He entered exactly five minutes after her arrival, his steps forcing the quiet to reappear, his presence pulling all the attention in his direction. The teacher, her pupils quivered in his wake.

She stood, and he approached her.

"Y—you're late. I don't approve of tardiness." she said trying to reign in her uneasy.

"Forgive me, I couldn't find the class." his lie was as smooth as butter and his eyes as deceiving as his words. Arlo gulped, struggling to get the wad of saliva down her throat.

Was it so easy for him to lie, is his deception so well masked by his stoic features that no matter his truths or his lies, it all sounded the same... No deception indicated?

Her blood ran as cold as frozen rain, her skin prickled as if she had fallen on a porcupine's behind; her throat tightened as if the body of a boa constrictor wrapped itself taut around her neck. She has seen his skill, could see believe him after? Or should she join the murmurs and fade into the faceless crowds of the bees... one of them, one of them... no, one of us.

Cillian was out of luck, Arlo had sat where no more seats were open, he turned away from her, as his eyes found refuge and walked off, scared eyes bowing, murmuring voices hushing, loud buzzing, silenced.

The teacher reigned back in the attention of the class with historical fun facts, drawing them away from the flower that was but the cover for the serpent hidden beneath.

Arlo lifted her hood and sank low, wanting to be hidden, wanting to be unseen, wanting to fade into the woodwork. Had he lied like this to the cops? Did he spew deception from those lips so freely it floated to your ears like wind? Did he lie so carelessly that good hearts believed and fought for him? Was she being fooled? Had she been played so well as if tuning a violin for the show? Had it been so easy for him to sway her from reality that she questioned herself more than she questioned him?

She clenched her fist under the desk... Had she fallen so stupidly for a handsome face and a pampered lie? Her eyes sought him out where he sat at the other end of the class where she wasn't. She was going to retaliate. He wouldn't catch her off guard with his charm.

~ ~ ~

The bell was seconds away from ringing, Arlo was ready, her bag in hand, her hood up, he was far enough away that she could get out before he caught sight of her. She was waiting, only two more minutes.

The clock ticked and ticked like a taunt; like it was chanting her downfall. The clock appeared to be moving in slow motion, one slow patient tick after the other, her eyes didn't leave the clock once, her heart slowed, taking its time just like the clock.

Less than a minute left; less enough to make her eyes widen, lesser enough to have her fingers tightening around her bag strap, less enough to make her heart clench... five more seconds, just five more to freedom... and the countdown began.

4...

3...

2...

<<Ring>>

The bell rang with a vulgarity in its mouth. Arlo took off in the next second. Her feet had never moved as fast as they were moving now, her heart hadn't raced as quickly as her feet, her body hadn't left a room like that in ages.

Arlo swerved through the forming crowds, dodging the formations of swarms ready to sting. She ducked behind an opening door and raced down another corridor.

Her pace slowed once she knew she was safe, her heart calmed and took its time going back to normal, her feet breathed a sigh of relief and her body relaxed as she walked down the hall. There were two classrooms being used, only two on Thursday's. The art rooms... she wasn't an art student, but she knew who was.

Taro was inside that classroom, she always found her inner peace within those four walls. She walked into the class to see her curly black head bent over, hands patiently at work. Arlo leaned against the door. Art to Taro was everything, like how photography was to her. She shrugged her bag off her shoulder and little by little, she unzipped her bag and took out her camera bag. She took out her camera and brought the camera up to her face, she uncapped the lens and adjusted her zoom. She took her time and snapped. Taro kept working, and Arlo came closer. She zoomed in, getting Taro's face, the rim of her thin black glasses glinting off the sunlight leaking into the room. Perfect. She snapped the picture, her eyes quickly surveying the picture before she turned back to her subject.

"Stop stalking me, Arlo."

"Stop being so photogenic..."

"I can't stop what comes naturally."

The girls giggled amongst themselves. "Are you almost done?" she asked, setting the camera down on the large island sized countertop. The table was littered with art supplies and whatever pieces of art the class before made.

"Almost." she breathed, making the last touches to her drawing. Arlo watched her hand float over the canvas, her mood lightening as she felt herself be at peace while observing her friend. "I'm done"

"Can I see?"

"Of course." Taro stepped aside and allowed Arlo to see what she drew.

"Wow..." The Silence, with a multitude of tallies scattered around it. It was from Doctor Who, and the tallies were what the characters did to help them remember how many times they saw the elusive aliens. She drew the one frightening alien that no one liked. It was beautiful to her eyes more beautiful than this alien should look.

"Thank you. I watched the episode last night, couldn't get it out of my head so when free drawing came, I started this... I just didn't add enough detail before."

"And the artist has to perfect her work."

"Precisely. Come on, let's get to lunch." Arlo nodded and shut off her camera, and got her bag.