Silent World

by Natalie Warren

  "No," the brunette crossed her arms stubbornly.

  "Very well then," the teacher chuckled. "To start, two laps of the oval."

  Raven took her hands away from her face and looked around at the oval. It was almost three hundred meters each way. Two laps of that?! She slowly turned her head to glare at Elaise, who seemed to finally realize her mistake. "You've just killed us."

  "Sorry," Elaise squeaked.

  "Go!" the teacher yelled and the entire class shot off to start their laps. Raven shook her head before she and Elaise ran after them. By two hundred meters, Raven was already prepared to collapse to the ground and stay there for the rest of the day. She wasn't cut out for exercise!

  Elaise, however, was pushing herself to try and prove the teacher wrong as she bit her lip and ran on.

  "Bit slow there?" they looked up as Der ran alongside them. He had just been running in front of them… Surely he couldn't have completed a lap that fast? Just how fit were the students at this school?!

  "Shut it!" Elaise spat at him. "Go. Run. Move. Get!"

  "Touchy," he laughed and ran ahead.

  The class had already overlapped Raven and Elaise by the time they completed one full lap. Raven gave up trying to run another one and she let her legs buckle, falling onto her back and taking deep breaths with her throat as dry as a bone. The teacher smiled at Elaise as if to say "told you so" and Elaise growled, shooting off again.

  "She won't make it," one girl murmured as the class watched the brunette. "But she's persistent, gotta give her that much."

  "You okay?" Eliza asked, sitting beside Raven without even a gleam of sweat on her face.

  "I'd like to die now," Raven whimpered.

  "Class isn't over yet," Eliza laughed and Raven forced herself to sit up to see where Elaise was. The brunette was halfway through her second lap and suddenly collapsed to the ground, face-planting and not getting back up.

  "I knew she wouldn't manage," the teacher shook his head. "New students never change."

  "I'll go help her," Der offered and grabbed his water bottle, running across the oval to check on Elaise. Raven had to hold back a comment she would save for Elaise later.

  "More to go," Jason told Raven and offered her his hand. Eliza jumped to her feet and Raven accept the help up, feeling her legs turn to jelly. Both of her new friends supported her until she could stand on her own and she breathed with relief. Eliza grabbed her water bottle and let Raven take a few swigs to rehydrate.

  Looking up, Raven spotted Der giving Elaise a ride on his back as he returned to the class. Elaise held his bottle and drank from it as though it was a miracle juice. She looked like a deadweight, hanging limply from the poor boys' back.

  "Looks like her energy wore off," Jason observed.

  As soon as Elaise had recovered from her stubborn suicide run, the teacher moved on with the class and had a few students help him set up archery targets. Raven and Elaise were handed bows, and quivers full of arrows were placed on the ground. Raven saw everyone line up in rows and fire at the targets. Not all of them were marksmen, but they were pretty close to it!

  "Piece of cake!" Elaise smiled and grabbed an arrow, knocking it to the bow and pulling back on the drawstring a little too fast. Her fingers slipped and as the drawstring snapped back into place, the arrow dropped and became tangled in the bow, flinging into the air. Raven yelped and pulled Elaise out of the way as the arrow came spiraling back down, burying itself into the ground beside another girls' foot. The girl shrieked in fright and accidentally let go of her own bow, letting loose another dangerous arrow. It flew straight towards Raven and Elaise and the girls screamed, covering their faces in hopes that the arrow wouldn't see them and change direction.

  Experiences

  4. Experiences

  The arrow was snatched out of the air and Raven looked up, blinking as Jake clenched his hand and the arrow snapped in half. "This is why you should hang out with me," he grinned. "A big, strong guy like me can protect you from anything." What was Jake doing here? Jason said he wasn't in the class… With a closer inspection, she saw a note in the boy's hand.

  "No, you're creepy," Raven crossed her arms, but felt thankful that someone had been fast enough to save them. "Why would I want to be protected by you?"

  "Thank you!" Elaise yelped and almost threw herself onto Jake. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

  Jake blinked at her for a moment and Raven saw his nose scrunch up. "So, you're the one who stinks."

  Elaise's happy face was gone in an instant. "Excuse me?" she glared at him viciously.

  "You reek of mistletoe!" he growled and stepped away from her. Could he really smell her scentless perfume?

  Raven panicked as Elaise took a step towards him, holding her bow tightly in her hands in preparation to swing it. "Say that again!"

  "Elaise, no," Jason suddenly appeared and delicately snatched the bow from her. "Don't listen to what he has to say."

  "He said I stink!" Elaise spat.

  Jason looked like he wanted to say something about it but clearly thought better of it. "Just ignore him."

  Elaise rolled her eyes and jabbed him in the ribs before walking over to the girl she nearly killed. Raven blinked at the boys before hurrying to follow. "Sorry about that," Elaise was saying. "I really didn't mean it."

  "Likewise," the girl chewed her lip nervously. "I don't really know how to shoot properly."

