First Friday-ish Snippet

Even though I still haven't managed to figure out the Mr. Linky stuff, I decided I might as well post a 'Friday' snippet anyway, even if it is Sunday already here. So, this is the first scene in my current, untitled WIP that I refer to as my M+D or Devi+Meira story. This is one of the longer scenes, but I love Devi's character, so I think it works well as an intro into her mind. But remember, this is first draft, full of typos and mistakes and will definitely be edited, rewritten or completely discarded later!

Enjoy!

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Scene 1: POV DEVI

I looked up at the dilapidated building and sighed. Another new town, another new school. Every one seemed to be worse than the last.

The school looked about to fall apart; some sections stood roped off from entry, crumbling to pieces even as I watched. A strange silence hung over the whole place, all the others in class already. I just had to be late on my very first day, didn’t I?

I slowly walked up the steep slope of the driveway to the main doors and paused. I could just find my own way to class. If the office ladies saw me late on the first day of school, my first day ever, they’d glare and sigh and huff and – yes. I could definitely find my own way around.

I spotted a door around the corner, leading into the warren of classrooms and corridors, and hurried over to it, swinging my backpack around on my shoulder so I could reach into it. I rummaged around until I found the school diary they had posted to my new house, then shoved the door open. Where was I first?

I flipped the pages until I found a map, buried in the middle of a bunch of useless information, and tried to locate my room on it. Thankfully, they’d allocated me to classes before I arrived. I could change them later, but for now at least I could find where I was supposed to be.

Or I should be able to find where I should be. I scanned the map carefully until I finally spotted the room, the room number so tiny that I’d missed it several times. However, a miniature maze of hallways lay between it and me. Great. Just great. I forced the dairy into my bag again, bending the cover backwards. I shrugged and yanked the zips closed.

I ventured into the school, and spent a good ten minutes wandering up and down various hallways. I got angrier the further I searched; surely it couldn’t be so hard to find a single room in a scabby old school? I kicked at the ground when I reached the end of yet another hallway without finding the room number I needed. Did they have to make it so bloody difficult?

Finally I spotted the room number I needed, and hurried towards it, then stopped a few steps from the door. I rested my face in my hands for a few seconds, closing my eyes and breathing in deeply. Once I was in, I’d just be another face, but God I hated the first minute. Everyone watching, waiting, staring. Everyone wondering who I was. Everyone judging me. Rejecting me.

I strode forward quickly before I could leave and pushed the door open.

The door swung swiftly on its hinges and crashed into its stop on the wall behind it. I cringed inside, but held my face still. I couldn’t see anyone yet, not even a teacher. I stepped inside.

A classroom of faces stared up at me, including the teacher, bent over someone’s desk where he was collecting a paper. An old man, scrutinizing me with sharp eyes and a suspicious frown. I tried not to fidget and stood straight, looking him back in the eyes.

“I’m Devi,” I said. “Sorry I’m late.”

He straightened and walked towards the front of the room. He glanced down at the roll and then back up at me again, picking up a pen.

“Devaki?” He spoke short and sharp, just like his eyes, but crisp. Efficient.

“Devi,” I corrected, but then nodded.

He hmm-ed at me, but marked off my name and waved the pen at me. “Don’t be late next time,” he said. “Take a seat.”

“Fine,” I said and turned around, only to find most of the eyes in the classroom glaring at me. I shivered in my belly, but simply clenched a fist and then let it loose again. No deep breaths in front of a crowd. Too obvious. Saying nothing, I walked through the rows of tables, right to the back of the room. As I went heads turned and watched my path, then dismissed me, just like that, and returned towards the front.

I sat at the end of the last row, a seat between me and the next person. Two guys sat together, lounging in their seats and smirking at me. I watched them from the corner of my eye for a moment, then twitched my nose and frowned down at my bag as I hauled some books out.

“You don’t need those for the first class.” The sarcastic voice came from my left, and I knew it was one of the two guys. I closed my eyes for a moment, pressing my lips together to contain myself and then looked up, straight into the eyes of the nearest guy.

