Chapter One - Meeting Jay Callahan

 

Samantha Edmund suppressed a shiver as she walked towards the entrance of the large white building that loomed up ahead, taking care to swerve between the muddy puddles that flooded the paved ground. Other students dashed around her with schoolbags swinging, some riding skateboards or bikes, but Sam walked slowly on as though she didn’t see them.

She was exhausted, but not because of the walk to school. Last night’s thunderstorm had been deafening to her astraphobic ears. She had spent most of the night awake under the covers of her bunk bed, hands over her ears, trembling as she waited for the storm to pass. But when it finally did, she was not granted the wish of an easy sleep – the nightmare had come to trouble her dreams once again.

It came every few nights, lengthening each time. Initially, all she had witnessed was an intense flash of heat before awakening with a gasp; but now the dream was at least a minute long. She could see the ground burning for miles, but was able to step unharmed through the fire. It licked her skin like icy snakes’ tongues, never hurting her. She was walking towards a figure, a writhing silhouette in the flames, one hand subconsciously reaching out toward the fire.

Sam blinked, crashing back to reality as a cold splash of water introduced itself to her leg. She sighed and kicked her foot a little, hopping out of the puddle, in attempt to get rid of some of the water that had already begun to darken the back of her long denim skirt.

She was fifteen, sixteen in a couple of months, but usually looked more mature. Wearing both a black cardigan and a jumper as an aversion against the cold, she straightened her sling bag and resumed the unenthusiastic school-morning commute. Her long, dark brown hair was loose and straight; tucked behind her ears, the right of which played host to small blue pearl. Unlike the majority of girls her age, she didn’t bother with makeup or cosmetics.

In a rush of wind, another teenager flashed by on a skateboard with hands in her pockets. She wore jeans, trainers and a black T-shirt – but no helmet or protective clothing. Sam recognised her at once, and knew that this girl was never on time. She reluctantly eased into a jog, bag bouncing on her hip as she gave chase.

There were a surprising number of stragglers still loitering around the main gate. Some called greetings as Sam passed, but most stayed silent. She jumped the step and skidded into the building, and hurried to catch the skinny skater-girl at the lockers.

The rider had mousy brown hair styled in an angular fringe over her right eye, the rest drawn back into a pair of layered ponytails. She wore a purple and black striped sweatband on her wrist, eyes a cool shade of greyish-blue. Her grin was wide and bright as she secured her skateboard safely in her locker.

“Hey Sammy,” she said, beginning to stroll languidly to class. A large and vivid cobra was printed on her shirt, and her scruffy shoes were well-worn. She carried no bag, but Sam could spot a single book under her arm. She was one of those girls who people would normally avoid – until they got to know her and realised what they had been missing.

“Morning, Kaya,” replied Sam, trying wordlessly to tug her along. Kaya lagged behind, having none of it as she scraped her shoes on the floor. Sam watched her flatly. “Are you ever on time?”

“Did you hear about the new girl starting today?” asked Kaya, her voice showing slight interest as she passed off Sam’s question. They headed down the corridor “She’s in our class, and Marquez wants to pair her with someone to follow around for a few weeks. He’d better not pick me; I don’t like being followed like a mother goose,”

“I wouldn’t mind,” Sam smiled lightly as she took gentle grip of their classroom’s door handle. She opened slowly, both she and Kaya embarrassed to watch the thirty pairs of eyes inside swivel to face their direction.

“Better late than never, you two,” said Mr. Marquez, the smartly dressed professor sitting behind his neat desk at the front of the room. Kaya shut the door behind her as Sam crossed quietly to her seat near the back. She took her usual place beside an athletic girl with long blonde hair and deep grey eyes. In her three-quarter jeans, clean white trainers and form-hugging tracksuit top, first impressions exclaimed that a modelling agency would hire her on a moment’s notice. Her face was drawn into an uninterested expression, as she folded her arms crossed beneath her chest. Her name was Alex Cherriere.

