

  It’s like I’m shrinking the more she stares at me.

  “Iva,” she calls my name in a blank tone. “If you touch me like that again, your parents will have to use a fucking shovel to remove your face from the floor. I’m talking about full-on reconstructive surgery on your ass. Got it bitch?”

  I nod franticly. She looks over at her brother.

  “I didn’t hear her, did you?” she asks her brother.

  “Nope,” Kendrick replies.

  “Bitch, acknowledge me when I speak to you,” she snaps at me. “Do you understand or not? Or do you want to get fucked up right here? I’ve been dying to hurt somebody.”

  “Yes, I understand. It won’t happen again,” I say while holding my notebook tightly with a sweaty grip.

  I look at Kendrick and I realize his face is just as lifeless as hers. Suddenly, he starts to stroll toward me slowly. Automatically, as he gets closer to me, I back away from him until my back hits a wall. I grip my notebook even tighter.

  “Don’t look at me,” he tells me aggressively.

  I hear his sister snickering behind him as he orders me to look away. I swallow down hard and shift my eyes at the glossy floor tiles below me. I feel unbelievably defenseless. Kendrick observes left and right down the hallway for anyone who could be watching him harass me. He notices a boy walking down the hallway, looking at us as he passes by.

  “What are you looking at?” Kendrick asks the boy fiercely.

  The boy quickly turns away and increases his speed down the hallway, and then he disappears around the corner. Kendrick then shifts back to me once more.

  “You’re new around here. I can tell,” he whispers to me. “You better find out who we are. We own this school. We’ll take it easy on you now, but next time…” he stops speaking all of a sudden.

  Something or someone has caught his attention. For the first time, I see another emotion in their face instead of anger. I see fear in their eyes.

  “You may think you own this school, but you don’t own me.”

  I look to my left, and behold, I see Daniel approaching us with his strict stare.

  “This is none of your business,” Kendrick says nervously.

  Just by his presence alone, Kendrick and Arlene has become burdened by fear.

  “It is now,” he backfires at Kendrick.

  Daniel stops at my left hand side. Kendrick has a very lean athletic built, but compared to Daniel he looks very meager. If Kendrick is about 180 pounds, then Daniel must be at least 210 pounds. I shift away from Daniel and back into Kendrick’s eyes, and I notice the nervousness building in his face.

  “Now, talk to me the way you just talked to her,” Daniel orders Kendrick.

  Kendrick swallows down hard, unwilling to muster the strength and courage to talk down to Daniel. I don’t blame the guy. For some reason, Kendrick glances back at his sister, as if she can somehow assist him.

  “Why are you looking at her for?” Daniel asks as soon as Kendrick glances back at her. “You aren’t man enough to speak for yourself?”

  He’s trying hard to gather the courage to show some kind of boldness towards Daniel, but I can see his mind refuting that option. Arlene grabs Kendrick’s shirt and pulls on it, luring him away from Daniel’s harsh, fearless, leer.

  “Come on, let’s go,” she tells her brother.

  She looks back at me one more time before turning and walking down the hall with her brother at her side. Daniel and I wait until they turn the corner before we loosen our stance.

  “Are you alright?” he asks me.

  “Yeah, thanks,” I tell him.

  “You walk with your head down. When you do that, you unconsciously give others permission to bully you. Keep your head up. I don’t care how bad of a day you’re having.”

  “I will remember that,” I reply.

  “I hope so,” he says then walks away down the hall.

  After hearing about how bad the Blaires are, I’m just happy I’m walking away still intact. Luckily for me, Daniel came to scare them away, which he didn’t have to do. It’s becoming clear that he, just like my Uncle Frank, have a bad history with the Blaires.

  As I enter Biology class, I realize it has already started. I’m greeted by onlookers. Hopefully, they don't notice me sweating. The Professor is a man, probably in his forties, with a brown beard and matching hair. There are no desks in this classroom. Black counter-tops and sinks are lined perfectly side by side. I quickly scan the room for a seat. It takes me a second to discover one in the back.

  "I see you ditched the wheelchair," a voice says next to me as I sit down.

