I burn some bullies.
Not literally!
Unfortunately...
Oh, God...

{Echo}

It was hard to concentrate at school after the news about Amon. Not that concentrating at school was any easier before, but you get the point.

Ollie and I had to run to catch the school bus and nearly lost it because of the time it took us to process the news and get ready.

I always hated school, and I think you can imagine why.

From the moment we stepped inside the bus, everyone stopped talking and stared at us. You wouldn't believe what kind of theories they were all making up about our disappearance.

Most of them had me to blame.

«You know what? I bet she paid someone to kidnap them both, so she wouldn't be a suspect. The freak.»

«That's not what I heard! They say that she was the one that outright kidnapped her brother! She just threatened him to not say anything.»

«Poor Oliver... I can't imagine what it must be like having that psycho as a sister...»

And other stuff like that. They even said that I am an alien and kidnapped him. You can't believe what kind of glares people gave me all day. Not to mention the teachers. You would expect these guys would be a little more logical, but no. They kept glaring at me as if I was a criminal.

Okay, may be I had killed around 20 people the past month, but it was self defense and Oliver had killed his fair share of them too!

What I'm trying to say is that all those glares were kind of unfair, but these idiots knew nothing about Imyrth, did they?

We had just finished Chemistry and I really needed to use the bathroom. Oliver wanted go get something to eat, so I was to meet him at the cafeteria.

Now, I don't want to look like an annoying chick that complains all the time about her problems, but that's who I am. Sorry to disappoint.

Before I get on with the story, do you know these popular girls that play nice and stab you in the back? Or the ones that play nice and insult you while playing nice? Or even play nice even though you know they are lying?

I'm glad, because those girls became kind of an everyday reality for me ever since we returned.

I had just finished doing my business in the restroom and was washing my hands when two of them walked up to me and stood on either side of me. I ignored them.

«Uh... It's Ellie, right?» one of them asked with an annoying girly voice. She was your stereotypical girly blonde, so you must get an idea. Not that I have anything against girly blondes. Just the annoying ones that think they own the world.

«Echo.» I corrected her. She looked confused for a second.

«Right. Whatever. I noticed that you have been pretty isolated from everyone...» She said.

«Yeah, like, so isolated. Like you don't have any friends, like, at all.» her friend added.

I sighed. I was really not in the mood for this.

«Maybe I just like my peace and quiet.» I replied while wiping my hands on my jeans.

«Who does that?» the blonde scowled.

«Look, I don't need anyone. I'm just fine hanging out with my brother, so--»

«Is that why you kidnapped him?» she interrupted me.

«How did you do it?» her friend asked.

«I didn't kidnap him.» I said as calmly as I could, but they didn't seem to pay any attention to my words.

«I heard you live in that mansion up the hill.» they changed the subject.

«I don't have time for this.» I said trying to keep my cool and walked towards the door. The blonde's friend got in front of me. «Get out of my way.»

«Are your parents divorced? Is that why you only live with your mom and why you came here in the middle of the school year?» the blonde asked.

«That's none of your business.» I replied and pushed her friend out of my way.

I walked out of the restroom and down the hallway as they followed me. They kept asking stupid and personal questions I want in the mood to answer.

I could feel the fire rising up to me, but I tried to keep it down. My muscles tensed and made me look insecure.

«Some people say you and your brother, are orphans. Is that true? Is your dad dead?»

I turned around and looked at them, from head to toe. They weren't worth it, but I was having a bad day, so I thought I could have some fun.

«Yeah, actually. He died a couple months ago in a fire. Our entire home went up in flames, just like you, because you just got burned. And you might wanna stop using that hair dye, girl.  You're shedding...» I told her with a sickly smile.

«This isn't over, Waters!» she yelled as I disappeared down the hallway.

I sure as hell hoped so. This chick had no idea what she was getting herself into.

[Oliver]

I looked at my watch. Echo was late, which was kinda worrying.

But then again, the first week at the mansion she couldn't find the bathroom, so I wouldn't be surprised if that's what had happened this time.

She arrived a few minutes later with a huge smile plastered on her face.

«What did you do?» I asked my sister as she sat down opposite me.

«I just taught some idiots a lesson. You?» she asked.

«What could possibly happen in the line of the cafeteria? Everything is quiet as heck here.» I looked sideways.

«Spill.» she said.

«What? Nothing happened.»

