Zola Flash (The Zola Flash Series Book 1) (8 page)

PULLING MY CHEMISTRY BOOK from my locker, I am at peace. It is silent and pleasurable, like my music cage at home. As my locker begins to close on its on, my innate reflexes automatically stop the door from smashing my head.

Shayna and Lili are standing nearby, in their cheerleading uniforms, with smiles on their faces. It is like watching two animated dummies.

I fully shut my locker door and move back from the posing girls. “May I help you,” I ask them.

“Well, yes.” Shayna says, exaggerating her proper, little voice. “See, we, as in cheerleaders, are having tryouts. Lili and the rest of us were wondering will you try out for the position of the mascot? We need a loser to take the job.”

I stare at the girls, envisioning what I could do to them. These poor little creatures actually think they are superior to me. If only they knew I could rip those smiles off their faces. Perhaps I could find some type of chemical from the Chemistry lab that would make them unable to cheer. They would think twice before calling people “losers”.

“So, what do you say? Do you want to be that privileged loser?” asks Lili snapping me back from my musings.

“Um . . . let me think about it,” I reply.

“If you are interested, tryouts are tomorrow, right after school.”

I watch the girls walk down the hall and enter a room labeled 065, before I turn in the opposite direction, already late for chemistry, and ram into some poor girl. Her books tumble to the ground like an earthquake caused them to collapse, and I stoop to help pick them up.

“Thank you,” the girl says in a timid voice.

“No problem. Besides, it was my fault.”

The girl straightens, and I look her over. She’s an inch or two shorter than me and very slender, with milk-chocolate brown eyes and brownish-red hair. She’s somewhat pale and wears her attire like an untrained child playing with lava sand.

“I’m Carmen,” the girl mumbles.

“Zola . . . Zola Flash,” I say in a courteous voice.

“We better get to class. We’re already late.”

I nod and continue on towards the Chemistry lab. I stop at the lab door and glance back at Carmen. I immediately feel a connection with the girl. Possibly because she’s the nicest person I’ve met since being here. She seems different from everyone else, friendlier.

A peek inside the window to the classroom; Mr. Wrench is nowhere in sight. I creep inside the class and ease my way to the farthest table from the front, where I let out a sigh of relief.

Mr. Wrench comes into the class with an abundance of papers in his hands. He calls Aaron and Camisha to help pass them out. I, on the other hand, do not receive any.

When the bell rings for third period, everyone exits the room. Just as I’m about to walk through the door, though, Mr. Wrench calls my name, and I veer to his desk.

“Yes, Mr. Wrench?”

He removes himself from the chair and sits at the edge of the desk. “I notice you were late for my class, and you’re not in the required uniform.”

I just nod.

“That’s not the problem I want to talk to you about, though.”

“What do you want to talk to me about?” I ask.

“Those papers I handed out were files on my students. Basic medical information, so I can plan for upcoming labs. You don’t have one. There’s no file about you at this school, whatsoever.” He pauses for a second then resumes talking. “Zola, I know that Pin and you are not from New York, probably not this country. You can tell me, if you’re in any type of trouble.”

I can’t trust these people. For all that I know, they could be undercover Payohlini. “I can’t.”

“Why?”

“Because if anybody knew why I was here, they would be in a worse situation than I am.” Turning away, I start walking toward the door. If I stay longer, he’ll get more suspicious, and knowing me, I might blurt out my life story. If I do that, I’ll have to leave, just when I’m adjusting to my new surroundings.

“You’re not a runaway, are you?”

I stop in the door way. “No, Mr. Wrench, that I’m not.”

I duck out and head to my next class—history, I think—which is so boring I fall into the daydream without even trying.

* * *

“Don’t let anyone tell you you’re not good enough,” says a woman with short curly black hair.

“Mom! I am not a youngling. I already know that,” replies a girl resembling my sister.

“I just want you to know that I love you, Sweetie.” The woman kisses the little girl’s forehead.

