Illusion: Destiny Awaits (In Editing)

17 - Sabrina

The hallways aren't as crowded as they usually are yet, but I know it will be soon. I locate Christi's locker, and wait there, ignoring the weird stares I get from the people whose lockers are next to hers.

She takes forever to get here, I must say. Like, a whole two minutes! Yes, I know, utterly admonishing. Yay! Big words.

"Christi! There you are. I've been waiting here for a decade!" I exclaim, exasperated at her tardiness. She rolls her eyes, as she begins to turn her lock.

"Yeah right. Anyway, why were you waiting in the first place? Don't you have better things to do, than 'waiting here for a decade?' " she retorts, her locker finally open. I gaze into the purple void, drifting off in the thought, about this purple void, where when you fall through, everything turns purple, and if you get sick of the color, you get banished into the brown void. Yes, deep thoughts.

"Uh, not really. Okay, but seriously. Did you know we have a reading test today?!?" I ask, panic edging it's way into my voice. I would have written it down! Ugh, my grade is already an A-. My parents will be very disappointed if it gets to a B! Ah, the stress of school.

"Oh yeah, the one on the vocabulary. Sure I did. She told us last class!" she says casually, breaking the news to me as softly as one would break cement. So, not softly at all.

"Is it a summative or formative?" I ask, desperately hoping for the latter.

Christi slams her locker shut, the sound reverberating through my empty skull.

"Uh, I think it's a formative. Not sure though. We also have a math test, and a social studies test today. Both summative. Please tell me you at least studied for those." She sighs, heading down towards her homeroom. Which just so happens to be mine as well.

"Oh. I remembered those tests. Just not the reading one..." I trail off, trying to at least recall one of the vocabulary words. Christi rolls her eyes, and sets her stuff down at her desk. Since it's the last day of school, we really don't need a lot of materials. Just a pencil, pen, science notebook, math notebook, and some extra paper. Oh, and a stupid planner that's only good for drawing.

"All right. But off the topic of the test you forgot to study for, we do really have the necklaces back, right?" Christi inquires nervously. I understand her concern. Even though Zaraho stole the actual necklaces, these ones harbor the Soul Animals, so they are basically just as important.

I nod.

"Yeah. I can feel Lupo now. But I wonder why they haven't come out yet. We could really use some help right now." I say, very pointedly towards my necklace charm. No response. Well, of course. Why would he now? I mean, they gave us the riddle, and it's basically the end of school, so I suppose we don't quite need their help yet.

"I suppose Adelaide is mad at us now." Christi sighs again. And I have to agree. She saw me on my escape route, so she must be fuming.

"Yeah, I think she also knows it was us. She maybe, just might have seen me, soo..." I tell her, pulling out my planner to doodle.

"Really, Sabrina?" Christi says, also doodling in her planner.

"What? It's not my fault she has eyes on the back of her head!" I exclaim defensively.

"Well, yes, but it is your fault that she saw you, because I hope that she doesn't really have eyes on the back of her head," Christi points out. I admit defeat, and decide to now draw a chocolate chip family. No questions, I am a very weird person.

"Christi, check it out, I made a chocolate chip family! That one is Steven, that one is Matthew, and that one is Natasha!" I say, pointing to the absolutely wonderful chocolate family.

"Well, I made a corn cob family! So ha!" She proudly points toward her corn family.

"Oooh! Can I help name them?" I ask excitedly, dropping my own family. Just then the bell rings. Oh great, the rest of our strange homeroom is here to bug us. Joyousness!

I quickly plop myself into my seat, and try not to bounce impatiently in it. It is the last day of school for crying out loud, shouldn't we have a shorter day at least? Well, that's apparently not what the school board thinks.

Mr. W comes up to the front of the classroom for attendance. I hate attendance actually. They basically want you to sit there like an angel, hearing all these other names, and then when you hear your specific name, you call out one word. So stupid I must say.

"Sabrina!" Mr. W calls. I snap out of my trance, and say, very smoothly;

"What? Oh, uh, here." I blush, and try to awkwardly busy myself. Christi nudges me, smirking slightly at my misfortune.

"All right class, today you can just have some free time, play some games, do whatever. Enjoy your last day of school!" Mr. W announces. I immediately turn back towards Christi.

"Adelaide is in my core one. Help me Christi, I can't die like this!" I wail.

"Geez Sabrina, chill! It's not the end of the world. Just try to ignore her!" she advises. I nod, trying to form a plan of not dying.

"Hey Christi," I grin, remembering something. "Isn't Jace in this homeroom too?"

Her face pales.

"Oh gosh, Sabrina, I can't go talk to him, it would be so awkward, and I made a huge mistake and I just can't!" she panics.

"Well, if you never apologize, then you will just continue to feel bad. Go on, it won't be that bad." I start pushing her over to his table.

The room is divided into six different tables. Each table has about four or five different spots, and one rolling chair. I always want to sit in the rolling chair, but almost never do. Curse my luck. But anyway, the room is also decorated a fair amount, with a flag, and pictures of presidents and such. But I think my favorite thing about his room, is the super big poster of Washington D.C.

The poster has such detail, that I could honestly stare at it every single day, and still find new things in the picture. Currently, my favorite part of it is the one person who is wearing a purple hat. Yes, I know, it's like the smallest detail there probably is. But I still enjoy it.

"Hi Jace! Christi just wants to talk to you. So, I'll leave you to it!" I say cheerily, shoving my best friend along. Christi sends the most deathly glare ever seen, but I just grin, and turn away.

I know that I have sent Christi to her ultimate doom in her mind, but in my mind, I just helped her. I make a mental note to have her thank me when it is over.

I pretend to be busy, but in all honesty, I just listen to the very awkward conversation. And I must say, it is very entertaining.

"So, you, uh, wanted to talk to me?" I hear Jace ask. I lift my head up slightly from my book to see what Christi is doing.

Even from here, I can tell that she is blushing fiercely, and I am overjoyed at the prospect of embarrassing my best friend. It's practically what best friends are for!

"Uh, well, yes..." she stutters. I go back to pretending to read Capture the Flag by Kate Messner. It is actually a very good book, but I sure as heck am not reading it now, when I have this show.

"Okay. About what?" Jace presses. I laugh evilly in my head.

"Well, about, you know, yesterday..." Christi trails off embarrassed.

Jace laughs awkwardly.

Heheheh, I definitely have at least half of a blackened soul.

"Yeah, about that. So, I uh, had some things to talk to Adelaide about. Family things. We're second cousins." He explains. Christi nods her head, looking slightly relieved.

"Oh, okay." She says, "Sorry by the way, I got very, uh, upset didn't I." She apologizes.

"It's fine, I get it. Seeing me at Adelaide's must have shaken you, considering you're basically sworn enemies or something," Jace laughs a little. "But what were you doing there?" He asks. Christi turns over to me, her eyes asking.

I, understanding, pause, thinking for a moment.

And I nod my consent.