When Lightning Ignites [COMPLETED]

Chapter 21: First Day of School

Julie hated this place, the whole island. She had to give up her dreams, or at least put them on hold, to be here?

Jamie sat next to her taking notes, she scribbled, trying to ignore everything. She put her pen down with a sigh and closed her eyes as they welled up. Who was she kidding? She couldn't sit here and take notes like everything was okay. She would get Jamie's notes after class.

English and math went the same way. They all walked from class to class together. Jamie stuck by her side. Rory walked behind her. She felt like his gaze was burning into her with every step she took. This was way too distracting. She was going to fail every class at this rate. Maybe if she started failing, she could go back to the other school. She snorted. Who knew she would long to go back to the other school?

She and Jamie walked silently down the hall and outside, trusting that he would take her to their next class.

"All right, I'll meet you here after your class."

"Wait, what?"

"It's your abilities class. We don't have the same." Jamie grinned. "In fact you're almost unique, so you will be in here on your own with your teacher."

Julie narrowed her eyes. He looked like he was almost jumping up and down with excitement.

"I'll be down the hall—there." He pointed to another room. "That's where all the minders are." He tapped his head and smirked at the nickname.

"Okay." She watched him walk off, bouncing.

Was Muriel in here? It would be nice to have a few minutes with her great–grandmother right now. She'd understand Julie needing a few minutes to cry on her first day.

Julie walked in and stopped a step into the doorway. Luke and Ike sat in two of the student chairs in the room.

Of course.

Was this one of the reasons Rory seemed so desperate? He knew she would be in class with Luke?

"No." She dropped her bag to the floor. "This isn't going to happen."

"Julie." Luke threw his hands up. His voice cut through her, and she shook. She blinked back tears. She couldn't take any more today. "I'm the only one that can do this. I'm sorry, but I'm going to be your teacher. I promise I won't bring up anything else. I—"

"No. No. No." She felt sick as a tear slid down her cheek, and she swiped it away angrily. She was going to lose it in front of this guy. This guy she barely knew, but who had caused her so much heartache this last year. This guy who it hurt to even look at.

The school had set him up as one of her teachers? Were they insane? How was she going to be able to hold it together around him?

"Can you go pat her on the back or something, Ike? I can't do it without it looking like I'm using it to touch her. And she needs something right now." Luke gripped the desk, and the wood splintered.

Ike got up and awkwardly patted her on the back. She stared at his shoes.

Laughter bubbled up inside her, and she sat down on the ground, laughing. Julie put her head down, tears and laughter coming out at the same time. She was really losing her mind this time. Why did she always start to laugh when others would cry or punch something?

"I've got to go." She mumbled and ran out the door.

"Wait," Luke cried after her, and a chair scraped against the floor. Was he going to chase her?

She ducked into a girls' bathroom. He wouldn't follow her in here. She leaned against the wall, taking deep breaths and staring at the doorway to another hall on the other side since she didn't want to cry in front of anyone right now.

"How is this okay? What the hell is everyone thinking?" Julie jumped when she heard a noise from the doorway on the other side. She heard the scuffing noise again and froze, wiping away her tears. "Hello?"

She didn't see anyone else in here with her, and no one came in the doorway from the other side. A pipe creaked above her, and she let out a sigh. No one else was here. Just old pipes.

In front of her there was a bang, and a sink popped off the wall, the pipe spewing water everywhere. Julie screamed. More pipes popped open, and she was drenched in seconds. She turned around and ran outside, hitting a warm, solid wall.

"Are you okay?" Luke caught them both from falling.

Julie shivered—from the water or from him, she wasn't sure. All words stuck in her throat as she looked up at him and tried to remember how to speak or nod or something. His head tilted down, and he lowered it, as if to kiss her. Her ears were filled with the sound of rushing water and her heartbeat.

"Julie!" Jamie yelled. She jumped back. Her brother caught her up in a hug, looking at Luke. "What happened?"

Luke pulled a hand through his hair and shook his head. "I don't know. I was standing out here waiting for her, heard her scream, and..."

He trailed off as water flooded out from the bathroom.

Julie pulled her eyes away from Luke, swallowing. She couldn't even speak around him. "A sink flew off the wall, and all the pipes burst."

"Did you, you know, look to see if anything was around?" Jamie whispered.

Julie felt like kicking herself. She had forgotten to pull up her other vision and look for anything. She thought about the men who'd kidnapped her—could they be here too? "No, I forgot. I mean, I was upset, and then the sink flew off the wall and..."

She looked around when she heard giggles. Melissande and some of the girls were standing to the side, watching her. She looked around and saw all the kids in the local classrooms watching her. Jamie frowned as he looked at them too.

"Okay, kids, back to class," her new math teacher said. "I'll call someone to get this cleaned up."

"Julie." The history teacher blinked at her. "You may want to change. Do you have anything to wear?"

Julie nodded. She always kept spare clothes because of dancing.

"Okay, good." The math teacher looked at Luke and frowned. "I know you may be the best tutor for Julie, but right now it doesn't look like it. Something like this shouldn't happen again."

Luke swallowed. "Yes, I—"

Julie interrupted Luke. He looked at her, surprised. "It's my fault. I...I don't know what happened in there."

She stiffened as she heard giggles again. Melissande and her friends stood in one of the doorways watching everything still. Her first day was now somehow worse, and she hadn't thought that was possible.

The teacher shook his head. "I thought Muriel said you had control." He waved his arm at the bathroom. "It doesn't look like it right now."

She nodded and made her way back to the classroom with Luke and Ike. She sat in one of the desks, put her head down, and cried the rest of the time. She didn't even look at the men when she left. They were both quiet.

♦