Darlings (5 page)

“Here, sit down and I will notify them you
are here.” Mrs. Jenkins pointed to a line of small wooden desks.
Gwen chose the one closest to the door so she could at least have
the entertainment of watching people come and go through the front
entrance. The small desks were completely empty. Nice, Gwen
thought. First one of the day. She looked at the big institutional
clock on the wall in front of her. Nine thirty. Ugh. Six more hours
of detention. At least she’d get a lunch break soon. 

Gwen rummaged through her bag and took out
some already completed math homework. She’d better look busy. Aside
from the occasional student in to see the guidance counselor or
loud ring of the phone, the office was pretty quiet. Profanities
covered the top of the shiny wooden desk. Classy. As she ran her
finger across the etched curses, she heard the front door open and
shut. Huh. Act two.  She cheated a glance at the front
desk. 

A boy walked in who looked to be around her
age. His skin was deep bronze, well from what Gwen could see from
under his gray thermal shirt. His jet black hair, cut short, was
barley seen from beneath a low billed maroon ball cap. He was huge.
She thought Pete was pretty jacked until she saw him. Almost oddly
large and tall. Woah, she thought to herself. The football team’s
going to rock this year. He stood at the desk, a slip of paper in
his large hand. His face was baby skin smooth with a brown mole on
one side, some could consider a flaw, but somehow it added
character. As he walked up to the desk, Gwen couldn’t help but to
think somehow he looked familiar, though she couldn’t place how. He
cleared his throat to get the young receptionists attention. She
was a flashy woman with short bright red hair, chunky neon jewelry,
and an even more flamboyant personality. 

“Hello!” she said excitedly. Extending a
perfectly manicured hand covered in gleaming bracelets and gaudy
rings.  

The boy shook her hand quickly, handed her
his paper and waited patiently. What a gentleman. 

The woman moved her painted lips while
reading. Suddenly she exclaimed, “Wonderful! You’re one of the new
students starting this week. Geesh, we’ve had so many it’s hard to
keep everyone straight! You know this is our best year for
enrollment?” she rambled on. “Anyways, let’s see, a name, oh yes,
Andrew. Andrew Lostrin? He smiled and nodded.  “My there are a
lot of you fellows aren’t there? Are you related to the others?”
Again he nodded. “Well goodness me, of course you are look at you,
I already have trouble telling you tan boys with dark hair
apart!” 

Hm. Another Lostrin. Andrew defiantly had
Gwen’s attention. 

“Okay let’s get you to class.” The
receptionist made a few fast clicks on her keyboard with her
elongated nails and made her way to the printer in the back. Andrew
took off his ball cap revealing short black hair that still
appeared sculpted. He ran his fingers through it, piecing it out
perfectly. Looking around he made accidental eye contact with Gwen.
She blushed and attempted to look busy once again. 

“Here you are Andrew. Looks like your first
class is gym. Are you prepared for gym today with clothes?” She
asked. 

“Um no ma’am,” he answered in a low velvety
voice.  

“That’s okay, you can just attend study hall
in the library after your tour. I’ll show you around so you have
somewhat of an idea where you’re going.” The colorful woman spun
around in her office chair to get up, inadvertently tipping her
morning coffee right in the lap of her pencil skirt. 

“Shhhh….ucks,” she half cursed, grabbing at a
box of Kleenex. “Um Gwendolyn,” she summoned dabbing frantically at
her mess. “This is Andrew he’s new, would you mind giving him a
quick tour of the school?” she asked with a little too much
emphasis on the quick as if Gwen were a prisoner on exercise time.
Boy would she. 

“Yes!” Gwen blurted, half jumping out of her
seat. She sure had a way of embarrassing herself. “I mean, of
course,” she amended. “I’ll show him around.” Better.

“Great, his first class is gym.” She stated.
“Crystalll, look what I did!” she complained to her co-worker as
she walked to the back of the office her heels clicking the whole
way. 

“Well I guess I’ll be your tour guide for the
day,” Gwen says smiling. 

“Sure, sounds fine, I mean great, I guess
good…good is what I mean.” Andrew stammered with a serious tone.
Geez. He was almost as big of a klutz as she was. He flashed an
awkward forced smile. 

“Okay then, um, can I see your
schedule?” 

He handed it to her. Not saying a
word. 

