A Miraculous Tale: Peacock

Ch. 4

September 5, 1996

Emilie, Jane, and Natalie walked down the long hallway on their way to lunch. It was Emilie's second year at Coley Prep, a prestigious private academy, and she was thankful Jane had joined her at college this year.

Jane was Emilie's younger sister, and the two considered themselves best friends. They were very similar. They both shared the same slender figure and bubbly excitement. Jane had large blue eyes, and her brown hair fell down in waves around her face. Where her hair ended at her shoulders, Emilie's golden hair fell down in between her shoulders and elbows; her eyes were also exquisite green rather than blue.

Natalie was a sweet but shy girl the sisters had met in the lunchroom at the beginning of the new year. She was tall with a delicate frame, but she hunched over. She wore blue glasses that were a bit large on her face, and her black hair fell to her elbows. Emilie and Jane had taken an instant liking to her, and the three had been friends ever since.

"My marine biology homework last night was horrific! I almost started crying." Jane told Natalie and Emilie.

"Ooh, that sounds awful." Natalie sympathized.

"I'm sure it'll get easier as you learn more." Emilie told her. They were nearing the doors to enter the cafeteria when Emilie stopped short. "Shoot! I left my script in my locker."

"Can you get it later?" Jane asked.

Emilie shook her head. "No, I go to theater right after lunch. I'll have to go get it. Save me a spot at lunch, okay?"

"We will." Jane agreed. Her and Natalie went into the lunchroom, and Emilie turned and left for her locker.

Emilie turned the final corner and found herself on the hallway her locker was located in. She gasped as an unnerving sight met her eyes.

Tim Myers, the school bully, was currently getting ready to torture another victim. One of Tim's minions was holding the poor boy up by the collar of his shirt. The other minion, Dwyers, was Tim's right hand man. He was leaning against a locker looking smug.

"I call first dibs." She heard Tim say. He pulled back his fist and was about to swing it at the boy's head.

"What in the world are you doing to him, Tim?" An alarmed Emilie asked. She marched right over to Tim.

"Put him down now, Tim!" She told him.

Tim smiled; he was actually a quite dashing boy despite his awful personality. His white teeth sparkled unnaturally in the fluorescent light. "Why don't you go on over to the cafeteria now? This isn't a game for a fragile princess."

The boys laughed, but Emilie fumed.

"I'm going to go get one of the teachers if you don't stop this nonsense right now!"

Dwyers, an enormous boy, took a step closer to the girl. "Why don't you go pack your bags, O'Connor. This ain't something a little rich girl would understand."

Emilie turned to him. She wasn't small at all, more average height, but her head only came to Dwyer's shoulder.

"I'll give you to the count of three before I leave and come back with a teacher." She smiled and crossed her arms. "And I'll make sure to let the principle know as well."

The boys squirmed.

"One." She started. "Two." Her smile disappeared. "Three." Emilie turned on her heel and started walking away. The sound of sneakers skidding on the floor quickly started and disappeared. Emilie smiled triumphantly, but then heard a groan and a loud thunk. She quickly turned around and saw that the victim had fallen to the floor. His bag had tumbled open, and papers were scattered everywhere.