Erin The Fire Goddess: The Beginning

by Lavinia Urban

  ***

  I managed to get through Science easy enough. It took a lot to try and listen to what the teacher was saying. My mind kept going back to Sean.

  His beautiful face, eyes you could swim in, and a smile that could break hearts.

  Before I knew it, class was over and it was time for P.E. I wasn’t the sportiest of people and would rather sit on the sidelines and watch.

  Walking into the changing rooms, I placed my coat and bag on a peg. I was about to start getting changed when my head slammed against one of the pegs and I fell to the floor. I looked up to see Jessica standing over me.

  “What did I tell you?”

  Tears welled up in my eyes, nausea was creeping up on me, my head was throbbing and I tasted blood in my mouth, from where I was biting my lip to stop myself from crying.

  Before I could reply, Mrs Taylor appeared wondering what was keeping us all. She saw me slumped on the floor, blood dripping down the side of my head.

  “What happened?” She asked, as she pushed through the other students, who were crowding around me.

  By this time, the blood was on my white school shirt and Mrs Taylor was looking around at the other girls faces, demanding to know what had happened.

  “She fell and hit her head on the pegs.” I heard Jessica purr innocently. Mrs Taylor looked back to me.

  “Is Jessica telling the truth?” Even though she asked this, her voice was full of scepticism. I nodded and started to pull myself up.

  “Exactly what she said.”

  Jessica gave a smug smile, and then turned back to Mrs Taylor.

  “I can take her to the nurse’s office, if you like?” She smiled like butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth.

  Mrs Taylor sighed, and after looking back and forth between us, she finally spoke.

  “Okay. Jessica, you take her there and come straight back.”

  For a while Jessica and I walked in silence. Her hands gripped tightly to the top of my right arm, her nails digging through my shirt.

  Just before we got to the nurse's office, she spun me around and threw me against the wall, placing one hand on my throat, and the other she traced down the front of my body, stopping once or twice to jab her finger into me.

  “I won’t tell you again.” She spat, her face so close to mine I could feel her warm breath. “Next time, it won’t be the nurse’s office you end up in!”

  I felt warm liquid trickle down my legs. Jessica must have smelt it, as she quickly released me after giving me a final shove against the wall. She looked from the puddle on the floor, then back to me.

  “You disgust me.” She said with pure venom. I couldn’t understand the hatred she felt towards me. But I did know that I would stay as far away from Sean as I possibly could.

  Luckily the cut on my head wasn’t as bad as it looked. Kasey-Ray was called out of her class to walk me home. Which she was extremely grateful for, because she hated geography and as her teacher spoke in a monotonous tone, she was close to falling asleep when the nurse came to rescue her.

  I told Kasey-Ray the same story Jessica had told Mrs Taylor. I had fallen; she seemed to believe me and didn't question me further.

  I still couldn’t understand why Jessica hated me so much. From the second I had entered my form room, she had glared at me with pure hatred in her eyes and this was before I’d even laid eyes on Sean. Why did she want me to stay away from him? Why would she feel threatened by someone like me? It wasn’t as if he would ever find me attractive. I was a freak and the huge birthmark on the side of my face showed this. He could have anyone he wanted. I didn’t know why he even took the time of day to talk to me.

  Another thing, he looked too old to even be at school. Whenever I saw him and his friends, they never had school uniform on. So why would they be on the school grounds, let alone be inside the school?

  Why on the first day I met him, did he and his friends come through the bushes?

  My emotions were all over the place. At first, I was scared and hurt, and then I was confused, now I was starting to feel annoyed. It’s not like I had asked for this attention. Most people ran a mile when they saw me.

  He didn’t even seem to notice the ugly birthmark on my face. Or, if he had noticed it, he had never looked at it. Whenever he looked at me, he looked deep into my eyes. It was as if he was searching for the answer to some unspoken question.

  We had only just turned into our street when my Mum came flying out of the front door.

  “Erin!” She cried, running towards us. “I’m sorry, your Dad and I were out shopping when the school rang, or we would have come to collect you." She told me as she started to examine me, right there in the street.

  “Mum, I’m fine!” I tried to reassure her, as Kasey-Ray continued walking to the house. “I fell, it looks worse than it is.”

  “You need to be more careful!” She exclaimed, horrified at the sight of the blood in my hair. She ushered me into the house, where my Dad was waiting. He looked like he had been pacing the floors.

  “Erin!” He rushed towards me, trying to hug me.

