Pasty blue light peaked over the horizon, a cloudless sky and golden sun casting out the darkness of the night as a new frigid morning came into existence. Shielding his eyes from the glaring sun Aaron walked down a broken and flora-dominated sidewalk, grass, and dandelions poking their heads through the cracks in the cement.
At the end of this war-torn path was a stop sign standing next to a group of kids locked in a tight circle. There was loud chanting and what seemed like a battle cry coming from inside the barrier of teens moving with the action. "It's too early for all this…"
Zipping up his jacket Aaron quickened his pace until he was inside the frenzied crowd splotches of blood painting the ground as a brute of impossible size and stature viciously stomped a young man into the pavement. Ever since Devon Price arrived in Delmarva, Aaron's quiet little cul-de-sac has become more akin to a gladiatorial arena where everyone has been convicted and Devon is the lion.
Disgusting is what it is and what's even filthier is the fact that no one steps up to do anything because the Price family is one of those families who can snap their fingers and crash the stock market.
Seriously, this Devon guy has a certain weight in his presence as if a theme song plays whenever he draws near and readies his fists to atomize some poor soul. It wasn't long before the newly convicted sod seized to respond causing the previously enticed crowd to back away from the scene. He wasn't dead Aaron could tell that much, but he wouldn't be surprised if the cops were at the scene by the time he gets home.
The air grew heavy with the smell of smoke as a low mechanical humming reached Aaron's ears reminding him of the sound an engine makes...wait, that is an engine! With a trail of oil desperately chasing after it a rusty yellow school bus came barrelling down the road, its murky windshield and scratched stop sign the trademark sign of what some kids liked to call "The Charon."
Admittedly the name was quite clever but even that downplayed the danger Charon posed to its passengers. The transmission on that thing was always teetering between barely adequate and insanely precise almost to the point even the driver seemed surprised when the bus would come to a screeching halt. The lights on the school bus didn't glow and flash like normal, plus the doors on the damn thing weren't even automated, you had to open them!
It was a wonder The Charon was permitted to be on the road let alone with children inside! Still, no one seemed to mind too much, not unless the bus broke down on the way home. The squeaking of rubber could be heard as the doors to the bus were forced open allowing the mob of walking Axe cans and lip gloss to squeeze through as the hunt for seating began.
Another problem with The Charon was that about 30% of the seats were ripped open and devoid of stuffing making them little more than iron bars wrapped in a coating of cheap leather. The other 70% were a cesspool of social degradation because only those with status were allowed to have a proper seat leaving the outcasts to bask in their glory as if they were peasants unworthy of the title "Human."
Fortunately, Aaron was liked well enough which was usually enough to secure him a seat even if it was a gaudy one at best. Setting his bag down Aaron pulled out his phone, content with relaxing until his journey into hell had concluded. As much as he tried to push them out Aaron's thoughts kept coming back to that key he found on his windowsill last night, its cold metallic touch and rustic color were painted in his mind as he recalled the memory and the eerie feeling he suffered.
Reaching into his bag Aaron felt around for his headphones, his fingers poking and prodding the small spaces between his books and materials. "Damn! Where'd I put it…?" Aaron groaned. "Looking for something?" Squeaked a small yet piercing voice. Aaron's head twisted around his silver pupils meeting a distant yet present emerald gaze.
There was a long pause between the two; the void where a conversation should be was instead filled with awkward silence that made the other noises around the two grow softer and out of touch. Everything else became blurry as Aaron's focus shifted to the new figure leaning on his shoulder, her lips pursed and her head tilted as she made it clear she wanted his response.
Make no mistake, when people ask you a question they don't always expect the answer to the question they asked. Sometimes people want to gauge you; they want to see what makes you tick, how you react, and just what kind of person you are. Some take offense to being probed, to be questioned on something they perceive as their personal affairs. Maybe Eve wants to see how Aaron feels. Or more likely Aaron's just reading too much into things.
