Chapter 14/Someone is arrested for theft

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Emma's POV

During break, I was wandering around like a stupefied goose. There were so many foreign languages. It was like someone was trying to recreate the fall of Babylon. Samantha sat in a corner putting disc after disc into the hat, then learning something.

Samantha looked alarmed "Quid est omnis lingua scripturam hanc est?" She said pointing at the wall.

I looked at her "I can't understand what you're saying. Speak English."

"Quelle langue parlez-vous?" Samantha said.

A boy called Sam stopped by and chatted moving from one language to another ending in "Du har glömt hur du pratar." Samantha nodded.

He turned to me. "I think She's learnt so many languages she's forgotten which one is English. If you speak in a mix of Slovak, Somali, Spanish, Swedish, Sundanese, Sinhala, Sinhim, Shona, Sesotho, Samonan, Serbian and a hint of Scots Gaelic she's fine. I was wondering where the S discs got to she's binged learnt them all.

"She can't speak English? Geezz" I said. Trust her to fill her own brain up.

Sam looked over "She might do English but she can't speak American." S,am said "Well she can speak it but she can't remember which one American is."

I let out a breath in frustration, "Wow, why didn't Arrival never warn us about this? What use is someone who can only speak Languages beginning with S?"

Sam shrugged "Perhaps she could try for a job in the UN?"

"Where she could work in the S part of the UN." I said. Sam nodded and drifted off to his class. I say class I think someone was organising a rap contest in Latvian.

It was then that I looked around, and in the distance noticed Victoria looking around like she had lost someone or something. She was near the lockers and I went along to check mine. At my locker I opened it up to find Jane Mansfield's gold bag stuffed in there. I was in deep shock. Victoria was framing me for the theft! I moved towards the lockers but got grabbed by Samantha again.

"Quelle langue parlez-vous?" Samantha said.

"I don't know." I said pulling away "I'm not Google translate."

I reached the lockers and entered my combination. There, like a prisoner in the locker sat Jane's golden bag. I picked it up and felt the makeup roll in the bag I held. Pulling the gold bag out and slamming my locker shut.

I  stormed around the corner. I went up to Jane who was standing with her back to me. She was  talking to Mary Sue. Mary's eyes expanded over Jane's shoulder as I approached. Jane swung her thin light nordic hair and china delicate bones round to look at me. Jane blinked out in surprise when she saw her bag.

"For your information" I began holding the bag out "I thought you would like to know this is Victoria's way of framing you. It's kind of tragic when someone you thought you trusted for years lets the mask slip and you suddenly see what a callous contemptible cow they are. All the worse when you realise that they managed to so easily dupe you for so long. Don't worry you will get over it, we all do."

I couldn't say any more or Jane would catch the tear in my eye. Leaving the bag in Jane's hand I spun round and walked off with as much dignity that misery could permit me.

"Are you OK..." Jane began but stopped as I was clearly not listening.

My heart felted like a pair deranged budgerigars fighting in the cage of my chest. Was light-headed and for a second I seriously considered if I was having a heart attack. I retreated up the corridor.

Julius Caesar and Brutus, Judas Iscariot, and the writers on the last season of Game of Thrones. Such bitter treachery and now I had my own. The scales of deceit fell from my eyes. I was never Victoria's friend. I was her smarter plaything she just pretended to like. In reality, I was there just to help her bluster her way past test after test. This is why she had never admitted to being my friend in public. I wasn't pretty enough or rich enough for her. I was just useful enough to manipulate. This was all too much. I could feel my eye swell up. I had to get out of here before anyone saw me. At least my dislike of her would go unnoticed.

An announcement went over the school speaker system that a locker inspection was now in operation. During this we had t be near our lockers while they were examined for contraband.

I was freaked by this, but then my eyes must have popped out. I looked down the far end of the corridor and noticed the police come in. With them was my Mom acting as deputy principal. With Mom was Jane Mansfield and Mary Jane. Hanging back from the group was Victoria. With them was the woman from Mac and a very stern looking Miss Glass. I couldn't believe that Victoria had sold me out. Victoria had planted Janes bag in my locker and I'm sure the Mac sales woman would recognise me as 'Mary'. No one would believe me if I told them Victoria had done it. Everyone knew we hated each other.

The shame pushed me to tears. No decent college would accept a student who had a criminal record. Mom wouldn't speak to me for a year. The thought of night after night of her disappointed glare was beyond bearing. I knew Jane would frame me and Mom would hold off until people had disappeared and not notice her daughter being sold out to the police. The visitors went out of side and a few minutes later we were all dismissed. 

****

I practically ran to the Math and Physics block. Dad was there. He didn't look too good either.

"Bad morning?" He managed to say looking up.

"I think Victoria betrayed me. Scratch that, I know Victoria betrayed me." I said.

"Yeah, I know how that feels." Dad said holding one of the hats "I think I'm looking at the end of education. It's finally been automated like everything else. Faster, cheaper, more uniform product. It was only a matter of time I guess. I think everyone in the school will be out of a job by next month."

I shut the door and just had to crawl on to his lap.

"Sorry to talk about this. I know it's on your list of forbidden subjects " I said tears in my eyes.

Dad smiled "just stay off the subject of cheese and we will be OK. Look this is what growing up is. You learn you grow. Yeah sometimes it's not easy, painful but it will make you stronger. There are a lot of seductive liars out there. Now you know how it ends. Like I tell my kids. A mistake is only an error if you do it twice."

"yeah," I said in tears.

We sat together in the silence for a long time. I couldn't say rightly how long. There was something more loudly said in that solid silence than all the long year of conversion could not sum up to. I sat in the silence, feeling it's richness wash over me. It felt like the worst of times. So much of my life had been taken from me. Eventually, Dad broke the spell.

"Look do my a favour. Don't try those black hats right? I'm not sure about what will happen in the long term. What people might learn could disappear faster than a pile of cookies in an overpriced home viewing." Dad said holding me. "On the other hand, most school learning doesn't make it past the exams so what's new huh?? I'll tell you though you've been burnt by Victoria but never give up on trusting people right."

"You speak like it comes from your experience," I said half sobbing.

"Yeah. You're never too old or too young to learn from your own stupidity" Dad said blinking. "WTF" I added.

Just then through the windows, I saw Jane Mansfield walking out of the school being followed by the police, my mother and Miss Glass. While Jane did the walk of shame most of the rest of school looked on. I felt like was like I was drinking neat acid. Somehow Jane had been blamed, now I was responsible for keeping an innocent girl in jail. I was disgusted with school, the police, Victoria and most of all me. Who would believe any of this. My dad and my mom might. Could they convince everyone?

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A/N - Another very good week! Thanks for all the votes and comments. !!! hugs. 

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