Starlight (Book 1)

13: There's a Fire

Despite the basic idea of common sense, school opened for business as usual on Monday.

Their reason being, of course, that although Summer street was nearly blackened ash, the fire was gone, and had yet to affect the school in any shape or form. (This, as I assumed, garnered an understandably massive reaction from parents and students, who spent their morning replying to faculty accounts complaining.)

I had other issues to worry over. I knew that at some point, both of my dads came home, but what I couldn't figure out was why they'd been gone practically all night.

Not that it was any of my business, but Peach was fed three separate times, and I was starting to become convinced she was the one playing us for fools.

Either way, Jax picked me up in the Rover, and as I tossed my stuff inside, I quickly learned that he was just as peeved about it as I felt.

He said, and I quote: "What the actual, literal, genuine hell is going on."

Climbing into the passenger seat, the only thing I could say was: "I really wish I knew."

He had no idea how true that was.

"Isn't Lily coming?" I asked.

"Nope. The only reason I'm going is because we have a history test today."

Oh, no. "That's today?"

As we pulled up to the school, he glanced at me and grinned. "Don't tell me you forgot?"

"Why didn't you remind me!"

His evidence? "You're you!"

"That's not... okay, alright, whatever." A compliment is a compliment. "I can just study on my free period."

We filed inside. It didn't take long for me to realize that a large amount of the school's population had also decided not to come to school. The halls were emptier than I'd seen them before. When the bell rang, Jax and I arrived to French, only to find that there were a handful of other students there, not including Vivian.

With less than half the class, we had no choice but to sit and chat, though I spent my time rifling through my history notebook, trying to recall everything I needed to know before the time came.

It was largely the same during my free period. Jax trudged with me all the way to the library, where I forced myself to stare at my papers hoping to retain something. I knew he was talking, but I filtered nearly every word out in a desperate attempt to continue studying.

I blinked. The lights flickered above my head, and I realized it wasn't my eyes at all as hushed whispers carried through the library.

Across from me, Jax sat crossing his fingers. "Please stay off, come on..."

Again the lights flickered; this time a couple times in succession before finally settling off. The library's only light source, provided by the large bay windows on the side of the building, casted a section of rectangular white light on the linoleum floors. At our place near the centre of the room, it was dreary and sort of out of place, to be sitting at school in the dark.

After a few minutes of whispering and a rather poor attempt on my part to refocus, a crackling from the PA system came from above my head. The familiar voice of the school's principal announced that the power company had been called, with an estimated restore time of about an hour.