Beautiful Demons

I Must Be Electro-Charged In the distance, I heard Agnes calling my name. Slowly, my eyes opened to find a crowd standing around me. “Give her some room students. ” A beautiful woman with dark black hair stood over me, her face full of concern. “What's your name?” I opened my mouth and sucked in a huge breath. “Harper,” I said. The sun was bright and I squinted against it. “What happened?” “I'm Mrs. King,” the woman said. “You fainted, but I think you're going to be okay. Do you think you can sit up?” I nodded, mortified. And, oh, God, I was wearing a skirt. I pulled down on the lace, hoping I hadn't flashed anyone on my way down. “How are you feeling?” Mrs. King asked. “Embarrassed,” I said, trying to laugh it off. The crowd around me began to disperse, and I was grateful. In a town this small, though, I knew it wouldn’t take long for word to get around that the latest Shadowford freak fainted on her first day of school. Agnes took my hand and helped me to my feet. “I can't believe that just happened. I mean, I was standing there talking to you one second, and the next you were down. Bam! Just like that. ” She slapped her hands together. “Thank goodness Mrs. King was walking up. ” “Thank you,” I said. “I think I'm going to be fine. ” Mrs. King smiled and took my hand. I felt a shock of static electricity and pulled away. I laughed it off, but Mrs. King eyed me suspiciously. The serious look on her face startled me, and I wondered if I had done something wrong. “Sorry,” I mumbled, thinking about how the doorknob in Mrs. Shadowford's office had shocked me the other day too. “That's been happening to me a lot lately. I must be electro-charged or something. ” “It's fine,” Mrs. King said. She took my hand again and helped me up. “Let me walk you to the office and make sure you get checked in okay. ” I tried to take my hand back, but something had caught her eye. She stared at my chin with a seriousness that sent a cold shiver down my spine. “Is everything okay?” “Yes,” she said absently. “That's a beautiful necklace. ” She let go of my hand and reached out to touch the sapphire pendant around my neck. “Where did you get it?” “It was my mother's. ” On instinct, I grasped the pendant between my thumb and forefinger and ran it back and forth across the silver chain. The necklace was the only thing I had ever known of my real mother. Mrs. King stared at me for a moment, then she shook her head and smiled again. “Well, then, let's get you to the office, shall we?” “Wow, she was super nice to you,” Agnes said once Mrs. King had left us by the entrance to the office. We watched as a sea of students parted to let her pass. “Is she not usually nice?” “No, it's not that, it's just that she's kind of hard to get close to. She heads up the cheerleaders and they're just so exclusive. I've been trying to get on the squad for the past two years. ” “You make it sound like the cheerleaders are some kind of goddesses around here,” I said, pushing my way into the office. Agnes mumbled something under her breath that I didn't quite catch. “What?” I asked her. “Nothing. ” Her attitude changed, like I had offended her or something. “I gotta get to class. Hope you're feeling better. ” I shook my head and sighed. Was no one in this town normal? Page 8

  Someone Might Get Hurt Except for the whole passing out in front of everyone thing, my morning went by without further incident. Classes here were small, but I was relieved to find that most of them were far behind where we were in my Atlanta school. At least I wouldn't have to worry about being behind on homework, especially since Ella Mae had been so serious about me keeping my grades up. At lunch, I found Agnes and walked over to her, hoping she had gotten over whatever I'd done to make her mad this morning. She was sitting with three other girls who looked up as I walked over. “Hey,” I said. “Mind if I sit with y'all?” “Sure,” she said, her bubbly attitude thankfully returned. “This is Harper everyone. Harper, this is Shamekia, Randi, and Flora. ” “Hey,” Randi said. “How's your day going so far?” “Hi,” I said, sitting down. “Typical school day, I guess. How about y'all?” “Always the same,” Agnes said. “Too bad we don't have any classes together. I have math after lunch. What's next for you?” She squirted some ketchup onto her plate and dipped a french fry into it. I glanced at my schedule, then slipped it back into my bag. “Sixth period Calculus,” I said. Agnes coughed, nearly spitting out her fry. “I thought you said you were a sophomore?” “I am. ” “Then how are you in calculus? That's usually a senior class. ” I shrugged. “I don't know. I'm not even sure they have my transcripts here yet. Maybe they put me in the wrong thing. ” Agnes brightened. “Yeah, that's probably it. I mean, sophomores are hardly ever in the same class with seniors. I bet once they get your transcripts, they'll move you into my class. ” “Uh-huh,” I said, stuffing a french fry into