C6

THE LABORATORY

-What's wrong? -Flavia asks me when she notices my puzzled face. I wasn't sure whether to tell her because the message said not to trust anyone. But it's Flavia, who wants answers like me. In the photo was a boy, his shirt was torn to shreds, he had scratches on part of his body. He had died. Did the principal know about this? Did people know about this? Were they aware that these things were happening in their prestigious high school?

I decided to trust her because the truth was a lot for a single weak person like me.

I passed the cell phone to Flavia over the table so she could read the message. When she read it I looked behind her. There was Elder and the others sitting two tables away from us. Elder looks as if nothing had happened at his party yesterday. Mell laughs at something her red-haired friend said. When Elder looks at me I don't look away but hold my eyes to let him know I'm not afraid of him.

-It can't be," Flavia puts a hand to her mouth, "It's terrible.

-I know.

-Are you going to the lab? -She asks me. "This seems very dangerous to me, don't you think?

-It is," I take the cell phone and put it in the front pocket of my pants, "But don't you think it's something important? Maybe someone needs to find out what happened there once and for all.

I had a clue: wolves. But who brought those wolves in? That was the question.

-I'll go with you," he says, "On this.

I narrow my eyes, analyzing her.

-Really?

-That's right.

-Thank you, so I won't feel alone in this.

-We can go after breakfast so as not to arouse suspicion.

-That's fine.

-

When we passed by Elder and the others there was an uncomfortable silence, it's like when you pass by people who were talking but when you pass by they don't talk anymore. Well, that's how it happened just now. Flavia and I went into the school and looked for the lab, where could it be? We were new here so we didn't know anything about it.

-Where do you think it is? -Flavia asks me.

-I don't know. This place is huge.

We went upstairs to the second floor and kept looking at the signs on the doors. It just said 4th grade homeroom, 3rd grade homeroom, 5th grade homeroom, I guess this is where we would have classes tomorrow. When we got to the end of the hallway we breathed a sigh of relief when we found it.

Lab.

-I'll wait for you out here to make sure no one comes in," she says.

-Okay," I walk into the room, looking around. You never know when someone is watching you. Since it's empty, I hurry to the bottom drawer. I open it and start looking for the black folder.

I find it.

Great.

I put it under my shirt and hurry out.

-I got it.

-We should go to the bedroom," she says.

-It's okay.

As we turn down a hallway leading to the bedrooms, I almost hit an abdomen.

Damn it.

Elder.

-Where to so fast, French? -he asks me, crossing his arms. His face has only one expression: amusement.

-To my room, why?

-What do you have there? -He points to my belly.

-Nothing that matters to you, William," I take Flavia by the hand, wanting to join him, but he stops us.

-Come on, I want to know what you have there. -He comes closer.

-Don't come near me," I push him.

-Uh," he laughs, "why are you being like this?

-I don't want to have anything to do with you so... please stay away," now we pass him leaving a confused Elder. Maybe he's not used to women rejecting him. There are always first times, Elder, get used to it.

When we got to the room, we closed the door behind us, but we were not alone.

-Hello," a girl says to us. Apparently she was the one missing in the remaining bed since there were only three of them.

-Hello? -It was Flavia who spoke, "Who are you?

-I'm Karla. You are new I guess.

-Aren't you? -I asked.

-I've been here since last year," she replied. Karla was short and had yellow hair.

-How great," said Flavia, giving me a "what do we do now" look. Since we wouldn't have any privacy to go through the things in the folder.

-Well, I'll go get some breakfast because I had a long trip," she tells us.

We move away from the door to let Karla pass, when she finally leaves, Flavia secures the door.

-We can't talk in here anymore," she complains.

I sit down on my bed and pull the folder out from under my shirt.

-We'll have to be more cautious," I murmur.

-What do you think is in it? -he asks.

-I don't know.

I think about opening the folder because I don't know what kind of things we'll find, but just as I was about to do so, someone comes in.

-Wasn't the door locked? -I ask Flavia.

-That's what I did.

It was Mell.

-Hi, girls," she says, "what are you doing?

I put my pillow on top of the folder so she wouldn't look at it, but she notices the action.

-Hey, if you guys were busy I can come over later," she says, "no need to act like that.

-Like what? -asks Flavia.

-Strange.

-Yesterday you spent most of the day with us and now you're going with Elder and his group. Make up your mind, will you?

-I don't understand them. Yesterday I was with you because the director asked me to show you around. Everyone here knows that my group is with Elder. Besides, just because I'm with them doesn't mean I'll stop talking to them.

-The problem is, Mell," I stand up and walk over to her, "I hate Elder William and everything to do with him. Because I feel that they, or I might say, you, do bad things.

She laughs.

-What are you talking about?

-Yesterday, for example," now it's Flavia who stands up next to me.

Mell laughs more.

-Don't tell me you believed it? -she says.

I frown uncomprehendingly.

-You're new, girls, we had to give you a little scare to see if you're worthy of being here. Did you see wolves? Well, they weren't wolves," he pulls out his cell phone and shows us a picture. There were guys wearing black wolf masks. What the fuck? -Did you get a message? It was Chris lying on the floor pretending he was dead. It was all planned, Amara. -she reaches around me and takes the folder under my pillow- There's nothing here. -She opens it and shows it to us. There was a sheet of paper with only the phrase ROMA! In capital letters.

-I don't understand," says Flavia, "nothing was real?

-No, it was all planned. We do it every year to scare the new kids. Now yes, girls, welcome to this school -she smiles sideways at us. But it's not a sincere smile or anything like that but there's something behind it.

-What a relief! -Flavia throws her arms around Mell, "You had given me such a scare.

However, there was something that didn't add up. The wolf I saw was real. No one can take my mind off that. But they are smarter and I'm just now realizing that. They can convince Flavia. But not me. I will find out everything that has to do with Elder and his dark group even if I have to become part of them.