All We Know Is Falling: Fall With Me: Volume One (3 page)

We had a huge pallet of paint at every canvas. It laid on a table between two canvases. They were set up in rows of two. My own personal enemy. But as the students trickled in, no one took the one beside me. And all was right with the world.

Then Hale walked in.

I caught sight of him and I quickly looked away. Maybe if I ignored him, he’d do the same.

And I was right.

He took the canvas beside me, but on the other side of the classroom. He didn’t look at me and I was able to relax a little.

I got scared when people tried talking to me. There was a little voice in my head that said if they did, then they’d see what I really was. They’d see something was wrong, that I was wrong. Not normal. Not human. Then I’d have to watch them run in fear. Or worse, not care and want to still know me. But I couldn’t let that happen.

Class started and we were told to paint whatever we wanted as long as it was something that calmed us. I stared at the white canvas in front of me and tried deciding what to paint. I couldn’t think of a damn thing. So I started painting Hell.

It was just barren land with the massive gates. The POV of someone who was standing at the bus stop. The pigeon was on the ground eating seeds and you could see the very edges of the bench.

“Interesting,” I heard from my teacher. “What is it?”

I turned and saw Mrs. Lore staring up at it. She was around four-ten and it seemed like everything was a struggle for her. Her short brown hair was pinned back and her glasses were on her head.

“Hell,” I told her.

She gasped. “I said to paint something that calms you. Why on earth would you paint Hell?”

I smiled a little. “Because it does calm me.” I saw Hale in my peripheral and he was glancing over.

“How so?” she said it like it was a challenge.

I shrugged. “Well, it’s my final resting place. I should hope it’s calming,” my voice was deadpan.

She looked baffled by me. Hale walked over with a paintbrush in his hand, dripping with black.

“Why do you think you’re going to Hell? You’re such a sweet girl,” she said.

I snorted.

If only that was enough to save a soul.

“Why is there a fat pigeon in Hell?” Hale asked me.

“Dunno.” I narrowed my eyes at it, “I never asked.”

He looked at me like I was the strangest person on the planet. Nothing new.

“I’m pretty sure his name is Darwin,” I told him. I pointed to the visible legs of the homeless man I’d painted in, “That’s what he calls him.”

“Pretty sure? You’re not sure of your own creation?”

As the bell rang I looked him in the eyes. “It’s not mine. It’s someone else’s.” I put my paintbrush in the cup of water and put my backpack on.

“Alright, kids. Leave your paintings and I’ll take care of them,” Mrs. Lore said to us. But I was halfway to the door.

As usual, when I got to the locker room I went to a stall to change. I couldn’t let the girls see what I had to hide on my back. It might bring up questions I couldn’t answer.

I pulled on the short black shorts and the light blue gym shirt that I was forced to wear for Gym. Then I put my backpack in one of the lockers and marched out to the gym.

The first face I saw made me want to walk right back. Hale was leaning against the wall, surrounded by a group of girls. He had on a huge smile that even without my powers switched on, I could tell was fake.

He wasn’t in his gym clothes. Just what he was wearing before. Not fair. But it was probably just because he wasn’t given the proper clothes.

I went to sit on the bleachers until the couch came in. I chose the seat in the top corner. From my vantage point I could see the entire gym. The students were all in clusters while they chattered.

I tied my hair up in a high ponytail and people watched. I could hear every conversation in the room if I picked one and focused. I heard a girl telling her friend about some drunk guy with a curly mustache trying to sell her cookies. That got a snicker out of me. And a full laugh when she told the girl she bought some.

Coach Coleman walked in and as always, instantly owned the room. She blew her whistle and called everyone to the center of the room. We all did as we were told. She was by far my favorite teacher. And by far the youngest at only twenty-three.

She was shorter than me and had long brown hair that she always wore in a braid. It ended up over her shoulder most days.

“Okay, kiddies,” she started, “We’re doing some laps today.” That earned a loud groan. “And, free play. So shut up. Do five laps around then you can do whatever the Hell you want to. Just let me finish my book.”

“What about Hale?” one of the girls pointed to him. “No one gave him his clothes. I suggest he play with us anyway,” she giggled.

“Nah, just sit on the benches for now. I’ll get you clothes after class,” she told him.

“Um,” he said, “Can I talk to you in regards to that later?”

“Of course,” she nodded and Hale left for the spot I used to be sitting in.

Coach Coleman told us all to go and I began my run. I was a lot stronger and faster than most, so I blew through it like it was nothing. Then I went to bug Jay.

“Miss me?” I said to the coach.

She didn’t look up from her book. “Hmm…maybe.”

“Jenna,” I whined. “Don’t pretend that you don’t love me.”

She closed her book and smirked at me. “Ugh. My full name… Fine, it was a long couple of weeks, you brat.” She had been over for dinner not too long ago.

“Ha. I win,” I stuck my tongue out at her and heard the benches behind me groan. I looked and Hale was a few seats closer, but he wasn’t looking at us.

“You win nothing,” she decided. “How are your mom and sister? Hadley as delightfully messed up as ever?”

Jay was a friend of my family. She used to baby sit me and Hadley when we were little. Even though she was only a little older than us. I guess a thirteen-year-old baby-sitting an eleven and seven year old makes sense to her.

And she was a topside demon. So she knew what we were. She was very helpful when the papers all got changed so that Hadley was considered my aunt.

“Of course.”

“And you?”

“I’m fine.”

I heard the benches make noise again and sure enough, he was a few benches closer. Still looking off and out a window, like he wasn’t being ridiculous.