"When did you get here?" Eve maintained her constant gaze. "The same time as you. The exact same time…" He answered an inquiry with a question and got an equally evasive answer Aaron furrowed his brow. "You're a weird one, you know that?" He said as he slumped into his seat his gaze finally pulled away from hers.
Aaron thought back to when he first moved here and had to get used to all the strange abnormalities Delmarva faced him with, all these exotic people and their peculiar quirks were completely foreign to him yet Eve seems to fit right in despite having been gone for an extended period of time.
He supposed since this place was her home she did not need to become acquainted exactly, rather she had to readjust like flipping the switch between night and day. "So what's the deal with your house? Did you get moved in or are you still setting up?" Eve's eyes darted to the left. "I-I'm unsure. I suppose I'm finished…" Aaron scowled and folded his hands while he leaned forward, his curiosity unsatisfied.
Those minty green globes give her away and it's not hard to tell if you only pay the least bit of attention. Why would she not know how much stuff she has to unpack? And honestly, now that I think about it, where was she at that she needed a truckload of stuff, to begin with? She's evading my question, but why? Is there something she doesn't want to say or does she simply want to change the topic entirely?
"Your parents really scrambled to clean up before I came over didn't they?" Eve's gaze locked with Aaron's again. "Yes, they wanted to make a good impression. They seemed so excited to meet you."
Aaron stared at the ceiling, a pencil flying over his head. "The only thing interesting about my mother is her cooking. And not in a good way." Eve's face grew darker and more rigid. The emerald glow in her eyes grew more intense and her Onyx hair appeared to stand on its end.
"I never said they wanted to meet your mother." Aaron's mouth fell agape Eve's cold expressionless face pinned in his mind as those words replayed in his mind over and over like a chipped and broken record desperately trying to move forward but perpetually confined to play the same note. Aaron leaned forward and folded his hands, his eyes shut tightly, closing out the world.
They didn't want to meet my mother.
They didn't want to meet my mother.
They didn't want to meet my mother.
They didn-
Aaron was shunted away from his thoughts as the bus jolted as it came to a screeching halt, its destination having been reached. "Alright, you all know the drill!"
The old and withering bus driver rose from his seat as he vigorously scratched his graying and dirty beard, a patch of red sores and scabs visible underneath. "Come on now! Get off!" Hastily the young lad hurried off the bus, a towering structure before him. Its brightly red-colored roof and chipped marble pillars did nothing to distill pride in Aaron.
The mossy brick walls have been the same from the beginning and the green empty courtyard that presided over the huge marble steps leading into the school had no thought given to it other than to compliment the pasty green copper statue standing in the middle of the roundabout.
The statue itself was well crafted but its copper color clearly didn't stand the test of time judging by the bird's nest held by his open hand or the crumbling base on which he stood. The way it held its hand out to greet you was almost as disturbing as the distant look in its metal eye, always still yet always moving and watching. "They really need to fire their senior architect…"
Soon after Aaron was plopped down at his desk, his pencil tapping the side of his head as he listened to the teacher drone on and on about- "Friedrich Nietzsche! A revolutionary man of his time and one often cast aside for his beliefs. He's an idol to us all and we should all take a moment to revere him and his works!"
Every. Single. Day. Every single day Mr. Patrick went on and on about Friedrich Nietzsche and his pessimistic views that make Aaron's seem like the first draft of an essay. "Existential Nihilism mandates that there is no meaning to life, there is no morality and there are no consequences. Follow this and we can live a carefree life without having to worry about making an impression on the world!" Sounds like this guy's got some emotional baggage…
This class is always a bore. The teacher has no interest in teaching and instead just dumps all of his trauma and failings onto his students up until the test comes and no one is prepared. But for once none of that was the subject of Aaron's mind, rather his focus kept returning to the bronze-skinned girl in his peripheral vision. He wanted to glance at her just to confirm his suspicions but it seemed more and more as if Eve could sense his gaze wherever it may be.
