k-12: the shadows

♫

alexis

a few weeks passed with barely any occurrences; a pleasing break after all that had happened since alexis joined k-12.

everything just seemed a little better;

for one thing, the whole of alexis's friendship group were convinced that now the principal was gone, their mission was over:

after all, no one was being medicated anymore. in fact, the school was in mild disarray, with several classes being cancelled and the ones that remained being far more relaxed than they had ever been before.

alexis and crybaby would spontaneously hurry off somewhere together to be alone, which always led to either romantic and intimate moments, or make-out sessions; or sometimes both. alexis loved these moments, which were occurring more and more often.

and yet, beneath all of this, alexis couldn't shake the feeling that something was, or was going to go, terribly wrong. none of the others ever mentioned feeling such a thing, so she kept it to herself in the hopes that she was wrong, but deep down she could tell she wasn't. a succession of ominous events was on its way, and alexis was terrified of it.

✦ ♫♪ ✦

"hey! guys," crybaby's familiar voice spoke excitedly; alexis looked up from her dinner tray to see crybaby stood with hers in front of the group's usual table, alongside an unfamiliar dark-skinned girl. "meet magnolia. she's new to k-12."

alexis exchanged a look with angelita before standing up. "hi, i'm alexis," she nodded, accepting the hand that magnolia offered for her to shake.

she felt the same sparks run up her arm that she'd felt when she first met celeste all that time ago, and blinked a few times in surprise. her eyes flickered into darkness, almost questioningly, and magnolia nodded.

"nice to meet you, ladies," she grinned a little slyly, setting down her tray on the table and leaning in. her eyes flickered into the familiar black abyss which made both angelita and celeste smile widely in delight.

hellos and welcomes were exchanged, and magnolia was sat down at their table. crybaby took the seat next to alexis, and magnolia sat down on crybaby's far side.

"got a little worried for a second there," angelita teased, digging her fork back into her canteen spaghetti and wrinkling her nose in displeasure as she took another bite.

"hey, give me some credit," crybaby giggled back, resting her head on alexis's shoulder.

a small frown settled on alexis's face as her mind went immediately to her sister. she still loved isabel the same, even if her twin wasn't so much like her anymore.

celeste, who had come to be the person who alexis considered her closest friend, seemed to sense this, and shot alexis a sympathetic look.

but there was nothing alexis, or anyone, could really do anymore, except hope that everything between herself and isabel would turn out okay.