Signs point to yes- Chapter 5

Signs point to yes
….Chapter 5


I walked over to his locker slowly and as he slammed his locker closed.
He looked up, “Janice,” he said simply.
“Hunter,” I said back.
“Wait,” Hunter said, “was that supposed to be a retort? Cause it sucked.”
I ignored his comment and shook off the bad feeling I had about speaking with him.
We walked to English class in complete silence. The teacher was already leading students outside. We all sat on the grass while the teacher explained what we were going to do.
“First,” the teacher said, pushing her glasses further up her nose, “we’re going to relax, in pairs. For five minutes, no talking, just deep breathing, and then, on a piece of paper I will hand around, you will write the first word that pops into your mind. This will be your word, and you will write a short story on it later in the year. You may begin. Pick your partner, and then go sit under a tree or something.” She waved us away with a sigh.
Hunter plucked at my sleeve and we went near a lavender bush nearby.
“You begin,” he said before I could say a thing, “and I’ll count the minutes.”
I groaned and lay down in the soft grass with a soft thud. Hunter took out his watch and narrowed his eyes at me until I closed mine.
I lay down for a few seconds, before getting up and glaring at Hunter, “I don’t get it! Did I pass your little trust test or what? I need to get my sister back! It’s my duty!”
He cocked his head, “And not your want? Or need? It seems to me like you’re only doing it because you have to.”
I frowned at him, “Yes, it’s my want as well, but more my duty. I have to do this. I couldn’t save my father, and he was killed.”
Hunter smirked, “Yet you’re not to sad about that. You went to a night club last night. It’s a great way to mourn!”
I tipped my head back and stared at the sky, “I can’t mourn. Not until I get my sister back.” I looked at a fluffy cloud that looked like a horse, “I didn’t even know him.” I whispered.
“But he was your father.”
“Yes, but I have no real memories of him. When I heard he had died, it was as if hearing about a random person’s death on TV. I feel for Seraphim because she was kidnapped, and who knows what’s happening to her,” I took a deep breath, “And I owe it to her family.”
Hunter’s soft brown eyes stared into me, “Her family?”
“Hers, mine, Janice’s. When I, if I, get my memories back, I owe it to her to try and make her life complete. But for some reason I don’t believe I’ll be getting her memories back, so I’m stuck all alone in this world-”
I was cut off as the teacher rounded the corner, glaring at us both, “Do your work,” she demanded.
I sighed and lay back down. After five minutes I wrote my word down, and it was Hunter’s turn. He lay down, fiddling with a dark ring around his finger. I inspected it while his eyes were closed.
It was black, but had a red shine to it. It was cut as if a stem from a rose bush had been twined around his finger, thorns and all.
“It’s one of Morgana Le Fey’s sacred rings.”
I jumped with a start as Hunter sat up, gazing at me intently but silently. He picked up his piece of paper and wrote a single word on it.
“I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.” I grinned, expecting him to hide it.
“OK,” he said instead, “Here.”
Written in neat handwriting was the single word, liberation.
“It’s what you’re looking for,” he said simply, “Now show me yours.”
I gave mine to him, and he read the word, precarious.
“It’s what you are, and maybe something else I’m searching for,” I said just as simply. Let him ponder on that!
He just nodded calmly, accepting my answer, and then he looked up at someone approaching us. I thought it might be the teacher, but I was surprised when I locked eyes with Cole.
His blue eyes flared with surprise at Hunter sitting next to me, but then that emotion was quickly disguised with happiness when he saw my face.
“You left your book in my car,” Cole said, “I thought you might need it so I turned back around.”
“She could have just borrowed mine. She’s not incompetent you know.” I was shocked at Hunter’s anger that resonated in his voice.
“Hunter!” I said in horror, “Don’t be so rude,” I turned to Cole, “Thanks, I did need these books. Sorry for my friends total lack of manners. He didn’t take any medication this morning.”
Hunter didn’t reply to my snark comment, as he was glaring off into a random corner. It wouldn’t surprise me if he started pouting and asking for his teddy bear. Cole didn’t seem to mind Hunter’s crude behaviour. In fact he smiled politely at Hunter before he continued his conversation with me.
“That’s ok, I wore nappies once too.”
Hunter jumped up at that remark and snatched the book out of Cole’s hands.
“You delivered. Now leave!”
“Hunter!” The warning in my voice seemed to make him pause for a minute, but not before he spat on the ground right in front of Cole.
“Thank-you, Cole for bringing this to me. It was very thoughtful, but I think it might be best for you to go if Hunter’s going to act like a total jerk to you. I’ll talk to you later.”
“I’ll talk to you later,” Hunter mimicked me in an annoying high pitched noise.
Cole didn’t give Hunter any attention, “How about I drive you home tonight? I don’t want you walking the streets alone.”
“Ok,” I agreed before Hunter could throw in an insulting comment.
Cole nodded to me, then Hunter, before leaving.
I was left with Hunter, who was shaking his head. I smacked him over the head with my book that I had just received.
“Ow!” He yelled, “What was that for?”
“For your total lack of respect for my friend!” I thought for a moment, “And for mimicking me in an annoying voice. God!” I started getting louder, “Can you at least act normal?”
