Jane
I was disrupted from my happy dream by a knock at my door. I noticed Celeste didn't even bother waking me up for class, and I smiled as I padded to the door.
I was surprised to see Dean on the other side. He was actually skipping classes, and visiting me. It was weird.
"I thought I'd find you here." he said with a broad smile.
"Ya, good call. What time is it?" I asked with a yawn.
"Quarter after 10. Someone put something outside your door for you." Dean said as he revealed the small box from behind his back. It had a simple red ribbon wrapped around it and the tag had my name on it.
I took it in my hands and motioned for Dean to come inside. We sat on my bed and stared at the box.
"What do you think it is?" he asked.
"It's probably a Birthmas present from dad." I said simply.
"A Whatmas?"
"Oh ya. I forgot that Birthmas isn't a real thing. It usually happens around mid-January. Dad could never really care enough to get me two gifts a year, so he created Birthmas. One gift for my Birthday and Christmas." I explained.
Dean nodded, "Kay, Birthmas. Got it. Now open it!"
"I am! Sheesh! Anxious much?"
I slowly unwrapped the ribbon, just to drive Dean crazy. I guess he was just curious to see what kind of stuff dad bought. Usually, it was nothing special. A twenty dollar bill, a bar of soap, or even just a card is the sort of thing he usually gave me.
When I finally lifted the lid on the box, I gasped. It was a necklace, one that looked quite expensive. It had a long silver chain, and a diamond-filled key dangling from the end. Dean looked as surprised as I was, and I heard him mutter something about 'Daddy's little Princess'. At the bottom of the box, there was a small note. I picked it up and read it to myself, not wanting Dean to hear the bad language my dad sometimes used to describe how he felt about me.
Dear Jane
I overheard what the secretaries were saying about your father, and I just wanted you to know that I'm sorry. I stereotyped you as the flawless popular girl, but you're really not. You've been through what I have. You've seen the dark side that only humans possess. You are a very smart girl. Don't let anyone convince you otherwise.
-A friend
P.S. I know your secret. You are bright for someone who's never been to school.
I was silent for awhile. It was awkward with Dean staring at me. He waited for an explanation to the note. I took in a slow breath.
"I-it's not from dad." I finally managed to choke out.
"Who's it from then?" He asked.
"I have no clue." I lied. I knew exactly who it was from, I just couldn't believe it.
"Huh. That's strange. Anyways, 4th period is starting. Will I see you in the dining hall for lunch?"
"Um...no. I have to talk to someone. I'll see you later though."
Dean nodded and I watched him leave before standing up immediately. I grabbed a striped off-the-shoulder shirt, some ripped jeans, and a cute fedora hat before rushing to the bathroom. Once I was dressed, I curled my hair and put on some makeup. I was just about to leave when I remembered the small box on my bed. I grabbed the necklace and hooked it around my neck before grabbing my purse and heading out the door.
I popped a piece of watermelon flavoured gum in my mouth and made my way cautiously down the stairs. Once I was in the lounge area, which was right by the main doors, I followed the somewhat regular path to the principal's office. I looked in through the glass walls and saw the secretary on her computer. I smiled, knowing that this lady was the BIGGEST pushover on Earth. She also knew me quite well, since she always started up a conversation while I was waiting to see Miss Carters. The secretary was a nice lady, although her name always slipped my mind.
"Hello, Miss...secretary! I was wondering if I could make a quick announcement?"
"Shouldn't you be in class, Miss Robertson?" she asked skeptically.
"I was just on my way back there, but I really need to make an announcement first." I lied sweetly.
"Oh, all right. Then right back to class, alright Jane?"
"Of course!"
"Okay. The PA mic is right over there." she said, pointing to a mic on the other side of the office.
"Thank you."
I made my way over to the microphone and held the button down, "Excuse me for this interruption, but could Aaron Mandler please come to the student lounge? Aaron Mandler to the student lounge. Thank you."
When I took my hand off the button, I gave the secretary a quick smile before making my way back to the student lounge. I sat down on one of the couches and felt the unnecessary heat of the digital fireplace in front of me. I heard footsteps coming my way and smiled as Aaron walked in.
"Why, hello Aaron. I'm surprised you actually came."
"I'm surprised Miss Shasko let you use the PA system."
"Shasko and I have a pleasant relationship. Come sit." I said as I patted the spot next to me.
Aaron rolled his eyes and sat down. We were silent for awhile, listening to the digital flicker of the fake fire.
"Um, thanks." I said finally.
"For what?"
"The necklace. And the note."
"You knew it was me?"
"Of course I did. You speak in that intellectual way. It was easy to read through the lines."
"Oh really? And what did you decipher from between the lines?"
I smiled, "That you are the biggest geek I have ever met."
"I'm hurt." Aaron said with fake sorrow on his face.
"Well, that doesn't matter to me because I love the necklace." I told him as I lifted the chain to see I was wearing it.
"It suits you." he complimented. I felt heat crawl up my cheeks and I was confused for a minute. Did I just-? Nah, it was probably just the fire.
We were silent for a few minutes. I didn't know what else to say.
"Listen, Jane. I know you're going to think I'm the nosiest jerk in the world for asking this, but why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell me about your dad, or your school dropout?"