my mouth. I didn't want to tell her that I had been taking calculus at my last school too. She seemed sensitive when it came to certain things, and I didn't want to make her angry again or hurt her feelings. I figured it was best to feign ignorance. And change the subject. “So what's there to do around here for fun? Like on the weekends?” Agnes didn't answer me. In fact, I don't even think she heard me. Her hand was stuck mid-way to her mouth and her eyes were glued to something on the opposite side of the cafeteria. I turned and followed her gaze. That's when I saw them. A group of four girls more beautiful than anyone had a right to be. They seemed to glide across the room as a single unit. Nearly everyone in the cafeteria was staring at them. As they passed, a younger boy with glasses practically tripped over himself to get out of their way. “Who are they?” I asked. “Those are the cheerleaders,” Agnes said. Her tone carried a certain reverence, and I had to hold back a laugh. Man, these people really seemed to take their sports seriously. There was definitely something special about those girls, but other than their beauty, I wasn't sure why everyone was so awed by them. “There are only four cheerleaders?” Agnes looked at me and rolled her eyes. “No, silly. Those are just the four most popular cheerleaders. The girl on the right, the brunette? She's Brooke Harris, senior and captain of the squad. ” I turned to look at the girl she was talking about. She had shoulder-length brown hair and was wearing tight black pants and a beaded pink tank top. Her smile lit up her entire face. “Lark Chen is the Asian girl next to Brooke,” Shamekia said, nodding toward the cheerleaders. “Her mom is the mayor. ” Lark was shorter than the others. Her bone-straight hair fell halfway down her back and was the color of obsidian. She was talking excitedly to the girl next to her. “Then there's Allison Moore. She's got the most beautiful blue eyes. And don't you guys love her hair now that she's leaving it curly?” Flora said. “Allison used to date Drake Ashworth,” Agnes said, poking me in the ribs. I turned to study the girl with the dark blonde ringlets. She was cute and petite. Exactly the kind of girl who would look great with a guy like Drake. “And the girl on the end. The unreal blond with the big smile? Thats-” “Tori,” I said, interrupting Shamekia. “Yeah,” she said. “Do you know her?” “Not exactly,” I said. But I had seen her before. My first night at Shadowford, she was the girl arguing with Jackson by the garden. She seemed so different this morning. Not at all like the kind of girl who needed to throw herself at a guy to get what she wanted. I wondered what exactly it was she wanted from Jackson anyway. Agnes eyed me suspiciously. “Seriously, how did you know her name?” “I think I might have a class with her,” I lied. “Yeah, that would make sense,” Flora said. “Tori and Allison are in our grade, but Lark is a junior and Brooke is a senior. They're all best friends. ” “I would give anything to sit over there with them at lunch, even just once,” Randi said. “I know, they are seriously the most beautiful girls in school,” Agnes said. I looked around and realized that since the four cheerleaders had stepped into the room, they had commanded the attention of nearly every table. It was weird. Sure, they were beautiful, but the way people were falling all over themselves to be noticed by them gave them almost celebrity-level status. As soon as they sat down at their table in the center of the lunchroom, a group of younger girls came over with cold bottles of water, as if they
were servants. I didn't get it. Of course, I was staring just like everyone else. I watched as the cheerleaders were soon joined by several other people, one of which caught my eye. Drake Ashworth. I tried not to stare at him, especially after the way he treated me at his sister's store, but there was a part of a me that was curious about him. At first, he'd seemed so nice and sweet, but then he'd changed in a heartbeat. “You can quit staring,” Agnes whispered. “Guys like Drake-” “I know,” I said. “They only date cheerleaders. ” “Exactly,” she said. “He's definitely gorgeous, but he's just out of our league, trust me. ” She was probably right, but the way he'd flirted with me before he knew I was from Shadowford. Well, he genuinely seemed interested. When I went to dump my lunch tray, I walked by his table, just to see if he would notice me and maybe say hi. Unfortunately, I was too busy watching him instead of watching my feet, and I accidentally tripped over someone's backpack. My tray went flying, sending ketchup and left-over french fries flying. I watched in horror as ketchup splattered all over Tori's white shirt. “Jesus, what the hell?” She stood up and threw her hands into the air with disgust. Then, she looked up at me. My face burned with fresh embarrassment. Of all people to fling ketchup on. . . why, God, why? It just wasn't my