They are closing in on me; fire is blazing a star into the floor. They are grabbing me, throwing me into the water. Cold, piercing my skin, I am drug down further as I feebly attempt to surface. Mocking the demons laugh as I see their watery complexion above me. The bottom of the pool opened up, below it was dry, it was warm; it was home. I started to swim downward then the water turned red, blood was everywhere, it was my blood; I was dead.
Beep. Beep. The third period bell rang; Fate got up lethargically, and headed for fourth period: Biology. The world seem to be glossed over by a dark shadow, it dripped in her mind all day. She looked down the long hallways as they seemed to be getting longer and longer and it was almost as if there was no else in hallway.
“Fate what’s the matter?” Brandon’s voice was sincere but cut Fate’s ear drums.
“What suggests that there is something wrong?”
“You just got up and left fourth period. I understand skipping every now and then, but really trying when the teacher had just saw you in her class is a little pathetic,” he put his palms on her shoulders sympathetically. That finally explained why there wasn’t anyone in the hallway, it wasn’t passing period bell, and it was the tardy bell of fourth period.
“I’m sorry I am a little out of it. Just try not to care,” Fate sarcastically began to walk back to fourth period as she tried to conjuror up and excuse for leaving class. Mrs. Venerson was going to kill me.
“Nice of you to join class again Fate,” she was the only teacher who referred to her students by their first names. Mrs. Venerson was a petite woman, she was in her mid thirties, and had the most captivating jade blue eyes anyone could ever see. Her hair was a powdery blond, and she always wore a dress with her 1 1/2” high heel shoes that pushed her just over 5”. Besides her height everything else about her wasn’t small, she had I high attitude when students disobeyed her one rule: respect. “Are you going to sit down so I can explain our lab?” she curled her rosy red lips into a devious smile.
Automatically Fate returned to her seat, and tried to keep her eye on the white board as she explained the lab, “As you know tomorrow is our test on survival of the fittest. I think this lab will definitely give you a different view of this all. Since now it is your survival at the test, how many girls where perfume in this class?” as she paused for a raise of hands every one girl with long hair, makeup or a respectable style raised their hands. “That’s very understandable, how many of you girls bathe every night and lotion yourselves often?” no one lowered their hands, “Very interesting. Why?” this time everyone dropped their hands.
“Fate. Why don’t you explain why you do all that to yourself,” that’s when she realized she was the only one who had still held their hand in the air.
“Umm. Well, I bathe because I like to be clean, and I lotion myself so my skin is soft and I perfume myself because I like to smell nice,” Fate shut her mouth a moment to look around at all the eyes looking at herself.
“But, why would you care?”
“Because I respect myself.”
“There is something I really wish you’d mention, but since we lack time—you girls do this so you’ll be recognized by guys, because you don’t want to be alone, survival of the fittest. Those of you girls who take care of yourselves stay healthy and attractive making more men want you, and thus, having a mate,” everyone began to laugh, but Fate new it was true, why else would everyone care?
“Now, I want to put your survival instincts to the test, girls will sit on the benches on this side of the black curtain,” she said motioning towards the divided lab room, “the guys will be blindfolded and put on the other side of the curtain. Now only your hands girls will be exposed to the other side of the curtain. Now the guys will only be able to feel your skin and smell you, then they will pick the girl he is most attractive to. So ladies…” everyone got the queue, they got up and sat down at the stools and stuck their hands through the little holes cut through the curtain. Then the guys got up and picked up the velvet blindfolds and the lab began.
Chase Dunne was up first, and he stroked every girl’s hand he could feel. Sniffing intensely and as he approached Fate, he had lost his self control, he licked her hand. “Chase, I said you were able to smell and touch, not taste our subjects,” a mass overload of laughter broke in the guys section.
“I can’t control myself Miss,” he said as he walked up real close to her, running into her chest.
“I’m sure you can find your self control as you march yourself to the principal’s office…Now,” she slapped him in the back of the head, and in return he barked at her.
The rest of the lab worked just as planned some girls had two guys standing next to them and others only one, Fate was included in that group and the only one standing parallel to her was Brandon. “Now isn’t this interesting, some guys are attracted to the same girl where as others stand lone by one. Now imagine you were animals, this would be your fate. You’d more than likely end up with each other because of their smell or the way they feel. Also notice how not all the girls smelt a like and it is to attract a different type of mate, some girls like the ones that smell like flowers where as others smell like fruit, that’s the control here.” The lunch bell rang, and everyone just got up and left, some of the girls slapped the guys that had hung around them.
“That was interesting,” Brandon said to Fate as she walked through the hall with her lunch box.
“Okay now I’m not trying to be rude, but why the heck are you still hanging around me?” Fate spoke as soft as she could, trying to avoid a scene.
“Was that not proof enough that I actually like you?”
“What are you talking about?”
“I—love—you.” He said softly and slowly emphasizing the “you”. He pinned her between his arms against the locker.
Their eyes met, and he began to close in on her face, all those years she had dreamed that it would happen, but right at the moment it felt wrong. She didn’t know why, she had forgotten why she was mad at him, but she knew that this wasn’t suppose to happening. Right as his lips were about to meet hers she ducked under and his face smacked against the lockers. He clutched his hands together, keeping his eyes closed trying to avoid the rejection, and when he finally opened his eyes and dropped his hands Fate was gone. He muttered a curse under his breath and banged his fist against the locker.