Kaya took her seat at the desk in front of them, sitting sideways in her chair so that her back was to the wall and knees pointed to the empty seat to her right. Two more girls, Aurora and Katelyn, occupied the desk behind Sam and Alex. Katelyn, on the left, was running her fingers through one auburn ponytail as her large green eyes followed the latecomers with humoured interest. She was wearing a bright tank top over a slim jumper and skinny jeans, black and red converse lying discarded under the desk as she perched atop her feet.

On the right, Aurora was busy pulling loose threads from her knitted azure jumper. Her hair was short and pale brown, curled excitably about her face and shoulders. She had bright blue eyes, and was wearing stylish trainers and faded jeans. She was chuckling to herself, as though amused by the thought of her friends arriving late.

Sam remembered hearing about the new girl last week, and was eagerly anticipating her arrival. Katelyn leaned forward over her desk, as Mr. Marquez stepped out of the classroom to answer a knock at the door, to attract Sam’s attention.

“No one’s seen the new girl yet,” Katelyn whispered excitedly, tiny frame arched gracefully as she doubled across the wood. “But rumour has it she’s a bit of an emo. She’s supposed to have moved because of some trouble with her parents.”

“That’s a bit presumptuous, isn’t it?” Alex sniffed instantly. Sam had a swift mental image of a girl with a fringe that covered her eyes, whose frame was lost amid extremely baggy clothes. She shook off the idea disapprovingly and rolled her eyes at Katelyn, who slid back into her seat without another word.

Mr. Marquez stepped back inside from the corridor, his arrival not the cause of the sudden rise in the room’s level of noise – there was someone with him.

There was a sharp flurry of movement as every head in the room turned to face the new girl in the threshold. Sam watched inquisitively as the stranger silently closed the door behind herself; the girl’s head was bowed so far that her hair did indeed fall in front of her eyes, as in Sam’s imagination, but only as a mask to hide her flushed face from the eyes of the students. It was coloured unusually, jet black with thick streaks of red, and cut into a slightly scruffy bob.

She wore a pale and sleeveless slim-cut top and drainpipe jeans, revealing her skinny but well-defined shape. She carried no books or schoolbag, and wore a tiny locket on a very fine gold chain around her neck.

The class began to whisper interestedly as she glanced furtively up, revealing large hazel eyes. Sam was staring at her openly, but caught herself and looked away. She was almost surprised to see that Alex’s bored expression had morphed into one of curiosity, as she leaned forwards in her seat for a better look. Aurora and Katelyn, on the desk behind, were muttering excitedly as though daring themselves to do something stupid. Aurora had leaned daringly in her chair so that its back propped against the wall, as the stranger swiftly brushed her hair out of her face.

“Less of that,” Mr. Marquez called over the loud laughter as one of the boys on the far side of the room gave a whistle. The new girl gave at tiny nervous smile beside him, and self-consciously folded her arms. “Miss Fitzgerald, your chair has four legs…not two,”

The front legs of Aurora’s chair hit the floor with a loud bang, as she propped her head on her arms and inclined her head innocently. Katelyn stared intensely out of the window to avoid bursting into a fit of giggles.

Mr. Marquez took an electronic pen from the narrow shelf at the foot of the whiteboard, handing it to the new girl with a welcoming smile. He asked her to write her name on the board, the request taking her by surprise. She hesitated for a small while, before turning and slowly writing two neat words on the screen.

“Jay Callahan?” Kaya read aloud curiously, eyes pinned to the stranger as she turned her head to face Sam and Alex. “That’s a weird name. A boy’s name too, I think.”

Even though Jay was out of earshot, she handed the pen back to the professor in silence. She knew perfectly well what Kaya had said, simply by reading the look on her face. She’d dealt with it before; the boys at her old high school often made fun of her for it. Dealing with it again, however, was the least of her worries.

Jay waited, motionless and silent, for further instructions as she stood at the front of the room. She wasn’t trembling; recent events had forced her to learn how to control her nerves. The colour about her cheeks and ears, however, was something she had not yet mastered.