«Yeah, right. Just say it.»

«Fine. Turns out people are going nuts with theories as to what happened the month we were missing. It's a small town, people get bored.»

«Yeah, tell me about it...» She rolled her eyes.

«A girl gave me her number.» I confessed.

«But you're not going to call her.» she replied with certainty.

«Of course not. She just wants to know what happened so she can tell her friends. Besides, I have my eyes on someone else.»

«Let me guess; she's out of this world.» she laughed at her own joke.

«Yeah, laugh all you want, but don't forget that you have a crush too.» I laughed.

Two girls came and sat at our table.

«Ellie has a crush? I wonder who that could be...» one of them said.

Echo rolled her eyes and sighed as if she knew them.

«What do you want?» she asked them.

«To hang out with you, of course. I told you it wasn't over.» the girl that spoke before replied. «I don't believe I've introduced myself, I'm Lauren and that's my friend Jessie.» Lauren smiled.

I immediately knew those girls meant trouble.

«Well, Lauren, why don't you take your pet dog, Jessie, and go sit with your other fake friends?» Echo mocked her.

«Why are you, like, so mean to us? We just want to be, like, friends with you!» Jessie complained. I doubt she understood a word Echo said.

«Well, I'm sorry to say that the feeling is not mutual. You are free to return to your table.» I told her.

«Okay then... I guess I'll just have to do this the hard way.» Lauren sighed and pulled out her phone.

«What are you doing?» Echo asked her.

«Asking my dad to do some digging on you two. You obviously don't seem to be interested in any kind of conversation, so I'm just gonna find out about your past myself. Maybe I'll even find some juicy stuff that will be perfect for blackmail, don't you think, Jessie?» Lauren rumbled.

I could see Echo tensing. She also stole my sour-cherry juice, so that meant trouble.

«I think you should go.» I told them.

«Whatevs. You're lame, anyways.» Jessie replied as they both got up and left.

«At least we're not faker than Barbie dolls!» Echo yelled at them as they walked away.

«Tumblr?» I asked her.

«Duh.» she replied.

Lauren and Jessie kept trying to talk to us, though. Nothing shut those two up.

It was as if they had swallowed a radio each, or something. They were like boomerangs. They always came back and could kill you if you weren't careful.

If I hadn't met Amon, I wouldn't have believed in hate at first sight until I met them.

They were so not worth the oxygen they consumed.

During English I could faintly hear my sister snore from behind me. I turned around and glanced at her. She was drooling on the bloody desk.

I shook my head and rolled my eyes.

I kept wondering how I was going to wake her, when the bell rang.

«Finally...» I whispered.

I shook my sister to wake her, but as always, she didn't budge.

«No way in hell are we staying in this school longer than were supposed to. We're going to lose the bus!» I whisper-shouted at her.

She left out a loud snore in reply.

«Dammit.» I said. I thought of following Celine's method of waking my sister, which was strictly calling her by her full name. It didn't work.

How Celine managed to do that, was beyond my understanding. I looked at the time.

«Dammit, we lost the bus.» I muttered.

I tried to pick her up, but she woke up in panic and ended up falling on the floor.

«What the hell do you think you're doing?» she asked me.

«Get up and get your stuff. We lost the bus.» I scolded her.

«Oops... Sorry?»

«You're either paying for a cab, or we're walking home.» I baited her.

«No way in hell am I going to spend my hard-earned money to get your lazy butt back home quickly. We're walking.» she reported as she got up and packed her school-bag.

«Scrooge.»

«Drama queen.»

We got out of the school and started walking towards the hill. It was a long and tiring walk, which had to take place because my sister decided to nap during class.

I'm not scolding her for napping, I'm scolding her because she did it a few minutes before we were supposed to leave.

She always chooses the wrong times to get her precious sleep. Why can't she just sleep at night, like all normal people?

Seriously, tell me when you find out. I'm stumped.

«What do you think Shelby has made for lunch?» she asked as we closed in into the house.

«I hope it's not chicken...» I laughed.

«I bet you ten bucks it's going to be chicken.» Echo challenged me.

«I bet 15 it's probably pasta.»

«Deal.» she agreed and we shook hands to seal the contract.

What? This was serious business.

Unfortunately, Echo won. Shelby had made chicken.

Apparently, Echo had asked Shelby about it last night. The cheater. That cost me 15 bucks. But it also meant things were kinda back to normal, right?