A tear falls from my eyes as I realize the woman is my mother, and I am the little girl. It is the year my mother gave birth to Cleo. I remember, because I had just turned eleven, and I had come home from my play date with Zin, my betrothed at the time. His mother had been extremely malicious to me. She was talking about how I wasn’t good enough for her son, anymore, but I didn’t understand what she was talking about. All I knew was that Zin was my best friend and he could no longer be that.

I don’t like recalling this memory, so I turn away and think of a happier one, hoping to take myself away. As the scenery around me begins to fade to white, I feel a soft delicate hand land on my cheek, and I freeze.  Only one person I know can freeze me solid and that person is dead.

Rican is messing with my mind again.

The hand moves down my arms, slowly turning me around. I am standing face to face with my deceased mother. She looks the same as she did the day I escaped Victian. I squeeze her tightly, not wanting to let her go, but mother pulls away from me and holds me at arm’s length.

“Zola, I’m so delighted to see that you’re all right,” she says in an elegant voice.

“I’m in good health,” I say while thinking a little sadly of Pin and Britney.

“Zola, you need to listen to me! You need to wake up. Rican and the others could be tracking you.”

I don’t care about them tracking me. My mom is here, and I need answers. “Mom, is it true that I’m princess of Victian?”

My mom lets out a tremulous sigh. “Yes. This isn’t how I wanted you to find out.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I ask.

“Your father thought it would be safer if the regent planets of the Glucoxi Galaxy didn’t know you existed. We changed your identity and went into hiding. There are wicked people running things on Payohlini, and you, my darling, are something our galaxy have never imagined. You are something different.”

“Different?”

“Yes, different. Good different. Galaxy-changing different, my child.”

I think about that for a minute. My entire life has been a lie. I’ve been living a lie.

“What was my name, Mom?”

“That’s not important. You are Zola. And you will always be Zola, my sweetie.” Mom pause and looks around, like she’s sensing a presence that isn’t quite here, a presence only she can feel. “You have to wake up now.”

“IT’S NICE OF YOU to resume consciousness, Miss Flash!” the history teacher says.

I despise being put in the spotlight. I have no idea why adults always think humiliation is the way to go.  Besides, they wouldn’t want to get humiliated in public like that.

“I’m sorry,” I say.

“Since you’re a relatively new student, and don’t seem to understand the procedures, this is your warning. Don’t let it happen again. Next time, I won’t be quite so lenient,” he snaps.

The bell rings, and I walk out of class, spotting Carmen putting her things away farther down the hall. I head toward her, but an arm flies out and blocks my way. I follow the arm to Trevor, who smiles. I don’t smile back.

“I’m glad you’re back,” he says. “Now I don’t have to skip class to see that pretty little face of yours.”

I shift my weight to my left leg so I can see behind him. Two girls have approached Carmen. “I never asked you to do that, Trevor.”

“I know, but still . . .”

“Umm . . . Trevor,” I interrupt. “Do you happen to know that girl? I need to talk to her.” I point to Carmen.

Trevor turns and glances toward her, and immediately bursts into laughter. I personally don’t understand what’s so amusing. She’s just like him, powerless and weak against advanced beings, such as myself.

Trevor turns back to me, his smile gone. “She’s a loser, a weirdo. She isn’t worth your time, unlike me, who deserves it.”

Trevor moves in toward me, and I place my palms against his chest to prevent him from coming any closer. I never thought Trevor could be such a jerk. What he just said about Carmen is vulgar. “Trevor, she’s a nice person, and I don’t like the way you’re talking about her.”

Trevor scowls, and I realize he’s now looking at me like he did Carmen. Like I’m a
loser
, as he calls it. “I forgive you for that comment. But you’re my girl, and you don’t speak out against me, and you don’t speak to freaks like her!” he says, leaning right into my ear.

I take a step away. Who does he think he’s talking to? I am not a dig-a-low jack, and he certainly can’t go around thinking he owns me. “You do not talk to me like I’m another one of your help. And you do not tell me who I can and cannot befriend. You do not own me!” Rounding him, I head toward Carmel and the two girls, who are both taller than me. “Mind if I join you?” I ask.

