Black and Blue

Chapter 3

Davina’s POV

A week after arriving at Greenwood, no one had any idea that I was Leah Frost; luck was with me at last. If I could remain under the name Davina Blake my life would surely take a turn for the better, finally.

I found myself settling into a regular routine. Breaks and lunches would be spent with Bronwyn, Ethan, Corin and Clarisse while in lessons I tended to stick with the nerds, Moira and Raymond, who helped me through the lessons and were actually quite funny. Luckily, they had escaped Regan’s ‘freak’ list.

There was still one thing I wasn’t sure about though, psychic-freak, otherwise known as Aamor. I had asked Bronwyn several times about her but she had just shrugged and told me it wasn’t her information to tell. Typical Bronwyn. I see she hadn’t changed there.

After gathering my English materials from my locker, I wondered down the hallway, trying to find Moira. We usually met by the doors leading to the courtyard outside, but today it seemed she was running late.

Leaning back against the wall, I glanced around the almost deserted corridor. Only a few students walked past now; most were in class or at their common rooms. A small girl with fire red hair caught my eye. She was walking slowly, staring at the ground, her belongings clutched tightly to her chest. Two girls walking in the opposite direction stopped. One pointed at her and whispered to her friend. The two girls nodded, smiling smugly before the first girl approached Aamor.

As if it was a coincidence, the girl bumped into Aamor, tripping her over and making her belongings tumble from her grip. The girl laughed, high-fiving her friend before skipping off to class, leaving Aamor gathering her belongings.

A pencil rolled to my feet, stopping as it hit my grey converse. I bent down and picked it up, looking at Aamor who was struggling to hold her belongings. Setting my books on the floor, I walked over to her, helping her pick up her books. She stared at me, looking perplexed by my actions. I smiled at her, handing her back her books.

“I’m Davina,” I said, bending down so we were the same height, “You’re Aamor, aren’t you?” Aamor said nothing; she just stared at me with her large green eyes, as if I hadn’t spoken at all. I frowned, “Are you okay?” She still didn’t reply, it was as if she couldn’t hear me, though no one had told me anything about her being deaf.

She shook her head suddenly, turning to her left. Her lips curled up to a smile and she nodded enthusiastically. Her lips moved as if she was mouthing something to someone, but when I turned around there was no one there.

Aamor giggled, as if in response to someone before she ran off after her invisible person. I stood staring after her, more confused about her than I was before. Was she deaf? Was she ignoring me? I didn’t know.

“Don’t be offended,” Moira walked through the doors of the courtyard, “She does that to everyone.” She flicked her short, curly blond hair out of her hazel eyes and pushed the door behind her shut with her foot. “Sorry I’m late, Dusty wanted help with her maths.”

“It’s fine,” I replied, gathering my book from the floor, “So what’s the deal with Aamor then? Is she deaf?”

Moira sighed, “Deaf? No, Aamor’s not deaf… she just doesn’t speak.”

“Doesn’t speak?” I asked, frowning.

“Yeah, she listens, she just doesn’t respond. She never has. No one knows why,” Moira explained, “She’s… different. She interacts with someone who doesn’t exist. She goes to the hospital several times a week to see a councilor, but it’s not helping. The teachers told us she has a mild case of schizophrenia.”