by Holly Hook
"No one knows," she said. "Did you hear how he died?"
"He got set on fire or something. That's what Tasha said she saw on the news," I said. At least I was being honest about that last part.
Principal Adler put her hand on the phone as if thinking. "It's odd. Things like this don't happen around here. Be careful, would you, Felicia?"
"Will," I said, flicking my gaze to the hall. So far, no Sven. I wondered if I should tell Principal Adler the deal, but I couldn't do that without betraying that I'd seen the attacker in person. Yes, Sven has the same eyes as the knife-wielding guy, and the same cheekbones. And no, I wasn't at the mall to see that. I might as well lock myself in my room forever. "Do you have the applications for after school activities? I'd like to check them out to find something to do."
"I know you don't get off the farm much," Principal Adler said with some sympathy. She knew how my parents were. I'd overheard her suggesting that they give me more freedom to explore. Still, I knew it wasn't safe to confide anything to her.
She opened the drawer and pulled out a small stack of papers. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at the process. This was a school, not an office, but with Principal Adler doing multiple jobs, she had to keep track of things however she could. She was also computer illiterate.
"Key Club. Drama Club," I read, flipping through them. "Student Journalism." Not my thing, but I'd apply to whatever would serve as a mask. "Thanks, Principal Adler."
She winked at me. "It's no problem. Exploring new interests is good for you."
I turned to step out of the office.
And bumped right into Sven. He still wore his shirt inside out.
"Oh!" I said. "I'm sorry."
He appeared to have been walking in right when I was leaving. I took a step back and almost bumped into the principal's desk. This was a small school and he must be here to ask a question since it was his first day, but that didn't tone down the creepy factor much.
Especially since he wasn't at lunch.
Had he followed me here?
His brilliant eyes locked with mine. "I'm sorry, too," he said.
Then I turned my gaze down. The way he said that sent creepy vibes down my back. Tasha would say I was letting things get to my head. She might be right. I held the applications as a shield. An urge to hide swept over me.
"I saw you come in," he said. "So I figured this was the office."
He had been watching me. Principal Adler opened another drawer behind me and shifted through papers. Sven inched a bit closer, studying my body. This was getting into stalker territory. Instead of pausing on my curves like a normal guy would, Sven eyed my hands.
It was as if he expected to find something dangerous.
And the red glow emanated from his pocket. It was faint, but I knew it was the same glow that came from that medallion at the mall.
But we were in the principal's office.
"What's that red light coming from your pocket?" I asked, loud enough for Principal Adler to hear. "I've never seen a cell phone like that. And are you here to get a shirt to replace the sword one you're wearing?"
It worked. The principal got out of her chair and clapped her hands. "Red glow?" she asked. I detected the nerves in her voice. "Turn out your pockets, young man. I'm sure it's nothing, but safety first. And if you are wearing a sword shirt--"
Sven backed away, paling. "It's a cell phone," he said, not sounding confident at all.
"Felicia," Principal Adler said. "You may head back to lunch now."
I'd never heard her sound so harsh with me. But I took the opportunity and headed back to the cafeteria with my applications in hand. I left Sven there to deal with the principal. He'd have to hand over the medallion in his pocket and then if I was lucky, Principal Adler would call the cops. They'd connect it to the psycho's sword and haul him off, and then I'd never have to see him again. Problem solved.
Why did I feel so grimy?
I sat down across from Tasha again. "See?" she asked. "You got out of there without incident. I told you it would be okay."
I opened my mouth to bring up the truth, but closed it. "Without incident," I agreed.
Telling Tasha would get her to bring up my paranoia again. I wasn't sure what to think. But if Sven had nothing harmful in his pockets or backpack, then it wouldn't matter, right? The guy would hate me for ratting him out, but oh, well. He shouldn't have followed me around and stared at my hands as if I were about to attack him.
My stomach turned over.
The more I thought about things, the scarier they got.
"Felicia?" Tasha asked.
I eyed the open cafeteria door for a moment to hide my discomfort.
And just in time to see Sven bolting down the hall, making his escape from the office. The faint red glow continued to show from his jeans pocket.
Chapter Five
I didn't spot Sven for the rest of the day, but kept thinking about the office. Had Principal Adler seen whatever he was carrying?
That he ran didn't sit well with me.
He wouldn't have a reason for that unless he carried something dangerous.
Tasha wasn't in my last period to groan to, so once I finished my work, I spent the rest of the class period filling out the apps for every after school activity I could. I chatted with Dirk Macher, who headed the Journalism Club, and found out they met once per week.
"We'd love to have you," he said with a charming smile. "Give me the app, and I'll see about letting you in."
I hated to disappoint such a nice guy. "It's a front to get me off the farm," I explained. "I'm using it as an excuse to be out after school, but I might get a job instead." Then I thought. "I still might show up to some meetings, depending on what my work schedule will be. Well, if I find a job. You know of any?"
Dirk smiled. "My parents need someone to fold and deliver the local paper for them. They're open to hiring someone from the Journalism club. Say, join the Club and help, and I'll put in a rec for the job. We need someone to do legwork. How does that sound?" He blushed.