He leaned back on two legs of his chair, arms folded, arrogant chin up as he eyed me. I snorted quietly and dropped the books on my desk anyway.

“Maybe you don’t,” I said, watching his eyes. “But then, you don’t ever need them.”

His eyebrows went up and he brought the other two legs of the chair down with a little thump as he turned further towards me. His gaze traveled noticeably down my body and I seethed, a tiny growl in my throat. He half-closed his eyes, considering, and then nodded once, a short controlled movement.

“Nice,” he said. “You shouldn’t waste your time on schoolwork.”

“You shouldn’t waste your time with your brain,” I snapped and turned my back on him, reaching down to my bag again. I froze when I felt a warm hand touch my shoulder and then begin to trail down.

“Feisty one, are we?” he muttered, close to my ear. He must have moved over, I realised, before swinging my arm around. It hit his with a thunk; I stopped quite suddenly and he jolted, unbalanced for a moment. His face hung close to mine for a moment, surprised, and I pushed him away, my palms sweating against his shoulders for the second I had to touch him.

“Don’t touch me,” I snarled. “Do not try and think anything about me; you might hurt your head. Fuck off.”

“Jules, leave her alone, mate.” This came from the guy sitting on his other side, who shook at the jerks shoulder nervously, glancing over at me so quickly that I couldn’t catch his eye. Wimp.

Jules brushed him away and continued to stare at me.

“Ooh, scary,” he jeered, holding his hands up in mock submission and leaning back in his chair again. “What’s wrong, little Devil? I can call you Devil, can’t I?”

The last question wasn’t really a question though, and I scowled deeply.

“You can call me whatever the fuck you want, Jules,” I spat, “as long as you don’t mind a broken nose.” I pushed my clenched fists hard against my thighs, trying to stay calm and in control. My muscles pulled tight in my chest so that I could hardly breath. In and out, slowly. I closed my eyes.

“I’ll take my chances,” Jules whispered, and I felt the whisper of air as he reached towards me once more, but before I could react, loud footsteps clomped up beside my chair.

I looked up and around, only to see the teacher standing against my desk, glaring down at us.

“Julian!” he said, snapping his fingers at the jerk beside me. “Leave Miss Devaki alone and get some work done.”

“Devi,” I whispered, barely audible, but he glanced down at me for a fraction of a second. I bit my lip and shrugged.

“But there’s no work yet, Mr Hayes” Jules replied, an infuriating purr in his voice. I felt like kicking him as easily as I could a kitten. “We were just talking.”

“Talking doesn’t involve harassing the poor girl,” Mr Hayes said, deep lines crinkled in his face. He ignored the work comment, which was more than I could have done in his place. “Either move or stop it immediately. Otherwise, I’ll have you in detention on the first day. Would your parents appreciate that?”

Jules sank down from his arrogant pose, almost deflated. I watched him from the corner of my eye while looking up at Mr Hayes with a small crooked smile touching my lips.

“Fine. Get back to your posturing,” Jules muttered, and turned around to the wimpy guy beside him.

“Excuse me.” Mr Hayes remained where he was, almost looming over me, and I started to feel uncomfortable. “I don’t believe that is how you address me, or Devi.” He waited, and the silence stretched on as Jules looked as us again.

“Okay, okay! Sorry.”

“And?”

“Sorry… Devi.”

“Right. Now, to get back to the topic—“ He strode away to the front of the room again, and began to speak about locker allocations.

Jules started to turn around again as soon as Mr Hayes had left, but I shook my fist just below desk level and looked him in the eyes. “Just tempt me,” I growled, and turned my back on him.

“I wish I could.” Just a murmur.

I breathed in deep and slow as I rummaged in my bag for a pen, but managed to ignore him. I stayed bent over for a few seconds more than I really needed, holding onto the pen tightly in one hand until my fist loosened and I let out a long breath, feeling it cold in my mouth. When I sat up again he was facing away from me, talking to the wimp again.

I leaned forward and began to make small jottings from the board where Mr Hayes was writing, and hoped that Jules was the worst I could meet.

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Wolverine