[h2][center][color=007236]Stella[/color] and Zaylin

In the Parking Lot[/center][/h2]

Stella asked Tobias to save her a seat on the bus, to which he nodded and went off. Before she got on the bus, Stella had something she wanted to do. Well, it was more someone she wanted to talk to. Zaylin had said some things that had piqued Stella’s curiosity, as well as she wanted to know what her… was Zaylin a friend? Stella considered her one, even though they had talked a few times, but, she was trustworthy. And given how things were going, having trustworthy people around seemed to be a good idea. 

She tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, causing a small spark to run through her fingers from Tobias’s earlier ruffling of it and giggled. She shook her head and walked over to Zaylin as the girl stormed away from the headmistress and looked at her. [color=007236]“Zaylin? Ar… no, that’s a stupid question. Wanna tell me what she told you?”[/color] Stella looked up at the slightly older girl. Again, as it was earlier, now was not the time to be shy or coy. Secrets had already torn this school apart and was now driving the students from it, but, it was confusing. Why would Amy give out all this information if they were simply going to be allowed to leave? There was a sinking feeling in Stella’s guts as she thought.

Something was wrong. The plants were still screaming in torment, like someone was ripping them up from the ground and then trampling them into nothing. Amy’s death had shaken up more than just the humans. All the elements were churning in reaction to the students powers, but they knew something more. The plants still had something they [i]could not[/i] say. Stella wished she could actually talk to the plants, as opposed to just feeling their emotions. It was going to drive her insane. Luckily, it seemed that they were going to be leaving this accursed place, and soon. That thought made Stella’s heart sink a bit. But that moment for that would be later, once they had left the grounds. 

She looked at Zaylin, and blinked. [color=007236]“Ah, sorry, trailed off in thought there… if you said something I missed it, my apologies.”[/color]  She blushed a bit. One of her ‘cloud in the head’ moments, as her father would call them. 

Zaylin sighed, and took a deep breath. [color=daa520]“I said, ‘she told me the headmistress and her daughter seem too calm.’ If you’re talking about Amy, anyway.”[/color] She took another deep breath, and her features seemed to relax a bit. [color=daa520]“I left my bag in the gym.”[/color] She glanced around, her gaze pausing on the bus before she looked back to Stella. [color=daa520]“Want to come with me to get it?”[/color]

Stella nodded. [color=007236]“Sure. I’ll come with you.”[/color] Stella turned to look at the main building of Northwood. [color=007236]“So, too calm huh? I kinda noticed that earlier with the headmistress.”[/color] She sighed they started walking to the gym. She noticed they were moving rather against the tide, since everyone was trying to either fill up the bus or find a spot in one of the upper classmen’s cars. [color=007236]“She does give off this,”[/color] Stella paused trying to find the right word, [color=007236]“Air of indifference at times.”[/color]

Zaylin snorted. [color=daa520]“That’s putting it lightly.”[/color] She eyed the crowd of students, then moved toward the side of the doors, pushing her way to the building. She paused just outside the doors, watching for a break in the students that would allow both girls entrance. [color=daa520]“What about you? Did she tell you anything?”[/color]

[color=007236]“Yes, she did. She informed me that there are books here a normal American school, as she put it, ‘should logically not have,’ in the library. I don’t know what it means. I guess I never will get to know what it means,”[/color] she said and looked at Zaylin. [color=007236]“So… what are your powers? It… it doesn’t make sense to keep them secret anymore, y’know?”[/color] She noticed a break in the crowd and walked into the building with Zaylin. It was so quiet, since the rest of the students were (mostly) all outside. 

Zaylin grinned at Stella’s question. [color=daa520]“I’m the dragon you probably saw,”[/color] she answered, a hint of smugness in her voice. [color=daa520]“What part of that catastrophe did [i]you[/i] play?”[/color] Her voice joined the faint, ghostly echoes of those outside filtering into the building.

