The Heinous Prodigies Book One: The Lost Dreamer

Chapter 6: Dinner Announcements

Riley, Eden and Faye were snacking and drinking coffee in the lounge room on the third floor. They sat on one of the velvet double-ended chaises. The room was covered in yellow wallpaper with flowers on them. Chandeliers hung on the ceiling, illuminating the area. A painting of two different angels was on the western and eastern walls. They looked as beautiful as Eden had imagined them to be though she thought that if she had met one in person, the painter wouldn’t have given justice to them. No matter how much a painting caught the likeness of one, it still wouldn’t compare to actually seeing them in person.

The three recalled what had happened during Physical Education. Eden was still too caught up with what she had done in front of the class. Fortunately, she gained respect and not contempt from humiliating Coach Tanner.

The class immediately ran out of the room as soon as Healing ended. The boys and girls went their separate ways. Faye showed Eden the way to the girl’s locker room. They walked around a series of locker columns and stopped in front of the third one at the last column. She began spinning the lock’s code and successfully opened it.

“Let’s see…” Faye muttered as she searched the contents of the locker. Eden peeped from behind and saw a pile of bags, two pairs of shoes, and trash at the bottom. Faye opened one of the bags and dug her hands in it.

Eden asked, “What are you doing?”

Faye straightened up. She had a crumpled uniform the girls were dressing themselves in: a black t-shirt with an Alpha symbol on the left breast and a crucifix beside it, knee-length silver shorts, and sneakers.

“You can use my old ones if you like. I bet they’d fit you perfectly,” said Faye.

Eden received the clothes and thanked her.

Faye pulled up her shirt and began dressing up for P.E. “It’s going to take a while before you get your own uniform but that’ll have to do.”

She stared at Faye again before finally resigning.

They grabbed wooden bows and quivers from the storage room at the back as they exited the room. Eden could feel girl rage glare at her as she seized a bow and quiver. She knew they’d be much happier if they could use their weapons on her.

A horribly tanned man with a wrinkled face met them outside the training grounds. They sat on the grassy ground with the man looming over them. Everyone was quiet. Targets of white and red circles were lined out behind him. “Henry Banner, Phys. Ed Coach,” whispered Faye. His aura screamed pain and terror.

“He only wants to be called Coach during class hours but when you meet around the Sanctuary, you greet him as Mr Tanner, understand?” Faye told her as they sat down.

Coach turned his attention to the both of them. He clearly wasn’t happy that someone had disturbed the silence. Faye cringed back as he bore his eyes on them. “Paris!” He cried and blew his deafening whistle as if her attention still needed getting. “Come up here.”

Rachel snorted. “Paris, Paris, Paris,” she babbled. “That’s all I ever hear today—”

“Shut your trap, Fairchild,” snapped Coach. “Or I’ll shut it for you.”

Eden clenched her fists and stood up from the grass. Whispers started to run around the crowd as if an epidemic gone wild.

Coach screamed in her ear, fighting hard not to step away from him. She held her ground and crossed her arms over her chest. “As your reward for not paying attention, kindly show us a bit of training that your father had so carefully raised you in.” He pointed at the target and gestured for me to pick up my bow. “Shoot an arrow at the center of the target. If you don’t, you won’t get supper tonight.”