  “Dad, I’m fine!” I sighed, holding my hands up. I felt like a stuck record having to repeat myself over and over again. I just hoped they bought the whole falling excuse.

  My Dad looked to my Mum. I didn’t see the look she gave him, but he sighed and stepped back. “I just fell Dad, there was a bag on the floor and I didn’t see it.” He nodded and looked like he believed every word I said. “Do you think it’s ok if I have a wash?” I turned to ask my Mum.

  She hesitated for a moment.

  “As long as you don’t get anything in the cut. Tell you what. I’ll help you wash your hair.” She offered, and then followed me as I nodded.

  I took my coat off and carried my rucksack to my room. After taking off my shirt and throwing it into the washing basket, I slipped on an old t-shirt, and then headed to the bathroom, where my Mum was waiting.

  Without a word I leant over the bath, my Mum gently poured warm water over my head. I watched as pools of red swirled around and finally escaped down the plug hole.

  “I’m not going to shampoo your hair. Not today. I want to wait until that heals a bit more.” She said as she placed a towel on my head gently.

  “Okay.” I told her, as I watched the final drops of blood disappear. “I’m just going to clean my face, then do my homework.”

  My Mum hesitated in the doorway for a while. It seemed something was on her mind. The telephone rang then, making her shake her head.

  “Okay love, I’ll call you when dinner is ready.”

  I walked into my bedroom, leaning against the door as I closed it. I closed my eyes and just stood there, tears started to roll down my face as I slid down the door to the floor and I sat there for at least 30 minutes, just crying.

  I can’t believe she did that. I thought as I placed my head in my hands.

  For years I’d grown up hardly talking to anyone besides my family, and now that someone, who I was interested in getting to know, had started talking to me, I was supposed to steer clear of him.

  I felt my stomach tighten at this thought. But I had to; I couldn’t have any more run-ins with Jessica. I didn’t know Sean well enough to put my life in danger.

  God I’m so stupid! Why was I even thinking through this? I had to stay away from Sean. End of.

  I wiped away my tears, and with a deep breath stood up and walked over to my rucksack, I pulled out my reading material. I must have fallen asleep, as I woke when someone started to gently shake me. I yawned and stretched, then opened my eyes.

  “Kes?” My Dad was sitting flicking through the book I’d brought home from school. “Interesting read.” He smiled as he placed it back down.

  “It’s for English,” I smiled back. “I’ve got to read it by next Tuesday.” I pulled myself up into a sitting position and placed the book on my bedside table.

  “I nearly forgot what I came in here for,” My Dad said, shaking his head with
a laugh, “Dinner's ready.”

  “Okay, I’ll be down in a second. I just need to use the toilet."

  My Dad nodded as he got up from the bed and headed downstairs.

  After a quick trip to the bathroom, I made my way to the kitchen, where I heard Kasey-Ray talking excitedly about the new friends she’d made.

  She’d gotten close to a girl called Claire, who was in her form and most of her classes.

  “So can she come here after school tomorrow?” She gave my parents her big puppy dog eyes impression. My parents laughed as they nodded. “Yay!" She clapped and looked over at me as I walked in. “Hi sis, how’s your head?”

  “It's good thanks.” I smiled as I sat opposite her at the kitchen table.

  My Mum had made Spaghetti Bolognese, my favourite and sitting in the middle of the table was a plate of garlic bread.

  “So what’s Claire like?” I enjoyed finding out all about Kasey-Ray's friends. It was the closest I'd get to having friends myself, not that Kasey-Ray's friends really spoke to me, just a polite hello now and again.

  “Oh she’s great.” Kasey-Ray beamed, “You'll love her.”

  “I’m sure I will.” Laughing, knowing full well I wouldn’t. Most were nice to my face, but steered clear of me anytime Kasey-Ray wasn’t around.

  I all but licked my plate clean as I finished my dinner.

  “Thanks,” I smiled as I pushed my plate away and rubbed my belly. “That was lush.” I stood up and took my plate over to the sink. “I’m going to go read some more.”

  My parents nodded and turned back to listen to Kasey-Ray chatter on about school. I slowly made my way to my bedroom; I was trying to decide whether to put my pyjamas on now or not. I finally decided to put them on. That way, if I did fall asleep, I would already be dressed for bed.

  I pulled my favourite pyjamas on, which I’d had for three years now. I had grown out of them 2 years ago, but I just loved them. Every morning I would take them off, fold them and then place them under my pillow, to keep them warm.

  After brushing my teeth, I climbed into bed and picked up my book but it wasn’t long before I fell asleep.