  "Neither do we," Raven shrugged. "This would be our first attempt. You look like you're new here too."

  "I've been here for about three weeks," the girl explained. "My parents wouldn't pay to send me to a private school, but somehow they found the money to send me here…"

  "What lousy parents," Raven scoffed. "What do they call you? I'm Raven and this is Elaise."

  "Stephanie," she smiled.

  "Your shoes are so cute!" Elaise gasped, looking down at the girls' feet. Raven blinked and took note of them. The girl had really small feet, but her tiny shoes were black with white laces and a sparkling clean shine. They were rather pretty, Raven thought.

  "Thank you," Stephanie beamed happily.

  Raven and Elaise stuck by Stephanie for the rest of the class and Raven watched as the brunette and their new friend hi-fived whenever they failed to shoot an arrow straight. They were making such good friends already!

  When class was over, Raven had to find her own way to the cooking rooms. Elaise had to race off to find her Dance class and Raven frowned as everyone rushed to make it to their own classrooms. By the time the halls were nearly empty, Raven was still wandering the building trying to find her way.

  She stopped a student who was also running late for class. "Excuse me? Where's the cooking rooms? I'm lost."

  "Just follow this hallway to the end and turn left," he smiled. "You'll be able to smell it."

  She thanked him and they both rushed in opposite directions. Raven reached the end of the hall and turned left, following it until she was able to smell fresh bread. She let the smell lead her to the room and she pushed the door open, trying to be quiet. Unfortunately, the door creaked loudly as she walked in and the whole class turned their heads to stare at her.

  Raven quickly took note of the classroom and counted six cooking bays, each with their own cupboards, fridges and ovens full of necessary equipment used for cooking. Ingredients already sat on the benches and Raven tried to figure out what the class was going to make.

  "Ah, you must be Raven," the teacher smiled a greeting with friendly brown eyes. She gestured for Raven to come closer and the blonde obeyed. "I was told you'd be joining my class. Everyone say hello."

  Raven ducked her head as everyone said hello, but her attention turned when she saw a hunched figure at the back, the only one at the bay. She recognized the muscular shoulders of Jason, even if his black hair did give him away. Was he sleeping?

  "Unfortunately all of the groups are full," the teacher frowned. "But if you wouldn't mind pairing with the boy at the bac
k, maybe you could teach him how to not burn water."

  Raven nodded and walked to the back of the class, aware of being watched the whole way, and she seated herself beside Jason. His head slowly lifted as she dumped her bag under the bench and she caught his eye.

  "What are you doing here?" he blinked.

  "Um… I chose to take this class," she murmured. "Didn't you?"

  "Do I look like the cooking type?" he chuckled. "I can't cook to save my life."

  Raven giggled, covering her mouth with her hand. "Then I guess I'm just going to have to teach you a thing or two."

  He shot her a wry smile and sat up straight, combing his hands through his hair and yawning widely. Raven rolled her eyes and looked up as the teacher began to explain what they were going to cook. According to what was written on the whiteboard, they were going to make sausage rolls. Raven felt excitement coursing through her when she quickly remembered how to make them; Lorna had taught her a few years prior.

  "Okay, mister," Raven nudged Jason who had tried to go back to sleep. "I'm going to teach you how to cook. Up you get."

  Jason groaned in protest but obeyed her command. After turning the oven on, it wasn't long before Raven had put him to work and taught him how to put together the meat filling for the sausage rolls. He struggled at first and Raven laughed at him, which caused him to grab a small handful of filling and shove it in her face with a chuckle.

  Raven gasped in shock and quickly wiped it off, glaring at the laughing boy. She picked up a small handful of her own and slapped it onto his face, some of it falling into his open mouth. She backed away as he coughed and she giggled when he let out sharp, repetitive sneezes to get out some of the mix that had gotten up his nose. She hid her mouth with her hand as she laughed and Jason sneezed some more, shaking his head as he did. It reminded the blonde of a dog.

  "Ew," he grumbled, narrowing his eyes playfully at her.

  "You started it," Raven sneered and walked over to the sink, washing her hands and splashing water over her face. She waited while Jason washed his hands but couldn't be bothered to wash his face. Raven shook her head and grabbed a washcloth, treating him like a baby as she cleaned his face, despite his protests. She laughed at him again, making sure to cover her mouth, but she fell short of breath as Jason reached up and took her wrist, moving her hand away. He smiled at her and she felt her cheeks burning. Quickly, she ducked her head and took a step back to put some distance between them.

  "Jason, Raven… That doesn't look like cooking to me," the teacher sighed.

  "Sorry, miss," Raven apologized and tried to get Jason to make another attempt at putting together the filling.

  She got out the pastry and cut a few sheets into long strips. She delicately put the meat mix onto a strip and rolled it up, cutting off the ends. She asked Jason to grab a tray out for her and he obeyed, placing it beside her. She felt his eyes trained on her as she rolled up more and put them all on the tray in nice, neat rows. She couldn't help but feel awkward under his gaze. How would his girlfriend feel if she saw Jason staring at another girl?