Examining the paper, Gwen said, “Your locker
is this way.” The dark stranger opened the door for her and they
headed out into the empty hall. “Only a few away from mine, so
that’ll be easy to find.” Gwen pointed out.  He nodded. His
eyes shifted from one side of the hall to the other as if looking
for something. Maybe he was just nervous she contemplated as they
walked in silence. Gwen felt uncomfortable as she tried to come up
with something to talk about. “I met your cousin yesterday,” she
stated half trying to make small talk, half wondering if she could
score some more information on Pete. 

“My cousin?” Andrew’s pace slowed. “I mean,
which one?” 

“Well Pete first-”

“Do you know where he is?” He asked
anxiously, then quickly added, “He didn’t tell me what class he had
this morning.” 

“Yah, I think he’s in gym.” Gwen was
skeptical. 

“Can we go there? I…he forgot some homework
this morning.” Andrew scanned the hallway, looking over Gwen’s
head. She turned to follow his gaze, but didn’t see a
thing. 

“Sure, but it’s Pete’s first day, I don’t
think he has any homework,” she corrected. Andrew avoided the
statement by continuing to survey the halls, that same serious look
in his eyes. Gwen went on. “I just need to stop at my locker for a
second and I’ll take you.” 

She turned the dial to her combination and
pulled. “Ugh, not again! This stupid locker sticks sometimes.” She
pulled up on the silver handle with all her might. Nothing.
Frustrated, she gave the red, metal door a kick. “Ouch!” she yelped
rubbing her toe. Breathing harder, she tucked her hair behind her
ear and jiggled the handle relentlessly. Andrew made a sound that
almost

resembled a laugh. She ignored it and gave
the door one more solid kick when she heard it again. Whipping
around, she faced Andrew.

“Are you laughing at me?” she
demanded. 

He couldn’t hold it in any longer and began
to laugh audibly, big brown eyes sparkling. Gwen failed miserably
trying to be mad. 

“I don’t think-- this is very-- funny!” she
exclaimed between embarrassed giggles of her own. Soon they were
both laughing. 

“Hold on and let me help you before you hurt
yourself, well, further hurt yourself,” he said. Gwen slid to the
side presenting her locker with one hand. “Be my guest tough guy,
when this thing gets stuck there’s no getting it op-” Click. Andrew
pulled up on the lock with his colossal pointer finger. Just as he
turned to relish in his accomplishment, the culprit of the infamous
stuck locker door exposed itself. Books and papers tumbled onto the
floor. Andrew looked at the mountain of miscellaneous items, then
at Gwen, and once more at the pile. 

“Are…you…kidding?” he teased. “You honestly
have to wonder why your locker door gets stuck.” 

Rolling her eyes Gwen pleaded. “Oh just be
quiet and help me pick these things up will you?” 

Andrew looked at his watch. “I’m not sure we
have time to clean all of this up by the end of the day,” he
smiled. Maybe he did have a sense of humor. Gwen tip toed through
the mess and found what she was looking for. A stick of red
cinnamon gum. “Got it. Now help me shove this back inside.” She was
on her knees haphazardly sticking handfuls of papers back into her
locker. 

“Hold on,” Andrew said talking with his
hands. “Seriously wait a second.” 

Gwen ran her hand through her hair and looked
up at him. “What?” she panted. 

 “We went through all of this; you
almost broke your foot attempting to open your locker door, for a
stick of gum?”  

Gwen’s smile went from frustrated to
innocent. She shrugged. “I guess?” 

“Well…alright then, I do want to leave here
before midnight so scoot over, I’ll help you.” He bent down and
began cautiously putting items into Gwen’s locker. He picked up a
few empty bottles of orange soda and a handful of Skittles candy
wrappers. “Do you eat food or just inhale sugar?” he dryly teased
again. 

“Well, yes I like candy,” she muttered,
tossing a heavy book onto the top of the pile. 

“I never would have guessed,” he
sarcastically replied, tossing the empty bottles onto the mountain
of locker litter. 

“Alright I think we’ve got it,” Gwen said
with accomplishment. She held the things inside her locker and
quickly shut the door with her hip. Done. “On to gym.” 

“On to gym.” Andrew’s face was back to his
all-business jaw clenched muscles flexed self. He took off his gray
thermal revealing a tight college logo black T shirt and followed
Gwen down the empty hallway. They rounded a corner and came to the
gym. Looking inside Gwen found no one there. Huh she pondered.
Finally she remembered.

