The Shadow Sisters

[E1] Chapter 10 - Hannah Cole

Hannah lined up in the cafeteria to wait for her food. When it was finally her turn to be served, she saw the options were underwhelming, especially in the vegetable department. There was a distinct lack of colour beyond beiges and browns. She scooped a couple of heaps out of the silver trays and managed to pile her plate up with mashed potatoes and baked beans.

After getting some apple juice, a brown banana, and a tub of jelly to go with it, she shimmied through a narrow aisle between tables.

They were all so big that she couldn't really justify monopolising one all by herself. She spotted a table near the end that sat four students she recognised from some of her classes.

With a deep breath, she sat down at the opposite end of the table in an effort to be as unobtrusive as possible. It was mission accomplished thus far because they barely gave her a second glance as she began forking through her food.

The mash was... okay. It lacked butter but was heavily salted so that it was somewhat palatable. However, she was soon put off by the lumpy texture and practically gagged at a large piece that was still stale. Trying to hide her disgust, she made to wipe her face with a tissue and spat the lump into that, before folding it up and tucking it into her pocket.

The boy with the gelled hair, who sat at the end of the table, gazed at his friend. "Hey, Joe, I finally watched Attack of the Killer Tomatoes last night."

"Oh, finally got around to it, did you, Stick?" said the dark-skinned boy with wide, broad glasses.

"Uh huh. It was a good one, but I disagree with your premise still. You can't beat Gremlins 2 for off-the-wall horror comedy."

"What about Cabin in the Woods?" a girl said.

"I mean. I enjoyed it. Chris Hemsworth is always fun."

"What about The Rise of Leslie Vernon?" Joe said.

"It's a great movie, I suppose."

A few more movies were thrown around in the conversation, such as Parana, Killer Klowns from Outer Space, Sharknado, and things in that category.

"What about House 2?" Hannah asked.

The words were out of her mouth before she even realised that she had spoken them. The other four at the table stared at her, like they'd just witnessed an inanimate object speak, like a sofa or a lamp had interjected into their conversation.

Swallowing, she considered returning to her food and trying to play it like she'd never said anything at all. But that'd be really weird. It'd be less weird to at least finish her thought. "Just a recommendation."

"Is it any good?" Joe asked.

"It is if you're looking for something a bit bonkers. It's crazy."

"Would we need to watch the first movie?" the girl said.

Hannah shook her head. "You can jump right into the sequel. In fact, I recommend doing that."

They all glanced between each other appreciatively.

"So you like horror movies, huh?" Joe raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. It's my favourite genre. I'm sorry though. I didn't mean to be obnoxious and butt into your conversation."

"You weren't being obnoxious," said the person at the end of the table. They were the only one whom Hannah had yet to hear speak. They wore a beanie, similar to Hannah's. Theirs sported a logo dedicated to the zombie movie, 28 Days Later. "We like it when people talk about things that interest them."

"That's kind of our whole deal," the girl said.

"It is?"

"You're new, right?" The person wearing the beanie smirked. "I've seen you at the back of some classes."