I woke at six Monday morning. My body thought that I had chores to do. It wasn’t used to my new schedule. School didn’t start for three more hours so I trudged around my apartment, trying to find something to occupy my time until Claire and Aunt Lil woke up. I decided I would pack up my back pack and iron my uniform make breakfast go on a quick jog around the block Aunt Lil had left a cell phone and an I pod touch with a workout band and an apple computer. I had bought myself some sweats knowing that in this community the old one’s wouldn’t look very presentable when I went on a run.
I had money left over from redecorating my room so I used it to buy all the school supplies I could possibly need. Aunt Lil had insisted that she give me an allowance. I agreed thinking five dollars ten max. Then she comes home with a handful of twenties. I never thought that I would know someone who got a one hundred dollar per week allowance, come to find out I am that someone. I immediately opened a bank account and put it all in, not knowing what to do with so much money.
When I got back from my run I took a shower and got dressed. Then I decided I would go harass Claire.
“Claire, wake up!” I said, shaking her. She didn’t even flinch. I sighed. Claire slept like a log. I went to her bathroom and grabbed her hair dryer. I plugged it into the outlet next to her bed. I turned it onto cold and pressed the on button. The sound was deafening in the quite of her room. She jumped upright, scowling at my laughter.
“I am going to eat you for breakfast, Renady Parks,” She said.
“Only if you can catch me.” I ran off down the stairs, Claire close behind me.
“Aunt Lil! You have to save me, Claire said she’s going to eat me for breakfast!” I looked back at Claire close behind me. “I think she might just do it too,” I said. I threw myself through the door of Aunt Lil’s room and onto her bed. I burrowed myself under the covers. Claire jumped on top of me. “Save me,” I said. Aunt Lil laughed.
“Oh my girls,” Aunt Lil through herself on top of us, and gave us each a kiss.
“Let’s get you some breakfast, and Claire some coffee, or you won’t be the only one she chews up,” Aunt Lil said. As I ate my cereal I let my mind wander. It was no use talking to Claire after the first string of words I sent at her she had just started ignoring me. The hairs pricked on the back of my neck. I looked up and out the window behind me. I shuddered. It was nothing, no one was there. I had been doing this all week. I kept thinking someone was behind me, then when I would turn around there would be nothing there. Well except for that time in the tower when I had although I had seen someone prowling around in the bushes across the street, but when I turned around to get my binoculars by the time I turned back to find they were gone. I had decided that it was probably just a stray cat or dog. When I was done with my cereal I brought it to the sink and rinsed it. I glanced at the clock and realized it was eight thirty. Where had the time gone?
I grabbed my backpack. I would walk to school.
“I’m off, you coming Claire?” I asked. She lifted hear head from the kitchen counter. She was already messing up her hair, after she had just spent a good thirty minutes on it.
“In a minute, you go ahead,” She said. I smiled, and headed out the door. I had never heard of a school inside a gated community before. It seemed kind of weird to me, but then again everything these people do is so different compared to what I’m used to.
I walked out the door making sure I had my key so I could get in if Claire came home from school a little late. I hopped down the driveway and started walking down the sidewalk toward school. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed something that caught my attention. Someone was following me. I told myself that I must have imagined it. I kept walking, but I saw it again. I knew it, I was being trailed. I had to shake them. The question was how. Whatever or whoever it was if they were following me probably knew I was going to school, but I had left way earlier than was probably necessary. I pulled out my compact mirror. I wasn’t really a girly person. The reason I had it was it could be a pretty good weapon if someone attacked. After all it was glass. I kept walking while I pretended to check my appearance. I didn’t walk fast knowing that if I did whoever it was would know I was on to them. The minute I caught a glimpse I closed it so it seemed like it was just a quick check up on my makeup that I didn’t wear. It was a man. He had brown hair, but I couldn’t see his eyes. There was something interesting about him. I got an idea and realized maybe I wanted him to know I was onto him. So I spun around. The man wasn’t expecting this sudden move so he pretended that he was just out on a walk and went through somebody’s gate. I waited until he was gone then dove into a bush to hide. The man walked back out of the yard. He looked around, trying to find me. He didn’t know where I had gone so he assumed that I had headed towards the school. He was going to walk right past me. I watched every step he took. Finally, he took the step leading him into my trap. I ran out from behind the row of bushes. I used a move my grandfather had taught me to knock him unconscious. Before anyone could see what I had done, I drug his limp body behind the bushes. Unfortunately, he was a lot heavier than the boys at school. He wouldn’t be out for long, just long enough for me to make it to the school if I sprinted. I ran at full speed, but the feeling that someone was watching still hadn’t gone away.