"Well, if you were in my position, would you want people to know? I don't want people to pity me, nor do I want people to laugh. I have had a complicated life since I was 8. I don't want it to get worse, I mean, would you?"
"I don't want mine to get worse either." Aaron muttered. I looked at him curiously. I couldn't help wondering about what Aaron's past was like. He was always so uptight and mysterious. Was it as bad as mine? Worse? Better? Nothing about him sparked me as happy.
"What do you mean?" I asked him. Aaron opened his mouth to say something, but decided against it and closed it again. Instead, he just shook his head.
I decided to change the subject, not feeling up to speaking of my father anymore, "Have you thought much about what we should do about the new students?"
"I have. Unfortunately, you don't have any kind of experience with this sort of thing. And we don't have any kind of materials."
I smiled, "I think I can handle that."
Suddenly, a wide smile broke out on Aaron's face. You know when people say that someone's smile can light up the whole room? I now know what they're talking about. Aaron's smile was like a breakthrough of some sort of joy that had been kept inside him for so long. At that moment, I finally knew for sure that he was indeed a human.
***
I strolled down the hallways innocently, watching the frazzled students rush from their lockers to the dining hall. Besides the Starbucks and vending machines, there was only one place open for lunch. That one place was exactly like the typical cafeteria. They only had certain things each day. Apparently, today was pizza day.
I skimmed the faces of the students passing by as I searched for one in particular. I tried to hide my face from the passing teachers, hoping they wouldn't notice that I was absent the entire morning. Mr. Brilla, my homeroom teacher, caught me as I was heading into the dining hall. I made a break for it and ended up hiding in the janitor's closet. I cracked the door open a few inches and continued to watch the students passing by.
Finally, I spotted the geeky girl with her hair curled and contacts in. She was fiddling with her ID card, which was hooked to a lanyard around her neck. She shuffled towards the Dining Hall entrance, passing right by the partially open door. Without hesitation, I grabbed her blue plaid shirt and cupped my hand over her mouth. She let out a muffled scream as I pulled her into the closet and closed the door.
I flicked on the light, showing her that it was just me, and let go of her mouth.
"Jane? What are you doing? Why did you drag me into the janitor's closet?" she asked in a harsh whisper.
"I need your help." I told her. Celeste's face went from surprised to cautious. She started edging towards the door and I pulled her back.
"Why? I don't want to get in trouble! I have a clean record! Plus, why should I need to help you with a scheme of yours?! I already do your homework!"
"Shh. Celeste, calm down." I told her soothingly. She tried to slow down her shaky breaths and nodded when she was calm again.
"I need you to do something for me as a friend." I whispered. Celeste looked up into my eyes, curiosity appeared in her big brown eyes.
"What do you need?"
"Well, as you know, 12 new vampires indeed transferred to SCA. They are plotting to attack the school on Prom night. Aaron and I need your help to stop this from happening."
Celeste pursed her lips, obviously thinking hard about what she wanted to do about this situation. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before saying, "How can I help?"
I smiled, "Well, you see, since you are a geek I was hoping you could-"
"I'll only help if the geek thing stops." Celeste told me. She stared at me with those serious eyes, much similar to the ones of Miss Carters.
"You know, at least geek is a step up from nerd or dork."
"Still. Anyways, carry on."
"Fine. Since you're....Celeste....I was wondering if you could make us some stuff."
"What kind of stuff?" she asked skeptically. The small girl put her hands on her hips and raised her eyebrow at my grin.
"Oh, you know. The usual. Swords and stuff."
"Swords?! Where in HECK am I going to find a sword?!"
"Tech Ed is always looking for new assignments. Make an actual sword. Actually, make an actual three swords." I said. I totally said 'actual' way too much in that sentence.
"Three? I thought it was just you and Aaron."
My grin grew, "You actually think I'd leave you out of all the fun?"
That made her smile, "Well, I guess I could try. I am pretty good at metal works."
"There's the spirit! Now, I need you to do one more thing. Find out everything you can about real vampires."
Celeste nodded. I was reaching for the light, when suddenly the power cut out.
"Woah! Where did the lights in the hallway go?" Celeste cried.
"Calm down, Celeste. It's just a power outage." I stated. I fumbled around in the darkness, trying to find a flashlight or something. I heard a crash and felt Celeste jump.
"What was that?!" She whispered. Celeste had apparently not seen many power outages.
"It's fine, Celeste. I just knocked over a plate." I told her. I stepped on the glass and heard a crackle under my boot.
I felt the shelves for something useful, but all I could feel was cleaning sprays, mops, toilet paper, and the occasional plate or glass. I continued farther into the janitor's closet, knowing that it only went a few meters back. I reached forward in front of me, hoping to find the shelf filled with brooms, so I knew where I was. Instead, I felt something soft.
I heard a low chuckle, "Why, hello beautiful."
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SUSPENSE!!!!
I had a bit of fun coming up with the ending for this chapter. I really hope you liked it, even though it was sort of boring.
This is probably my FAVE story that I've started so far, and I have LOTS AND LOTS planned for the rest of Jane's adventure. MWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!
So, I haven't gotten many comments on this story, and I REALLY LIKE COMMENTS!!!! So, I've decided that whoever comments on my chapters will have a chapter dedicated to them. GUARENTEED!!!!
PLZ VOTE, COMMENT, AND FAN!!!! I LOVE SUPPORT!!!
-Music13