day. “Sorry,” I said. “I must have tripped on something. ” I looked back to see what I might have stumbled over, but the floor was clear. I could have sworn I felt my boot hit something solid, but there was nothing there now. “You've got to be kidding me,” she yelled. “You are so dead. Who the hell are you anyway? I've never seen you here before. ” “Oh, Tori, didn't you hear about the latest resident of Shadowford's home for rejects?” Lark said with a laugh. “She fainted right in front of the school this morning. ” “That's right,” Brooke added. “I heard they were getting a new freak over there. They should have warned us that she was so clumsy. ” “What happened? Did you get too nervous on your first day of school little girl?” Allison said. Everyone around the table laughed, and I looked to Drake, hoping to find at least one friendly face. He met my eye for an instant, then looked away. Coward. I straightened my shoulders, bracing myself against the painful blow to my ego. “Sorry about your shirt,” I said. “It really was an accident. ” “Oh, you'll be sorry alright. What was your name again?” “Harper. ” “Well, Harper, you just made the wrong kind of enemy. ” The look in Tori's eyes was stormy and wild. My heart beat raced in my chest. I needed to get out of there. I moved to step around her and retrieve my tray, but she stepped with me and blocked my path. “Look, I said I was sorry. What more can I do?” I stepped to the other side, but she blocked me again. I felt the heat of anger and humiliation boil up inside of me. My fingers tingled with a familiar buzz, and I took in a deep breath. I couldn't lose control. Not here. Not on my first day. Someone might get hurt. On the table, my lunch tray rattled, then rose slightly into the air. I gasped and the tray fell to the table with a loud smack. Everyone around me grew silent. Across the table, Drake's eyes met mine, wide and scared. “I told you she was a freak,” Brooke said, breaking the silence. Some of her confidence was gone, though, as if I had surprised her. “Come on, y’all. Let's get out of here before she really goes mental. ” I stood there as the group of popular kids filed past me. Tori stopped inches from my face and narrowed her eyes at me. “Cross me again and I'll make you pay,” she said. I had officially made my first enemy at Peachville High School. Page 9

  What is it With This Town and Cheerleaders? I let out a frustrated gurgle and kicked the brick as hard as I could with my boot. Never in a million years did I dream my first day could go this badly. I wanted to go home, and it wasn't even noon yet. “Hit those bricks any harder and you just might bring the whole building down. ” I twirled around to see who was talking. I sucked in a tight breath when I saw Jackson Hunt standing there at the edge of the building, cigarette in hand and a ridiculously sexy smile on his face. He was even better looking up close than I thought he'd be. “I'm serious,” he said. “You've got some kind of kick there. I'm impressed. ” I laughed, then groaned. “This is positively the worst first day of school ever. ” “And just think, it's not over yet. ” “Thanks, that gives me something to look forward to,” I said. He smiled. “I'm Jackson. ” “I know,” I said, then felt like smacking myself for admitting it. “I saw you from my window the other day. I'm Harper. ” “So, Harper, where did you learn to move objects with your mind?” My eyes widened in surprise. No one had ever called me out like that before. I didn't know how to respond. “If you're just here to make fun of me, I think I've had enough for one day if you don't mind,” I said, suddenly feeling very defensive. I waited for him to call me a witch or tell me I was some kind of freak. “Whoa, that's not what I mean. I think it's pretty neat what you did in there. Seriously. ” I turned to study his face. He seemed to be telling the truth. “You don't think I'm a complete nut-case?” “No,” he said. “Trust me. Stranger things have happened. ” I leaned against the jagged bricks and sighed. Right. Stranger things than floating lunch trays? I doubted it. “Don't worry about it so much,” Jackson said. “It was kind of funny, really. ” “No, it was completely stupid. Everyone seems to worship those girls, so what do I do? Make them my enemies? Real smart. ” “Well, you made me laugh,” he said. He moved beside me and leaned one hand against the brick. “Plus, you have no idea how nice it was to see someone dump ketchup all over the precious Tori Fairchild. ” I wondered again what his relationship to her was. It was obvious they didn't run in the same circles here at school, and yet she had practically been all over him the other night. “I hope it was worth it. Because now she wants me dead. ” Jackson lowered his voice and leaned so close I could smell his shampoo. “Something tells me you can hold your own against those girls. ” My palms felt sweaty, and I felt suddenly short of breath at the nearness of him. “Can I ask you a