Deep down, Kaya felt uneasy. There was something about this girl that made her uncomfortable and wary. She sat up a little and stared directly at her, trying to place it, but Jay wasn’t making eye contact with anyone. Kaya knew the unpleasant feeling in her stomach; it was the same feeling she got when watching a program on television that involved some kind of dark secret or conspiracy.

“Well,” Mr. Marquez said awkwardly, feeling it necessary to bring an end to the new girl’s humiliation. “Where should we seat you?”

Kaya wished with all her might that he would see any of the empty chairs in the room beside the one that she was using as a footrest. Her wish didn’t come true however, as the professor met her eye and smiled warmly. She returned the gesture with a sharp scowl, but he seemed to miss it.

“How about the place beside Miss Marsh?” he beamed, pointing it out. Jay raised her eyes, meeting Kaya’s for the first time; and neither found that they could break the contact. Her stare was captivating, even in its emptiness. Kaya regained the ability to breathe only when Jay dropped her gaze and began to carefully approach the empty seat.

Jay took hold of the back of the chair with a slender hand as Kaya removed her feet. She turned her head away as Jay sat down, rather uncomfortably aware that every pair of eyes in the classroom was suddenly drawn to the two of them.

“Right then,” Mr. Marquez began loudly, sitting down behind his laptop with a somewhat relieved look on his face. The class register appeared on the board behind him with the click of a button. “Now that that’s sorted, let’s start the lesson.”

Alex leaned forward over the desk, hair trailing silkily over her angular shoulders. “Hi there,” she whispered. Jay remained silent, staring at her hands as though afraid of being caught talking, but tuned her head a fraction to face the blonde. “I’m Alex. The grumpy one sitting next to you is Kaya, this lovely girl is Sam, and the two idiots at the back are Aurora and Katelyn.”

Jay turned slowly in her chair to smile timidly at the four behind her. “Hi,” she replied, voice and expression both meek and relaying a sense of social clumsiness. Kaya ignored her completely, staring at Mr. Marquez as Alex’s name was called. A few moments later, he called for Sam. The dark-haired one answered, before smiling at the new girl.

“You can hang around with us, if you want to,” Sam encouraged. Jay gave a single frantic nod in response, before Sam’s eyes slid to fall disapprovingly on Kaya.

“Welcome to North Ridgewalk High,” mumbled the skater, folding her arms but leaning back in her seat. Deciding to give the girl a chance and put aside the uneasiness, she flashed an awkward smile. Alex, however, could read her like a book, and creased her brow as she sank back into her seat.

The awkwardness remained for the entire lesson. The stony silence between Kaya and Jay was almost infuriating to listen to, especially in the ears of Sam and Alex who were seated right behind them. They kept glancing at each other and whispering, wondering why Kaya was being so difficult for the new girl.

Alex had known Kaya for as long as she could remember, and was determined to know why she was acting this coldly. Jay seemed unaffected, however, and fell perfectly silent until the buzzer sounded at the end of the hour. Even then she remained in a daze, unmoving as she stared hazily at the desk. Kaya, unable to get out from behind the desk with her in the way, sank languidly in her chair and gave an enormous yawn. Sam rose to her feet as Alex packed her books away, and leaned warmly over Jay’s shoulder.

“Hey,” she smiled, as the class began to filter out of the room behind her. Jay blinked and looked up, as though deep in thought about something. “It’s time to go.”

Jay stared into Sam’s soft eyes, as Alex rose gracefully and eased the strap of her bag over her shoulder. Jay seemed to snap awake all of a sudden; she jumped to her feet without warning, issuing a swift apology to Kaya as she hopped out of her way. Katelyn giggled brightly; also on her feet and loitering with Aurora, who was perched on the corner of a nearby desk and beaming. Their childish cheeriness was contagious; even Kaya couldn’t help but grin.

“Are you always this jumpy, or is it just because this is your first day?” she asked smartly, getting smoothly to her feet with a smirk. “And daydreaming’s much more useful when you’re actually in class, not out of it.”

Jay nodded, embarrassed. “I’ll remember that,” she smiled.

