Chapter 3 - 3

Chapter three



I quickly walk into the mess hall and come face to face with ... well ... mess, actually. Lumps of disgusting food are stuck to the half of the walls and there are huge wet patches on the floor which I really don't want to know about. A group of filthy looking kids are crowded around one of many splintering tables all lined up in a row, that should really be outside as it has a white and blue umbrella stuck into a hole in the middle. The Captain's `office' is just behind the end bench and there is a small window looking out along one row of benches. Another row of benches starts behind his office and carries on down the hall. Attached to the walls are rusty lockers that apparently never get used.

Just next to the grubby stick that's holding the umbrella up (on the splintering table, which is veiled from view of The Captain as it is the first bench of the hidden row), a bright green bottle is spinning around and around as 14 eyes watch it eagerly, hungrily. Sat on top of the table, just behind the bottle and leaning on the umbrella stick, is an average sized girl who looks very much like a guy because of her hair that just reaches her collarbone and is just one shade darker than mine, and the baggy shirt and trousers she is sporting with pride. She's shrieking happily and waving her arms around wildly as the bottle spins jaggedly. Something tells me she's a rather annoying girl. I watch them warily from in front of the closed door of The Captain's office.

“Round and round the bottle goes - who it'll land on, no one knows!” she and another girl chorus, wiggling their bushy eyebrows mysteriously. Rolling her eyes at something one of the boys said, the other girl has wiry black hair that flows past her shoulders and is wearing a tight top that shows off too much skin, along with a pair of baggy jeans which are ripped at the knees and spotted with dirt. Tucked into her belt is a small wooden sword, which is just for show, I guess. Well, that's what I think for one naïve second. Then I notice that all the others have one as well.

As it stops spinning, the bottle neck is pointed at another of their gang: a boy about the same age as the two girls with slightly over-large front teeth and amazingly bright blue eyes.

“GNASHER!” sings the girl on the table jokily. The boy, apparently called Gnasher, grins happily; showing off the two huge front teeth that give him his name and which are yellowing a little. His eyes are shining and as he moves out of the umbrella's shadow I can see that he has freckles coating his whole nose area. Along with a shirt is ripped at most places, his feet are bare and almost as bad as The Captain's, and he has a red and white spotted bandana on which is covering up a heap of brown tendrils. “Truth, dare, double dare, love, kiss, or hate?” asks table-girl. He flickers those sapphire eyes in thought.

“Kiss,” he declares. The whole group screams with delight and he shrinks back from the noise.

“Ok ... anyone got any ideas?” asks the wiry-black-hair-girl, taking command even though table-girl looks more leader material. Nobody says a word. The only noise in the whole room is the sound of glop slipping down one of the walls. “Timmy?” she asks, pointedly staring at a chubby boy who has raised his eyebrows in sarcasm. He lifts his head up and looks at her through gleaming emerald eyes in surprise before shaking his head, floppy black hair lashing through the air, and returning to a daydream. “Xanthe?” she asks, this time looking directly at a beautiful girl who looks like a rather round, golden haired angel sent from above. She also shakes her head miserably. Wiry-black-hair-girl sighs. “I'm out of ideas,” she grimaces, also leaning her head on a perfectly manicured hand.

“Oh, oh, oh! I've got one!” a seriously tiny boy with fluffy black curls that spring out all over the place stands up, waving his arm around in the air. He reaches toward the bottle and lifts it right up to his mouth, smirking evilly. The whole group holds their breath. “You have to kiss Milly - on the lips!” he roars, and his laughter echoes through the whole bottle, bouncing off the mess hall walls and probably sinking into the glop wedged onto them.

Table-girl screeches slightly deafeningly and shoves the boy who made the suggestion, making me guess that maybe, just maybe, her name is Milly. She seems like a bit of a big mouthed weirdo, to be honest with you, and I'm not exactly sure that I want to make friends with her. She's like this mate I had when I was about 10. She was really big mouthed and annoying and no one liked her apart from me. The day she quieted down was the day she got more friends.

“Frizzo, you have a weird sense of humour!” she says, glaring at the little one with crazy hair. He grins evilly.

“I know,” he laughs, showing off a cheeky smile “It runs in the fa-“

He's cut off as Milly screams, giggles, and flies off the table. Gnasher wittily steps closer to her with his lips pursed and even I can't hold back the giggles at the look on Milly's face. It's hilarious. It's like she's split between being amused, disgusted, and interested, and she looks like a FOOL! Gnasher stops closing in on her and opens one of his eyes to the sight of everyone in fits of giggles, including me. He too bursts into peals of laughter, and, after a moment, Milly catches on and starts sniggering as well.

As they all, one by one, fall quiet and blissfully spin the bottle once more, a really tall boy who can't be older than 14 yet has to double over simply to fit into the room, swivels around to check maybe the time on the wall, and notices me standing all alone in the doorway, just wearing my nightdress. I shyly wave at his and he turns back to the group with a frown.

“Timmy, check it out!” he whispers, just loud enough for me to hear. Something tells me he's putting on a stage whisper. The chubby boy turns around and spots me. “Who do you think she is?” the tall boy asks, nervously turning to fix his strange purple eyes on me once more. Timmy shakes his head, eyes glued to me. He nudges wiry-black-hair-girl, who nudges Gnasher. One by one they all realise that I exist and start staring at the lonely figure that is I.

“Hey,” Milly says sourly. I wave anxiously again, “Can we help you?”

“Um, I'm n-“

“You're new, aren't you?” Gnasher asks curiously. I nod timidly. How did he know what I was going to say; or was I that obvious? “In that case, ignore everything that Milly says to you. She's a hard shell to crack but when you get to know her, she's nuttier than a fruit and nut cake.”

“Oh ... right,” I mumble, trying to figure out what on earth he meant, and start walking closer to their little gathering.

“Erm ... what do you think you're doing?” asks Milly, jumping off the table on which she only just leapt onto, and standing right up to me even though I'm at least a cm taller than her. “We don't even know who she is. She could be an imposter, trying to learn secrets for the midnight horses,” she hisses to the others. They all roll their eyes.

“Like I said,” says Gnasher, walking to me and tugging my arm towards the rest, “Ignore her. So like, who are you? Oh don't worry, you can tell me in a moment. Allow me to introduce ... Gnasher!” he grins, suddenly pointing to himself, “Milly, of course!” he gestures to Milly who sullenly glares at me, “Ruby!” ah! So that's wiry-hair-girl's name! “Xanthe!” Round angel girl, “Frizzo!” crazy hair kid, “Timmy!” round and tubby, “And finally, Will!” this time he points to the really tall boy, who is having a fit of laughter at something Timmy did. He has bright blonde hair enveloping most of his really large head, and is shirtless - oh la la! “So who are you?”

“Eliza,” I say, grimacing at my own name. Xanthe and Milly try - and fail - to conceal snorts of laughter. “I know: it's a gay name.” I scowl.

You are not authorized to comment here. Your must be registered and logged in to comment