Prophecy
Q’s and A’s

I scanned the whiteboard to see if there was anything relevant enough to make note of before I made short jottings in my notebook.

I rested my free hand along the back of Thorn’s chair. I smiled at him as he looked away from the board and at me. He returned the smile and then looked back at the chalkboard.

I didn’t realize how much I’d missed having him sit beside me during Caribbean Studies class. I guess I’d touched the chair to make sure that everything was real and not some figment of my imagination that would vanish at the slightest whim.

I was distracted from the board as I watched the slender figure of a lower sixth former enter the class. I’d recognized her from prefect meetings, but her name had escaped my memory.

Ms Schlyfer turned from the board to her and took a piece of folded white paper, which she’d been given. She nodded her thanks and the girl then left the room. I watched curiously as she opened the note and silently read it. Her expression was stiff, as she folded the note and placed it on the table.

Her eyes scanned the class before settling on me. “Summer, you are needed in the principal’s office.”

I frowned slightly, before getting out of my seat. I looked back at Thorn, his eyes looked at me questioningly.

“I don’t know.” I whispered softly, answering his unspoken question. As I walked out of the class, there was a small murmur among the students and I could feel their eyes boring into my back.

I folded my knuckles and rubbed them together nervously as I walked slowly over to the principal’s office. I didn’t remember doing anything wrong or illegal. I wonder if it had something to do with my grades, or my lack of interest in class during the last week. But why would the principal want to see me about that? Those matters were usually referred to the sixth form supervisor.

I twisted my mouth to one side and pushed the glass door of the administrative building open, as I was buzzed in. Mrs. Lawson, secretary was seated around the computer. She stared over her glasses, which were precariously perched on the bridge of her nose.

She smiled slightly as she’d recognized me from the times I’d come in here to sign the prefect register after performing patrol duties.

I tried returning the smile but my lips quivered from the effort. “Good Afternoon Mrs. Lawson.” I started weakly.

“Hello Summer, I’ve never seen you in here during these hours, did you get a duty change?” she said placing the duty register on the counter for me to sign.

“No, I didn’t get a duty a change. I was actually called from class, as there was a note saying that the principal needed to see me.” I said with a bit more life, as I tried to hide my unease.

“Oh.” she replied retracting the register. “Well the door’s open.” She said pointing to the small green entrance, which would lead to the rest of the admin building.

“Which one of the doors is the principal’s office?” I asked as I’d never really travelled further than her desk in the building.

“Just continue up the passage until you reach another desk. The secretary there, Ms Jacobs, will let you in.”

“Thank you,” I said before starting off towards the door.

I pushed the door open and had walked directly into a small indoor courtyard of the sort, which had a small, ornate, metal table surrounded by four matching green chairs. The set up was quite charming and it reminded me of movies based in the eighteenth century.

As I pushed open the second door, which was as green and creaky as the first, all sense of calm I felt while walking past the courtyard, melted into thin air. My steps echoed as my shoe heels clanked against the white ceramic tiles, lining the passage.

The smooth continuous line of the wall, painted in pastel green, was occasionally disturbed by small white doors leading to different parts of the building. This part of the building was a bit cold as they must have maxed the ac unit.

I read the small signs tacked onto each door as I passed. There was the board room, one that had bursar, another assistant bursar and one bore no sign at all. After the line of doors, I’d immerged into a wider room, which had a small desk, placed just to the left of another white door. This had a small sign with the word PRINCIPAL marked boldly on it.

I walked up to the desk, which had a stack of files piled high on it.

“Ms Jacobs,” I said softly as I’d noticed a bit of movement coming from under the desk.

A short white-haired face then popped up from under the desk. “Oh, I hadn’t heard anyone come in. I was trying to get some paperclips from my desk drawer.” she crooned and held out the clips for me to see.

I smiled slightly at the woman. It was hard to believe that she hadn’t heard my feet drumming on the passage floor. Then again, she was ancient and her hearing might also be going. Added to the fact that I possessed very sensitive ears, which picked up the slightest sound. They had become even more acutely perceptive due to my nervousness. At one point I was sure that I could hear my blood thrumming through the arteries in my ears.

