Four Wings

2. Known

Syrena

Menara wakes me up early the next morning, saying she made waffles with raspberries and whipped cream. Yum.

Still half asleep, I throw on the outfit I laid out the night before - jean pencil skirt, peach peasant blouse top, and pull on some ankle boots - grab my backpack with all my textbooks from its hook by the door, and clatter down the steps into the kitchen.

"Excited for the first last days of your senior year, in a new school?" She grins at me, probably just as excited about this as I am, maybe more.

I grin back, "Definitely."

She piles a plate full, and sits next to me with her coffee as I dig in.

"I was going to tell you last night, but you were busy getting ready for school," she says, and I look up.

"Tell me what?"

"Oh, you remember Ailani and Dakan Archer, right?"

"Um, of course, I mean, I lived with them for a year or so..." I couldn't discern what she was trying to tell me...

"You know they moved to Wisconsin, right?"

"Yes...?"

"Well, they moved here. To Oconomowoc. Dakan goes to the same school you enrolled in, and he's a senior, like you."

I swallowed my bite and my mouth fell open, waffles forgotten. "Are you serious? They're here, and I'm going to the same school as him?" My cheeks stretched into a face-splitting grin.

She's grinning too now, her face looking like it wants to turn into the Grand Canyon.

"Yep. You will probably have classes with him, also, since you'll be in the same grade."

Now I just wanted to run to school immediately, but obviously he wouldn't be there yet. I'll just have to force myself to wait until 7:20 to leave, like everyone else. So I finish my waffles in a hurry and go to the bathroom to do my hair - I don't wear makeup, so thankfully I don't have to do that. I decide to just braid it and let it fall over my shoulder, instead of trying to put it up, and spend the rest of the time making sure I have everything I need for school. Finally it's time to leave, so I grab all my things and say goodbye to Menara.

"I'll see you after school!" I call, heading out the door.

"See you later!"

I throw my backpack in the passenger side of my white Chevy Cruze, and climb in the driver's side. As I pull out of the driveway and head to school, a million questions and what-ifs run through my head, but two stand out. 

Will Dakan recognize me? And will I recognize him?

~

I pull into the school parking lot and park next to someone's black car, close to the entrance. I gaze around, I don't know, looking for his car? I know I have no idea what it looks like, but for some reason I think I would recognize it. Oh, whatever, I'll probably see him sometime during the day, and maybe in one or more of my classes, if I'm lucky. Speaking of classes... As I walk down the halls, I pull out my schedule and check what and where my first class is. Lovely, I have Trig first. Maybe the teacher here will be better than the one back in Wyoming. Okay...after Trig I have Film and Literature- that sounds interesting. Then I have...never mind. I'll figure it out when I get there. 

I walk into Trig a bit late, judging by the number of kids already seated, but the teacher isn't there yet, so I guess I'm not that late. Once again, I scan the students, wondering if any of them is Kan. I don't see anybody though, so I walk to a seat somewhere in the middle of the room and sit down, just hoping it isn't anybody's "claimed" spot. The red-haired girl behind me taps my shoulder and asks, "Hey, are you new here?"