THE CELESTIAL PACK#3

I sat with my hands folded across my chest in the cafeteria. The whole place was crowded five minutes after I got there. I came here a few seconds before the bell and took my seat. Solomon on the other hand was getting us lunch. He was at the counter talking to the lunch lady. I knew he was making her uncomfortable and heated with his appearance.

Come on Alice, you're old enough to be his grandmother! I heard her scream in her mind. 

I chuckled hearing this. 

My eyes quickly caught Hope Wallace as she walked into the cafeteria with Kate McCullough. She walked timidly and sat at the same table she did yesterday. I tried penetrating her mind again but was blocked out. I felt rage build up in my stomach. I took a deep breath and calmed it down. I was brought back to my table by the slamming of our tray of food on the table; classic Solomon.

"I have brought us lunch", he said, taking his seat.

"I am not hungry, Solomon", I pointed out.

"Says the boy that almost sucked the life out of his history teacher, literally", Solomon said with a hint of sarcasm as he bit his sandwich.

I didn't answer him, it would make him win. I just turned my attention back to Hope's table. They were also having sandwiches for lunch. She was laughing at a joke; she seemed to be having fun.

"What is drawing your attention?", he said and looked at the direction my eyes were pasted.

When he saw that I was looking at the frizzled hair girl, he dropped his sandwich gently and chuckled in amusement. I turned and disgustingly looked at him. 

"She is very pretty ", he pointed out, looking at her now. I grimaced at his words. I was less interested in her. She was a normal girl to me, nothing about her intrigued me apart from the fact that I couldn't read her mind.

"You say it like it is true", I said.

"Because it is", he pressed.

I rolled my eyes annoyed. Then an evil plan came into my mind. I chuckled gladly because Solomon hadn't gotten into my mind yet.

"I can bet three hundred dollars that you cannot read her mind", I said.

"What a silly bet, knowing you are going to lose", Solomon spat with confidence.

I smiled, shrugged my shoulders, folded my hands across my chest, and leaned back on my chair. This was going to be very amusing.

"Then go for it", I offered.

He smiled and nodded. He stared at her for some moments. Then his eyes furrowed making it look like he was struggling which he was. After two minutes, he sighed and gave up leaning back in his chair.

"What just happened?", he turned to me surprised.

"The same way I felt since yesterday", I acknowledged.

"What is she? Because that is impossible".

"I do not know, brother".

"Is she a chanter?", he asked.

"Not likely", I guessed. "Plus we could read chanters' minds".

He sighed and leaned forward on the table then looked at her again. I followed and stared at her. She was chatting with Kate McCullough, grinning every two seconds. I looked back at my brother and dug into his mind, curious about what he was thinking. He was thinking of making friends with her. I rolled my eyes. 

"I hope you are making friends with her to find out what she is", I said.

"Yeah and maybe more, she is pretty you know", he said and smirked at his sentence.

"I just hope you know what you are doing".

"Now why do you sound concerned?", he asked, raising an eyebrow at me. "You have no emotions, why would you care Desmond?".

I knew he was trying to pierce guilt into my stone heart but I just chuckled. Whatever he was trying to do, it wouldn't work. The bell rang signaling the end of lunch and this conversation.

"You can do whatever you want Solomon, I do not care", I said, standing up. 

I patted him on the back of his shoulder twice and walked off. I was having biology class next and it was one of the classes I shared with Solomon. I was angered that I would have him watching my back for two straight hours. With my hands in my pockets, I walked alone to class.

As I took the backseat in the laboratory, I heard a gush of wind blow beside me and I knew who that would be. Solomon sat on the stool beside me and gave me a huge smile. He was trying to mock me and I knew it. It didn't move me; I didn't care.

Hope rushed into the class five seconds before the final bell went and hurriedly took a seat beside Kate McCullough. I couldn't believe she offered biology too. I hated the fact that I would have to see her in every class I attended. The thought of it made me grimace.

A brunette man came into the laboratory and dumped his bag on the table. He took a marker and wrote biology on the whiteboard. Then below it, he wrote "Cell" and underlined it. He closed the marker and dropped it on the table then clapped his hands together and began walking.

"Good afternoon class, today we are going to visit the topic: cell", he said.

"Now as you all know, a cell is the basic unit of life...".

Damn! His brother is as cute as him, I heard Kate McCullough's voice disrupt my attention.

 She was talking about me and Solomon, I had no choice but to listen.

"Solomon is cute but not as cute as Desmond", I heard a girl answer in front of them.

"What's your take on this, Hope?", Kate asked.

Hope, who was concentrating and writing in her notebook quietly, raised her head and smiled sheepishly. I heard her heart beat faster and her blood boil. I realized she was blushing. I scoffed and leaned forward on the table to get a clear hearing of her answer.

"I...I think Desmond is cute", she stuttered.

For a split second, I was disgusted but then I smiled. I felt a light blow on my shoulder blade. I turned and saw Solomon smiling at me. He must have eavesdropped on their conversation too. He gave me that smug smile I hated.

"Congratulations brother, she likes you,” he teased.

"Who does not fall for me?" I returned uninterested.

"True,” he agreed, nodding his head.

"What is going on in my class?" the teacher asked, looking at Kate and Hope then at me and Solomon.

"Miss. McCullough and Wallace and Mr. Hawthorne ", he called. "Wait, that is wrong. Miss Wallace go and take the seat beside pretty boy Hawthorne while Brunette Hawthorne will take the seat beside McCullough".

Two things just occurred to me. One, I would no more have Solomon watching my back, literally. Two, I would spend the rest of the semester with Hope Wallace as my lab partner. I was drowning in anger as I thought of the second part. But on the bright side, I could study her and find out what she was.

"Please hurry up, we don't have all day", the teacher, whose name was Mr. Brown—I found out later—ordered. 

Solomon stood up slowly from his stool and walked up to Kate's desk. Hope stood up and walked timidly to my table. She took a seat beside me and her whole body shivered maybe in fear or excitement; I couldn't tell. She stared down at her notebook not wanting to look at my face. Her fragrance filled my nose, she smelt like sunflowers.

Well, I was glad to get Solomon off my back for the next one and a half hours but I was stuck with the girl I hated most; Hope Wallace. Her puffed frizzled hair bounced as she moved her head up and down. She was quiet, paying attention to Mr. Brown as he preached about the animal and plant cell. She had a beautiful and timid face but it didn’t entice me. After what seemed like an eternity, the bell rang signalling the end of the class. She stood up and packed her books into her bag with trembling hands. Her car keys fell off and she squatted and picked it up. She slung her bag on her shoulder and walked out of the class with Kate. 

I took a step down from my stool and zoomed to the parking lot. I leaned on the car and waited for Solomon. He shouldn't be wasting time. After two minutes, he came out of the hallway and Hope followed up after him. They smiled at each other and waved goodbye. Solomon walked over to the car with his hands in the pockets of his denim jacket.

"Let us go home", he requested.

I got into the car, ignited the engine, and drove home.

•••

I poured myself a glass of 1942 when we arrived home. I took it upstairs and sipped it while sitting on my desk. I was bored, completely bored. Nothing could make me happy apart from draining blood out of someone's neck which I was in no mood for right now. I sighed and emptied the glass of alcohol. I slammed the glass on the table afterwards. Then that hideous smell that invaded the class earlier at school came back.