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The Assembly
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Melanie allowed the large flow of students carry her towards the auditorium of the school and through four wood oak doors into the auditorium. It was easy to let the crowd guide her, since she didn't yet know her way around the huge school. Walking inside the auditorium now made it seem like Melanie had entered into a whole other world.
The auditorium was very spacious, and seemed most likely to fit a stadium-sized audience inside. Therefore, she was able to pick a seat as far back from the front of the stage as she could that also had easy access to a fast route towards the exit. Now that all the students were gathering in one room, Melanie could clearly see just how big the student body of Saint Apollo's Academy actually was, and it looked to her like majority of the seats were going to be filled once the assembly started.
As the million of seats gradually filled up, no one dared sit next to the weird new girl. Instead, they gave her a wide birth and sat two rows behind hers, where she could hear them whispering about her and pointing. Hearing the whispers and seeing the weary glances cast her way, Melanie sunk low in her seat, desperately wishing she could disappear. Instantly, she regretted coming here.
She was never going to fit in, was she? That very thought made a pang of despair ring in Melanie.
"Just ignore them. They're petty and don't have anything else better to do with their lives."
Melanie almost jumped a foot in the air in her seat as someone plopped down in the seat beside hers. A boy she least expected ever to be seen interacting with her, much less sit next to her.
The boy was none other than Chase McAllister, Mr. Outcast himself.
Melanie stared at him, utterly surprised by his presence. What does he think he's trying to do? She wondered in bewilderment.
She tried to find her voice. "W-what are you doing here? I thought you didn't want to be seen with me." Her voice wavered uncertainly.
Chase shrugged. He didn't look at her; instead he stared straight ahead towards the stage, where the headmaster would be speaking today during the assembly. "I couldn't even begin to tell you. Just thought you looked a little lonely. Besides, you're the only person I find that doesn't annoy me in this hellhole of a school."
His candid reply surprised her, and she couldn't help but feel slightly comforted by it. This certainly was a first...
But she still couldn't help but ask. "Are you just saying that to make me feel better, or did you get put up to this?" Looking at him now, Melanie was trying hard to figure this boy out. She was sure this was a dare, she wouldn't put it past him. His motives were unclear to her, and what she'd heard from Allison so far, she knew he loved to cause trouble for everyone. She wasn't about to let him do that to her; after all, she had enough trouble as it was.
This time, Chase glanced at her, but it was only for a small second. "What makes you think that? Don't tell me Allison Marks has already told you all the so-called "horrible" things about me. I know she and I have had our share of arguments and differences and all that, but that doesn't mean anything she's said was the truth..."
Melanie decided to tell him right then and there what Allison had told her; that he was selfish, uncaring, sarcastic, temperamental, hot-headed and rude.
Upon hearing this, Chase smirked, emitting a low, amused chuckle. "Well, then yeah, she's actually right—for once. Just as long as you don't get on my nerves, we should be fine." He flashed her a grin and a wink, making Melanie flush.
"Speaking of the she-devil, I think she's looking a bit jealous to see you cavorting with me." Chase fixed an amused look on a spot over her shoulder. Melanie turned to follow his gaze, and spotted the "she-devil" glaring at them from across the auditorium.
Allison Marks sent Chase the most hated glare one could ever make before turning the glare to Melanie. Her hatred expression turned to one of loathing—and maybe betrayal? Melanie couldn't discern anything else from this great a distance before Ally turned away to pointedly ignore the both of them.
What had that been about? Melanie couldn't think of anything that would explain the girl's actions. Hadn't Ally told her she didn't care about anybody—nor what they did with their lives? So why would Allison be jealous when she hated Chase's guts? It didn't make any sense at all.
"So, what is it between you and her? Did you two used to date or something?" Melanie turned her attention back to the mischievous boy lounging beside her. Those two were so bull-headed, they seemed like the perfect match to her.
Chase's barking laughter erupted into a choking one when it caught in his throat; he was so surprised at her question. "Really? Did you seriously think we had ever dated? That's funny..." Chase chuckled once more, shaking his head in wonderment. "Hell no, she hates my guts more than she does a regular human being!" He explained, a smirk growing on his lips as he rested two fingers on his temple. "Not too sure why, but I find it very amusing that she does, so I take advantage of that. It's like a game we both play; I taunt her and she retaliates by throwing insults back at me. We do that back and forth; it's quite fun." Chase grinned, laughing at the memory. "But that's as far as our 'relationship' goes. She's feisty, and I find it entertaining getting under her skin; it's so easy..." There was a particularly mad glint in his eyes that unsettled her a little.