Suddenly the door to the classroom flung open allowing two hooded figures to walk inside. "Your late boys!"
Oh great, it's two and a half idiots…
One of the boys slammed his hand down on a desk and adjusted his glasses, his braces shining through his toothy smile. "I'm here now? Why you gotta hate?" The teacher sighed as he pinched his forehead frustration rising in his face. "Okay firstly you're wearing a pair of light-up sketchers, the only drip you have is the mud you tracked on the way in. Where did you even get twinkle toes in your size!?!" The teacher shouted.
"They were custom-made!" Clark budded in breaking his silence. "Yeah! We gotta make sure people see us coming down the street!" Blake continued. "Listen! You're NOT gang members and you're NOT hard! Now sit down before I call your parents!" Begrudgingly Blake and Clark sat down, their feet propped up on the desk. "I saw you two get off the bus, what were you doing that made you FORTY FIVE minutes late?!" Clark pointed at his brother. "Blake had to do detention because we got caught vandalizing the gymnasium."
A student stood up."Liar! The gymnasium looks fine!" "Well, maybe they cleaned it up you retard!" The teacher pointed towards the door. "BLAKE! Step outside!" Blake's jaw dropped, "He's the one who opened his mouth!" "I said step outside!"
While Blake was berated outside the classroom the bell rang to which the class promptly left. Aaron passed through the hallway and all the strange creatures in them like the couple making out in front of the bathroom or the crowd of teachers gathered around the gym.
But more than that Aaron took note of Eve who hasn't stopped following him since they left class. "Don't you have somewhere to be?" He mumbled sarcastically. "We have the same classes." She said quickly. "How could you know that without seeing my schedule hmm?"
Eve didn't answer but instead continued following Aaron down the empty hallway. Perhaps it was just him being odd again but Aaron could have sworn the hallways had people in them a moment ago.
"Don't go that way," Aaron warned Eve as she turned left where she should have turned right. "Eh, she'll figure it out." Aaron continued on his way only to be met by a menacing figure opening his locker. He seemed rather mature for a high schooler as his black-gloved hand fumbled with his combination. "Was this it? No, that's wrong too!" He mumbled as he adjusted his weathered red baseball cap.
Aaron took notice of his hand movements and noticed something off. "Are you doing it right left right?" The man's head lifted slightly and within moments the locker door flew open. The man turned toward Aaron and smiled, his charismatic glow and demeanor warming to look at. "Thanks, man! You really helped me out!"
Aaron nodded his head and walked away only to feel a firm hand grab his shoulder. The man reached inside the heavily decorated locker and pulled out a bag of Lays, the thought of sour cream and onion enticing the young boy. "I was gonna eat these but I'm not really hungry anymore so you can have them!"
Aaron greedily clutched the bag in his hands, his mouth watering at their crispy insides. "Thanks, man!" He said uncharacteristically cheery. "You're welcome." The man reached out his hand, his arm muscular and hairy. "I'm Luccas. Two C's" Aaron took the man's hand Luccas' grip firm. "I'm Aaron." The second-period bell erupted forcing Aaron to break off. "Peace out bro!" Aaron jogged down the hall, Luccas waving at him as he left.
Arriving back at his biology class, Aaron noted that Eve not only got here before him despite going the wrong way but ALSO that she managed to sit at the desk next to his.
This girl...is she gonna follow me to my house too?!
It wasn't until Aaron was back behind his desk that a dark realization crossed his mind causing his sides to ache and his heart to nearly punch through his chest. He leaned forward and folded his hands trying to gather his thoughts.
Wait a second! If he didn't know how to open his locker then how was there already all that stuff inside…?
Aaron shuddered at the answer but a sharp voice tore through his thoughts and forced him back into the present. "Did you get all that Aaron?" Aaron snapped back to life to find the teacher's stern and furious gaze staring him down.
"Yeah. I got it." He yawned. "Then get with your group for the project!"
Group project?! What group project?! And just who are my teammates?!