The Walls Fall Down (Time Tumblers, #1)

Chapter Two

Everything got worse the next day. I had Latin class first and I was already in the room well before the bell. I usually was; this was my favourite class, and also the easiest. A few other kids were there, including Delilah. She kept trying to talk to me, but I ignored her. I'd gotten good at putting her off until class started.

Just as the teacher, Mr. Messarch, was standing at the board to start the lesson, she walked in. That attractive insane walked into the room, an admittance slip in her hand. She handed it over and Mr. Messarch nodded. "Well class," he announced, "it looks like we have a new student. This is Pia."

There was a quiet greeting. I stared. "You can pick a seat," Mr. Messarch told her. "I hope you can follow along. Class, give me a moment with the paperwork."

She scanned the room for a spot, and I prayed silently that it wouldn't be near me. I sat in the far corner, alone in the last row. Delilah sat in front, only because I'd managed to thwart her at the beginning of the year. There were plenty of other seats, but no. She crossed across the room and sat down beside me.

Delilah glared, and I suddenly thought that maybe an obsessive stalker was a good thing at the moment.

"Hi," Pia said.

I looked at her furiously. "What are you doing here?" I hissed.

She feigned ignorance. "I'm sitting at a desk in my new school," she replied.

"Like I'm going to buy that." She raised an eyebrow and gave me a little half smile, just as class started up again.

Nothing weird happened for the rest of Latin. Next period, however was a different story. Same as the period after that, and after that, and for the rest of my classes. There was one simple reason for that. Pia was in all of them.

Somehow, in a few hours, she'd managed to find my school, transfer in, find my exact schedule, and make her's match. Even Delilah hadn't gone that far. By the end of the day I was thoroughly freaked out. I tried to pin her down after school, but she vanished into thin air.

I was standing by the main doors, hoping to spot her so I could demand answers, when Mat leaned against the wall beside me. "Looking for anyone in particular?"

"Yeah," I replied. "A stalker."

He blinked. "Dude, Delilah's right there." He jerked his thumb in her direction. I flicked a glance at her, but not much more. If I gave Delilah attention, she'd be at my side in an instant.

"Not her," I said. "Some new girl. She's in all my classes."

"Freaky, but so what?"

"So . . . it's too complicated to explain." Mat gave me a look. "Seriously, I don't understand half of the story." I really didn't, and it put a bad taste in my mouth.

Mat shrugged. "Whatever. Hey, I was wondering –"

"Uh oh, quick cover for me!" He didn't even have to question me, because I often asked for help to get away from Delilah. Seriously, when a girl tries to follow you into your home, everyone agrees it's bad. Especially considering that happened two years ago in ninth grade. Did I just attract the crazy girls?

I ducked back inside the school and darted down a hall that still had a bunch of people. Freshmen, mostly; I don't know what their problem is with hanging around the halls in massive unpassable packs, but they do it all the time.

I went into the boy's bathroom, with smelt terrible but had the benefit of being the only girl-free zone in the school. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and sent a text to Mat. Where'd you send her?