Ah. Small town politics. It was how things got done. Plus, I knew Dirk had a crush on me since elementary school but was too shy to ask out any girl, even one who couldn't get off her family farm. Or maybe he feared my controlling parents. Most guys ran away from them. I liked Dirk too, but I wasn't sure if I liked him in that way. He was smart and charming, sure. I'd just never felt a zing while around him.
Sven might be creepy, but at first, he was so freaking hot...
"Sounds good," I said, wrenching my wandering thoughts from Sven. "What would my hours be?"
"Well, they're looking to pay normal minimum wage, and yes, it's under the table," he said. "You'd fold papers then deliver them to our subscribers on Saturday mornings. It's boring, but it will pay."
The bell rang and the two of us put our chairs up on our desks. We continued to talk as we walked to my locker together. I'd get up early on Saturdays and deliver the local papers around town. I had a bicycle for that and I could finish early enough to get back to the farm before my parents woke.
"Dirk. Thanks," I said, handing him my app. "I'll be at the first meeting this Wednesday."
He smiled again. "Great to have you," he said.
And then he hurried away, propelled by nerves.
* * * * *
I checked the bus to make sure Sven didn't board it. Then once it was ready to take off, I got on, making the driver reopen the door. Sure, I could walk to the farm if I needed to or ride my bike, but it would take too long and expose me to whoever might be following. Principal Adler lived on the other side of Olivia as me and heading to her house in an emergency wouldn't work. So did Tasha, who couldn't drive me home today since she had a tutoring session. And I would not wait around the school for her, paranoia or no.
Once safe, I got on and rode home. Maybe he wouldn't come back to school tomorrow or Principal Adler wouldn't let him.
Nope.
When I walked into Lit th
e next morning, he was sitting there, in the middle of the room as he had yesterday.
I froze in the doorway, hating that I'd taken the bus that morning and hadn't yet found Tasha in the halls. Until now, I'd been thinking he'd have abandoned the school and his nefarious plans, but Sven remained at his desk, flipping through the book. He was already studying the Beowulf poem we'd continue reading today.
Not sure whether to back out of the room or wait for others to show, even if it was Mrs. Cornea, I hesitated in the doorway.
Sven looked up and locked me in a glare. At least it was something other than creepy staring.
"Don't try to get my phone confiscated again," he said. "What's wrong with you? That was a gift from my father and if I lost it, he'd kill me."
He sounded legit.
And I felt stupid.
What if the glow was from a phone?
What if Sven had just gone into the office to ask a question? That made sense, being his first day. I should have expected to see him there.
What if I was just paranoid as Tasha said?
It figured. Maybe being on the farm all my life left me with zero life skills.
"I didn't think it was a phone," I asked. "Phones don't glow like that. I was just wondering what it was in your pocket."
"You didn't have to do it in front of the principal," he said.
"We can have phones so long as we don't use them in class," I said. "And I warned you about the shirt thing, so I should have a neutral score, right?"
"You did it to get me in trouble," Sven said. "It sucks enough being the new guy."
"Well, I thought you were following me around," I said. "You stared at me a lot yesterday. And were you really carrying a phone?" I remained in the doorway.
Sven reached into his pocket. My heart raced, and I froze in place, expecting to see the glowing medallion.
It was a phone. With a red background.
It was official. I was stupid.
"See?" he asked. "What did you think I had? A lightsaber?"
"I'm not sure how that would fit in your pocket while activated," I said. "The blade might cause problems."
I thought Sven would sigh at me and go back to Beowulf, but instead, he laughed.
I wasn't sure if he was doing it to turn the conversation away from his staring problem, but it was better than him drawing an antique dagger to kill me. Then I dared a step into the room and sat down at the desk I'd taken yesterday, the one closest to the door. Outside, chatter and foot traffic increased. I cursed my bus for always being early.
"So, you like Star Wars?" I asked.
"I do," he said. "I have issues with the new movies. It's the originals for me." He tucked his phone back into his pocket.
"Look, I'm sorry about yesterday," I said.
Sven turned the page to the book, uncomfortable. "So am I. I shouldn't have stared at you like that. It's just—never mind."
My heart raced as every drop of blood in my body rushed to my face. Great. Sven wore a different T-shirt today, one that hugged his perfect chest muscles. I couldn't stop staring at him. "Never mind what?" I squeaked.
"I thought you might be someone," he said, speaking fast. "Maybe you're not." He eyed the door as if he expected something to come through it.
"So I'm nobody?" I asked. My thoughts turned back to the mall incident. The guy curling on the floor with smoke rising from his chest roared back. His cries of pain reverberated in my mind. Maybe Sven was related to him and wanted revenge, and he'd just decided that I wasn't the one who had anything to do with his relative's death.
"Oh. I didn't mean it that way," he said. "It's complicated."
I had to press. "I'm not standing on the outside near a crime ring, am I?" I kept my tone light as if I were joking.
"No," Sven said, putting effort into making his tone reassuring. He was no good at keeping a poker face, which shocked me after his performance in reading yesterday. "I wanted to say I was sorry again. You must have thought I was following you."