When I reached the safety of the school I was sweaty and in great need of a drink of water. I pulled out the water bottle I had stashed in my backpack and drank half of it in a few seconds.
“You must be really thirsty.” A girl said walking towards me. She had strawberry blond hair cut off at her shoulders. She had a round face that resembled a child’s but it with a few angles of a mature adult. Her eyes were a glass blue that seemed to be endless.
“Yeah, just a bit,” I said. I knew that I had to make an excuse but I couldn’t possibly tell her the real reason. “I sprinted all the way here. I am still used to my old school schedule and I thought I was late,” I said.
“Oh you’re the new girl. Renady isn’t it?”
“Yes but how did you-”
“Know your name? You’ve been the talk of the community!” She said.
“I’m Kaylyn wellington.” She held out her hand.
“I am Renady, as you know, Renady Parks.” I replied, taking her hand and shaking it.
“C’mon I will walk you to class you look lost already,” She offered.
“Alright.”
“I hope you don’t mind being early I like to get there ahead of time to set up my computer and stuff.”
“No worries.”
“Great.”We chatted on the way to our classroom. Kaylyn mostly chatted about rock music and Christian metal. She talked about her pet bulldog spike, and how her mom was worried that she was becoming Goth. Then how she brushed it off as normal teenage behavior. I liked Kaylyn she was really kind. I could tell she was curious about me, but she seemed to know that now was not the right time to ask any questions which I was very thankful for. The school itself was decorated like a palace. It led me to wonder how much aunt Lil was paying for me to attend. I pushed the thought out of my mind. I didn’t want to know. The classroom was huge. Everyone had their own L-shaped desk and swivel leather office chair. Name cards were placed on every desk telling us where to sit. Kaylyn and mine were directly next to each other. I watched as Kaylyn stuck an unrecognizable spiked object on her desk. Instead of a white board there was a smart board up on the wall at the front of the classroom. Everything was so modern and high-tech, nothing like my small hometown. All of a sudden, I was part of a very wealthy community and that unnerved me. I set up my computer and the wireless mouse, then pulled out my books. Hairs rose on my arms, and goose bumps rose along my neck. I felt as if someone were watching me. I thought back to this morning’s incident and shuddered. THUMP! One of my textbooks clattered to the floor. I reached down to pick it up and saw what looked like a small black bug attacked to my backpack. With closer examination I realized it was a camera. Had Aunt Lil installed it
? I shook my head. There was no way. I looked up wondering if there were anyone here who could have slipped it on. My eyes caught the walk of floor to ceiling windows. A bush rustled. I shivered. It was probably just a squirrel. I reached down and disconnected the camera, crushing it under my shoe. With any luck, who ever installed it would take the hint. Goose bumps rose on my arms again. I snapped my head towards the windows just in time to see someone escaping off into the distance. What on earth?
“Ren? You alright, girl?” Claire said. I turned to see her at my side, placing her books on her desk. I rolled my eyes.
“Of course, I was just day dreaming about meeting a handsome movie star and eloping to Paris,” I said in an airy voice. I flashed her a sarcastic smile, and rolled my eyes.
“Don-even” I smiled at Claire’s slurred version of don’t even. She had said it since we were kids. “You telling me you want to abandon me, Parks?”
“Of course not, I planned on stuffing you in my suitcase,” I said with a laugh. I glanced over at Kaylyn at my other side. “Claire meet Kaylyn,” I said.
