The Chosen

Chapter 5

"What is the answer to this equation?" Mr Thompson asks from the board.

Everyone in the class shrinks under his gaze, trying to seem invisible.

"Mr Harrison, care to take a visit to the front?"

A groaning boy from the back row starts walking towards the front, mumbling obscenities under his breath.

"Poor guy," Tori comments from beside me.

"Yeah," I respond, not really caring that much, "his life must suck, I mean having to answer an equation? God forbid. It's not like he has three super hot guys chasing him or anything."

My blunt sarcasm catches her off guard.

"You realise how badly that sounds out of context right?"

"Does it matter?" I hiss, going back to the assigned work.

"Ok, you my dear friend need to take an epic chill pill. They aren't even in this class, so you can give poor 'Mr Harrison' a break," she suggests with a laugh.

"Even if they aren't in this class, I still have three more periods in the day, and lunch after this," I point out grimly.

"It's fine," she reassured me, "we can just sit at our usual table in the corner and pretend nobody else exists... as usual."

Somehow her words go through one ear and out the other. My gaze is instead locked on the minute hand of the clock at the front of the classroom.

"Sky, you need to cool it, people are starting to look," she hisses under her breath.

Despite her warnings I maintain my intense staring competition with the clock. It gets to the point where it feels as though time is speeding up. By then I have poured every ounce of my will into making the clock stop.

However, when it finally stops it isn't because of that. It has drawn to a stop at the hour, meaning class is over.

"Have a great day class and remember to finish the next chapter in the textbook to keep you ahead of the work pace," the teacher instructs, as if anyone is actually gonna listen.

"Shit Tori, I actually think I'm gonna pass out. Last time I saw them one of them told me not to scream, another one couldn't believe I'm a girl and the other stood there silently while I quiet literally passed out," I recount to her the experiences from the previous day.

"Yeah, well this time I'm not leaving your side so just try not to pass out in the next ten minutes."

"I'll do my best."

"Good," she smiles, linking our arms as we walk out of the room.

Yet, what scares me the most is the brief glimpse I get before we leave, of the burnt clock with a hole seared into its minute hand.

******

"What can I get for you sweetie?" The chubby-cheeked cafeteria lady asks me from across the counter.

"Just a water please," I mumble, not meeting her eyes.

"You have to eat Sky! Otherwise how will you have your energy for fighting off an entire crowd of teenagers praising you and three almighty hotties?" She jokes.

"What?" I ask in confusion.

"You do realise that everyone knows who you are now right?"

"Yeah I guess. I don't know I just didn't really think about it," I admit, trying not to meet the wondering eyes of everyone around me.