very dizzy.
“It’s not Trey.”
I opened my eyes and gazed in wonderment at the concerned face of Troy Tombolo.
“You? You pulled me out of that room?”
“I heard your screams,” he said. Only now did I notice he had been holding my hand. I immediately yanked my hand from his. “We need to get you home.”
“Where’s Trey?”
“I don’t know. Someone said he left.”
“He wouldn’t leave me.”
“Let me take you home,” he said, offering me his hand.
With Trey gone, I knew I had no other option. “Fine, but I don’t want you to.”
I initially ignored his attempts to help me up, but could hardly refuse when I nearly fell to the ground. He effortlessly scooped me up and carried me to his truck. I wish I could say his arms repulsed me, that the beat of his heart failed to quicken my own, and that his lips didn’t entice me after the hurtful words they spoke earlier, but I cannot. I hated myself because of it.
Neither of us spoke a word the entire way home. When he stopped in front of my house, I immediately exited his truck and ran to the front door. I wanted away from him, from his smell, from the warmth of his body…from my feelings. I wanted to sit by my bedroom window, stare at the sea, and not think about the porthole faces, Troy, or the fact that I saw Trey’s lonely jeep in Katrina’s driveway when we left, still waiting for its owner…still empty…just still.
Chapter Six
Visits With Mr. Campbell, Troy, & a Seal Pup
November: Giving thanks & wondering why
Monthly Life Caption: Confusion All the Way Around
Mood: Confused, sad, questioning
Eating: Not much (shock)
Music: The Great American Songbook (my comfort music, thanks to my great-grandfather)
November 18 th : Still no sign of Trey . Trey has been missing since Halloween. I had hoped for a true Halloween night, and it didn’t disappoint. Trey was gone, and my life was suddenly crap. I’m missing everything about him: his humor, his support, his desire to make me smile. My grades have even slipped, and my mom, bless her, has avoided going all helicopter on me. Instead, she has been using every nosy administrative busybody at her disposal to learn new tidbits on Trey’s whereabouts. According to Vice Principal Smarmy, Trey’s grandfather informed the school about his grandson’s habit of wandering off on fishing excursions. Bull crap! He never, ever would have left me alone at a Ravenflame-happy party. Oh, and on top of everything, those porthole people have been haunting my dreams since Halloween, leaving me disoriented and drenched in sweat during the witching hour.
Trey’s disappearance hasn’t only affected the Normals. The Fairhairs appeared much more anxious than usual. By contrast, the Ravenflames had this silent fury boiling just beneath the surface. Interestingly, their red streaks appear brighter. The tension between the two groups has never been greater, particularly during lunch.
Today, the cafeteria could pass as a graveyard on the brink of becoming a war zone, where the Fairhairs were like the scared humans and the Ravenflames were bloodthirsty zombies.
“I’m going to take time from my busy thinking schedule and get in the way of yours. You’re too quiet. You usually talk so much I want to claw my ears off,” said Polly. “And you’re not eating. Humans need food, even when their butts don’t.”
“Zero appetite,” I said, sipping a little milk.
“Of all days, I guess today would be the toughest,” said Meikle.
“What’s today?” I asked.
“Did you sniff too much incense again? She wouldn’t know about today. We weren’t allowed to disclose our birthday with anyone in the institution, unless we wanted to lose our vocal chords,” said Polly.
“I know that!” Meikle snapped. “I just thought he might have told you by now, Marina. Today is Trey’s birthday.”
“I had no idea. He never said anything. I broke the birthday rule on day one, talking about
“It’s not Trey.”
I opened my eyes and gazed in wonderment at the concerned face of Troy Tombolo.
“You? You pulled me out of that room?”
“I heard your screams,” he said. Only now did I notice he had been holding my hand. I immediately yanked my hand from his. “We need to get you home.”
“Where’s Trey?”
“I don’t know. Someone said he left.”
“He wouldn’t leave me.”
“Let me take you home,” he said, offering me his hand.
With Trey gone, I knew I had no other option. “Fine, but I don’t want you to.”
I initially ignored his attempts to help me up, but could hardly refuse when I nearly fell to the ground. He effortlessly scooped me up and carried me to his truck. I wish I could say his arms repulsed me, that the beat of his heart failed to quicken my own, and that his lips didn’t entice me after the hurtful words they spoke earlier, but I cannot. I hated myself because of it.
Neither of us spoke a word the entire way home. When he stopped in front of my house, I immediately exited his truck and ran to the front door. I wanted away from him, from his smell, from the warmth of his body…from my feelings. I wanted to sit by my bedroom window, stare at the sea, and not think about the porthole faces, Troy, or the fact that I saw Trey’s lonely jeep in Katrina’s driveway when we left, still waiting for its owner…still empty…just still.
Chapter Six
Visits With Mr. Campbell, Troy, & a Seal Pup
November: Giving thanks & wondering why
Monthly Life Caption: Confusion All the Way Around
Mood: Confused, sad, questioning
Eating: Not much (shock)
Music: The Great American Songbook (my comfort music, thanks to my great-grandfather)
November 18 th : Still no sign of Trey . Trey has been missing since Halloween. I had hoped for a true Halloween night, and it didn’t disappoint. Trey was gone, and my life was suddenly crap. I’m missing everything about him: his humor, his support, his desire to make me smile. My grades have even slipped, and my mom, bless her, has avoided going all helicopter on me. Instead, she has been using every nosy administrative busybody at her disposal to learn new tidbits on Trey’s whereabouts. According to Vice Principal Smarmy, Trey’s grandfather informed the school about his grandson’s habit of wandering off on fishing excursions. Bull crap! He never, ever would have left me alone at a Ravenflame-happy party. Oh, and on top of everything, those porthole people have been haunting my dreams since Halloween, leaving me disoriented and drenched in sweat during the witching hour.
Trey’s disappearance hasn’t only affected the Normals. The Fairhairs appeared much more anxious than usual. By contrast, the Ravenflames had this silent fury boiling just beneath the surface. Interestingly, their red streaks appear brighter. The tension between the two groups has never been greater, particularly during lunch.
Today, the cafeteria could pass as a graveyard on the brink of becoming a war zone, where the Fairhairs were like the scared humans and the Ravenflames were bloodthirsty zombies.
“I’m going to take time from my busy thinking schedule and get in the way of yours. You’re too quiet. You usually talk so much I want to claw my ears off,” said Polly. “And you’re not eating. Humans need food, even when their butts don’t.”
“Zero appetite,” I said, sipping a little milk.
“Of all days, I guess today would be the toughest,” said Meikle.
“What’s today?” I asked.
“Did you sniff too much incense again? She wouldn’t know about today. We weren’t allowed to disclose our birthday with anyone in the institution, unless we wanted to lose our vocal chords,” said Polly.
“I know that!” Meikle snapped. “I just thought he might have told you by now, Marina. Today is Trey’s birthday.”
“I had no idea. He never said anything. I broke the birthday rule on day one, talking about
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