DIFFERENT (Different Series Book 1) (10 page)

              I’d never kissed a boy before, mainly because of who I was. I used to worry that if I kissed a boy I might lose control and accidently hurt him. Sometimes I had wondered about what it’d be like to kiss Leo, but not because I fancied him, more because I saw the way that he looked at Megan and I longed for someone to look at me like that. It was a look that said that he thought she was beautiful, that he liked being around her and that no one else even came close to her. Being here with Finn felt right. I felt wanted. I belonged with Finn, the boy who knew my secrets but who still liked me. I was going to leave Oakwood and start a new life with him, and I was going to get far away from Veronica, Brandon, and Max.

              ‘I trust you,’ I said, as I opened my eyes.

              ‘Same time tomorrow, bring anything with you that you want to keep. You won’t be coming back here.’

              ‘Will do.’

              ‘And don’t tell anyone that you’re leaving, even if you think you can trust them. It’s too risky for anyone to know.’ His hand was still behind my neck, and he moved his fingers against it.

              ‘There isn’t anyone that I’d tell anyway. This town is full of people that are afraid of me and what I can do.’

              ‘I’m not afraid of you, Celeste. You’re a good person with a gift. People don’t like you because you’re different and change scares them.’

              ‘I’ve never viewed it as a gift before.’

              His phone beeped in his pocket, and he moved his hand away as he took it out and glanced at it, a vacant expression on his face.

              ‘I’ve got to go. I’ll see you tomorrow,’ he said as he stood up.

              ‘Finn, it’ll be okay, won’t it?’

              ‘Yeah, it’s going to be brilliant, just you wait,’ he smiled, before he turned around and headed out of the park.

              I watched him go out of sight before I stood up, took one last look around the park, and then headed out.

              Tomorrow would be my last day in Oakwood, a fact which I was glad and upset about both at the same time.

              All I knew was that it wasn’t safe to stay there. All I knew was there was something about Finn that made me want to take a risk on him and never be too far from his side.

              Instinct had kept me going for the last fifteen years, and right then my gut was telling me to trust Finn.

Chapter Eight

Knowing it was my last night with the Prestons made me appreciate the little things that I had taken for granted. Sitting on the sofa next to Louisa and watching cartoons, having seconds of Gloria’s apple pie, hearing the birds outside my window when I woke up early for school, and feeling my freshly ironed clothes against my skin.

              I had really wanted things to work out here in Oakwood, but I knew that, however much I longed for this, too much had happened now to ever make this possible. I wasn’t the kind of girl who could ever fit into a normal life. I’d tried, but I would always be different.

I liked the way that, when Finn looked at me, he didn’t seem afraid of what I could do, but instead he seemed intrigued. I thought about him as I fell asleep and when I woke up. He fully occupied my mind, and there was no shaking him from it. 

              I’d woken up an hour earlier than usual, and I’d lain in bed staring up at the ceiling as I listened to the birds chirp outside. I found myself enjoying the peace, knowing that it wouldn’t be for long. I didn’t know what today would bring, but I had a feeling that it would be eventful. I had to say goodbye to the Prestons and Leo without them realising what I was actually doing. I had to make the most of this day.

              Eventually, I got out of bed and made my way across the handing towards the bathroom. I could hear movement from downstairs, and I knew that Gloria would be in the kitchen looking amazing as she prepared breakfast.

              I stood in the shower and closed my eyes as I put my head under the warm water. There was something calming about the water covering me that instantly made me feel better, as if right then I could take on anything. After my shower I wrapped a fluffy beige towel around myself and went into my bedroom.

              It wasn’t my bedroom, though, not really. It was the colour that Louisa had chosen that covered the walls; it was her old bed that I slept in and her old laptop that I used to type my homework on. My print hadn’t been put on this room, or anywhere else in this house. It wasn’t mine, and I wasn’t a part of this family, not really.

              Still, there was a part of me that would miss it here. There was something secure about the Prestons and the way that they treasured Louisa above all others.

              I dried my hair before I tied it up into a ponytail, and then I put on my school uniform, which Gloria had left out for me on the seat. I looked at myself in the mirror, at my wide eyes and pale complexion. I wasn’t beautiful, not like Megan. The girl staring back at me was different somehow. Her looks didn’t stand out, but there was a glint to her eyes, and the way she curled her lip up to the side made her seem to stand out. I was different and there was nothing I could do about it; it was just the way I was.

              I slung my school bag over my shoulder and left my room. I walked into the kitchen and put my bag down by the door. Louisa and Terry were already sitting at the table as Gloria refilled Terry’s mug of coffee.

              ‘Hi darling, would you like some toast?’ Gloria smiled over at me.

              ‘Yeah, that’d be great,’ I said as I walked over to the table and sat down by Louisa.

              I was worried about whether Gloria and Terry would be okay with me after I’d mentioned Jake last night, but they seemed to be acting as normal. I was trying to act normal too, even though inside I was hiding the fact that tonight I planned to leave. Maybe that was just what people did, they went through life pretending that everything was just fine when really it wasn’t.

              ‘I wouldn’t mind a round as well, Gloria,’ Terry said before he took a sip of coffee.

              Gloria placed a plateful of buttered white toast in front of Terry and took his old plate away. It didn’t surprise me that Terry got his toast before me; feeding him up seemed to be a part of Gloria’s job description.

              It wasn’t long before Gloria brought a plateful of toast and a glass of orange juice over to me, and I thanked her. I finished my breakfast whilst Louisa went on about the netball match she was competing in and Terry moaned about the boring meetings he had to endure all day.

              I knew that I would miss them all, even though they weren’t faultless. Maybe it’s the faults we have that frame who we really are, that make us alive.

              ‘Come on girls, else you’ll be late. I’ll give you both a lift.’ Gloria smiled at us as she headed towards the door.

