Shift

Chapter 9

The teacher gave the boys a pointed look and said, "don't be late again." Neither of them responded. He introduced himself as Mr. Ferguson then started calling out student's names and marking them down in the books. A shudder ran through me, and I wished I had worn warmer clothes. How I could be so cold when it's so warm was beyond me.

Throughout the duration of homeroom, I felt eyes burning into the back of my head. I didn't dare look back at them. If they all felt the same way about me that Kota does, then it was best that I didn't acknowledge their attention. Towards the end of the class, the door opened revealing a bald man in a suit. You could see the bulk of his muscle beneath his clothing. His dark eyes skimmed over the room pausing on me before settling on the boys.

"Good morning, Principal Hendricks," Mr. Ferguson said hesitantly.

"Aren't you two from the Academy?" The principal asked them.

My eyes drifted over to the boys. Luke was sitting straighter in his chair and North would have looked unbothered if he weren't so tense. I looked back at Mr. Hendricks. I remembered my conversation with Owen. He was from an Academy that was here to help the school because this school was dangerous.

"Yes, sir," Luke said. North didn't seem to be in the mood to make conversation.

The principal hummed and looked them over. "Where are your uniforms?" I could hear the fake concern in his voice. He was putting on a show, but why?

"Uniforms?" Luke's brow furrowed, twisting a little so that he could look at North. "We don't have uniforms, sir."

"I believe there was a misunderstanding. Have your teacher call me." He straightened his tie before looking at me. His frown tipped up into a small smile. "Miss Sorenson, it is so good to have you here. I've ensured your father that I'd look out for you."

My cheeks heated and my heart came to a crashing halt. Why was he talking to me? How did he even know my father? It wasn't like he came with me to registration day. The principal left after apologizing to Mr. Ferguson for the interruption. I looked over at the boys, my confusion plain to see. North's dark eyes were on me and Luke looked concerned as he typed something into his phone.

I wasn't sure what just happened, but I knew that it didn't mean anything good for me. People kept bringing up my father when I was sure he'd never met them. I knew for a fact that he didn't know about Kota. I would have been punished by my mother if he knew. I couldn't put my finger on it, but I knew that something more was going on here.

When the bell rang, I was out of my desk and walking down the hallway. I peered over my shoulder to find that Luke was right behind me. I was too tired to care. Any energy I had regained after expelling the contents of my stomach, seemed to have been sapped from me. It was a bit of a walk from homeroom to the trailer outside. I practically collapsed into the first empty desk that I saw in my AP English class.

Luke poked me in the shoulder, "Sang, are feeling all right? You don't look too good."

No, I imagined that I didn't. If I looked half as bad as I felt, then I could perfectly understand why he'd seem concerned. I turned in my seat, the movement making my head spin a little.

"I'm fine, Luke." My voice was quiet and a little scratchy. "You should probably sit elsewhere. Kota wouldn't like us talking to each other."

"Kota?" Now he sounded confused.

I sighed and turned back in my seat, resting my head on my forearms. Students began streaming in, and suddenly I was overwhelmed with the scent of spice and something woodsy. I knew Kota was amongst the students. I looked up to see a scowling Kota standing next to me with Gabriel standing beside him. Gabriel looked a little sad.