“Are you?” she asked accusingly.

“I’m swell,” I raised an eyebrow. “Do I look distraught?”

“Weary,” she decided after a few seconds.

I was a little taken aback. “I’m seventeen. What have I got to be weary about?”

“More than most.”

Another groan from the benches.

“Not really.”

“Really,” she sighed.

“More than say…someone with your…situation?”

She laughed. “Are you comparing us? Sweetie, we are not the same thing. Not by a long shot. And I don’t think—”

I whipped my head back when I heard the benches right behind us move. Hale was lying on his side, facing us.

“Are you kidding?” I said. “What are you doing?”

Jay looked back at him and smiled. “Oh, you’re just a bundle of trouble aren’t you?”

He smiled at me as he spoke to her. “I’m something.”

Human.

“I bet,” Jay shook her head and looked at me. “Good luck to you,” she patted my leg and took her book to the other side of the gym.

“JENNA!” I shouted. “You bitch…” I said quieter, but I knew she could hear me. Then I felt the bench I was on shift and I closed my eyes.

“Why?” I said. “Why are you doing this?”

“Simple,” he said casually. It made me open my eyes so I could glare at him. “Because you don’t want me to.”

That set me off like nothing else. If I had been lucky enough to get a fire ability, this place would have lit up faster than my brother that Shiloh set on fire. Those Made are damn lucky.

I leaned in close to his ear. “You know what I wanna do?” I touched his hand and leaned a little closer. “Punch you,” I said harshly then moved back.

“So very apt on making me not like you? Why?”

“Because you pillaged my backpack and seem like your goal of the day is to make me not like you.”

“Not my goal.”

“Then get a new technique.”

He just kept smiling at me. Like I was entertaining him more than he’d hope.

“Explain,” I said.

“What?”

“Why me not wanting to talk to you makes you want to talk to me. Because I thought I was clear on my stance on it.”

He took a second and stared at his little band of groupies. “Because they all want to talk to me. Shallow reasons, of course. Very annoying.”

I settled down a little bit as sympathy soaked into my brain. It must not be great to be given attention simply because you’re new and shiny.

“Fine, I accept your answer,” I sighed.

“Good,” he said like he’d never had an ounce of doubt it would end like this. “So you’ll talk to me then?”

My eyebrows knit together though I tried not to glare. “As opposed to what we’re doing now?”

“Maybe in a less hostile tone?” I decided it was okay to glare. “Or not,” he backed off.

“Sorry, I don’t do well with people,” I explained. “I tend to not like them. Ever.”

He considered me for a moment. “Me too. But I give them the chance to piss me off before I just go and decide they’re not worth talking to.”

I looked around at the people in the room. And I did something stupid. I turned my powers on.

Colors exploded in my eyes and I looked at the people again. Each person, for me, had a color around them. Some red, orange, brown, black and grey. Each color, and each shade showed their character. I saw so, much, grey. Dark colors around most of the people. There was lust and hate and darkness. Jay was one of the only points of light. A soft pink as she read her book.

Then I looked at Hale.

He was grey too, but a lighter shade. Like there was darkness, but it was something that just leaked into light. Trying to swallow it, but it was being fought off. It looked a little blue.

“Sometimes, it’s just safer to not give them the chance,” I said to him. “Less pain that way.”

I switched my powers off and rubbed my eyes. The colors were gone and the pulling in my head went with them.

“There’s always pain,” he came back with. “There’s no way around that. Your only choice is how you deal with it.”

And that was why I chose not to. It was how I dealt with it. By reducing potential causes. Like the perfection that was sitting beside me, and for some reason desperate to talk to me.

“Are you going to tell me your name now? You know my first and last and I know neither of yours,” he pointed out.

“What’s in a name?” I said to try and throw him off. Names only led to us getting to know each other more.

“AURORA!” Jay shouted. “HER NAME IS AURORA.”

I crossed my arms and fought off the urge to throw my shoe at her. The betrayer…

“How the Hell did she hear us?” Hale asked me. She was only thirty feet away, but a human wouldn’t be able to hear.

“No clue,” I said in a growly voice.

“Hmm. Aurora,” he said my name like he was tasting it. Testing it out on his tongue. I leaned back against the bench and tried to not like hearing it from him.

Then the bell rang and I was free. I wasted no time standing and hopping down to the floor. Hale was on my heel. So when I stopped moving, he bumped into me.

I turned sharply and looked up at him. He was a little less than a foot taller than me. And a lot bigger. I bet he could cover my whole body with his…But I banished the thought before it got too graphic. Because he was annoying. And rude. And human.

“Can I help you?” I asked with pure exasperation.

“No,” he said before he walked away from me.

I went into the locker room and breathed a sigh of relief to know that I’d be in my bedroom in five minutes.

I opened my locker and took my backpack out of it and made my way to the stalls. Which were both full…damn it. I guess I’d be changing in front of the other girls today.

As long as I was careful, I should be fine. So I went to the least populated area and pulled my clothes out of my backpack. I changed out of my pants first and then my shirt. I shoved them into my backpack. I dropped it on the ground and pulled my dress right side out.

Then I dropped it. I sighed and bent to pick it up. My hair fell over my shoulder and I didn’t notice until I stood up and heard a gasp.

Please, don’t be for me. Don’t be for me. Don’t be for me.

“What the Hell is wrong with you?” a girl asked in pure disgust. I ignored her and put my dress over my head.

I turned when I was dressed and three girls were looking at me in horror. Like I’d just slaughtered a village in front of them.