The Skylar Experiment : Beginnings

Chapter Five - Missing Persons

I HAVE NEVER DRESSED for first day of school. I wasted twenty minutes on something to wear that wouldn't make me self-conscious. The outfit I'd planned the night before got discarded as soon as I woke up.

I switched for high-waisted jeans and a no-nonsense white tee. Simple. Safe. There was no miracle to fix my unruly hair, though. It was a middle between brown and blond, in disordered waves. If I didn't braid those clumps at night, I'd get all kinds of frizz problems.

I didn't look like a menace with this cheeky soft face, as my mother would put it, but living half of my life in water gave me a decent width at the shoulders and hips, and store clerks were often stumped at how easily I could lift heavy loads.

Throwing on my favorite beanie, the burgundy one, I gave myself a last glance in the mirror, sighed, and hauled my backpack.

"Ready, kiddo?" Dad asked. He wanted to drop me off for my first day.

"As ready as I can be."

He opened the front door. "That's the teen spirit."

The SUV rolled out of the driveway and onto the slithery road. I watched the hills zoom through the window, amazed at the breathtaking beauty of the woods on either side of the car. I took in the tall pines and leafy maples, the moss-covered boulders and bushes. It was the kind of place people would covet for a vacation. It was surreal that I lived here now.

Neighborhoods came into view as well as local shops. I saw kids on the sidewalk with their backpacks, an elderly couple holding hands; the mailman stopped to wave at a pickup and its cage full of oinking pigs in the truck bed.

Oakwood seemed sweet, and it somehow reassured me. A land of wholesomeness and farmers. Why did it make me want to laugh?

My Dad stopped the engine when he reached the parking lot. The school was a modest building—five floors from what I observed—and wide terrains. On one side, there was the football and track field. On the other, benches and tables dotted the grassy area, and a walkway led to the green double doors. I smoothed my hands over my pants. Out there was the unknown.

A large hand closed over mine.

"You'll do great, Riles." Dad squeezed gently. "You always do."

I didn't have the word for how grateful I was that he knew when I was nervous. "I should get going and grab my schedule before I'm late and stick out even more. You know, to rip the band-aid off faster."

He tapped my shoulder. "Go get 'em, tiger."

I jumped out of the SUV with a groan. He knew that was lame, but loved to taunt me with it. His car swerved out as he waved behind the windshield, and I turned around. All around the field, kids flocked toward the doors I spotted earlier, chattering among each other. My hold on my backpack strap tightened, and I kept my head down, wading through the crowd incognito.

Before I pushed one door open, I halted abruptly. A boy behind me cursed while walking by, but I was too absorbed to apologize. My eyes were drawn to the glass panel where several newspaper articles had been meticulously taped for everyone to see.

Each article was complemented with a photo of a missing student. The latest one dated back to six months ago. It gave me the goosebumps. Kids went missing all around the world, but it seemed that not even a small town like Oakwood was an exception. I gazed at each face, staring longer at one in particular. Lauren, barely seventeen when she disappeared last year in July.

She was pretty. Expressive, almond-shaped eyes with thick lashes, shiny straight hair and a million-dollar smile that could have disarmed Dad's roughest veteran friends.

"None of them ever made it back," someone said beside me as the crowd brisked by.

My head tipped to the red-headed girl in a brown leather jacket studying the display with a pitied expression. Her gold-rimmed glasses magnified the size of her warm, brown eyes. She wore bright red lipstick, contrasting against her porcelain skin. I debated on whether nodding or answering back. I chose the boldest option.

"Did you know some of them?"

"I know all of them. Well, knew. Everybody did. Most of us grew up together, and we can easily spot strangers." Her knowing gaze settled on me with a smirk. "It's been a long time since the rest of us stopped staring at these old articles. Only a newbie would fall for it."

I huffed. Classes hadn't begun yet and my cover was blown already. "That bad, huh?"

"It's written all over your forehead." The girl stared back pointed at Lauren. Her features became wistful. "Happens to the best, also. Everyone loved her, and I mean everyone."

I shook my head. That was the problem with missing people. They always seemed to have the brightest futures and sparkling personalities.

She then pointed at others. "Tom was captain of the football team. He would have graduated this May. Jessica wrote articles for the school newspaper." Her voice lowered. "The newspaper sucks since she vanished."

"Wow, I'm really sorry..."

"Anywaaay." Her voice picked up and she faced me. "Probably not the best way to introduce you to Oakwood. I hope I didn't scare you. My name is Emma—Emma Briggs."

I gave a small nod. "Riley Addison."

We engaged in the corridor among the noisy mass, her studded heels clicking off the floor.

"So where do you come from?"

"Off the San Diego coast."

Her eyes popped, making them look even more prominent. "Wow, that's literally from the other end of the world. That explains your perfect tan. Jeez. I'm envious."

I laughed.

We stopped at her locker. Upon opening it, dozens of pictures and scraps of sketches had been pinned on a mini board. Images of skirts, dresses, pants and shirts of all kinds and colors.

"You're into fashion?"

The girl blinked for a moment, then acknowledged the panel on the locker. "Oh. Yeah, you could say that. I make it, in fact."

"You make clothes?"

"It's a hobby. I could show you someday if you want."

"That is so cool. Surely not one you see every day."

She shook her head and pulled out a textbook. "What's your thing, then?"

"Me? I can read a hundred pages in record time. I like surfing too, but..." A ball of longing wrenched my stomach. "Obviously, there's no beach nearby so I can't show you."

"A surfer girl? Oh, I am definitely keeping you as a friend."

"We're already friends?" The idea didn't repulse me and I grinned. "That was quick."

She smiled, closed her padlock and walked past me. "See you later, newbie. At lunchtime, maybe I can give you a tour of the school."

She melted into the crowd and disappeared at a turning point, leaving me puzzled and strangely more confident. I had been so nervous before stepping foot on campus. Now, I didn't understand why. This probably sounded silly, but I already had a friend that wasn't my dad.

High school may not be so bad, after all.

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