“Hey, hey,” Kaylyn said.
“How you doing K, hows your mom doing?” Claire asked. The classroom door swung open and the teacher walked in.
“Welcome back class. For those of you who haven’t heard of me I’m Ms. B.” She said.
“‘morning Ms. B” the class sang.
“I believe we have a new student” she continued “Miss Randy Parks.” She added.
“Renady, actually.” I said.
“Oh Renady, I am so sorry.” “Class please say hello to Renady.” She said.
“Hello Renady.” The class said with a ‘hey girl hey’ and a ‘Hey there chica,” from Claire and Kaylyn. I pursed my lips together trying not to laugh. Maybe this new city wouldn’t be so bad.
The school day drug on, after a while the novelty of how fancy the atmosphere was wore off, and the massive amount of assignments began to take precedence in my thoughts. Claire, were walking back from PE for our last class. We were walking to our last class, Kaylyn was chatting with Claire about something I wasn’t paying much attention to. The hairs on my arms rose, my gaze fixed on a man walking towards us. It was the man I had knocked unconscious earlier that morning. Oh no. Maybe I was wrong. Perhaps he wasn’t following me to school but was a teacher here? Although, what about the cameras? That couldn’t be a coincidence. I consoled myself with that thought, then I realized it wasn’t particularly comforting. What was I going to do? Kaylyn and Claire were right next to me. I was busted if he said anything, and how would I explain myself if I had to defend myself again?
“Hey Claire how about you and Kaylyn go on without me. I have go to the restroom and I don’t want to make you late,” I said, keeping my eyes on the man approaching me.
“Sure,” Claire said. When they were out of sight, I walked towards the man.
“Didn’t I knock you out once already?” I said. He laughed but I didn’t know what was so funny. My eyes assessed him, trying to decipher if he was a threat, and how to attack if he was.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” He said so as if he were reproaching a three year old for getting food all over their face rather than a sixteen year old assessing what blow to deal.
“Why were you following me?” I asked.
“I beg your pardon, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He said. He was blocking my way the classroom just ahead. The hallway was now empty, no one to act as witness if he were to try to harm me. I ducked down swinging my leg around. He stumbled. I rolled my body into his legs. He fell, flicking out his hand to my backpack. His hand brushed against it for a moment, then he rolled and stood. I pretended not to have noticed the action as I ran to class. I slipped through the door and sat at my desk between Claire and Kaylyn. I had recognized what he had put on my backpack right away. It was another camera. I knew I couldn’t crush it, but I couldn’t just leave it on either. I looked around the room for someone who looked even a little bit like me. I found her. She was in the very back, but I recognized the type. She was the snotty popular cheerleader type. Ugh this was going to get me in trouble. When it comes down to it, I didn’t know what was worse: an infuriated teenage bubble gum girl or a deranged stalker. I sat back as the teacher entered, and made my plan.
When the last bell rang signaling the end of school, my plan had been laid out. The girl I had seen earlier was just walking out, passing me to do so. I had to make this look like an accident. I walked forward, then pretending to snag my foot on a desk, I fell on her pulling her down with me. I knew that in this mess of girls and backpacks the whoever was watching through the camera wouldn’t be able to tell what was going on. I slipped the camera onto her backpack, got up, apologized then got my rear end out of there. Whoever the man was who planted the camera wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between her and I until I was safely home. Kaylyn came up behind me.
“Now you’ve done it, new girl,” She said.
“What do you mean?” I asked
“That was Analise Lennings the most popular-and wealthiest-girl here. Her family practically owns the school with how much they’ve donated,”
“In that case, they can afford the surgery to repair her bruised ego,” I said shaking it off. Claire caught up to us just then.
“What was that about?”
“Oh you know, I just decided to outright tackle the most popular girl in school. Apparently I’ve just committed social suicide,” I tried to keep my expression solid.
“Well if you’re going to do it, do it right,” Claire said. I smiled. By this point, we were almost back home. Kaylyn stopped at a Tuscan style home.
“This is me. It was nice meeting you, Renady,”
“Yeah, you too.”
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