Why hadn’t the fourth girl spoken? I wondered, letting my eyes roam the lanky figure of the girl, who was short and wore nerd glasses. The girl had slightly spiked hair, as if they had just been pulled.
My eyes rested and remained on her hands which were clasped in front of her.
She wasn’t looking at me, rather she was staring at the floor like it was telling her something of importance. She was also carrying more than one bag.
Now that I see it clearly, she was carrying the bag of the blondie.
I knew because the blondie wasn’t carrying any. She was rather staring at me with annoyance mixed with faint curiosity.
I wouldn’t be surprised if she was Chyra, noting the stance which reminded me of Peter and his brother, Dim.
Yet, my eyes withdrew back to the fourth girl whom I hadn’t heard her voice.
Another Levina.
Of course , I could tell that she was their foot mat, another of their bullied.
Was Rachel aware of this? I thought, remembering that I hadn’t seen the girl near them in the cafeteria, or in our class.
She must be from another class then, probably a junior whom they had thought it genius to use as a slave as the latter worked in the same corporation with them.
“Dora, right?” The blondie called, as if they hadn’t all been talking about me for the past thirty minutes or so. I wasn’t keeping time.
“Are you going to stand there all day? We need to head home, and you are standing in the way.”
The confidence that oozed from her stemmed from the fact that she knew I had little or no magic considering the physical key I used both at school and in the store, and that I couldn’t do a thing about the bullying scenario now.
There was no Sinclair behind me, or the ignorance of my status as a witch.
It was that obvious. I could see it in the cocky smirk that buttered her lips.
However, even that knowledge wouldn’t stop me from my mission now. I could rescue the mute girl later.
“Who is Nina?”
The second girl, standing by the left of the blondie, piqued her right eyebrow. “Who wants to know?”
I ignored her. So, that’s Nina. Nice of you to fall into my trap.
“Who is Gena? And who is Chyra?”
There was silence, in which I wondered if they had found out that I had perhaps eavesdropped on them, and was taking their names for recording purposes.
However, just when I was about to say something to explain my quest for their names, the blondie spoke up.
“I am Chyra, and this is Gena.” She said, gesturing with a turn of her head at the other girl to her side, a brunette that was taller than them all.
A sheen of curiosity, rather than hatred rested on the brunette’s eyes. Gena. The one with talkative parents.
“And what is yours?” I decided to throw a baton to the mute girl, but she kept silent, or rather she hesitated, and Chyra filled up the silence.
“She is Gabriella. Why the questions? Is the shopkeeper looking for us?”
I thought of saying no, and perhaps dredging up another excuse that won’t have the shopkeeper breathing down my neck, but then that would mean that I had to explain how I had known the name, Nina. How I had known their names.
I opened my mouth to say yes, but a better idea dropped into my head.
“Not at all. I think he is more busy with counting the deals for today.” I released a chuckle to drop the building tension in the room, to tell the girls I wasn’t concerned that they were the bullies I had seen in the cafeteria with Rachel, or among the ones that had hissed when I had stepped into class this morning.
“It’s Raul. I think the shopkeeper told him to lock up certain areas of the supermarket, and so he tasked me to call you out. He will soon be locking up the entrance to this place.”
A nice lie, because I knew they wouldn’t meet Raul to confirm.
Even though I disliked Raul’s nonchalance to his sister’s bullying, one thing I would give him a percent score in was that he didn’t roll with his sister’s friends.
I had noticed that first in the pack when he had sided with us, and in the few days that I have spent here.
“Raul? I thought you two weren’t speaking, considering you had tanked his sister in the cafeteria, and then went ahead to ignore him in class. I honestly don’t understand what they see in some girl with little or no magic, and with a mask covering her eye. Tsk.”
Chyra was baiting me. I know. But I didn’t fall for the trap, not now at least. One thing that marked a wise person was to know when to face a battle, and when to drop it; the ability to pick your battles wisely.
“The shopkeeper had bundled me to your Prince, against my better choice, to teach me the ropes. I had no choice in the matter. This was his final request made out of civility. I had no choice but to follow through. After all, he had been civil enough to show me the ropes of the work in quite an efficient manner. Now, since that is done, I will be out of your way.” I stepped away from the door, taking steps into the room, in the direction of the lockers.
When I brought out my key to access my locker so that I could get my belongings, Chyra laughed, a mocking laughter that grated on my nerves. But of course, they would be there, still watching.
Without making any comment, I collected my school bag, flung it across my shoulder and locked the locker, tucking the key into the pocket of my trousers.
When I turned around, I sighed heavily when I saw them blocking the door.
Like seriously?
They weren’t going to wait for Rachel’s go ahead before bullying me?