Try To Change Me

Chapter 15

Ms Smith struggled out of the window, coming face to face with a dead suit. She dragged air into her lungs in a ragged gasp and rolled aside, swallowing heavily. A quivering Salena appeared in the opening and her teacher took her in her arms, still staring at the man. Anthony's head popped into view and her gaze flicked to him.

He saw the body, and his eyes closed quickly, eyes closed as if in pain. But in a moment they opened again, steely and met hers.

"Are you ok, Ella?"

"Are you, Anthony?"

A rude coughed echoed up from the store room and mr Irving scrambled out, squatting down to offer hazmat, still inside, a hand out. Ms smith turned to the kids.

"Where's ebony?" She asked suddenly, eyes roaming the lane. Phitz was to one side, Finnegan to the other, with Austen and Carrissa standing closely in the middle but she couldn't find the other girl.

Ebony sighed,trying to stand out more. She had struggled to her feet in the middle of the garden, in the middle of a particular spiky bush, to act as a beacon for the others. It would help if they could see.

"I'm here."

Austen's eyes found her immediately, but Carrissa drew his attention away, shoving her grazed hip in his face.

"You're covered in blood," ms smith gasped when she noticed the girl, stepping forward, but the teenager waved her off.

"I'm just hoping it's all mine." Her eyes darted to the dead man and back, expression grim.

Hazmat's arm across his shoulders once more, mr Irving shuffled forwards. "Is that the hole?"

Ebony nodded. "if you guys walk in over there and shuffle along it should be fairly painless." she offered, shrugging.

Phitz and Finnegan cast one final look in each direction and then followed her instructions, shimmying along the fence line. Ebony drew the loose panels aside with her foot and gestured them through.

"This is Mrs Thomas' yard. Don't get seen," she hissed.

Phitz nodded and wriggled through, tearing his shirt on both sides of the narrow gap, but Finnegan paused. "Why, will she kick up a fuss?"

"No," ebony shook her head, " she'll invite you in for tea and scones."

"The horror," Finn chuckled, squeezing through the space with ease.

Austen came next, bending down with a broad smile. He caught her foot in his hand, giving it a gentle, thankful squeeze. "My hero."

Ebony scowled and pulled her shoe free. "Hurry up."

Somehow, covered in dust and blood, Carrissa still managed to look gorgeous. She sauntered up to ebony, the thorns apparently deciding she was too beautiful to worry them, and gave her a look that on any other day would have had ebony dissolved in a puddle. Today, ebony was just over it.

"You may be the hero today, freak," she sneered, ringing her perfect face close to ebony's, "but yesterday, today, tomorrow...you'll always be little miss nobody. Watch yourself."

Ebony shook her head. "Not today Carrissa."

"Excuse me?" she gasped, rearing backwards.

"Today, I'm the same as you: a scared little teenage girl who somebody wants dead. Difference is, my face isn't trying to blow bubbles." a swelling pride in ebony's chest almost made up for the hell she knew she would get for that comment.

Carrissa's eyes narrowed shockingly and she bent down to crawl through the hole. "Prepare to die freak."

Closing her eyes ebony shrugged. "If I live through today, you can do your worst."

When her eyes flashed open again, Salena was in front of her, ms smith's hand laid comfortingly on her shoulder.

"You ok there, Salena?" the girl cast her a red-rimmed smile and sniffled, bending down sharply. "Not long now before you'll be back safe at home."

To ebony's bemusement, that only made her cry harder. Ms smith shook her head and followed her student, leaving the way clear for mr Irving to hobbled up. Hazmat's head was lolling lazily, his mouth open and coach looked unimpressed.

The man's head jerked to attention. "I'm awake!"

Mr Irving's scowl deepened. "Good. You can crawl through that gap, then."

His eyes dated to the ground. "Do I have to?"

"It's that or die."

Haz sighed. "Slowly or quickly?" at coach's expression he threw his hands in the air, nearly falling over. "What? I gotta weigh my options, gramps." Luckily mr Irving caught him by the collar and lowered him the the ground.

"Just wriggled, you idiot."

Ebony smirked at her teacher as the other man started to worm his way to the other property. "Aren't you glad your students are just dumb, sir, and not suffering severe blood loss as well?"

Coach started, and looked at her. "You really blend I when you want to, don't you ebony?"

"Even when I don't want to," she muttered, gesturing him through the hole.

He hesitated. "This doesn't feel right. Perhaps you should go first."

"What at all feels right today, sir?" she said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. There came a crash and a hushed squeal from the neighbouring yard and she sighed. "Please go rescue Mrs Thomas' garden."

Coach sighed but did as she said, kneeling down and then squeezing through. A rough edge tore his skin, leaving blood smears across the wood and ebony sighed yet again.

"Today is just blood, blood, blood, blood, blood."

She bent to scrambled through the fence when a loud crash occurred behind her, startling her into turning around. There was the echo of boots in the basement and ebony flung herself down quickly, shimmering through as a gun appeared in the window. A gunshot announced her arrival in the next yard and the others stared at her in surprise.

"Run, you idiots," she gasped, before she fainted, blood streaming from a wound in her side.

Will ebony be alright? will hazmat for that matter? he's looking much worse for ware. Who are the 'suits'? dum, dum, dum. Next week on... just kidding. Should have another update ready for tomorrow. Next day at the latest.