either. Don’t know what I could catch from you.”
I feel sorry for the dinner
lady. Okay, she looks a little different, but so do I compared to these people
and I could really do without the hassle.
The dinner lady reaches down
under the counter and pulls out a plate of toast. Which is weird because either
the toast is really cold by now or there’s a toaster down there. Which is an
odd place to keep a toaster. But then again, what isn’t odd about this place?
The tall girl takes her toast
and a cup of coffee without so much as a thank you and goes to sit at a table
with some other girls and a couple of boys. That should be me, I think. I’m the
girl who is never without a table to sit at. I’m the girl with people beckoning
me over and looking disappointed when Sophie and I sit by ourselves or with
Wade’s crowd.
“Newbie, huh?” The woman with
horns smiles at me.
“Is she always that rude?” I ask
in disbelief. I mean, I may be popular but I do not treat people the way that
girl just treated this woman. Especially people who serve me food.
“I’m used to it,” the woman
says. “People don’t like those who look different, even in a place like this.”
I nod.
“So, what can I get you for
breakfast?”
I shrug. “Er, I don’t know.
What’s good?”
“What did you used to have in
your old life?”
“Not much,” I admit. “It takes
work to stop bursting out of my clothes.”
She laughs. “You certainly won’t
have to worry about that here. There’s no aging and there’s certainly no
expanding waistlines.”
“Seriously?” I look at her in
shock. “You’re telling me I can eat whatever I want to and not get fat?”
She nods and watches me with a smile
as this news sinks in.
I can’t help the grin that
spreads across my face.
“So, what’ll it be, my love?”
she asks kindly.
“I can’t think of anything,” I
say. “What do you recommend?”
“Do you like croissants?”
“Ooh, not half,” I say. I
haven’t eaten one since I started high school, but that’s not the point.
She reaches down behind the
counter and comes up with a plate of two large, warm, buttery croissants and a
cup of tea.
“Here you go.” She smiles. “That
should hold you over until lunch.”
I grin at the sight of them. My
mouth is watering just thinking about all that butter. I go to dig my purse out
of my school bag but she stops me.
“You don’t pay here.”
“Where do I pay then?” I ask as
I look around for a kiosk or something.
“No, I mean, you don’t pay here
at all. Money isn’t of any use in Afterlife Academy.”
“For anything?” I ask in shock
again.
“No,” she says. “Unsurprisingly,
dead people don’t need money.”
“Can I ask you something?” I say
before I leave the counter.
“Sure.” She smiles at me.
“Can you really breathe fire?”
She laughs at that. A loud peal
of laughter that makes several students look up from their food.
“Only if people piss me off
enough.”
I laugh. I don’t think she’s
serious. Probably not, anyway.
“And don’t be put off by the
horns,” she says, pointing to her forehead as if it was possible for me to have
missed them. “I’m harmless, really.”
Usually I would be put off by
someone telling me they were harmless. If someone is harmless, they probably
shouldn’t have to tell you, but for some reason I believe her.
“Actually, I kind of like the
horns. They add character. And colour.”
She smiles at that. “Come back
at lunchtime,” she says. “I’ll have something nice for you.”
“Thanks,” I say. Then the girl
behind me coughs, so I have to go because chit-chatting with the cook is
holding up the queue.
I stand with my tray and look
around. I almost expect to see Sophie beckoning me over or a bunch of girls I
barely know begging me to sit with them. But there is nothing. I find an empty
table in a dark corner and sit down.
I hate being alone.
I look over at the kitchen and
see that
I feel sorry for the dinner
lady. Okay, she looks a little different, but so do I compared to these people
and I could really do without the hassle.
The dinner lady reaches down
under the counter and pulls out a plate of toast. Which is weird because either
the toast is really cold by now or there’s a toaster down there. Which is an
odd place to keep a toaster. But then again, what isn’t odd about this place?
The tall girl takes her toast
and a cup of coffee without so much as a thank you and goes to sit at a table
with some other girls and a couple of boys. That should be me, I think. I’m the
girl who is never without a table to sit at. I’m the girl with people beckoning
me over and looking disappointed when Sophie and I sit by ourselves or with
Wade’s crowd.
“Newbie, huh?” The woman with
horns smiles at me.
“Is she always that rude?” I ask
in disbelief. I mean, I may be popular but I do not treat people the way that
girl just treated this woman. Especially people who serve me food.
“I’m used to it,” the woman
says. “People don’t like those who look different, even in a place like this.”
I nod.
“So, what can I get you for
breakfast?”
I shrug. “Er, I don’t know.
What’s good?”
“What did you used to have in
your old life?”
“Not much,” I admit. “It takes
work to stop bursting out of my clothes.”
She laughs. “You certainly won’t
have to worry about that here. There’s no aging and there’s certainly no
expanding waistlines.”
“Seriously?” I look at her in
shock. “You’re telling me I can eat whatever I want to and not get fat?”
She nods and watches me with a smile
as this news sinks in.
I can’t help the grin that
spreads across my face.
“So, what’ll it be, my love?”
she asks kindly.
“I can’t think of anything,” I
say. “What do you recommend?”
“Do you like croissants?”
“Ooh, not half,” I say. I
haven’t eaten one since I started high school, but that’s not the point.
She reaches down behind the
counter and comes up with a plate of two large, warm, buttery croissants and a
cup of tea.
“Here you go.” She smiles. “That
should hold you over until lunch.”
I grin at the sight of them. My
mouth is watering just thinking about all that butter. I go to dig my purse out
of my school bag but she stops me.
“You don’t pay here.”
“Where do I pay then?” I ask as
I look around for a kiosk or something.
“No, I mean, you don’t pay here
at all. Money isn’t of any use in Afterlife Academy.”
“For anything?” I ask in shock
again.
“No,” she says. “Unsurprisingly,
dead people don’t need money.”
“Can I ask you something?” I say
before I leave the counter.
“Sure.” She smiles at me.
“Can you really breathe fire?”
She laughs at that. A loud peal
of laughter that makes several students look up from their food.
“Only if people piss me off
enough.”
I laugh. I don’t think she’s
serious. Probably not, anyway.
“And don’t be put off by the
horns,” she says, pointing to her forehead as if it was possible for me to have
missed them. “I’m harmless, really.”
Usually I would be put off by
someone telling me they were harmless. If someone is harmless, they probably
shouldn’t have to tell you, but for some reason I believe her.
“Actually, I kind of like the
horns. They add character. And colour.”
She smiles at that. “Come back
at lunchtime,” she says. “I’ll have something nice for you.”
“Thanks,” I say. Then the girl
behind me coughs, so I have to go because chit-chatting with the cook is
holding up the queue.
I stand with my tray and look
around. I almost expect to see Sophie beckoning me over or a bunch of girls I
barely know begging me to sit with them. But there is nothing. I find an empty
table in a dark corner and sit down.
I hate being alone.
I look over at the kitchen and
see that
Similar Books
