The Song Of His

9. Witches came in all shapes and sizes

"okay class, I hope everyone of you paid close attention to the basics because we wouldn't be repeating this class again but use what we did today in almost every class hereafter," Mr. Knowles informed just before the bell went off signalling the end of the period.

"You may all leave now but remember to decide on a project and submit your topics to me in the next class," he added as everyone started to collect their things after removing their gloves and safety goggles.

West didn't talk much unless it was needed for him to confirm the instructions given or to ask about how to do something. Strangely, it wasn't very weird to be this close to him as I had imagined it to be at the beginning of the period when Mr. Knowles had made him my lab partner. I had feared about reopening the talk that I had closed the day before. Even though it had me thinking the entire time. But something about it made me want to wait and ready myself for it.

"I'll take my leave now," I voiced out looking at the table but actually at him from the corner of the eyes. He stopped what he was doing to stare at me. When he didn't say anything in reply, I just bobbed my head and said after quickly picking my stuff up, "yeah, right."

And before he could decide to say something, I was off of the chair and out of the class. I felt his eyes follow my every moment till I had disappeared in the crowd. I definitely had sort of developed an alert mechanism for him which would allow me to feel him even before I could see or hear him. The hair on the back of my neck stood up whenever he was in a certain radii. Enough to alert me about the following eyes.

There was another period before the lunch break and for the entire period I had been mulling over my thoughts. Most of it was regarding my recurring dream and my sleep walking. What did it mean? I had heard that dreams told something, but what were they trying to tell me? And West what was it about him that enthralled me?

It scared me as well as fascinated me.

He had come out of nowhere and became my enigma, leaving me in a dilemma if I should chase after him or admire him from afar. Even when he had left the decision in my hand, a part of my wanted to embrace his whatever dark truth that he gave me a leverage of knowing while the other part of me wanted me to wait for the right time.

"Class dismissed," Mrs. Thaler's voice followed by the scraping of the chairs against the ground broke me out of my chain of thoughts. It was lunch break finally.

Mirroring other students, I gathered my things and headed out towards my locker. Christine and her clones were standing by the end of the corridor discussing something really seriously. As soon as I stopped at my locker, the cloven of witches headed in my way just to stop by my neighbour's locker.

I didn't know Christine had a locker change. Not minding much of her presence, I kept my things in and closed the locker's metallic door. But still, some part of me did mind her presence because where Christine was, the trouble would follow shortly.

Instead of turning to face her, I turned the other way around to avoid colliding into her and getting rampaged for that. But I didn't know that she was there for something else: Me.

"Carlene!" I stopped infact froze in my when I heard my name being called and turned to face her with raised eyebrows. I was surprised but was definitely not ready to be shocked. A part of my body felt like it had a frostbite making it malfunction. But Christine flashed me a really sweet smile. So sweet that I feared that I might end up getting diabetes by the end of the day if she would be gracefully giving me a few more doses of it.

I felt like a scapegoat ready to be sacrificed. Here goes nothing, I gulped the lump that had formed in my throat as I forced my foot to take a step towards her.

"Yes?" I kept my tone in check. I wasn't as crazy as Lavinia to get into their bad book for no good reason.

Christine grinned toothily showing me all her pearly whites, "Carlene darling, did you have your lunch yet?"

I looked at her and her clones who were standing a few steps away from her before looking back at her. What was this all about? Before today, I doubt if she even knew about my existence but today, here she was! Talking to me with all the endearment and asking me about my lunch.

"I am going for that now," I kept my answer short and steady, also my face was devoid of any emotion to give her any upper hand over me, over whatever she was playing here. I was sure of one thing that she was playing something but I wasn't ready to be her fool.

"Why don't you join us today?" She nodded towards her gang of piranhas who were smiling at me all toothily. But I could see clearly through their fake smiles. The one thing that they reminded me of was a bunch of dangerous pitbulls trying to hide their growls with that shark type of smile. It wasn't like they had suddenly grown an interest in me. They didn't want me, they wanted something from me and as soon as the cat was out of the bag, they would be throwing me off like a used tissue.

"Thanks for the offer but my friends must be waiting for me," I reasoned in an non-negotiable tone.

Christine's smile wavered a bit but she immediately composed herself, "we are also your friends, right girls?" Christine turned to look over her shoulder at the sidekicks.

"Yeah," her clones replied with those sugary sweet smiles.

No, you aren't. I wanted to tell out loud but again I wasn't as dumb as Lavinia. I kept quiet as Christine kept smiling at me. It was very creepy to look at the smile which was forced on to the lips.

"But Lavinia-" before I could complete the sentence, Lavinia's voice reached us before she came into the view, "Lene! Oh there you are!"

She came to stand beside me as she looked at Christine standing in front of me before back at me, "what is going on here?"

