“She didn’t know what she was doing.”
“I don’t care, Deanna!”
“It wasn’t her fault.”
“It most certainly was.”
“You can’t just kick her out, you don’t even know what happened.”
“I know exactlywhat happened, and I have the right to ban any student who poses a threat to this school! I warned her, didn’t I? I told her what the consequences would be if this behavior continued! She chose not to listen! Now we have two injured students and a months’ worth of damage to repair! The girl is a menace and a danger to everyone around her!”
I sat numbly while Kerry stormed and shrieked, occasionally jabbing an accusing finger in my direction. Deanna was defending me fiercely. They had been arguing for so long that their voices were beginning to resonate strangely inside my skull. No one else could get a word in edgewise. Not Isaac, who was lightly gripping the back of my chair. Not Danielle or Jewel who both stood off to one side, eyes wide and mouths tightly closed. Not Shane, who would occasionally open his mouth and try to interject, only to have the two women talk over him.
My memory of the past twenty minutes was hazy at best. I remembered the floodlights coming on in the plaza. Hundreds of faces staring down at me, Kerry standing out among the crowd. I remembered a flurry of noise and activity, people surrounding me, jostling me while they yelled and argued over my head. I remembered Lucas being hauled off somewhere for medical treatment, followed closely by Reza.
How badly they were hurt, I couldn’t say. Part of me didn’t even want to know. I felt sick just thinking about it.
And now, I had somehow ended up in Deanna’s office, listening in a daze while she fought with Kerry.
“She almost killed someone, Deanna! What part of this are you not understanding? She is violent and dangerous and out of control!”
“She didn’t mean to-”
“I couldn’t care less whether she meant for this to happen or not! The fact is, it did! I will not stand for this type of behavior in my school, Deanna! I will not! She has to go and she has to go now!”
“Would you listen to me for one-”
“And another thing!” Kerry shrieked, cutting Deanna short. “Why did no one tell me that this girl was Gifted? She just changed into something that was five times the size of her usual form! That’s a gifted trait if I ever saw one!”
“That has nothing to do with-”
“It has everything to do with this! People like her should be locked up in specialized facilities! They have no business wandering around among the general population! The are a threat of everyone and everything they come in contact with!”
I heard wood creak. Isaac had intensified his grip on the back of my chair.
“Have you lost your mind?” Deanna said. “Locking people up just because of the abilities they were born with?”
“If they can’t control those abilities, then yes!”
“Kerry, you’re being completely unreasonab-”
“She was provoked.”
Every set of eyes in the room turned away from Kerry and Deanna and focused squarely on Jewel. Her small face was tense, her jaw set mulishly. “Do you think it’s a coincidence that Lucas is the person she attacked? That stupid jerk has been stalking her. He’s been harassing her.”
YOU ARE READING
Silent Heroes: Wildcat
Fantasy"What the hell?" I took a step closer to the mirror, staring at my reflection in disbelief. The person looking back was still me, but at the same time it wasn't. I had the same thick, dark, curly hair. The same hazel eyes. The same olive skin wi...
