Hell Mary

Chapter Five

The class had been swept out of any souls but for Mary and Kelvin's, who still battled with the human organs he had to draw as Martins and Dayo had left for their hostels.

Kelvin occasionally darted his eyes over any slight body movement she made and wondered when she would wake up. She calmed his curiosity when she fell off from her wooden desk and hit her head on the floor with an awful scowl enveloping her face and her hands palming the area of impact.

"Hey! Are you OK?" He said trying to reach over to her end.

"Yeah... I think so," she replied and hurriedly got up. Her eyes appeared blood shot with scarred thick red veins popping out as though it would bleed soon. He noticed the dried white trails that descended towards her jaw and realized she had been crying.

"You were crying, weren't you?" He had asked and she fell silent. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Actually... No, but thanks for asking though," she replied. She reached into her locker and searched for a text book to take with her. The school provided all required text books and note books when complete payment of school fees were made as they had snuck the prices into the totality of the fees. She had known that ordinarily she wouldn't have had all complete text books but for that law because her aunt would have rebuked it.

"Sometimes it's better we let out our problems than piling it up. I may not be your close friend but I'm a good listener and I promise that it's going to be between you and me," Kelvin replied, stroking his chest in a cross wise manner.

Mary paused for a second and smiled. No one crosses their hearts anymore as a mark of secrecy. Many who did, also eventually told the secrets but indeed in all actuality, she did need someone to talk to.

"Woah! You don't mean it!" He had remarked after she narrated her story. "You can't possibly prefer Mike to Jayden," Kelvin added.

Of course she hadn't narrated her entire story to a total stranger. A made up one would do until she could gain his trust.

"What's wrong with that? I think Mike is cute. I love his power as well. Earth, nature and the serenity of life. Jayden's is fire and I don't think any sane person should love fire," she added. He was really surprised that she watched Power Rangers Samurai and the many other shows he outlined although, this was only done whenever her aunt was not at home or whenever she would peep the screen from the kitchen and make up excuses to pass the living room multiple times.

"OK so umm Jayden and Kevin?" He asked again. He had been seated on the desk of someone who sat beside her while she tucked her legs underneath her desk.

"Jayden," she replied.

"...but you just said-" he started.

"The comparison changed," she replied and laughed gently when he made a face while placing his palms on his chest. "What?" She asked.

"Now I know you hate me," he said.

"Oh! No," she beamed. "You're Kelvin and he is Kevin so-" she paused searching for his face. "I don't hate you," she replied, slowly.

"So you are telling me that you were sad because you missed home?" Kelvin asked again.

"Yeah!" She lied.

There was a long silence that flushed through between them until the bell for dinning rang. The difference was the pattern of ringing each bell which the students learnt far back in their Js1 as a part of their rigorous orientation to becoming prim and proper ladies.

The prefects and general house mistress had been in charge of that bit. They had been orienting the girls on posture and flamboyant carriage, alongside eating manners and not being excluded to just no talking over a meal, but stretching as far as into the pattern and melody of one's lips while eating. The orientation into Queen's college usually lasted a whole month.