Melanie was very confused, not entirely understanding this 'game.' It's probably because you've never had a social life, a voice in her head spoke. You wouldn't even know what it's like to interact with other people...
Shaking the morbid thoughts away, Melanie tried to focus on the task at hand: getting through this assembly so that she could get away from all the judgmental eyes and the whispers around her.
Once everyone had found their seats, the assembly started. A tall man in his late thirties walked up to the podium down on center stage. He looked handsome for such an age, with dark brown hair and warm brown eyes—Allison's father and the school's headmaster. Melanie could tell he was a kind man, but with something dark that bothered him within... Melanie recognized that look immediately; it was brought on by a death of a loved one.
The gentleman turned on the mic and talked into it as he smiled at the assembled students before him. "Hello students, welcome to yet another semester here at St. Apollo's. It's going to be a great year, hopefully better than last year... It's going to be, despite the recent events...I'm sure you all have already heard about the recent human deaths and sacrifices, no doubt you are all alarmed by this. Truly, there is absolutely nothing for any of you to be alarmed about; just know that our very own authorities are looking into it, and rest assure that everything will be resolved soon." And that was all he divulged on the matter.
The students around her murmured uneasily to themselves. Now this was news to Melanie. She turned to Chase to perhaps ask him what else he could tell her, but he merely shrugged before she could actually ask him.
"Now, I know all of you are excited about this school's annual bonfire night..." Headmaster Marks announced. It was soon followed by more rowdy cheering from the student body. Apparently this whole bonfire fiasco was popular with the students; full of opportunities to drink and be merry, no doubt.
"But," the headmaster went on in a stern voice. "That doesn't mean it's going to be some frat party like last year. Everyone will act accordingly—that means no alcohol, drugs, or even a whiff of metang. There will be s'mores, hot dogs, chips, and sodas provided, as well as a nice and friendly sports competition, like we always do. I expect every single one of you to act accordingly." He swept a stern gaze across the crowd as he spoke.
To Melanie, she saw the headmaster as a fatherly authoritative figure; always viewing the students as a sort of extended, crazy family he semi-tolerated but loved deeply like one of his own. It was too bad his hot-tempered daughter—his own blood relation—didn't understand what she had. It made Melanie feel a bit envious; at least she still had some resemblance of a family.
The assembly went on as one normally would; Headmaster Marks went on to describe the schedule for the second semester and touched down on many other topics, such as the upcoming sporting events and fundraisers. All of it seemed to mix into the background of Melanie's thoughts. All the while, Mr. Anti-Social interjected his own dark and witty humor here and there; that self-satisfied smirk never left his lips once.
Once the headmaster released the students, Chase was already out of his seat and out of there with a half wave over his shoulder—how typical of him. Trying not to get jostled too much by the thick crowd, Melanie gradually made her way out of the auditorium with the other students. The exit wasn't far when all of a sudden someone bumped into her from behind. It wasn't just any casual bump; more like it had been done on purpose—causing Melanie to stumble forward and almost running into the person in front of her.
A swish of golden brown hair swept past as Allison roughly pushed past her, their shoulders knocking together violently. Melanie bit back a gasp of surprise mixed with pain as she massaged her stinging shoulder.
Ally only looked back at her once, giving Melanie a cold look—an expression that clearly screamed 'betrayal.' Allison Marks kept walking, soon disappearing into the moving body of students around them.
The confrontation left Melanie wondering what, exactly, had she done wrong? There was something obviously going on with that girl...Melanie just couldn't quite understand it.
Melanie was once again roughly pushed from her other side, the rough shove followed by a dreaded, familiar voice. "Hey, watch where you're going, Ghost Girl."
Melanie tried to move as quick as she could out of Cathy's way, trying not to run into all the other bodies around her. With her head bowed, mumbling a half-hearted apology, Melanie continued to press on. Getting in a fight with the Duchess of the school wasn't something she particularly needed, especially when she'd only just got here.
Melanie didn't want to go back to the dorm room she shared with her bipolar roommate, who'd probably give her cold silence for the rest of the year. Gripping her necklace as if it were a life line as an overwhelming sense of utter loneliness stealing over her, Melanie headed to the nearest bathroom where she could be alone and drown in her sorrows. She didn't want to be around anyone at the moment.
Holding back tears of anguish, Melanie realized one thing: this place was no different then the orphanage she'd just left behind, and she began to wonder if she would ever feel as though she'd belong.
