Power (Book 1)

Chapter 10

Cassie and I shared almost every class together, except for fourth and sixth periods. Principal Brown expected me to be with her just about wherever she went. He thought he was making my life worse, but Cassie was becoming one of those people who fit into my life perfectly.

I walked her to every one of her classes, even the ones we don't share, and we talked about our lives after the attack- and what they were both turning into. Cassie told me she wasn't allowed to leave the house anymore since the fight, but she didn't really mind. She didn't have anywhere to be.

The day went well for me, a lot better than I expected. When people realized that I wasn't going to do anything stupid, most of them stopped staring at me in the hallway and whispering behind my back. As unusual as it may seem, gossip seemed to die out pretty quickly here.

I was happy by the end of the school day. Nothing could bring me down for the rest of the night.

I slammed my locker shut for the last time for the day. I walked down the hallway, waving goodbye to all of the passing teachers. They didn't wave back, though.

Today, I wanted to be the last student in school. I didn't know why, just that I did.

I decided to take the long way out the school, pass Cassie's locker and the principal's office, hoping to catch her before she left.

I turned the corner and looked down the hallway. No sign of Cassie. Disappointed, I trudged to the doors.

Soon, I was passing the principal's office. I was getting ready to walk right by the door, but then it opened. Mr. Brown stood behind it, smiling at me from the other side of the frame. "Hello, Jay," he said. "How are you doing?"

"Okay," I said slowly. What was wrong with him? And what on earth was he doing with that horrible smile? He never smiled at me.

"Come in, come in." He urged me through the door. "I've been meaning to speak with you." He moved towards the chair behind his desk, landing himself in his seat. He gestured for me to sit in the chair in front of him.

I reluctantly sat down. I couldn't help but feel like I had just been caught after thinking I'd gotten away with stealing from the gas station.

Mr. Brown leaned forward, peering at me over his glasses. His smile faded away from his face.

"So, I've been informed that you were involved in...an accident," he struggled to find the right word.

Informed from who? The students? The teachers? The police? He could've just watched it on the news.

"Yes," I said.

"You say there was a monster...Metagor, was it?" he asked.

"Yes," I repeated.

"I see you have been under a lot of stress lately in your classes, particularly physical education," he continued. "You are very obviously not lying. Could this, perhaps, all be a...a hallucination in your mind, maybe?"

"No," I said with certainty. "I can get Cassie North to vouch for me as well. I was not hallucinating, Mr. Brown."

"Yes, about that- Ms. North has given every account of what she had seen at the incident. It matches what you said, but there are several things that simply do not make sense."

"Like what?" I snorted.

"Like the fact that someone like that would attack you in your own home!" he said. "I mean, come on. What possible reason would he have for attacking your family? Do you have any lead on him, pictures, other witnesses, anything?"

He didn't know about what that monster said to me about contacting me. No one knew that, not even Jake. That was my secret to keep.

But that didn't mean I couldn't bend the truth a little.

"Sir, I have no idea why Metagor was there," I said truthfully. "He came, destroyed a lot, beat the living crap out of me, and left. Believe me, I would give anything to know more about his motives for being at my house." There. Truth upheld. "But like I said, the only people there were me and Cassie, and my comatose father."

"I was afraid you would say that," he sighed. He produced a cleaning wipe from his pocket and wiped his glasses clean, checking them in the light before putting them back on.

I waited anxiously as he stared at me. What was he waiting for? A confession?

"Jay West, I have no choice but to expel you from Skyview High until further notice. Please have your things out of your locker by 9:00 PM tomorrow evening."