Jump Line (Book 1 - Jump Line Series)

Chapter One

Just keep walking and ignore their staring eyes and stupid comments.

I pushed a pair of black sunglasses further up the bridge of my nose. From behind the dark lenses, my eyes scanned the familiar faces of students moving in the opposite direction. I knew most of them even if they didn't know me. I could list off their names and boring hobbies.

A group of giggling girls had gathered somewhere behind me. Their high-pitched voices echoed throughout the hallway, growing louder by the millisecond and causing an intense pounding inside of my skeletal structure. I ignored the pain and again turned my focus on all of the faces passing by me.  As I turned the corner, my eyes locked onto one I had seen before, but only a few times, and very recently. This one belonged to a male wearing a baseball cap standing awkwardly off to the side near a row of lockers. 

I watched as his lips pinched together and he raised a skeptical eyebrow in my direction. The boy's acknowledgement caught me off guard. It was as if he thought he knew me, but that was impossible. No one knows me. I don't even know myself.

I shifted my gaze back towards the front of the hallway, trying to avoid any further eye contact with him. The abrupt movement caused my hair to sweep against the shoulder of a student walking next to me. Her face contorted as she flinched away from my brief touch. Her reaction seemed dramatic, but I had gotten use to how people responded to me.

Everyone at this school knows I'm different. Odd. Strange. Freaky. I've heard all of the words they like to call me. I've been attending this school for three years, yet, they act as if I can't hear them whispering about my pale skin and white hair.

I reached up to my neckline and found the one thing that has been constant in my life, my necklace. I traced the familiar silver chain, which hung loosely around my neck. It's  simple, with a medallion the size of a half dollar. I envision myself on some sort of tropical beach, a world away from this place, but my daydream is quickly interrupted by the familiar clicking sound of my teacher's shoes as she walks towards me.  "Esa, why are you wearing those sunglasses inside of the building? It's not sunny outside," Mrs. Vaughn huffed, hands on her hips. Her gray hair pulled back into a French braid, showing off her high cheekbones. Her eyes narrow as she continues to inspect me. Like almost everyone at this school, Mrs. Vaughn is looking up at me. Even with her black high heels, I easily stand a foot taller than her.

My silence prompts her to continue as she asks, "Esa, is everything all right? I told you yesterday, and the day before, the sunglasses have to go."

"I'm fine." I pushed them up on top of my head and instinctively raising a hand to shield my eyes. I couldn't help but blink a few times at the sudden intrusion of light.  "Sorry, I just forgot... again."

She nodded, satisfied. "Uh huh. You will have to figure out how to sit at your desk for the next forty-five minutes without wearing those awful things."

Mrs. Vaughn turned and walked back towards her desk. I couldn't understand why teachers had the same reaction to my sunglasses. Honestly, there wasn't anything wrong with them. They were glasses, not a horrible serpent slithering through the hallway, preying on helpless students; although, that would be interesting.

As I sank down into my seat, my hand brushed one of the chair's metal legs. A tiny line of electricity jumped out of my palm, creating a small spark. I looked around to see if anyone had noticed, but no one was paying attention to me. The thought brought a sly smile to my face. If only they knew. But they didn't. No one knew my secret.

Suddenly, an odd feeling rushed through the core of my body and the little hairs on the back of my neck stood up. It felt as if every cell in my body was getting shocked by a low voltage of electricity.

As I looked toward the front of the room, my eyes again locked onto his. The odd boy from the hallway was in my classroom, sitting motionless in the front row, staring straight at me. I knew it was only a matter of seconds before Mrs. Vaughn spotted his illegal hat and forced him to take it off. I stared back defiantly, wondering if he had something to do with the way I was feeling right now. If so, he deserved Mrs. Vaughn's wrath.

After several seconds, the boy got up from his desk and strode towards the back of the room where I was sitting. His black jeans and striped long-sleeved shirt hung loosely from his body, almost as if he was wearing another outfit underneath. The idea caused a soft snort to escape out of my nose. It was cold outside, but not that cold.

He turned abruptly in my direction. The look on his face had grown more serious. As he drew closer, the sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach returned. There was something about him that seemed oddly familiar. My back stiffened when he reached my desk and leaned down.

"Esa, I'm not sure what's going on or what you are doing, but we need to talk. Now. It's time to go."

I froze. The unexpected sound of his voice caused my entire body to go rigid. No one at this school talked to me.

He walked away before I could utter any sort of response. Silently, he made his way out of the classroom, completely unfazed by any of the other students.

How does he know my name?

"Esa, where—?"

I darted past Mrs. Vaughn and out of the classroom, chasing after the mystery boy, but he was gone. The shrill of the second tardy bell echoed through the now almost empty hallway. I glanced up and down the space, but there was no sign of him; only a handful of students were left, and they soon disappeared into other classrooms.

It had rained earlier in the day and the floor still showed evidence of muddy footprints. The rubber soles of my shoes made a soft squeak as I walked, almost ran, down the empty corridor toward the main doors. A blast of cool air greeted me as I pushed open the steel double doors, causing me to take a step back.

He wasn't outside.

I glanced over my shoulder as the doors closed behind me with a click. I didn't want to return to my classroom. I needed to find him. He knew me and I wanted answers.

Thrusting my head down, I set off past the school's manicured lawns toward the line of trees that divided the school from a wooded area. It was eerily quiet except for the lonely call of a bird somewhere in the distance. Several strands of hair had come loose from my pony tail and were now blowing in the wind, softly slapping against my face as I marched toward the one place where I could sit and think for a few minutes: the bridge.

I kept my eyes trained on the path in front of me, wondering what it was about the boy that had me so rattled. I needed to find him, but what would I say or do when I did?

Rounding the corner of the trail, I came upon the little wooden bridge that sat like a sad reminder of better days. It was missing several planks, and most people chose not to attempt to cross over it, for fear the structure would finally collapse. This was one of my favorite spots. It was my place.

"Esa, what are you doing?" a male voice asked from behind me.

Spinning around, I came face to face with the mystery boy, who was now wearing some sort of white jumpsuit.

"Who are you?" I glared at him. I had never been a fan of games. "How do you know my name?"

He looked back at me, perplexed. "You don't know?"

"Know what?"

A slow rumble of thunder shook the ground. A crack of lightning followed, illuminating the gray sky as drops of rain began to pepper the ground around us. Each drop stung as it hit my delicate skin. I hated the rain, but welcomed the lightning.

A second bolt of lightning sent another crack near where he was standing. Neither of us flinched.

The boy stood just as tall as me. He pulled down the collar of his white jumpsuit to display a shiny, silver necklace, similar to mine.

He was wearing my medallion.

"Esa, it's me... Samuel." Before I could move, he put one hand on my shoulder.

A sharp pain ripped through my chest, down to my toes, forcing my body to buckle before crumpling completely to the ground. Finally, darkness surrounded me.