Lichgate Ch. 1

“Aw, bloody hell”, I say to myself while looking in the mirror. I am still groggy and have sleep in my eyes but even with all these hindrances I still am able to make out the giant pimple on my chin.

“Crap.” I feel my reflection needs to be reminded just one more time about my displeasure. I spend the next 10 minutes attempting to squeeze, pop, drain, and cover up the horrendous blemish. Glancing at the time on my phone I realize I have spent 10 minutes too many and am now late for school.

“Crap.”

What an awesome day this is starting out to be.

I dash out of the bathroom that adjoins my bedroom and grab my leather backpack and coat. I can’t find one of my boots, quickly adding to my annoyance. Instead I opt for a worn pair of Converse. Having to tie laces makes me even later.

Down the stairs I go and out the door.The driveway is slick from freshly melted snow. My Converse won’t stand a chance in this weather. My thought is proven about a block away from my bus stop when I see the bus at the curb with the students boarding and I decide to make a run for it.

I fall smack on my butt. Big surprise. Luckily everyone was too busy getting on the bus for them to see me and all my grace. Not so lucky when the bus pulls away and I’m stuck with a sore, wet butt and no ride to school. I carefully stand up and begin the 2 mile walk to Wilson Myers High School.

The sun is shining bright and reflecting off the partially snowy ground. The occasional tree provides temporary shade as I walk through the suburban neighborhood to my school. Such a lovely day really isn’t helping my mood much. Part of me wishes it were miserable and raining so that my mood and the weather could commiserate about all life’s injustices. The other part of me realizes rain would make my terrible day that much worse.

It’s Monday morning so it has been a whole two days since I went down this road. The house on the corner that has been up for sale for as long as I can remember finally has the sign down. There’s even a shiny new black SUV parked in the driveway. I make a mental note to ask around about the new neighbors. Hey, in a town of only 3300 people, someone has to know something.

I’m right outside the school’s gate when I hear the first bell go off. “Crap”, I say for the third time this morning. It has to be some sort of record. Knowing full well I’ll probably fall again, I run across the campus to my first period class, A.P. Biology. Miraculously I manage to make it to my lab table without injuring myself and right before the second bell goes off, signaling the start of class. Maybe the day might turn around after all.

“Hey Amelia”, my lab partner Kayla greets me, her smile wide.

“Hey”, I return, still winded from my mad dash across the campus. I study her a bit further. It’s 7:40am and she’s smiling a smile that just about reaches her ears. She’s never this happy. No teenager in their right mind is ever this happy so early in the morning.

“Kayla”, I start to say slowly, my apprehension growing, “just why are so happy this morning?”

“Oh you don’t remember?”, she says.

“Remember what?”

“We start dissections today!”, she says, her excitement making her vibrate in her seat. Only she would be this excited about cutting up a formaldehyde-laden pig. Kayla is about as “goth” as it gets in our small town of Granville. And by “goth” I mean her hair is dyed black and she can usually be found wearing skull earrings and combat boots. Today is no exception. She also happens to be incredibly smart and likes anything to do with science. So while I am completely dreading dissecting the pig, I do realize how lucky I am to have her as a lab partner. I won’t have to really do anything and I’ll get an A.  

“Attention everyone! Take your seats. I need to do a quick head count before I have you come up to get your specimens”, my teacher, Mrs. Gemfry says. She is actually wearing a lab coat today over her normal (and horribly out of date) clothing. I wish we could have the luxury of wearing a lab coat. But no, I’d be stuck in one of those black flame retardant aprons and safety goggles in about another 5 minutes.

The class quiets down and we all sit. Kayla is turned around and whispering to the nerdiest guy in our class, Mike Lernon. They are undoubtedly discussing today’s assignment. Mrs. Gemfry is taking her head count still. The classroom door opens and interrupts her. In walks our school guidance counselor and what must be a new student. The most noticeable thing about him is his height, I guess around 6’5”. Not very many sophomore guys have gone through that growth spurt yet. Mrs. Gemfry starts introducing him.

“Class, one more thing before we get started. I want you to welcome a new student, Mr. Nicholas Zane, who just moved here from Columbus. Please make him feel welcome. Now, we currently have an even number of students so who would like to add a third person to their partnership?”