  I turn and quickly realize who it is. It’s one of Daniel’s friends. It’s the boy with the dark hair and baby-blue eyes.

  "Oh hi," I acknowledge him with a smi
le.

  I feel my body tense up, but I don’t know why. I shift to Professor Nelson as he continues his lecture on cellular growth. I open my book-bag and pull out a fresh notebook and folder.

  "Forever Dusk, that’s a nice band," the boy next to me says with a smile.

  My notebook has my favorite band logo on the cover.

  "Yeah, they’re my favorite band," I respond, trying to fight back a blushing smile.

  “They’re my favorite band too. I’m Jason by the way," he says with an appealing smirk.

  “I’m Iva.”

  My heart starts to thump against my chest. I shift back to the Professor but it’s impossible to focus on him. Suddenly, I feel a warm sensation travel up my arm. I look down and notice his fingers touching my hand. I stare up into his bright eyes, mesmerized. He seems to be pointing at something with his pen.

  “Your folder fell,” he whispers to me.

  "What…?" I glance over at the floor. "Oh, thanks.”

  I lean over and grab my folder off the floor. On my way up, I hear him laughing lowly next to me. I hope I’m not turning pink in the face.

  "So, are you a rock-n-roller type?" he asks.

  "It depends on the mood I'm in. I'm an alternative rock kind of gal. What about you?"

  "I love old school rock. Plus, I have my own band. Music is a big part of my life.”

  "You do? That’s awesome," I reply.

  "We do it for fun. We don't take it seriously.”

  "What instrument do you play?" I ask.

  "I do the vocals. The guy that helped your mom that day, he plays the guitar.”

  “Are you referring to the guy with the crazy hair?”

  He laughs charmingly at my comment.

  “Yes, his name is Daniel. He’s pretty bad-ass with the guitar. And his sister, the Goth girl, that’s Maria. She does the keyboard. The twins, Eric and Jessica, they rotate on the drums. But we haven’t played in years. So, are you new around here or what?" he asks with an untarnished smile.

  "Yes.”

  "Where are you from?" he questions me.

  "Virginia.”

  “Cool, so what brings you upstate?”

  “My mom moved up here for a job, so I had no choice but to tag along.”

  The more we talk, the more my body slowly becomes tense like a rock.

  "I hope you like snow," he says with a chuckle.

  I chuckle back at him.

  "I heard it can get bad, but I don’t mind snow,” I reply.

  His presses his lips tightly together and shakes his head in disagreement.

  "You won’t be saying that in a couple of months,” he whispers to me.

  “Is it really that bad?” I ask.

  “Yes.”

  “But look on the bright side, if we get snowed in, at least we won’t have to come to school,” I inform him.

  He chuckles again.

  “Nope, you still have to come to school. The school board is heartless here,” he finishes.

  “What if it’s a foot of snow?” I ask.

  “I guess you’ll be hiking to school in a foot of snow.”

  “What if it’s three feet?”

  “Then you’ll be hiking to school in three feet of snow.”

  “Seriously, they can’t do that,” I reply.

  “Get used to it Dorothy you’re not in Kansas anymore.”

  “Virginia.”

  “It’s the same difference.”

  I try to keep my laughter at a minimum.

  “Are you always this difficult?” I ask.

  “It’s my job,” he replies.

  “I think you should call out sick.”

  “I’m all out of sick days,” he responds.

  “Well, get your hours reduced or something,” I shoot back.

  “I can’t. I’m a workaholic.”

  “Well, I'm going to call your boss and...”

  “Sorry, I'm the CEO of this company.”

  I pause for a moment, unable to come up with new material.

  “I can do this all day, Dorothy. I’m the comeback king. Bring it on.”

  I stop to think about another comeback, but time has lingered way too long.

  “Okay. You win for now, but I have a question.”

  “I have an answer, maybe,” he replies charmingly.

  “What’s up with this lion phenomenon? I can’t go anywhere without seeing it posted.”

  He takes his time to snicker modestly at my question before answering.