"So are we even?" I asked. Relief coursed through me, but I didn't let my guard down a hundred percent. Sven was looking for someone, and after the office yesterday, decided I must not be it. But the glove fit the mall situation. Why else would his family hunt for someone who went to this school?
But it wasn't like I had killed the guy.
Had I?
It was the first time I admitted that I might have had something to do with the guy's horrible death and it was terrifying.
But for now, I'd fake Sven out. And I'd push that thought away. So I got out my book and opened it, pretending to study.
And this time, Sven didn't stare.
As I tried to ignore him, my curiosity grew. I was at the middle of this whole strange situation even if he hadn't had a medallion in his pocket. Or maybe he was faking me out and trying to get me to let my guard down so he could—what?
The phone didn't explain why he ran from the office.
Tasha came in right after I finished that thought. "Hey," she said to Sven. "How are you today?"
"Fine," he said, using a tone meant to make her move on.
"How are you feeling?" Tasha asked me. "Doing better?"
Fear exploded that she'd talk about my supposed—or real—paranoia in front of Sven. "I'm doing better," I said, telling her to remain quiet with my eyes. If she mentioned something about the mall, it was all over. "My stress over Algebra got a little better after I studied last night."
Tasha smiled. "That's great." She sat next to Sven, who shifted. I'd seen no one throw themselves at someone else with such intensity.
Mrs. Cornea started class the moment everyone sat down, ordering us to open our books. Then she took attendance, and we spent the next hour taking turns reading out loud as if we were junior high kids. Beowulf became a king after defeating Grendel, and once he reached old age, a dragon terrorized his people after someone had the audacity to steal from its treasure hoard.
When it was Sven's turn, he was amazing. "Then for the third time thought on its feud, that folk-destroyer, fire-dread dragon, and rushed on the hero, where room allowed, battle-grim, burning; its bitter teeth closed on his neck, and covered him with waves of blood from his breast that welled."
"Nice!" one guy said from the back of the room, praising the gore of Beowulf's mortal injury.
Sven shifted again. Tasha inched her desk closer to him.
Mrs. Cornea had listened to this hundreds of times. "Felicia. Read, please."
Compared to Sven, I was Porky Pig. I did the worst out-loud reading of my life as my palms sweat.
Something about Sven's reading brought back the mall scene.
Burning...welling...
It was just a poem. The details were vague enough to be anything.
I finished reading. Beowulf died to defeat the dragon, but the only guy brave enough to fight by his side, Wiglaf, stayed by his side and called the other guys cowards for running from the fight. The story ended with a funeral, and the bell rang right when Larissa completed the last stanza.
"Homework!" Mrs. Cornea shouted. "Read over the poem again on your own time and answer the questions at the end of the section. I'll see you tomorrow."
I was relieved to slam the book shut and stuff it into my backpack. Then I got up and put it over my shoulder. "Tasha? Coming?" We walked together halfway to next period before having to split up.
"I still have to get my stuff. Don't want to make you late. I'll see you at lunch," she said.
Sven was still putting his stuff away, so I took the chance to get out of there.
But before I left, Tasha leaned close to him. He turned his head and listened as she spoke.
Chapter Six
"Hey. Felicia?"
I turned in the lunch line, half-filled tray in hand.
Sven stood right behind me. It was obvious he'd cut in front of the two girls who had been behind me before because one of them shot him a dirty look.
"What?" I asked, stiffening. T
he line inched forward as the lunch lady slid someone's card through the reader. I drew my shoulders back, not because I was trying to show off my body, but because it was time to exude confidence. If Tasha had told Sven about how paranoid I was after the mall, then he might have changed his mind about me not being the person he was looking for.
And now that he had me cornered, my best bet was to look like someone he didn't want to mess with.
"I don't know how to say this, but--"
I might as well get to it. "Yeah, I know. I'm a mess."
His eyes widened. "You? A mess?" He gave me no sign that he knew.
"I overreacted to you yesterday," I said. "It was great talking to you this morning. And again, I'm sorry."
Sven smiled. It made awkward heat explode through my whole body and gather in my cheeks. There was no red glow emanating from his pocket today. He must have turned his cell phone off.
An urge to ask him to sit at my table swept over me, but I knew what would happen: Tasha. She was making him uncomfortable, and I didn't want to subject him to that. And why did I want him to sit with me? He might be related the my attacker. "Where are you eating?"
"Don't know yet," he said. "I was thinking I'd sit with you, but your friend has been stalking me."
"Tasha's been stalking you?" So that was what this was about.
Sven looked behind him. "There are about five or six girls doing that right now."
I wondered why. Not.
"Hey, I'd protect you from them, but I can't keep Tasha away," I said, glad the conversation was no longer on my paranoia. So Tasha didn't tell him about the scene at the mall. That was a relief. "I'd love to have you sit at our table, but I understand if you can't."
My heart raced. If Sven sat with me, I'd become the target of the Vultures in no time. They already gave Tasha the stink eye. My breath caught as I waited for his answer. And there was still no red glow coming from his pocket. It should if the phone gave it off.