 “That’s right. Today second period gym
class went to the outdoor classroom. They won’t be back until
lunch, I’ll show you where the library is--”

“You need to take me to where they are. Is
Tina in gym too?” Andrew asked with urgency as they walked out of
the empty gym into the hall.

“No. I can’t take you there, it’s like twenty
minutes from here one way, they’ll be back soon, and yah I think
Tina is there too.” The guy was getting strange, Gwen thought for a
minute. “This isn’t about homework is it?” 

Andrew looked over his shoulders. His big
brown eyes filled with desperation and torment. He ran his hand
quickly through his hair. “Gwen I..I can’t tell you what I want to
but please know that it’s important and--” Buzz. He was cut off by
the screaming fire alarm. 

Gwen covered her ears as students flooded the
halls. She turned to join the swarm shuffling out the nearest exit,
when she felt a large hand grab her petite arm. A huge shock ran
through her body stinging her every nerve. Then the warmth. It was
like a rush of warm water spreading like a blanket over her
freezing body.  She’d never felt so calm, so perfect. Then
came the pain. It felt as if a cold fire was burning in her
chest. 

Andrew gritted his teeth and motioned to the
gym. Gwen wanted to refuse but every ounce of her being was
demanding she follow. They snuck through the big wooden gym doors
and the buzzing dimmed to a tolerant level as the door slowly shut
behind them. Andrew let go of her arm, and the unnatural high began
to wear off, only to be replaced with a pounding headache. The
mother of all migraines. She staggered over to the bleachers and
flopped down.  Rubbing her thin chest in agony she peeled down
one side of her sweater, attempting to examine herself for any
external injuries. Too dizzy to continue she let her head fall into
her hands. Her heart pounded slow and hard. She noticed Andrew. He
had propped his head up on his arm against the cold brick gym wall,
rubbing his pectoral muscle in pain. Massaging her chest, Gwen
began to think more clearly now. What was going on she wondered.
Did he drug her? Should she run? What was happening? Was she hurt?
She wasn’t sure. What happened next would change everything.
Forever. 

Of course I didn’t drug you.
Gwen shot
up, looking at Andrew still leaning against the wall.

“What did you say?” she snapped at him.
Feeling dizzy Gwen stammered back to her seat.  

“I’ll explain later but now I have to get you
out of here. They’re here for you.” Andrew fought through the
painful haze and made his way to Gwen. She was breathing hard and
fast, hands quivering. 

“I’m not going anywhere with you. Who’s here
for me?” Gwen insisted. Andrew tensed. Again he clenched his jaw
and his massive hands turned to fists. He turned toward the gym
door, and back to her. Gwen followed his gaze attempting to see
what he saw. 

“Gwen, we don’t have time for this. They’re
almost here. It’s not safe for me to fight them alone, not yet
anyway. There are too many. Please follow me. Look at me Gwen.”
Their eyes locked.  Andrew touched his chest. 

Trust me.
  His voice appeared
again in her head. She felt as if she could peer through his eyes…
and into his soul. “Did you just say something?” 

“Please I beg you don’t try to understand it
yet. I promise I will tell you everything as soon as we get out of
here,” he seemed so sincere. Gwen nodded. They got up and staggered
to the back door of the gym but it was too late. The big wooden
doors flew open, and closed with a bang behind them. 

They were ugly. Hideous. That was the first
word that came to Gwendolyn Darling’s mind. There were four.
Humans, Gwen thought, maybe, but...odd. They had bumpy rotten
looking skin and large pointy teeth. Their eyes were lifeless
almost like zombies. The leader was the largest. He was bald and
wearing tattered dirty clothing somewhat… pirate like. His fingers
were filthy and he hissed when he spoke.  

“You know why we’re here, beast.” Was he
speaking to Andrew? Who was he to call anyone a beast Gwen thought?
She shook, unable to move as if the ground had turned to wet
cement. Run she commanded, but her body wouldn’t listen. Scream.
Fight. Do something, anything. Still nothing. Andrew stepped in
front of her. 

“Pete has been gone far too long. We want the
princess. Don’t you beasts travel in packs?” The demon crouched
looking left then right and finally sniffed the air. A low rattle
came from his throat that appeared to be his laugh. “You’re alone?”
He laughed again. “A young one even. Your heart is nothing like an
immortals…but will suffice.” The group crouched and hissed, lunging
forward awaiting their leader’s consent to attack.