Isa remained standing as Heather relished the angry look on her face.
“You know newbie, I haven’t really wanted anyone to join my squad as I’ve for you. There’s something about you that got me interested so much, so I want to have you under my wing so that I can help you find it. Normally, the kids in this school long to have the kind of attention you’re getting from me so don’t be so stupid to mess this up and hangout with ‘them’. And I don’t take no for an answer newbie so get that into your thick skull” leaning toward she gave her oversweet smile “Don’t worry, I’ve forgiven you for your ‘episode’ in the cafeteria yesterday, you were obviously confused. So, join me”
Isa blinked severally at the girl in front of her like she’d grown a second head.
“Join you?! Are you insane? You come here, harass me and my friend and demand that I join your squad of mindless minions?!”
Leaning on the table, Isa spoke slowly and deliberately “have you no shame Heather? I don’t want to join you and I never will. You may have the principal as your dad, and the whole school under your thumb, but I have something you don’t, friends. A person with no friends has nothing. The way you treat people… it’s just so bad, and I don’t want to be with someone like you. Now…” She stretched out her hand “give me back my book”
Anger flashed in Heather’s eyes but quickly disappeared. One of her proxy stepped out and growled “how dare you talk to Heather like that you stupid piece of tra…”
A pink polished hand rose in the air cutting her off.
“You are even more interesting than I thought newbie. You would make an exciting new toy to play with” Heather chuckled lightly “here, have your book”
Isa stretched her hand to take it but Heather threw it aside on the floor. Breathing deeply to calm down, Isa went over to pick it up. As she crouched down, she was kicked on the butt and fell into a shelf. Books came crashing down on her as the shelf lost half of it’s content.
With a groan, she sat up in the pile of books the size of dictionaries and wiped off blood from her mouth.
She got up hissing at a jabbing pain on her arm. She examined the rest of her body, getting angry at every cut and bruise on her body.
“You!”
The librarian with her slim, long neck walked briskly towards her and pointed her wrinkly finger at the door “Get out!”
Isa stared in disbelief at the old woman and quickly turned to see that Heather and her gang had fled the library. Those girls had shoved her into a freaking shelf and got away with it. Few students had gathered from the noise and we’re all looking at her.
Ugh!
Isa got up slowly; grunting from the pain, packed her stuff, apologized to the librarian and left to find the nurse.
Aching in different places at once, Isa walked on the silent hallway and feeling very irritable. She imagined all the horrible things she could do to those girls.
They were capable of doing anything to have their way, especially Heather.
She also realized that she didn’t know the way to the nurse’s office but was just walking aimlessly in a stupid hall!
Sighing, she walked on with hope to that she would find the nurse’s office… eventually.
“Hey you! What in God’s name are you doing in the hallway?” A scratchy voice called out.
Turning to it’s direction, she glared angrily at the voice and the shadowy figure.
“You pesky little demons always up to mischief have no darn business in my halls. Away with you immediately! And where are your accomplices? Ah yes! They’re hiding. Trying out your nasty tricks on me ey? Well, I’ll teach you overstuffed pigs how to behave by the time I’m done with you”
Suddenly, the man emerged from the shadows and took a hasty swing of his broom at Isa. She dodged it with a scream but another was headed towards hip.
“Ow” she screamed as she rubbed her aching hip.
She looked at him with confusion on her face and started to talk.
Unfortunately, she got a whack on her already aching side making her hiss instead. Her eyes burned with hot tears which blinded her vision long enough for him to strike her thigh and she fell to the floor. Her body burned with pain as she tried to crawl away from him.
This man is some kind of deranged nutcracker!
Isa dodged a few more swings before she snatched the broom from his strong grasps. Anger burning in her she raised the broom above her head
“No more” she cried and brought it down only to freeze in action. What she saw baffled her. The man that was cursing and striking her without mercy was screeching like a banshee in a wierd position that made him look like a dying cockroach.
Now that he was almost still, she could see him clearly and he was not was not what she expected him to be. For one, he was a… dwarf.
And he looked old with his wrinkly body and almost bald white hair. She concluded that he was a janitor with his grey overalls. He looked almost scary.
“You shall all rot in hell, spawn of the devil. Oh you have greatly tormented an innocent old man and God shall never forgive you I say, never! He has seen how you constantly attack me and give me misery. Away with you darn offspring. You shall all suffer eternal damnation both on earth and hell…”
“Mister?” Isa cut him off with a poke of the broom.
He went still.
“Mister” she poked him a few more times before he opened his eyes and looked at her. It took everything in her to keep herself from squeaking. His eyes were enough to put someone off.
Each one looked in a different direction which made it difficult to know who he was really looking at.
Rubbing her face tiredly, she said “look mister, I’ve got no idea of what’s wrong with you or why you were hitting me but I would like to find my way to the nurse’s office… if you don’t mind”
Isa tried her very best to remain polite to this mad old man as she really needed to get checked… immediately.
The janitor got up from the floor and ‘sort of’ looked at her for a while, as if seeing her for the first time.
He blinked ever so slowly and whispered “Janet?”
Isa who was nursing her anger suddenly forgot about it. The man just called her by her mother’s name.
“You know my mother?” She carefully asked. “Are you Janet’s daughter?” He asked instead. “Yes, yes I am. Did you know her, my mother?” She took a tentative step towards him, as at this point she had forgotten about her injuries and was now focused on the janitor.
He in turn looked at her with renewed vigour, scanning her from head to toe… which was unnerving with those eyes.
He looked into her eyes as if deciding if she told the truth or lied till he whispered “you look so much like your mother, but you’ve got your dad’s eyes. Your mother was a good kid, always happy about everything. Your father was a good lad himself”
He smiled to himself as if he may them yesterday.
Isa was glad to hear about her parents that she wanted to thank him. Surprisingly, he roughly grabbed her arms with his wrinkly hands; his face contured in one of anger, pain, and fear. He shook her with a force that made her Yelp in pain.
“Why have you come back here child, do you want to face the same date as your parents? Are you planning on getting yourself killed? Why have you come? You must go back at once!”
“I can’t… go” Isa choked as she struggled to free herself from the janitor. What was wrong with people here; so violent and physical.
But the old man couldn’t hear Isa’s voice or sense her struggle as he continued “you cannot remain in this place. Leave while the evil is still at bay. If you stay, you’ll be as good as dead, child. Away with you!”
Isa fell hard to the floor when she was released. She scurried away from the dwarf’s form and almost cried. Why were the people here so wierd? She hadn’t had a moment’s rest.
Just as her dam of tears cracked, the school bell went off and doors opened as the students left for recess.
Isa quickly got up to move out of the filling hallway but caught no sight of the janitor nor his trusty broom.
Walking quickly, she searched for any sign of the nurse’s office. After her encounter with the janitor, her aches began to ache even more and she was becoming more and more irritable by the second.
She swore by her aching arm to hit the next idiot that came her way. Almost immediately, she bumped hard into someone’s chest and it’s hands held her firmly from falling.
Dylan grinned down at Isa but what he saw made his smile vanish. She looked like she’d been attacked by squirrels.
“Woah Isa, what the heck happened to you? You look roughed up” he examined her body.
Leaning on him she whispered “please take me to the nurse’s office