Wild Secrets Within

My head spun slightly as we made our way into the cafeteria and I found myself clinging to Riley’s arm more than I would’ve liked to admit – my nails clenched in his wrist (though he made no noise of disapproval). It wasn’t just the fact that I was the new girl that scared me but the way that everything seemed so big and official here. I had spent a whole assortment of lunch periods in cafeterias but none had so much as come close to this! It had a high ceiling and seemed to me about the size of an auditorium, with seats just as abundant as in one.

What scared me even more was the amount of people already inside of the cafeteria. For the first time, I felt as if all of their eyes were on me; I knew they weren’t – considering many of them were deep in conversations or had their backs to me by the arrangement of the tables – but I was quite sure I knew what the phrase “fish out of water” meant. I felt like the one that didn’t fit in, and I was quite sure that it had affected my breathing – considering the way that Riley had forcefully grasped my chin, looked into my eyes, and told me to breathe.

All the while, I was painfully contradicting myself. One part of me told me that I was scared out of my mind, yet another told me that this was where I belonged. As long as I got used to the group of people that was already here, the painful fear subsided and I corrected my breathing again. Riley smirked at me once I had done so.

“I know,” he teased, leading me over to a table that was towards the center yet in a less populated part of the room, “it’s a lot to take in. Once you really get used to it here, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it!”
I nodded my head but didn’t say much, resting my head atop my hands as I slumped down in my chair, not caring how I looked. Oh if only John or Maria were here – I knew the “lady” speeches I would be getting. Hell, I felt so free!

I turned my head over to look at Riley and scrunched my eyebrows together after a moment of studying the crowd. “So what’s with the different cliques here?” I asked him after it seemed like we had both been lost in our thoughts for quite some time.

Usually I didn’t care about what my social status was in school – but this? This was a different one that I had ever seen. It seemed like there were three different groups here – all dispersed among the different corners of the colossal cafeteria. It seemed as if there were harsh feelings amongst them too, considering the way that there was at least a whole row of tables separating each group triangularly.

Riley merely shrugged and seemed just as unaware of the situation as I was. “Not really sure – to be honest.” He answered. “I’ve been here for the past two years, and it’s just always been like this. You fall into a certain group and that’s that. Not like people don’t associate with ones in the other groups, it’s just like there are underlying rivalries that no one really understands but we all partake in.” He cracked a smile and then nudged me slightly with his elbow. “I’m sure you’ll fit in just fine – and I’ll be with you the whole time!”

That was when there was a crackling noise and the loudspeaker rumbled over the entire cafeteria. As if all trained, the entire student population that was in the cafeteria looked up towards the ceiling where the voice seemed to be coming from. ”Riley Johnson – you’re needed in the main office please.”

As soon as the voice had had its fun of echoing into the high ceiling, the students turned their attention away from it as if it had never happened. All I could think was, so much for being with me the whole time!

I was certain that he had the same realization according to the look on his face and I shook my head. “Don’t you worry,” I assured him. “I’ll be fine. See you in first period?” He smiled and nodded his head, kissing my hand again with a teasing grin on his face.

“Straight out and to the left. It won’t be hard to find after that!” He promised as he stood up, leaving me alone at the table. I was sure that he was probably lying – because only the labyrinth-type schools needed tour guides – but I still had a few moments to calm myself about it. For me, that meant mentally freaking out and physically picking at my nails, biting on them if the anxiety got bad enough.

I was desperately glancing at the clock continually, just wishing that time would stop if only for a few moments, when I heard the clicking of heels. She came from the barrier on the right side of me, slipping between the tables that separated my group and hers and she honestly didn’t care; I was glad someone else seemed to tempt fate like that – because those barriers were just calling me to break past them… It was a strange urge that I felt in my fingers and my toes!

“Hey new-girl!” She tilted her head up at me, as if sniffing the air. If I didn’t know any better, I would say that it was like a dog sniffing the scent of someone – but I wasn’t going to compare a human to a dog… “I’m Madison Nightlock, but you can call me Maddi!”

She held her hand out to me and I smiled up at her, letting our hands touch for only a moment before a moment’s blink flashed an image into my head and it scared me into pulling away…I was hoping they would go away while I was here – I could be normal for once… but still, I didn’t feel ashamed of it like I normally did. John and Maria had tried to treat me for schizophrenia…but I had never shown any of the symptoms. Just a knack for trouble and random hallucinations that seem to actually happen… I put it out of my head and smiled at her again.

“I’m Julie,” I told her with a bright smile, “Julie Parker. It’s nice to meet you!”

She nodded her head at me just before the first bell rang and she turned on her heel, still looking back at me over her shoulder. “I see your tour guide has left you. I can help you if you’d like!”

A grin grew on my face as I nodded my head vigorously. Less than an hour here and I already had two people that I felt I could trust! Really, I felt as if I had never belonged anywhere but here… This was going to be the start of something new – something great!