  “That started a couple of years back when a hiker took a picture of a black lion. It quickly grew into a money making gimmick for the town. Now, he’s like Glenworth’s Loch Ness Monster.”

  “I figured that much,” I add.

  “To some people, he is not just an urban myth. Some say if you roam deep into the forest, you might just hear him roar. They call him Mane. He protects the forest from a demon. They say this demon was once a wolf. And when the wolf ate a hundred hearts, it turned into something else. It became part demon, part wolf. Some say it has a body of a man, but with a head of a dog. That’s how it got its name. They call this demon The Hellhound. He waits in the woods, ready to find his next victim.”

  “You know what? I overheard my mom talking on the phone with my Uncle. He said two hikers were attacked by something just recently.”

  “Yeah, I heard that one too. They tried to blame it on an animal, but I know who it was.”

  “Who was it?”

  “It was the Hellhound. In order for him to stay alive, he must eat a heart every so often or else he gets weak and dies.”

  The expression on his face is so serious that it’s creeping me out.

  “Nobody would ever believe that stuff,” I say with a snicker.

  Although I find it funny, his expression is humorless.

  “You don’t believe it?” he asks me with a serious expression.

  “Sorry, I don’t believe in fairy-tales.”

  He grunts and shakes his head in disagreement.

  “Then you better start believing in it. I bet those two people who were murdered didn't believe in him either.”

  I stop smiling. I take a second to gaze into his eyes. I study them, trying to find a hint of humor. There’s nothing there to indicate a joke.

  “I hope everyone is paying attention back there.”

  Professor Nelson says while looking directly at the two of us.

  We quickly shift our faces forward. When the Professor realizes he has our undivided attention, he continues on with his lecture.

  Before I know it, the classroom is emptying.

  "Catch you later," he says in a cool way as he leaves the room.

  “See you later,” I reply.

  I gather my belongings and head towards the door, but Professor Nelson stops me in my tracks.

  "Miss, why were you late on the first day?" he says with a raised eyebrow.

  "Oh, I was lost.”

  "Excuses are not a major in this University," he replies straightforwardly.

  "Sorry. I won’t make it a habit.”

  "I certainly hope not. I'll meet you here Thursday, on time.”

  "Yes sir," I nod to him in agreement and exit the classroom.

  I then wait outside for my mom to give me a lift back home. As soon as 4:30 strikes, I see the van coming into the school lot. I hop into the passenger's seat.

  “Hey mom, how was work?”

  My smile is brighter than ever.

  “It went well,” she responds. "So, how was school?" she shoots back.

  "Fantastic.”

  "That’s good to hear," she tells me.

  I try to lower my cheerfulness so she wouldn't notice me smiling so hard. A moment later, the car is still stationary. I turn to my mom, who can’t seem to stop staring at me with curiosity.

  "What mom?"

  My huge smile is impossible to hide.

  "I know that look," sh
e presses on.

  "What look?" I ask with aggravation.

  "That one you have.”

  "I don't know what you’re talking about.”

  “That smile on your face.”

  “Is it a crime to be happy?” I reply.

  “Not this damn happy. You’re over-the-top happy.”

  I wish that my smile will fade already. She's on to me.

  "Who is he?" she asks me.

  "Mom, stop it," I say while blushing.

  "Is he tall or is he short?”

  “Mom, back off, please,” I plead to her.

  “I’ll find out. I have good, credible, resources,” she tells me.

  I roll my eyes and shift my face towards my window.

  “Where did you meet him, English class or psychology class...?” she continues to interrogate me, unwilling to give up easily.

  I roll my eyes yet again.

  “Mom, you're delusional.”

  “You met him in biology, didn’t you?” she continues her questioning.

  “I met him online mom. He’s fresh out of prison. Are you happy now?”

  I hear her chuckling beside me as we roll back from the parking spot and cruise through the lot.

  “So, you want to play hard-ball? This is not over, girlfriend. Not by a long shot,” she informs me.

  A day that started off scary ended well for me. It’s kind of ridiculous how I’m thinking so much about Jason. He somehow turned that horrible incident with the Blaires into a distant memory…

 

  CHAPTER 14: DAY THREE