Baeing Academy

Chapter one: Illusions

copyright Emma Gibson 2013 ©

Chapter one- illusions

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I shivered as I finish drying myself in Jordan's bathroom. Feeling a sudden, sharp pain in my hip, I look down to see an angry red mark on my hip bone. I gently pressed it with my fingers, wincing when the pain flared up again.

What the? I thought, staring at it warily. My mind ran over the past hours, trying to decipher why it had appeared. My morning had been normal, and around noon Jordan had come to pick me up for our date. Jordan. The thought of him made me smile. With his wild dark brown hair, unusual blue eyes and smirking grin, I never dreamed that he would be mine. Going out in public with him was strange- girls constantly giggled and stared at his almost arrogant beauty and I constantly had to force down the unnecessary jealously. Jordan was obviously used to it. He would always look at me and smile, whispering in my ear that he only had eyes for me. Me- short, average, loner me. I had only moved to his school several months before and I had been shocked when Jordan had winked at me from across the cafeteria. After that, our relationship had blossomed. I still had no friends at our school, but I didn't mind much. I always had my books that I spent ages with my nose stuck in, and Jordan of course. Remembering that Jordan was waiting for me behind the door, I hurriedly dressed while being cautious to not touch my hip again. I unlocked the bathroom door and smiled when I saw him lounging on the massive bed.

"You look good in my shirt," he said. I looked down, smoothing my hands over the crumpled tee that hung over my damp shorts.

"Is it just because it's yours?" I teased. "You're so biased."

Jordan smiled as I curled up next to him.

"I can't believe that we have been going out for four months now," he stroked my hair.

"I can't believe that I've put up with you for four months."

He gasped in mock offence and started tickling my stomach.

"Stop stop!" I gasped, rolling around on the bed. Jordan grinned wickedly and leaned over me.

"Are you sorry?" He smirked.

"N...ev...er" I managed to gasp out between giggles. He began tickling my toes, and I squealed.

"Okay. Okay! I give up. You win!"

He poked his tongue out at me and patted the space beside him. Wary of another tickling bout, I slowly crept over to him.

"Sorry about the rain," he said. "I had no idea it was going to pour like that and ruin our picnic."

"Its okay, this is fun," I replied, wrapping my arms around his neck. He leant forward and gently pressed his lips against mine. I kissed him back and ran my fingers through his dark hair. Kissing Jordan always felt amazing. Right. Perfect. My small body fit perfectly under his collarbone as if we were moulded to fit like jigsaw pieces. I pulled back, my breathing laboured slightly, my skin warm under his hands.

"You really do look beautiful Ally," he murmured. I smiled against the skin of his neck, before sighing happily.

I was about to speak up and tell Jordan about my mark, when the ring of the doorbell made us both jump. Jordan met my eyes with a guilty smile as I tumbled off the bed. I listened as Jordan answered the door. It was only the mailman. A part of me exhaled in relief that it wasn't Jordan's parents.

Not that we were doing anything wrong, I reminded myself sternly.

The mailman had a large package for Jordan's dad. He appeared in the kitchen carrying it and placed it on the table.

"What do you want to do now?"

I checked the clock and realised that I was twenty minutes late for work. I cursed softly under my breath.

"Sorry I have to go, I'm late for work," I said, hurriedly pulling on my battered converse.

"Do you want me to drive you?" He offered.

"Nah, it's just down the road," I called as I flew out the door and down the street. Boy, outside it was humid even after a shower. I walked down the road, looking up at the tall palm trees. Breathing in the warm air, I smiled at the prospect of summer. There soon would be movies to watch, beaches to visit and breezy clothes to buy. Summer was my favourite time of the year. I relished the feeling of the hot sun on my skin and the cold tang of ice creams.

I rushed into the air-conditioned bookstore where I worked part time, dropping off my bag in the small staffroom and then nervously walking up to the front counter. To my relief, John, my boss, was nowhere to be seen. I set myself up at a counter and served a customer buying a book on healthy eating. She had an ugly purple handbag that I glanced at, attempting to hide my disgust. She left after paying and I stood at the register for a few minutes, avoiding the stares of my co workers. Like school, I hadn't made any friends. Still, I didn't care. I loved working at the store, breathing in the scent of books warming in the sun that spilled through the large windows.

"You're late," John said, making me twirl guiltily to face him. "Why?" He demanded.

"I'm really sorry, sir, but I uh, got held up. I came here as soon as I realised I was late. I'm terribly sorry, I promise it won't happen again," I stuttered. He fixed me with his steely grey gaze and I resisted the urge to whimper. Everyone was scared of John, and some people whispered that he had once fired five people for having a party in the bookstore after hours.

"It better not," he said before turning and walking off to find some other employee to terrify. I let out the breath I didn't realise I'd been holding. That was close. My mother would kill me if I lost my job here for being late, especially if the reason I'd been late was Jordan. My mum didn't like Jordan one bit. She had told me over and over again that he was just using me and he would soon tire of playing with my feelings. I resented her for that. Why couldn't she just be happy for me? But no.

The afternoon wore on, and my mind began to wander back to the sore mark on my hip.

It's just an ant bite, I attempted to reassure myself over and over again. Or you bumped your hip on something sharp.

But every time, a voice would whisper loudly in my head that I was wrong. It wasn't just a bite, or an ordinary sore. Something was wrong. Something was happening that was beyond my understanding. I ignored it fiercely, throwing everything into serving customers and then to cleaning the shelves.

By the time my shift was over, I was exhausted mentally.

Maybe you just need to lie down. Get home, I thought and hurried myself to sign off before collecting my bag and leaving the store. The sun had left the sky while I'd been at work, and now it was dying, streaking the clear evening with brilliant reds and oranges. All at once, I felt re-energised. I could almost smell summer in the air, and feel it in my veins. I walked peacefully along the footpath, happily murmuring a song under my breath. I grinned when I realised that I only had one short week until summer holidays. And then... infinite days of relaxation.

Finally.

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Hey! My name is Emma, and some how, you've found my book. I hope you all enjoy it, but please don't steal my idea. I have come up with it myself, and it is copyright. If you do steal it, I will ensure that you get into deep shit for it. :) I am currently still writing it, and I will occasionally go back and change a few things to make it better. Yes, I know that at the moment, it starts out rushed, but I am fixing that. Please, when you're critiquing it, remember that I am only 13, so there will be mistakes and a few holes in the plot. Other than that, please don't forget to vote of you like it and enjoy!

Emma