question?” He raised his eyebrows. “Shoot. ” “Why does everyone worship them? I mean, they're beautiful, but. . . ” I shrugged. “Lots of people in this world are beautiful. ” “They're popular because they're cheerleaders,” he said. I rolled my eyes. “What is it with this town and cheerleaders? Jesus. ” Jackson laughed, making his green eyes come alive. My heart sort of melted a bit watching him. Then, he shook his head and squashed his cigarette into the ground. “They're poisonous, Harper. They get into your system and change you from the inside. ” His expression smoothed over suddenly, like it was too much for him to explain. He pushed off the wall. “Don't let them get to you. ” His words fell heavy on my ears as I watched him walk away. Page 10

  My Best Attempt “You have to wear blue and black. ” Agnes poked her head into my room and made a face at me in the mirror. “Demon pride!” She was wearing a demon tattoo on her face like all the cheerleaders at school. She held one out to me and asked if I wanted help putting it on, but I stuck my tongue out at her. There was no way I was going to wear a blue demon on my face. “Fine,” she said. “You don't have to wear the demon, but you can at least put on a blue t-shirt. ” I bit my lip and stared into my sparsely populated closet. Besides the pink tee I was currently wearing, I had a total of twelve shirts. None of them were blue. “How about black?” She shrugged. “I guess that'll work. ” “Why do we have to go to this stupid game anyway?” “It's tradition,” she said. “It's like a family outing during football season. Mrs. Shadowford never goes for obvious reasons, but Ella Mae likes the games. I think she used to be a cheerleader when she was in school. ” I rolled my eyes. Cheerleaders. It was like I couldn't get away from them in this town. “I'm going to try out for the cheerleading squad next year again,” she said. She fell backward onto my bed and sighed. “I'm already nervous about it and tryouts aren't even until June. ” “Why would you want to be a cheerleader?” I asked, thinking about how mean Tori and her friends were. “Who wouldn't want to be part of that crowd?” she said. “They're the most beautiful girls in scho
ol. ” Agnes stood up and started leafing through my notebook of drawings that lay open on the end of the bed. “Yeah, but just because you become a cheerleader doesn't mean you'll suddenly become beautiful,” I said. “Ouch. That was totally mean. ” I spun around, black tank top in hand. “Oh, Agnes, I didn't mean it like that. You're adorable. ” She sighed. “I know I'm not ugly or anything, but you just don't understand. When a girl makes the squad, she. . . changes. ” “How?” “You wouldn't understand,” Agnes said. “It's like a makeover in a way. Take Allison, for example. A few years ago, she was kind of an ugly duckling. Then, she made it onto the cheerleading squad at the end of her eighth grade year. When we came back as Freshman, it was like she was totally transformed. Like some kind of summer miracle. ” I changed into the black tank and searched through my stash of colorful ribbons for something demon blue. I found a royal blue silk ribbon and handed it to Agnes. She tied it around my wrist. “What's up with all the ribbons?” she asked. “One of my foster moms worked at a crafts store. She always used to bring home tons of leftover ribbons,” I said, feeling lame. “I don't know, I just like to wear them for color. ” “Do you have another blue one?” she asked. I smiled. “Sure,” I said, and helped her fasten a matching blue ribbon around her ponytail. “These are really good you know. ” She pointed to the drawings in my notebook. “Are you going to be an artist or something?” “Probably not. I kind of suck. ” The truth was that I yearned to take art classes. Unfortunately, most of the public schools I'd been to had really crappy art programs, and there was no way I could afford to take classes anywhere else. I didn't like to talk about my art too much though. In my experience, sharing too much about your dreams and goals with someone was pretty much just giving them fuel to hurt you later. “It's really just for fun anyway. ” “Okay, girls,” Ella Mae called from downstairs. “I've got the van out front. You've got five minutes to get downstairs!” Agnes took off running, but I hung back to see which picture she had been staring at with such intensity. The book was open to a pencil drawing I'd done of my mother. She gave me up for adoption when I was born, but I found a picture of her in my adopted parent's files once. They took it away from me and hid it somewhere, but I spent weeks after that trying to recreate it with my pencils. The drawing Agnes had been staring at was my best attempt. “Harper,” Ella Mae called. “Everybody's waiting for you, honey. Let's go. ” I ran my finger across the drawing of the pendant my mother wore around her neck, then closed the notebook with a snap. “Coming,” I yelled, then headed down the stairs to join the group. Page 11