REUNION WEEKEND

CHAPTER 2

"Stop for me!" Cress shouted as loud as she could, which was apparently not loud enough since none of them stopped.

'Guys, wait!" She ran even faster. Two strangers walking side by side in front of her turned back and she gave them an incredulous look, getting angry now.

"Not you guys!" she shouted at the strangers as she ran past them.

She was panting so much by the time she reached her friends, that she thought it might just be a life-or-death situation. She grabbed Iko's shoulder to stop herself, but her momentum was too much so Iko fell on the sidewalk.

"Ow!" she cried, rubbing her hip.

"Crescent Moon Darnell, whatever is the matter?" Winter asked in her fake English accent, which she had been practicing for her play.

"You are the matter!" she huffed, "I've been shouting on top of my lungs since the past five minutes but you guys wouldn't hear me."

"Well clearly you weren't loud enough." stated Cinder like it was the most obvious thing on Earth, which angered Cress even more.

"Or maybe you all are just deaf." She retorted.

"Oh my God, cut it out!" Scarlet interrupted their glaring competition, "Cress, would you please start getting out of the class on time? We waited for you for at least twenty minutes outside the school's gate, but you didn't show up."

"I was right behind you! I even saw you all leaving." She answered.

"Oh come on, you are always late because you are the last one to leave the class." Iko said.

"No, I am always late because I go meet Mrs Carmichael to show her my latest photos." Cress replied.

"Okay! It's fine, let's forget it." Winter said, snapping out of her poor English accent.

They started walking back home, chatting and laughing as if they weren't fighting a minute ago.

"Out of my way!" Cress screamed.

She sprinted down the escalator to the area where all the taxis were parked. Her flight had been delayed and she reached the New York airport an hour late. Cinder, Winter and Iko's plan would be ruined if the taxi driver didn't drive at the speed of light.

She got in the taxi and barked the address. Thankfully, the driver started driving the instant she had shut the door and was going at a pretty high speed.

Right now, even breaking the traffic rules wouldn't matter if she got to the fountain on time.

The fountain.

The place the five friends had met for the first time. The fountain was a not very famous place near their school, where Cress had always preferred to go take photographs. The nature there was perfect to try new angles.

One day, when she was around ten years old and clicking the pictures of vibrant coloured flowers surrounding the fountain, she heard muffled sobs.

Hanging the camera on her neck, she walked around to the other side of the fountain to find a dark skinned girl sobbing with pink expensive heels in her hand.

Cress sat next to her and hugged her without speaking a word. The girl's eyes widened and she jerked her face upward to look at Cress.

"Hey." Cress said awkwardly.

The girl wiped off her tears and brushed her blue braids back. Sniffing she replied, "Hey."

"You alright?" Cress asked, knowing that she was sounding stupid. Of course this girl wasn't alright.