“Obviously I can.” He said, looking all mysterious, and eyeing me, as if I should already know.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I sighed, knowing there was something that he would bring up, not that I knew what that was yet.
“Well,” He explained slowly, trying to leech the life out of the piece of evidence he had mystifyingly plucked out of mid-air. “You called me your friend! So I guess I’m normal enough for that!”
I paused and thought back, “Crap! I did, didn’t I! I won’t make that mistake again,” Hunter rolled his eyes, “But why were you such an asshole to Cole?”
“Because I know him.” Hunter said.
“How?” I pressured.
“Who are you?” Hunter asked, “My mum?”
I stood up angrily, “If you cannot give me a straight answer, then why am I here?”
“Yes,” said a voice from behind me, “Why are you here?”
I turned slowly, suspecting the worst, and I was right. The teacher was standing there with her hands on her hips.
“You two have been disrupting the students around you, and you have not done what I have asked of you. Go straight to the principal’s office.”
Unfortunately, Hunter took this moment to be sarcastic, “Do not pass go, do not collect $200.”
I winced as he said this, knowing she would make our punishment even worse.
As it was, the teachers face seemed to blow up like a strawberry. She went bright red with anger, “Yes Hunter! Do not pass go! Do not collect $200! Think you’re funny do you? Well you will be serving detention with Janice here.”
Again, Hunter just didn’t know when to shut up, “I think that would be quite nice. How about it Janice? The two of us, alone in a dark classroom after school. Whatever shall we do to relieve the boredom?”
I took three deep breaths and tried to control the situation, “Homework,” I said to him, “Now ma’am, we have done the work. It’s right here. We have the two words you asked for. I’m sorry for disrupting other students. We won’t do it again.”
The teacher looked over our two words and nodded at me.
“You have a very level head about you Janice, so I hate to do this to you, but you will be spending lunch time with me and Mr. Smartypants over there.” She motioned to Hunter, and he chuckled for being called a smartypants.
She then walked off and I went and kicked Hunter in the arm.
“Hey!”
“What the hell was that?” I asked, my eyes blazing with anger, “Aggravating a pissed off teacher like that?”
“I couldn’t help myself,” Hunter said, brushing dirt off his shirt, “Plus spending lunch with you was an added bonus for acting out.”
I rolled my eyes and flopped down on the grass next to Hunter, looking at the clouds shaping fluffy animals…
…
Mr. Browne was sitting at a desk in the room Hunter and I were supposed to be spending our detention. Hunter wasn’t there yet so I took out a book and sandwich.
Hunter swung through the door five minutes later, and sat all the way across the room, also with a studying book.
About ten minutes into the detention, Mr. Browne sighed and stood up, “Look, I’m not paid enough to sit here doing this. You have to stay in this classroom, but I’m going to my office to have lunch. I won’t be back. If you leave, I never knew.” He winked before practically running out of the room.
I continued chomping on my sandwich blankly.
“Good,” Hunter said, putting his feet on the table, “He’s gone.” He leant back in his chair and then fell. I laughed at the tangle of arms and legs on the floor.
He got up, looking only slightly dishevelled.
I threw my rubbish in the bin and went to leave. Hunter was at the door quicker that I thought possible.
“I thought you were to be my student?”
I frowned, “Kinky Hunter, really, but I don’t need to stay in here any longer.”
Hunter sneered at the kinky joke, but kept his hand on the door.
“You both completed and failed the trust test, like a true blood, but now we have to get your memories back.”
I glared at him, “True blood? What are you on?”
He rolled his eyes, something I’d become accustomed to when talking to him, and made me sit in a chair.
“Now, close your eyes,” He whispered in my ear, “and let your mind go blank. Don’t think about anything other than the sound of my voice.”
I closed my eyes and made my mind go blank. It was surprisingly easy, so I wasn’t sure if that was already telling me something.
My breathing soon became heavy by itself, and I could feel my lungs expanding and contracting under my ribs.
“Good,” Hunter said, “Now, you will do exactly as I say. Imagine that you’re in the middle of the forest. Everything is green and mossy, and dappled light is shining through the trees. You are holding a small glass vial. The contents look bright blue. You put it up to your lips and drink heavily. The taste is horrible, but you choke it down. Now here, you are supposed to feint, and have your memories taken, but what I want you to do is go over to some green moss and eat it.”
My head felt fuzzy, and my stomach started aching. I ate the moss in my mind, and I leant over the side of my chair and vomited. I opened my eyes in terror, and found myself back in the room.
Hunter helped me kneel on the ground by the bin, spitting vomit into the bin. He held my black hair back with one hand and with the other rubbed my back.
“It’s ok,” He crooned, “You did great. Soon, all your memories will come back to you. But one at a time, of course, or else you’ll be flooded with memories and your mind will burn out.”
I looked up at him, my eyes round as moons, “My vomit…” I whispered, looking back in the bin.
Mixed with half of my sandwich, was blue liquid. My heart started racing, and I felt my face go pasty white.
Hunter didn’t say anything, but took a tissue from the nearby teacher’s desk and wiped at my mouth. I ignored him for a moment, but then glanced sideways at him. Maybe he wasn’t crazy after all.
I sat up from my position and grabbed my book, and left quietly. When I looked back, Hunter was sitting in the same place, with a tissue in his hand.