“Well dear, how can I help you?” she asked after sliding her glasses unto her face.

“Mrs. Barton had sent for me.” I started.

“Summer Dayse?” she asked squinting up into my face.

“Yes,” I nodded. She got up from around the desk. She looked even feebler on foot than she did sitting.

She knocked on the door twice before pushing it open. “Mrs. Barton, Summer Dayse is here to see you.”

“Send her in.” I heard the voice coming from behind the door.

“Summer, you may enter.” said Ms Jacobs holding the door open for me.

“Thank you,” I replied softly and moved into the office. The door was securely closed behind me.

My eyes wandered around the office a bit, as it still had the pastel colour scheme of the passage coming up. They were then drawn to a wide mahogany desk, which sat at the centre of the room. Behind it sat my principal, who was petite and had her hair drawn back into a bun. I thought her pretty, although it was probably a shadow of how she looked in her earlier years.

My eyes then reverted to another man, who I didn’t recognize, in a chair beside her. His eyes were set on me as he seemed to be summing me up.

“Good Afternoon,” I said after nervously walking closer to the desk.

“Good Afternoon Ms Dayse,” replied Mrs. Barton. “You may have a seat.” she said indicating to an empty chair, which was set closer to the unknown man.

I took the seat quietly and waited.

“This is Detective Adams.” I looked at the tall, thin man in front of me. His face was set and he had an icy stare, which caused me to shudder a little. “He is here to ask you a few questions about one of our other students.” she continued. “This is just a little Q and A session.” she smiled as if she’d seen the worry marked all over my face.

“Hello Ms Dayse,” said the man in a screeching voice that caused my ears to ring. He outstretched his hand.

“Hello Detective Adams,” I said taking his hand. I carefully steadied my hand so that it wouldn’t shake when I took his. His handshake was strong and brief. I breathed a sigh of relief as it was over. “How can I help you Detective?” I asked, pleased that my voice didn’t betray how I was feeling.

“Well you can start by looking at this picture.” he said sliding a photo across the desk towards me. “Do you know who that is?” he asked as I took up the photo.

I looked at the picture and caught my breath before answering. “Yes I do. This is Elizabeth Lewis. Did something happen to Beth?” I asked smoothly as my skill of lying as a means of self-preservation kicked in.

He took the picture from me and placed it into a black folder that he carried. “Yes, her family has reported her missing. We don’t know if anything had happened to her. When was the last time you’d seen or spoken to Elizabeth?” he asked as his eyes bored into my face, probably trying to get as much from my body language as from my words.

“Well I haven’t seen or heard from her in weeks. The last time I saw her was during an after school swim practise, but that was so long ago. I assumed that she was sick when she didn’t turn up for school. Some of my other friends said they’d been trying to get a hold of her but were getting no replies.” I said as a frown creased my forehead.

The man leaned back into the chair and rubbed the stubbly outgrowth of hair coming from his chin. “Do you know if she might have runaway, or if there was someone who didn’t like her?”

“I don’t think she would runaway. Beth isn’t exactly the runaway from a problem type. And I don’t know of anyone who would want to hurt Beth, everyone here likes her.”

“And you?”

“Pardon me?”

“Do you like her?” his eyes tightened.

“Yes, of course I like Beth. She is my friend.” I said probably a couple seconds too late as his piercing stare made me nervous. I looked over at Mrs. Barton who smiled encouragingly and then I looked back at him.

“Well that is all for now. Thank you.” he twisted his mouth slightly and then sighed heavily. “Ms Dayse could you leave your name and contact information, so that I can reach you, in case I have any more questions?” he asked pointedly.

“Yes of course. I want to help in any way I can.” I said lively. “You’ll have to give me a pen and a piece of paper, as I didn’t bring anything with me.” he slid the stationery I’d asked for towards me and I quickly scribbled down my cell number and my aunt’s address. I placed the pen flat against the paper before handing them back to him.

I waited quietly while he put everything back into his folder. “Well Ms Dayse, that’s it for today. I guess that you can go back to class now. Thank you for your time.” he said holding out his hand.

