Lucas Ryan Versus - Madison Daniel Page 0,14
said paranoid!” she snapped.
“Never mind.” I shrunk down in my seat and looked away. Olivia folded her arms and turned away from me.
Silently, Ms. Strickland entered the room as if she was floating along the ground. She walked confidently but with no sound. It was weird, her expensive high heeled shoes should have made all kinds of noise on the dingy tiled floor of the classroom, but they didn’t. Very weird. As the entire class sat up in attention and quiet curiosity, she slowly surveyed the classroom. Her serious eyes locked onto each individual student for a brief moment from behind her thin eyeglasses. She saved me for last.
“Ruh roh…” I barely whispered, as her glare fell on me. My right arm began to tingle as if it had fallen asleep. I looked down at it to make sure Ripley wasn’t about to make an appearance. Apparently my magical protector didn’t trust her either. In my head, I whispered…
Settle yourself, Ripley.
The sensation in my arm fell away leaving only a faint itching. My other hand caressed the lines of the tattoo and Ms. Strickland watched intently. Quickly, I placed my arms under my desk. She stepped forward and brought up one hand in front of her face. Inside her well manicured fingers was a thick Biology book. She let it dangle in the air for almost a minute as everyone watched in confusion. Finally, she jerked the book upward before aggressively slamming the book to the floor in a thwack that reverberated along the floor. Most of the students jumped in their chairs, clutching for the ends of their desktops. I was too scared to move at all.
“No more!” Ms. Strickland roared. I looked over at Olivia as she reached for me with her eyes. I nodded softly and turned my attention back to the front of the classroom.
“No more,” Ms. Strickland declared again. “As of right now, no more books. They’re useless. I want each and every one of you to follow my lead.”
Olivia spoke for everyone else. “What?”
“Ms. Weaver, I said get rid of your book. Now.” Ms. Strickland’s voice grew more intense. “Pick it up. Drop it on the floor. Now.”
Olivia lifted her book from the top of her desk and paused. “Why?”
Ms. Strickland stepped over to Olivia’s desk and studied her defiance harshly. “Because those books are useless. A waste of time. A waste of your brainpower, my dear.” With a thud Ms. Strickland snatched Olivia’s book from her hands and tossed it over her shoulder. It slammed into the empty whiteboard in a crash, knocking colorful markers and magnetic clips to the floor. Olivia’s book followed swiftly with a soft slap to the ground.
“What the hell?” Olivia freaked out.
“Anyone else?” Ms. Strickland asked the room. Instantly, every student grabbed their books and tossed them to the floor. Every student except one…me. Ms. Strickland grinned slightly at the fresh anarchy. Her face turned my way, leaving Olivia in her shadow. Just before she walked over to me she said over her shoulder, “I’ll see you in detention, Ms. Weaver.”
Olivia looked on in disgust as Ms. Strickland slithered over to me.
“Mr. Ryan, I’m waiting.”
Slowly, I pulled my book from the depths of my schoolbag and held it out in front of me. “Here you go.” She stared at me long and hard before reaching for the textbook. Her fingers locked around it like a vice and she let a crooked smirk paint along her lips.
“Thank you,” she whispered. Her hands opened the book and flipped through a few pages. A single piece of paper slipped from the middle of it and danced through the air like a feather floating to the ground. I reached for it but was a half-second too slow. She ripped it from the air in a blinding speed. With her other hand she placed my book onto her desk just an arms length behind her. Her other hand pulled my paper up to her face. As she studied the outline of ink I had scribbled onto the paper I waited for her to comment on the drawing. She said nothing and folded the piece of paper into a small triangle and gently placed it back on my desk. It reminded me of a paper pyramid. Ms. Strickland stepped back to the front of the classroom and addressed everyone as I stared down at the familiar shape in front of me.
“You’ll work tirelessly. You’ll study relentlessly. You’ll learn more this semester than you’ve ever