[color=007236]“Woah… that’s pretty cool. As for me well, I was responsible for the giant plants. Never made them that big before, so that was a new experience. Though, I was mostly worried about Tobias at that moment. I’m sure I’ll sleep like a log tonight. I feel drained.”[/color] Stella chuckled a bit at her bad joke. She looked around and shivered. Something about the school was different now. Maybe the lack of people? The faint sound of active teenagers hid the fact that the school was hiding its own secrets, but now, the silence was almost deafening. [color=007236]“So what do you think will happen when we get out of here? I mean, they have to send us home, I guess?”[/color] She turned to look at Zaylin.

[color=daa520]“Yeah, I’d imagine.”[/color] Zaylin shrugged. [color=daa520]“Get into town, contact parents, find a way back… All that good ol’ stuff. At least they’re finally doing [i]something.[/i]”[/color] Zaylin took a couple quick steps ahead as they reached the gym doors, and held one open for Stella. [color=daa520]“So,”[/color] a grin spread across her face as she looked to Stella, [color=daa520]“was it Tobias I saw you coming in with earlier? You two looked cute together.”[/color] Her face fell, concern flashing through her eyes. [color=daa520]“But, you looked rather… down. Was everything okay?”[/color]

Stella blushed for a moment and nodded in answer to Zaylin’s first question. However, the second… [color=007236]“So you know why we had the assembly to announce the poor dead girl, before Amy died? Well, I was one of the two students that first found her. Her body… so much blood… I’m going to have to live with that for the rest of my life. But, that is why I looked down. That is also why I know that the headmistress was acting calm earlier. When we told her that we found a body she rather brushed us off. Like she knew. Glen said it was due to practice, and he might be right. She is too calm for what is going on right now. I thought he was joking a bit at the time. However, I guess we’re not going to get answers out of her while we’re still here.”[/color] She walked through the gym doors with Zaylin and then looked around for a moment. [color=007236]“So, where is your bag, in the bleachers still?”[/color]

Zaylin stood in the doorway for a moment, looking after Stella with a shocked expression. [color=daa520]“You found… I’m so sorry you had to see that.”[/color] She followed after Stella. She jumped and spun around as the door slammed shut behind them, a bobble of flame bursting to life around her fingers. With a quick glare at the door, the flames extinguished. She turned to face the dilapidated bleachers. [color=daa520]“It should be…”[/color]

A few jackets and other bags littered the structure, and papers laid strewn about the gym floor. 

[color=daa520]“There.”[/color] Zaylin nodded toward her messenger bag, which sat a bit closer to the middle of the bleachers. She stepped onto the first tier of the stand, the metal groaning slightly with her added weight. She quickly, but carefully stepped to the next, wincing with each metallic complaint. [color=daa520]“I feel sorry for the janitors.”[/color] She quickly grabbed her bag, slung it over her shoulder, and turned to return to the floor. She paused, eyeing the distance between her and her destination, before she jumped from the bleachers and landed on the floor in a flurry of wind that whipped at her hair for a moment before dying down.

[color=007236]“I’m pretty sure that all the janitors just all quit, along with most of the teachers.”[/color] Stella looked at the poor bleachers. Scorch marks, dents, crushed seats, and that was only for starters. [color=007236]“Or at least that’s what I am assuming happened. It all got fuzzy about the time I saw Mrs. Wellington punch Miss Standiford.”[/color] She looked at Zaylin and blinked. [color=007236]“Woah, that was pretty cool. Part of your gift I’m guessing?”[/color] She gave the gym one last look over. She sure hoped not to end back up in here any time soon. 

[color=daa520]“Oh, yeah.”[/color] Zaylin smiled and readjusted the strap of her bag. [color=daa520]“Dragons are commonly creatures of air and fire. Those elements just decided to spill over into my everyday self.”[/color] She stepped beside Stella. She shifted her weight slightly. [color=daa520]“If there’s anything you need, anything I can do, let me know.”[/color] She placed a hand on Stella’s shoulder. [color=daa520]“Ready to get outta here?”[/color] She nodded to the doors.

[color=007236]“Same for you Zaylin.”[/color] Stella set her own hand on the other girl’s shoulder. [color=007236]“Let’s get out of here.”[/color] She turned, going head back out to the bus with Zaylin. She twisted her head a bit to give the gym one last look as they left and then looked back outside. However, the screams were still there, reminding her it was not quite over yet.