  When Raven tried to put the tray into the oven, Jason took it from her. "We don't want you to burn yourself," he smiled warmly and put the tray in the oven. "But now what? Just wait?"

  "No," Raven shook her head. "We wash up the dishes and put them away."

  Jason sighed loudly to show his displeasure, but when Raven washed up the dishes, he grabbed a dry cloth and dried them before putting them away in the cupboards. Raven was pleased with herself as the teacher walked around the room to inspect what everyone was doing. She seemed quite surprised to see Jason actually doing work. She was muttering something about how he may actually pass for the 'first time ever'.

  When the sausage rolls were finished, Raven pulled them from the oven with the oven mitts and put the hot tray on the stovetop. Jason retrieved a plate for her and she thanked him, using a pair of tongs to pick up the tiny rolls and place them neatly on the plate, arranging them in a pyramid formation. She grabbed a few basil leaves and placed them around the plate, crisscrossing two on the very top of the pyramid.

  "Wow," Jason murmured as Raven put the tray in the sink and turned the oven off. "They smell amazing. Where'd you learn to cook?"

  "Lorna taught me," she explained but frowned when he blinked at her in confusion. "My mother."

  The teacher came around when each bay had finished their cooking and neatly presented their food. She was impressed by all, but Raven felt her cheeks flush when the older woman took her plate and held it up for the class.

  "Everyone, look here, please," she spoke loudly and all eyes turned to her. "This is a perfect example of how presentation should look. Well done, Raven and Jason. This is A-plus work."

  When the teacher put the plate back on the bench, she allowed the students to taste their dishes. Raven giggled when Jason flicked the basil from the top of the pyramid and grabbed a sausage roll, shoving it in his mouth. Raven waited anxiously to see his reaction.

  "You have to try one!" Jason urged as soon as he swallowed his mouthful. "You're an awesome cook."

  Raven reached forward and took one, taking a small bite. The flavors tingled in her mouth and she quickly polished it off. "They taste better than the last time I made them!"

  As soon as the bell rang, the teacher put all of the plates on a trolley and said she was going to share them out among the teachers in the staff room; the daily routine. Raven washed up all the remaining dishes and Jason helped her put them away. When he told her classes were over for the day, she felt relieved.

  "Who knew two classes would be so exhausting?" she breathed as Jason led her back towards her dorm. They had to cross the oval to get to the right building, but Raven found that she didn't mind being so close to the forest if she had someone with her.

  "Tomorrow is a full day," Jason reminded her with a laugh. "Classes get easier over time."

  "Are you kidding?" she half turned to face him, unable to believe what he said. "It'll take me weeks to be like you guys. All of you weren't even tired after P.E… I almost died after one lap of the oval! And all the girls here are so stunning… I thought I had low self-esteem before."

  "Hey," he said quietly and Raven saw sincerity in his beautiful eyes. "For the record, I think you're really pretty. You don't need to be jealous of the other girls."

  Raven shot her gaze down to the grass and felt her cheeks ignite. Did he really just say that to her? She couldn't remember a time when a guy ever told her she was pretty… Maybe Jason had a few screws loose in his head. "I bet your girlfriend doesn't need to feel jealous," she said before she could stop herself.

  Jason was silent for a moment and Raven forced herself to breathe. Did she say something wrong? "What made you think I had a girlfriend?"

  Raven's heart skipped a beat and she mentally kicked herself. She tried to put words together to get rid of the sudden awkwardness but she wasn't having much luck. Did he seriously not have a girlfriend? A good-looking, sporty guy like him… and he didn't have girlfriend?

  "Sorry," she mumbled. "I just… I thought-"

  "Don't freak out. It's fine," he chuckled but a sudden howl split the air. Jason froze and Raven turned her head to stare at him, the hair on the back of her neck standing on end.

  "What was that?" she felt her heart fluttering like a trapped bird in a cage. That howl came from the forest…

  "Just a wolf," Jason answered like it was nothing. There were wolves in the forest? But that was dangerous! "Though I just remembered, I have to go see a teacher about an assignment. Will you be okay on your own?"

  Raven nodded slowly and chewed her lip. She really didn't want to make the attempt, but it was clear Jason wasn't staying. "I should be."

  He flashed a smile. "I'll see you at dinner then."

  She watched him turn and walk back the way they had come. He was clearly trying not to hurry and Raven sighed before continuing on her way back to her dorm. She wondered if Elaise was already
there, waiting for her friend to tell her all about her Dance class.

  Raven eventually found her way back to her dorm, but Elaise wasn't in. Raven shrugged and went to the fridge, grabbing a bottle of water. Just as she sat down on the couch, the door opened up and Elaise almost fell into the room, using the door for support. Stephanie appeared beside her as the brunette collapsed to the floor.

  Raven blinked at the brunette before turning to Stephanie. "Is she… okay?"

  "She didn't know how advanced the Dance class was," Stephanie answered. "She tried keeping up with them, but it was almost too much."