              I said bye to Terry and followed Louisa out of the room, picking my bag up en route.

              I glanced back at Terry, who was wiping crumbs off his white shirt, and I found myself giving a knowing smile.

              This would be the last time I had breakfast with the Prestons.

***

Veronica was talking to Rose as she rooted through her locker. I stopped, still in the corridor, and contemplated turning around and walking back the way I’d just come. I wasn’t going to do that, though, not on my last day here. I was going to face them both.

              ‘Look who it is,’ Veronica smirked, and Rose sniggered. ‘Crazy, crazy, crazy,’ she taunted.

              ‘Nice to see you too, Veronica.’ I rolled my eyes.

              She closed her locker door and took a few steps forwards so that she was stood right in front of me looking down at my face.

              ‘Watch your step, weird girl, as I’m coming to get you,’ she whispered before turning around and walking off up the corridor with Rose by her side.

              I tried to calm myself down as I watched her walk away. I was leaving today, and then I’d never have to see Veronica or her friends ever again. I was leaving today. I was leaving- the anger overpowered me, my eyes focused on her back. She fell forwards and landed hard on her chest. She screamed out, screamed out my name. That was when I made her lift her hands up to her face and rest her nails against her skin. I just let them rest there as I debated what to do next. If I did this, there was no going back. I was angry. I was so angry.

              ‘I can’t stop,’ Veronica screamed out. ‘Tell her to make it stop.’

              ‘It’s Celeste,’ Rose shouted as she desperately tried to pull on Veronica’s arms.

              There were eyes on me. I could feel them, but I couldn’t see them. It was as if Veronica and Rose were the only people there.

              ‘Celeste,’ Leo’s voice said from behind me. I turned around to face him and lost my focus. ‘What’s going on?’ he asked, concern on his face. Megan stood by him, her hand in his.

              ‘Nothing,’ I said before I turned back towards Veronica, who had her arms curled up around her legs as her whole body shook. Rose knelt by her, trying to calm her down.

              I saw them now, all the students in the corridor. They were staring at me, pointing. They looked wary and horrified, and it was in my direction.

              ‘What is going on?’ Mr. Wood, the deputy head said, as he appeared in the corridor and stared down at Veronica.

              ‘It was Celeste! She did this to her,’ Rose said.

              ‘I didn’t touch her.’

              ‘She doesn’t have to,’ Rose said.

              ‘Rose, take Veronica to the nurse. Celeste, my office now.’

              I stared at the chubby man stood in front of me, the buttons straining on his brown shirt. He couldn’t tell me what to do; he couldn’t stop me. I imagined bursting his shirt open a button at a time; I imagined him desperately trying to cover himself as everyone looked on, laughing. I could have made this happen, but I didn’t. Instead, I turned around and stared at Leo, I stared at the boy who was meant to be my best friend, who was now stood there with his hand in Megan’s.

              ‘Leo,’ I said, ignoring Mr. Wood as he continued to summon me to his office.

              ‘Come on, we’ve got to get to class.’ Megan tried pulling him forwards.

              ‘Leo, please,’ I pleaded, as tears began to fill my eyes. He hesitated briefly.

              ‘I’m sorry, Celeste,’ he said as he followed Megan up the corridor.

              I imagined the smug look on her face. I closed my eyes as tightly as they would go.

              ‘No, no, no, no, no,’ I repeated under my breath.

              I felt a film grip on my shoulder, but still I stood there with my eyes shut, trying to block out the fact that I’d just shown everyone what I could do. I’d just lost my best friend.

              I couldn’t open my eyes, not until I’d known that Leo was out of sight, not until I knew that I couldn’t hurt him.

              I opened my eyes. Mr. Wood’s hand still gripped on my shoulder.

              ‘Celeste, my office now,’ he said sternly.

              I was done with this school. I was done with Oakwood. I shoved his grip off me, and I started to run up the corridor. I kept on running, ignoring the shouts of my name and ignoring the shocked expressions I heard in my direction. I kept on running until I was out of the school, kept on running until I was out of the gates. I didn’t look back, not once.

Chapter Nine

I ended up on the bench in the park. There was nowhere else for me to go. All I’d had to do was survive one last day without messing stuff up, and I’d failed.

When I’d first become friends with Leo, I’d thought that things would be different. When I was around him Veronica and all of the others didn’t matter; when I was around him I felt as if I fitted in.

No one wanted to be alone, however odd they were and whatever strange things they could do. Leo had made his choice, and it hadn’t been my friendship, and now there was an empty feeling in my stomach, as if a part of me had been taken away and I’d never function properly gain without it.

It was cold outside. I could tell this from the way that I could see my breath as I breathed, like I was an ice dragon. I didn’t feel cold; instead, I just numb. I didn’t know what my plan was. I hadn’t packed anything because my plan had been to do it when I got back from school. Was I just going to sit here until later, when Finn turned up?

I found myself thinking back to my life at the Kingstons’. I was stupid back then; I used to think that if I did what I could in my room, then it wouldn’t matter because no one else would notice. Max noticed, though. He’d been spying through the gap in my door and saw me float a pencil. That was when he started the black list.

It was every Friday night that he’d come into my room and pass me the piece of folded up paper. The rules were simple: I had one week to cause some harm to the person whose name was written on the piece of paper with whatever object Max had listed, else he’d tell everyone exactly what I was capable of doing.

I should have ripped up the first piece of paper he’d ever given me and told him that no one would believe him, but fear stopped me from doing this. It was my fear that caused Tracy Cartwright’s chair to break under her in the canteen. It was my fear that caused Mr. Pierce’s tie to get caught in the paper shredder, and it was my fear that caused Adrian Davis to fall over the stick and twist his ankle right before the big football match.