Sworn to Secrecy

Lost in the halls

            Everything was peaceful. The sun had began to rise, creating a beautiful pinkish-orange hue across the morning sky. Birds were singing their morning songs, and everything seemed to be normal. Meanwhile, in a cozy home, a girl would be resting in her soft bed. She slept peacefully, her blue hair sprawled around her.

           Suddenly, breaking the silence, her alarm let out a loud "BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!", causing her to wake up. She groaned as she rolled over to shut off the alarm. She laid in bed until she realized what day it was.

           The girl's eyes widened as she stared at the ceiling. "Crap! I have school today!" The girl jumped out of bed, a newfound abundance of energy filling her, realizing that it was her first day of her new school.

           She quickly got in the shower, using up the hot water as she hummed to herself. After finishing the shower, she changed into some nice clothes. She had on a pair of jeans with a Dark blue t-shirt. She put on her grey hoodie over the shirt, putting the hood itself to rest on her back. She put on some black socks with black converse, tying up the shoe nicely. After getting dressed, she brushed her blue hair, taking out the knots made from the hot water.

             "Naomi! Are you done getting dressed yet? Breakfast is ready!" Naomi sighed.

             "I'm coming mom! Give me a second!" Naomi finished brushing her hair before grabbing her backpack and coming down the stairs.

             Naomi rested on the last step, taking in the delicious aroma coming from the kitchen. Bacon, eggs, and toast. Her favorite. She went over to the kitchen and sat down at the bar. Her brother was eating pancakes beside her, scarfing them down like there was no tomorrow. He was in 4th grade, and refused to eat anything for breakfast but pancakes. No, he doesn't have special needs, just a stubborn attitude.

             Naomi sighed at her brother's behavior, but that sigh soon changed to an "mmmmm." as she was served some breakfast. She dug in, savoring the crispiness of the bacon and toast, cooked to perfection. She then ate some of the eggs, enjoying the yolk in particular. She soon finished, letting out a sigh of satisfaction as she went to wash her plate and utensil, having to clean her brother's as well. He insisted he was sick so he was staying home that day, despite the fact that he was playing his video games perfectly fine.

             Naomi walked up to her mother. "Thanks for the breakfast mom. I'm heading off to school." Naomi gave her mother a hug before heading out the door, preparing to go on a....."walk".....

           She closed the door just as her mother had called goodbye after her. They lived close to the school, seeing as her mother couldn't drive her because she had to drive her brother, and Naomi didn't have a bike. You'd think this would be a hassle, but Naomi had a trick.

           She walked quite a distance away from the house before running into a patch of trees nearby. Making sure the coast was clear, she closed her eyes and thought. She imagined a hawk, a red-tailed hawk to be exact, and let out a sigh as she began to change. Her arms had began to change into wing-like limbs, soon completely transforming. Her nose and mouth merged, forming into a sharp, hooked beak. After a couple of minutes, Naomi had transformed into a red-tailed hawk.

            She spread her wings and took flight. You see, Naomi wasn't just a normal girl, as you can probably tell already. She was actually gifted with the power to shape-shift into anything at birth. Of course, she would only use this power to help herself out, or others, if she did it secretly. She was afraid of telling anyone of her powers. She didn't even tell her family.

               As she flew, Naomi looked at the ground below her. She watched as children and teens alike rode their bikes or walked to school. The school had come into view after about ten
minutes of flight.

            She flapped her brown wings quickly, gaining lift. She soon tucked them at her sides, diving for a secluded side of the school. Before hitting the ground, she spread her wings, careful to not open them too quickly a to not break her bones. She fluttered her wings for a soft landing, and stood on her talons. Making sure no one was looking, she began to change back, her bones and muscles accommodating for her new form.

            She smiled, stretching her arms. She enjoyed soaring through the skies, feeling the wind in her feathers...it calmed her.

            But there wasn't time to dwell on that. She needed to hurry into a crowd, that way she didn't look so...out of place. She ran to the nearest group of people, flipping her hoodie over her head.

            "Uh..who are you..?" She turned to her right. A bubble popped in her face from the blonde's bubblegum. She could tell this girl would be your typical popular girl, just from their look of her. I mean, every school has their stuck-up, obnoxious popular girl, right?

            Naomi didn't reply, and just turned and walked away. She heard the girl scoff, but ignored it. She just prayed school would start soon, that way she could get away from the socializing.

            She stood inside the familiar school, taking a deep breath as she walked toward the lockers. Reaching hers, she opened it. She then proceeded to  place the lock on the open door, and began placing some basic stuff inside. She closed her locker as soon as the bell rang.

            She had to cling to the walls in order to avoid all the students that were pushing and shoving their way through the halls, and by the time she could move, the halls were quiet. She walked around, her footsteps echoing throughout the halls.

            She looked at her schedule again, looking back up from the paper to search for her homeroom. She walked through the halls, desperately searching for the familiar number.

            After a couple minutes of walking, she soon realized just how lost she was. "Can't they put some directions in these damned halls..?" She muttered.

            "If we did, it would be much less fun." She turned around, seeing a young boy stand before her. He had dark, auburn hair with pale skin. His hair was raised in a small fro, and freckles dotted his cheeks and nose.

            "Can I see your schedule?" He asked. After a couple moments, Naomi hesitantly gave him the schedule. He skimmed it over with his pale green eyes, then nodded. "Room 102, eh? That's Ms. Tarice's room." He explained. "Good luck, she's probably the feistiest teacher in school."

            He let out a chuckle, and she returned the kind gesture. "Go down to the end of the hall, turn right, fourth door to your left." He gave a kind smile, and Naomi couldn't help but smile back.

            Naomi began to walk away, before she turned around. "Thanks." She said, giving a small wave. Before she could take another step, she heard the boy's voice speak again. "The name's Wesley, just so you know."

            "Naomi." She spoke, then turning to go to her class. She heard Wesley's steps fade behind her as she walked. 'Perhaps today won't be /so/ bad...' She thought to herself.

(Word count excluding this: 1251)