“What about your boyfriend?” Carmen asks in her timid voice.

“Trevor is not my boyfriend.”

I stare toward the two girls, waiting for Carmen to introduce me, but she doesn’t, so I introduce myself. “I’m Zola. Carmen and I just met right before last course. I take it you are her friends.”

“Sofia, and that’s Daisy,” the blonde says. “Carmen’s twin.”

It’s easy to see that Carmen and Daisy are related. However, the concept of twins never really occurred to me. There are no twins on Victian. I heard stories as a child about the ancients having twins, but they were only stories. No twins have been born on Victian in quiet some time.

“Have we met?” I ask Sofia.

“No. Seeing as you hang out with Trevor, you most likely met my sister. Lili.” She says Lili’s name as if vocalising it hurts.

“Well, it’s nice meeting you guys. I can’t say the same about Lili and her friends.”

The girls giggle.

We head as a group to the cafeteria and find a table by a window, which is covered with rubbish and chewing gum. Worst of all, the table is right beside a reeking trashcan. As if the mess and stench doesn’t bother them, the girls simply move the trash aside and begin taking seats, but there is no way I’m going to sit at this filthy, germ-covered table.

“Are you sure you want to sit with us?” Sofia asks.

“Yes …” I pause. “But we’re not sitting at this table. You guys have to have some self-respect.”

“Then, where are we going to sit? If you haven’t notice, this is the only table left.”

“Follow me.” I say, and I lead them to the other side of the cafeteria, where Trevor and his posse sit.

They’re eating sushi and drinking imported water from Switzerland. Trevor’s treat, I bet.

I climb in Trevor’s lap, drape my arms around his neck, and motion for the others to take a seat. Trevor doesn’t seem pleased about my play, but I hold his eyes with mine, silently begging him to let them sit here. Trevor’s dark expression doesn’t even soften, though.

I bend down to his ear. “Please,” I whisper.

“Outside, now!”

Trevor jumps up and clutches me by my forearm. I glance back at the girls before nearly tripping over my own feet as he hauls me from the building, and strides us toward his car.

He climbs inside the car and motions for me to get in, too. Sliding into the passenger seat, I do not look at Trevor. My eyes just remain on the school.

“What the hell are you thinking, Zola?” Anger soaks Trevor’s voice.

“Shouldn’t my
boyfriend
accept my friends? You accept me, and you barely know me,” I say. “You’ve been going to school with those girls your entire life. Besides, they’re good company.”

I don’t know why I’m explaining. He’s just one jerk, who can be a really charming and insightful guy. I turn and face him. His face is still rock hard. I place my hand against his cheek, and his face softens at the touch of my cool fingers.

When he removes my hand and gets out of the car, I follow.

As soon as reenter the building, Mr. Falls walks up behind me, and I turn to see him pointing towards his office, which is described by my fellow students as the “pit of hell.” I let him usher me there. The area is very dreary, the small space adorned by black and grey.

“Miss Flash, are you listening?” Mr. Falls asks.

“Yes, I am,” I say, though, truthfully, I’m not. I’m not even aware that he’d begun talking.

“. . . your uniform?”

“Sir, could you repeat that?”

Mr. Falls gives me a stern look.  “I asked,
why aren’t you wearing your uniform
?”

My uniform has been revoltingly hideous since I turned into a monster and destroyed it. “It was ripped,” I admitted.

“Miss Flash, are you aware that you cannot attend school without wearing it?”

“Yes, I am.” I don’t want to attend, anyway.

“Zola, other than your brother—”

“My brother?” I interrupt.

“Pin.”

I laugh. “Pin is not my brother.”

“Anyway, Miss Flash, you cannot, under any circumstances, come back until you purchase another uniform.”

“The money I have is not worth anything here.”

“Well, I guess it’s time for you, like any other student, to get a job.”

I blink.
Job?