Miss Quick

Chapter Five

I bet it would be so fun to go to a school for people with abilities like me. And it would be fun to see the different talents. There'd be no cranky teachers and annoying popular girls. Or at least the ones there would be nicer. And I wouldn't have to hide my rushes anymore.  

Suddenly a thought struck me. I wasn't so sure it would be better. Maybe people with abilities were even worse! I've never met anyone else with one besides Evelyn. Let's face it, I was relying on pure hope here!  

At least I knew how it went at Bearin. I was used to it. And what if I got lost? Well, okay, the hallways weren't confusing at all, really.  

It was between Bearin and the academy. Routine and....the unknown. I laid back against my headboard, lost in thoughts.  

Before I knew it, I was passed out on the bed in dreamland. I was walking through the academy hall and flowers were blooming out if midair.  

Suddenly they shriveled up, and a dark mist spread through the hallway, almost engulfing me. Then a group of girls appeared, stepping out from the mist. Monsters! No, just regular girls. Or were they monsters?  

"Come with us," one if the girls in the front said, displaying straight, white teeth with a dazzling grin.  

She seemed sincere, I thought. I looked at the menacing blackness around me, not that there was anything to see. It was thick as molasses, and the thought of venturing into it scared me.  

I looked back at the group of girls, who grinned at me. "Okay," I said, allowing them to lead me through the path they had cleared through the blackness. A few if the girls looked at me with almost hungry expressions. I blinked and shook it off, surely it was just my imagination.  

*** 

Every day that week, I got home from school and talked to Evelyn about, well, anything. I asked my mom a billion times if I could go over to her house to see more if the academy. Every time, she replied with something along the lines of "You can this weekend. But during the week I want you to have time to do your schoolwork." So then I'd huff off to my room and do my stupid work.  

I finished my work of today early, I was putting my books in my backpack when I heard Mom come home. I decided to go downstairs and help make dinner, as I sometimes did.  

"Thanks for the help, Ari," Mom said.  

"You're welcome."  

"So, I was thinking," Mom began, "Before you started Mr. Pulcher's educational program, I want to learn more about it. So I was thinking that tomorrow, we could go to their house and check it out."  

I blinked. This wasn't good....I should've known Mom would want to see it. She's not the type of mom that would let me sleep over at a new friend's house without meeting them, either. Not that I had many new friends, but I she acted like that with both Megan and Evelyn. My mom's not easily trusting. 

"Okay," I finally said, trying to sound excited about it. "I'll go call Evi and tell her."  

I hurried up to my room, shut the door, and dialed Evelyn's number. "We have an emergency."  

"What, did someone find out about you?" she asked, sounding panicked.  

"No." 

"Oh, thank goodness," she sighed, relieved. "So what is it?" 

"My mom. She wants to see your dad's educational program. We're coming to your house tomorrow."  

"Oh no," she said quietly.  

"You better tell your dad! How are you going to do it?"  

"I don't know!" She sounded stressed. "I'm going to call my dad. I'll talk to you in a few minutes."