A youthful face appeared in the doorway, framed by flowing plum red curls bearing strawberry-shaped clips. It was another girl, albeit a younger one, who shared a cheery resemblance to Aurora. Her eyes, large and bright blue-green, swiftly scanned the room before locating the group near the back.

“Yo,” she cried, playfully elongating the word. Her speech was slightly slurred and directed to Aurora, whose back was to the door. “Your chemistry class is doing a practical next lesson; don’t be late, ‘cuz I helped set it up!”

“Sweet,” Aurora replied, not turning to meet her sister’s eye but instead waving an acknowledging hand. “See you later, Hann.”

The young girl withdrew her glossy head from the room, pulling the door over behind her. Katelyn took hold of Aurora’s sleeve and dragged her off the desk, turning to face Jay once her playmate was on her feet.

“You up for a science experiment?” she grinned, a little too much enthusiasm in her tone. “We mostly share all the same classes, but chances are you’ll be with at least one of us in the ones we don’t.”

“Ok, cool,” Jay replied, a hopeful look in her eyes. “Um…”

“Katelyn,” the pigtailed one beamed. “I’ll show you how to spell it later, because everyone always gets it wrong.”

Jay nodded again, a genuine smile forming on her lips. She wasn’t planning on looking for friends, but these people seemed ever so nice.

“Okay,” said Sam, tucking her hair behind her ears. “Just stick with us and you’ll feel at home in no time! Don’t worry about asking about anything, we’re happy to help.”

Her words struck deep within Jay’s heart, who hastened to control her expression as the girls began to head collectively for the door. She was thankful for the words about wanting to help, but the ones about feeling at home made the largest impact. She would never feel at home here… not without him.

Not without her father. She reached for the tiny locket that adorned the fine chain around her neck, and swallowed as she dropped her gaze to the floor. Alex, the most talented in observational skills, added the movement to the list of character traits she had built over the course of the hour. Jay’s silence, the timid way she held herself and the frantic apology earlier were just some of the other items she’d taken into consideration. After completing the equation, she came to an unwelcome conclusion that made her chest tighten.

This girl… Alex thought sadly, closing her eyes in thought as the two most childish members of the group opened the classroom door and stepped outside. Was she abused?

She followed Katelyn and Aurora out of the room, Kaya hot on her heels, with Sam and Jay a little slower in tow. She could hear the latter two engaging in light conversation as they walked, before the familiar sound of skate shoes on linoleum caught up to her.

“That Jay… I don’t know if I like her,” Kaya mumbled, so quietly that only Alex could hear her.

“I would never have guessed,” Alex replied lightly, a little annoyed by her insensitive words. She then revived her sincerity and continued her sentence. “But I think I know why she’s more nervous than your average new kid. It’s obvious that she’s been through something traumatic recently, so don’t be so cold to her.”

Kaya stopped walking for a split second and blinked stupidly, soon recovering to jog back alongside the blonde with a slightly confused expression. “It’s obvious?” she asked, trying to catch Alex’s eye. Judging by Katelyn’s sudden explosion of uncontrolled laughter, she guessed that Aurora must have cracked a joke up ahead.

Alex didn’t smile as she normally would at the sight of Katelyn leaning against a wall for support due the force of her laughter. Kaya swiftly glanced over her shoulder at the stragglers of the group. Jay was distractedly watching the backs of Alex’s clean trainers as she spoke, arms folded across her stomach, as Sam listened openly to her speech. Jay’s eyes flicked up to meet Sam’s, and the two smiled.

“I don’t know why, but I just get a bad feeling when I look at her,” Kaya mumbled, flicking her head so her fringe fell away from her eyes, as the sense of unease in her chest returned. “I feel really bad about it…but…”

“Give her a chance,” Alex replied patiently. “Once you get used to her, you’ll see that she’s alright. You’ve never liked meeting new people, after all.”

Kaya sighed, sliding her hands into her pockets. She wondered if Alex was right like usual, or if she was just saying things to make her feel better. Either way, she knew it would take time – and thought that was a problem what with the exams coming up soon.

 

 

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