Sometimes life really sucks. Like when you break your arm right before exams but it isn't the one that you write with so you've still got to do them all. Or you get the day off school but you can't actually do anything because you've got to stay in bed while you're vomiting. Sometimes it just really sucks. Even after everything that had happened, embracing, saving Dad's life, et cetera, I was still expected to attend school. I guess I should have been thankful that I'd been allowed to spend the whole of the previous week keeping an eye on Dad while he slept but a few days of catching up on sleep would have been nice too. And not to mention necessary. But Cam had been getting a little worried about me and I had some serious classwork to catch up on so I'd managed to pull myself all the way to last period Friday. It had been a relief how normal and monotonous the school routine had been. It was a break from the unexpected chaos of the last little while but that afternoon, when I'd thought like the rest of the week that nothing surprising would happen to me, something did.

    "Miss Wood," my physics teacher announced at the end of the lesson, "If you could stay a moment please." My classmates rushed out the door to the lockers oblivious to anything but the need to get dressed up for whatever party was being held or movie was being screened at the cinema. Only Cam spared me a second thought.

    "I'll get your bag," she whispered, stacking up her books, "See you at the front gate." Mr Grahams motioned me over to his desk. My heart plummeted and I tried to hide my nerves. Surely I hadn't failed the unit test we'd done on Wednesday. Cam had done her all to ensure I was up to speed and I just couldn't let her down.

    "Rosaline," he started, laying his hands flat on the desk as I had seen him do countless times when he was about to ask someone to sit a retest. "I don't want to keep you too long after school on a Friday but I'm just wondering if everything is all right." I stared at him, blankly. Oh dear. I really had failed. Badly.

    "Have I done something wrong?" I managed. He shook his head dismissively.

    "You haven't failed that test if that's what you're asking," he replied, "It's just that you have missed a lot of school lately and I know you take your grades too seriously to skip classes. You seem quite ... out of sorts and I just wanted to know you were okay. You've been quite a contestant for the faculty prize this year." I looked into his eyes; a muddy brown colour. Perfectly boring and normal as always but now Mr Grahams had this aura about him. Since embracing I'd been able to identify Grigori by the music that seemed to radiate through the air around them. Normal humans didn't have a song but Mr Grahams did though his tune was very faded and barely perceptible as if someone had turned the speakers down to the lowest possible volume without actually being off. A thought flashed through my mind. Was Mr Grahams an ex-exile? Had Mum stripped him of his powers? Would the Assembly have allowed me to be taught by one of them? Did they even know? Was he here to spy on me?

    "Rose?" my teacher asked, looking very serious, "Are you feeling alright?" I tore myself back to reality. Realising I had been staring as he had continued to talk which had raised his concern more, I decided it was time for the conversation to end.

    "I'm fine thanks, Mr G," I went for a smile but I could tell that it was obviously fake, "Everything's fine. It's just been a couple of weird weeks, I guess. Everything's cool now. Thanks for asking though." With that I snatched up my books and raced out the door, mentally kicking myself for zoning out and then babbling. Anyone worth their salt could have been able to see something was up.

    "Have a nice weekend, Miss Wood," Mr Grahams managed to call before the door slammed closed. It almost seemed as though he knew something. Or was he just being a father figure? After all he did have four kids. I let out a low deep breath as I saw Cam leaning against the gates with my bag.

    "That took a while," the red head stated, "You passed, right?" I nodded absently, feeling very numb. My stomach was churning and I thought I was going to be sick. I wouldn't tell Mum. It wasn't worth it. I was probably just overreacting. Why would exiles want to spy on me? I was starting to get a little bit paranoid.

. . .

    "You've got your sleeping bag?" Mum asked for what had to have been the thousandth time. "And your toothbrush? And your tent?" I nodded wearily. Why did she always have to be so over protective? I swear no-one else's parents had come to see them off. "Oh! Are you going to get your..."

    "Violet," Dad warned in his calm, soothing voice, "Baby, if you don't stop harassing the poor girl she'll have a nervous breakdown and won't be able to go." That wouldn't have been the worst outcome. My father gave me a sly wink and I stuck out my tongue. I was off camping for a week. It was a school camp and highly advised that all Year 11's attend. 'To get away from the stress and demands of academic life and bond to with your peers' was the official reason and all the teachers were running with it. Originally I wasn't going to go but after the events of the last couple of weeks my parents believed I needed a bit of 'me time'. How I was meant to get any 'me time' hiking through the bush in 37 degree heat and sleeping in a tiny tent with no showers or toilets, I didn't have a clue.

I kissed my parents one last good-bye before loading my stuff onto the bus. Cam slid into the seat next to me with a very loud, very dramatic sigh.

    "Do you know how many lists I had to write before I left home?" she questioned running a hand through her short red corkscrews, "Twenty-four sheets of A4 back and front. How is my family going to last with me gone for a week?" I laughed at her. Sometimes she could be such a control freak.

    "What was on the lists?" I inquired, curious.

    "Who has what on which days and when, when the boys school notes are due, what to buy at the shops, the boys homework timetables, what TV shows they need to tape for me, what they need to feed the pets, the weather forecast," she rattled off without drawing breath.

    "Okay! Okay! I get it," I choked putting a stop to my friend's tirade whilst smothering a smirk. "Can your parents do anything without you holding their hands?" Cam flicked me in annoyance causing me to yelp.

    "Of course they can," she defended, "But they're authors and easily side-tracked. Sometimes the next best plot twist can drive everything else from their minds. The boys will be fine; I just hope parents don't end up starving because they forgot to eat. It has happened before." I stared at her for a moment before we both burst into laughter. Cam was only here because of me so I had to make sure I enjoyed myself so she could too.

An intense silence collapsed upon the bus, crushing me with its immense weight. The blonde Barbies in the back row stopped their conversation about their celebrity crushes and the footballer brought their girls a little closer to their sides. Many of the geeks, drawn out from pressing diatribes about whatever the latest craze was, removed their glasses to clean them in a daze. The whole vehicle was entranced. A familiar melody filled me and his presence drew my eyes to the front of the vehicle. I held back a gasp of surprise. What was he doing here? I could see the mouths of all the girls' watering as he walked down the aisle, the boys glaring at him as if fuelled by a primitive hate and need to assert their dominance over certain females. He breezed past with the air of a movie star, the only indication that he saw them at all being the smug grin twitching in the corners of his smooth lips. In a self-absorbed world of his own, he slid into the seat behind Cam and me. My friend, seemingly the only one not under his spell, stuck her tongue out at him. She muttered something under her breath about 'damn passions' and crossed her skinny arms. Alec was coming camping.

 ...

So Alec just cruised onto the school bus and he didn't get picked up by a teacher? What! The boy has talents. But I don't think Cam really likes him all that much. Please tell me what you think and I'm sorry for this chapter being short but I promise the next ones aren't. This ends my updating spree for today but I'll be back again soon. Let's say Wednesday. I have a holiday so I should have plenty of time to write for you. By the way, if you picked up on the Alice in Wonderland reference good on you. I just needed a title for this chapter. If you come up with better ones please tell me.

~SpanishFox