I opened my mouth to answer her but Christine beat me to it, "hey Lavana! We were inviting Carlene to have lunch with us, you can join us too."

"It's Lavinia," Vini corrected with a starstruck look.

"Yes, whatever you say. Why don't you both join us for lunch today?"

I opened my mouth to answer her 'no, we are happy where we were, we don't need a status elevation to witches.' But before I could say anything Lavinia answered really excitedly, "yes! We would love to!"

There you went and did it again, Lavinia! You just pushed both of us into the sea of piranhas, bravo Lavinia! Just bravo!

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I pushed the undistinguishable food from one corner of my plate to another. To be quite frankly with, they made just one thing and placed it with different labels everyday... And it was completely bland to taste. I don't even want to know how these people ate it everyday. My appetite died right after the first bite. Even though the food contributed to be the primary reason for my lack of hunger, Christine and company staring at me with those sugary fake smiles wasn't any less than the primary reason.

Lavinia chatted animatedly like they were old friends beside me after stuffing her mouth with another one of the sagging fries, completely oblivious to my mood. I could easily tell from one look that the food she was hogging was stale.

"Why? You haven't touched your food at all!" Christine eyed my plate as she spoke like a worried mother.

"I'm not that hungry," I cleared my throat after saying it and soon after I felt it. The hair on the back of my neck stood up, charging the air with electricity. All the gazes from the table had been focusing behind me, causing me to involuntarily look over my shoulder towards the cafeteria door. The herd of students separated, clearing the path for Dylan and Kai to come through. As usual, Kai was engrossed in his mobile while Dylan walked throwing around pissed off glances at the ones who tried to talk or touch him. At first he wasn't visible behind the two frames of Dylan and Kai but I knew that he was right there with them. And finally he came into view.

He walked carefreely, like he owned the school. His hands in the pockets, his back straight, his chin high in the air and bag dangling from his shoulder. He slowly blinked before looking around the cafeteria.

I don't know if it was my secret wish or if it really happened but West's eyes stopped at me for a second longer than it did on others. Then they occupied the empty table as if nothing had happened. And to be frank with, nothing had happened. Only more students had arrived to have lunch at the cafeteria, that was it.

"I know you must be feeling really tired after the lab," Christine's eyes didn't move away from the Adonides as she continued, "you didn't even want to be partnered with West but Mr. Knowles didn't leave you with any choice."

"You were partnered with West? West as in West Zervos?" Lavinia exclaimed from my side making me cover my ears because of her shout. As if her voice wasn't already very loud.

And Christine being Christine, didn't let me answer as she did it for me, "Yes, she was. I saw how awkward you were feeling throughout the class. You poor little thing. Only if Mr. Knowles hadn't pulled that stunt."

Involuntarily my eyes shifted towards where West was sitting. They were away from us, definitely out of the hearing range. He was staring at his food like it was dancing before him.

Something in me wanted to defend both Mr. Knowles and West.

"Actually, it wasn't so bad as you make it look like. Agreed that we aren't acquaintance but to be honest, it might have looked like I felt awkward but I wasn't. We just didn't have a general conversation," I explained saving face of both West and Mr. Knowles. And to a certain extent even mine.

I saw Christine's expression change like she just licked something sour but immediately composed back to her sickly sweet smile which looked menacing at the moment. Like she was thinking of stabbing me with a table spoon. Preferably, a rusted table spoon.

"Of course, you might be. Yet, it still took away your right to choose your lab partner while the rest of us could." She pushed the curl of hair behind her ear as she sat back.

"It doesn't matter, I didn't know anyone from the lab anyway. Whoever would have been my lab partner, it would be the same as West," I shrugged sipping the juice from the carton.

I swear I heard something gritting. And I had a high suspicion that it was Christine's teeth. It would be better for me to get out of here before she decided to chew me instead of her soggy french fries.

"Thank you for the lunch, Christine. Now I'll take my leave, I have to meet Mrs. Thaler regarding the assignment. I'll see you later." I got up and slung my bag over my shoulder. I had just turned around to leave when Christine spoke, "wait!"

I couldn't help but close my eyes and exhale through my mouth trying to push away the dreadful feeling I was having. I felt my heart rate accelerate automatically.

What was she going to say now? With that thought, I turned around to face the evil witch.

"I need you to do something," she was twirling her hair.

"What thing?" I asked in an unstable voice. I didn't know why but whatever she was planning to ask me, I had a bad feeling about it.

She looked up at me and smiled, still twirling her blonde curls around her finger. Her baby blue eyes burned with determination like she was ready for anything. Anything at all. Finally she spoke with a sweet smile but a menacing tone, "just stay away from West. He's mine."

There she went, revealed her true self to me at last. I understood one thing from that: witches came in all shapes and sizes, especially the blonde ones like the one before me.