Unsurprisingly hands go up at every table. New student intrigue? Another brain to help work on things? Yeah, this Nicholas fellow is a hot commodity in first period A.P. Biology.

“Well this is so generous of you all”, Mrs. Gemfry says. “Let’s see, Mr. Lernon and Miss Vivianno, please make room for Mr. Zane at your lab table. Everyone else, come up and get your specimen when I call your table number.”

Poor new kid, I think to myself. He is now stuck at a table with Mike and, ew, Rachel. Mike isn’t so bad. He just talks more about Star Wars and quantum mechanics than any normal person should. Rachel however, is arguably the hottest girl in my grade. Perpetually tan even in the middle of winter, with honey colored hair and expensive highlights, she’s got the brain of a peanut. At least she was smart enough to pair up with Mike at the beginning of the school year. It is still a mystery to everyone as to how she even got into A.P. Biology though. On second thought, maybe not poor new kid after all. He’s guaranteed a decent grade on everything and he has eye candy to stare at.

I am so lost in imaginary sympathy that I don’t hear our table called. Kayla is tugging on my arm, in a futile attempt to get me to stand.

“Amellliiiaaaa, comee onnnnn”, she says in an impatient tone. “I want to make sure we get a good one. I don’t want a runt or anything.”

“Alright, alright”, I stand. The new kid is seated behind us now. His name is Nicholas, I chide myself. I need to stop thinking of him as “new kid”. Up close I admit to myself that he is pretty attractive. If one thinks of the tall, dark, and handsome sort as attractive. The most stunning feature on him are his clear green eyes. Which are looking at me. And I am staring. And appearing more idiotic with every passing second. I should probably say something to him.

“Hi, I’m Amelia”, I say and offer my hand out to shake.

He stands up to greet me and clasps my hand with both of his. Looking directly in my eyes, a rarity for any guy let alone a teenager, he brings my hand to his lips and gives it a light kiss. The gesture is straight out of a movie.

“A pleasure to meet you Amelia. I’m Nicholas but please, call me Nick.”

His voice is slightly husky yet melodic. I’m trying very hard not to melt into a puddle on the floor. At least then I could avoid dissecting things, I reason. I am noticing something a little odd about his hands though, which are still grasping my right one. His palm is very cold but his finger tips feel incredibly warm. I give myself a little shake and pull my hand from his.

“It’s nice to meet you too Nick”, I say. “I’d better go help my lab partner get our supplies though.” I start to turn around and go to find Kayla.

“Till later then”, he says and sits back down in his seat. I dare a quick glance back to find him still staring at me. A small shudder runs through me. I ignore it and figure it probably has something to do with the dead animal I’m about to cut open soon.

Back at our seats Kayla tells me to write down all the notes while she does the dirty work. I am OK with this.

“EEEK!”, I hear Rachel let out a cry behind us. I am startled by the noise and jump out of my seat. A noise like that usually means a spider or a mouse or something is around. I am hoping for more mouse and less spider.

“What is it?”, Kayla asks her. She is wearing an indignant look on her face, as if to say “how dare you interrupt my dissection”.

“It moved!”, Rachel says, pointing to her pig.

“Rachel, it didn’t move”, says Mike. “One of us probably kicked the table.”

“It did too. Nick was holding onto it while you made the incision and I saw it’s legs move.” She is practically hyperventilating as she speaks.

“Did you see it move?”, Mike asks Nick. Nick is silent for a few seconds. That prompts my curiosity.

“No, I didn’t see the pig move”, he says at last. “I apologize but my knee probably hit the table. These tables aren’t exactly built for longer legs.”

A brief flash of...something...comes across his face but it is gone before I can pinpoint the emotion. As silly as it sounds, I’m not sure I buy his explanation. Rachel does though and she sits back down. The rest of the class period passes without incident. The bell rings and I head off to my Statistics class, still in thought about twitching pigs and a boy with incredible green eyes.

Reviews

[Eagle Cruagh]

Extremely well written.
Although you will not find many readers
who are in to disecting pigs, you have made
it in to an extremely exciting story.
How do you do that ? Pulled me right in.
I was expecting to hear a band and see bare
naked ladies in every paragraph. Great stuff.
Great writing ,
----- John