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After a day and a half of being ignored by her bipolar roommate, Melanie decided to try and confront Ally when she walked into their room. Ally was still blatantly ignoring her as she floundered around her side of the room in search of her books for her next class.
Clearing her throat, Melanie managed to find her voice; it came out as sounding weak and not as firm as she wanted it to be. "Okay, what is your problem? Ever since the assembly yesterday, you've been angry—more so than usual—and have been avoiding me all day. What did I ever do to you?"
Finally, Ally whirled around to glare daggers at her for the first time in roughly twenty-four hours. "Do I really have to tell you? Are you that blind as to why I'm so pissed off? What do you think!" She hissed, slamming down her Math Theories textbook.
"If it's because I was talking to Chase at the assembly, that's really nothing for you to be mad about; I have no clue why he sat next to me, I swear. I was surprised he did that. I thought you said he wasn't a social person—that he despised human beings in general."
Despite her intolerable mood, Ally scoffed. "Well, you're right about that. I don't have a single idea why he would do such a thing... It doesn't make a bit of sense, and I'm as mystified as you are." She seemed generally stumped-and annoyed by the very fact. "What did the prick even say to you? He acted all high-and-mighty, didn't he?"
Melanie shrugged. "He seemed to love pissing you off, and it looks like he succeeded. He sure enjoys pissing you off. What's the history between you two? Were you two ever..."
Allison's head whipped around, and Melanie saw the surprise at the question. Ally made a noise of absolute disgust. "EW! Hell. No! Never in a thousand years! Not even if we were the last two people on planet earth; I'd rather kill myself than live a second longer with the likes of him."
Melanie realized this particular kind of topic just pushed a particular touchy button on Ally, only making her angrier. Melanie put up her hands, palms out. "Alright, alright! I was just wondering! He really angers you doesn't he? Are you guys, like, long-time archenemies or something? Talking about him is making you angrier than Satan trapped in Hell."
"Uh—no, Cathy and I are archenemies. Chase and I? Ugh, we've never really gotten along. We just rub each other the wrong way I guess you could say." Ally's voice was gruffer than usual and she didn't elaborate any further on why. "All I'm gonna say is, DON'T trust the male species. You can never understand them."
Mel nodded. "Look, I know you're both hotheaded and completely polar opposites, but you can't let Chase get to you, Ally. It's what he wants, you can't give him that satisfaction."
Ally rolled her eyes, brushing aside her roommate's concern. "It doesn't really bother me all that much; mind you, I've been dealing with the annoying kid for years. Believe me, he's a tame hamster compared to Scathy-Cathy... She has the audacity to insult my family and everyone lower than her, whereas McAllister just sends minuscule insults and jabs at me. I can take that. Cathy insinuates she knows more about my family than I do, and she even dared to throw in the topic of my mother's death in my face. I've never wanted to strangle that pretty neck of hers so badly!"
"Sounds to me like she's the real enemy to watch out for..."
"Yeah, McAllister's just a mild nuisance in my life; nothing more than a bed bug or cockroach. He I can handle—Cathy, on the other hand..."
Melanie nodded. "Yeah, I think I understand. She really hates me, too, doesn't she? For no other reason than to show everyone who's the boss. I really hate people like that..."
Allison groaned in agreement. "Me, too—you have no idea!"
"So, are you still going to be mad at me, when I didn't do anything to deserve it?" Her voice turned low and soft again, and it frustrated Allison to no end. The girl was so timid! How was this twig of a girl ever going to survive the next few years at this school?
Ally sighed. "No, I'm not mad. I've just got one condition for you, Mel. Seriously girl, you need to grow a pair and stop acting so timid and weak; if there's anything that Cathy feeds on, it's someone with a weak spine. She will walk all over you; you can't let her do that. Stick with me, Ghost Girl, and I'll whip you into shape."
She wasn't sure what she was getting into, but Melanie nodded in assent. In all actuality, she would do anything to be on this girl's side.
"Now, tell me...what's your schedule like? Perhaps we have a class together or something. At least with you, I can keep some part of my sanity being around some of the idiots in this school." Ally situated herself on her bed and gave Melanie an expectant look.
To avoid Ally Marks' penetrating gaze, Melanie unfolded her schedule to look at the next class she had. "Uh...I have gym next, right before lunch." She told her.
"Oh, great. You and I share a class with two of our favorite people on Earth."
The sarcasm behind that sentence was clear; Melanie knew straight away that she was going to hate gym—more than usual.
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