“You are welcome. Please try your best to replace Beth.” I said sombrely as I shook his hand. I held on to it a bit longer than usual for emphasis, before dropping it to my side.

“We will try.” he replied equally sombre.

As I got up from the chair, Mrs. Barton gave me a faint smile, which I returned. I then turned towards the door and walked out.

“Ms Jacobs,” I said as I passed the secretary. She smiled in response.

I hurriedly marched through the passage, taking no notice of anything around me. I just wanted to get away from the building. Away from everything and everybody.

“Ms Lawson,” I said as I’d slowed my pace on entering the reception area.

“Not in any trouble, are we?” she said raising an eyebrow.

“Me? Trouble? Never!” I said pointing to myself. I even managed a smile.

She smiled at me. “Good to hear.” she said as her eyes dropped back to the papers she was arranging on the desk.

I pressed the buzzer on the glass door and then pushed it open. As soon as I’d stepped outside the façade of total control melted from my face and was followed by absolute panic.

I walked slowly from the building as I didn’t think that I was ready to face anyone in class. As I moved I saw nothing. Everything around me seemed to dim as I was enraptured in a world of my own. I wasn’t sure how I was moving or if I was the one really moving myself.

“Summer, what happened?” I asked a voice that I loved, which slowly brought me back into the land of the living.

When I finally recovered, I found that I was sitting on a curb wall close to the staff house. My eyes flickered from the admin building, to the seventh grade block, before they settled on his face.

“Summer, what happened?” he asked again, his voice marred with concern. He took my hands and folded them in his.

I leaned my head to one side, as it took me a while to finally understand the words that he’d said to me, before I attempted to give an answer. “There was a detective,” I cleared my throat and started again. “There was a detective in there. He was asking me about Beth. Because apparently her family has reported her missing.” I squeaked.

“What did he ask you?” he said anxiously.

“He wanted to know the last time I saw her. I told him not since that day at swim practice, you remember?” he nodded. “He also took my contact information.” I paused for an extended period. “Before I left, I told him that he should try and replace her because,” I snorted and then smiled weakly. “I said, I hope you replace her.” I then withdrew my hands from his and used them to cover my face. I removed them and then dropped them on my lap. “I mean how screwed up was that?” I smiled slightly and then used my hands to cover my face.

“Summer, you did fine.” he said in a soothing voice, while he placed his arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer to him.

“Did I? Because I’m really not sure.” I sniffled and wiped a the tears away that brimmed my lower eyelids. “I just hate this . . . this having to lie and making up stories and having to pretend that everything is fine when they’re really not.” I sighed heavily.

“I know that this is hard for you, but this is just how it has to be. This is our life. We can’t wish it away, as much as we would like to sometimes. And since we are stuck with it, we have to try very hard to protect ourselves and everyone else in our life, even if we have to bend the truth sometimes.” he said brushing his hand down my face.

Bend the truth. He said it so casually. I wondered how many times he had ever bent the truth. I dismissed the thought quickly. I slowly lifted my eyes up to his face. “You’re right.“ I sighed. “You must be wondering how you got stuck with such a blubbering dunderhead.” I said smiling faintly.

“Yeah sometimes,” he said with a crooked smile.

“You are not supposed to say that.” I giggled and tapped him lightly on his chest.

“No I’m not.” he smiled even wider. “I am just thankful that I am with someone who reminds me that although I’m not human, there is still reason to be humane.” he continued in a more sombre tone. “Are you ready to go back to class?” he said standing and offering a hand.

“Yeah, I think so.” I said taking his hand and allowing him to pull me up. I used my free hand to brush off the dust that clung to the back of my skirt.

I wiped away the traces of wetness from my face so that I wouldn’t betray my former condition to everyone else in class. As we walked away, I turned to look at the principal’s office. I saw Mr. Adams leaning on a tree and staring after us. I wondered how long he’d been there.

Thorn turned also and looked at the man before his eyes dropped back to my face. I smiled slightly at him, he returned the smile and then we both turned and continued walking towards the sixth form building.