Shattered - By Sophia Sharp Page 0,4

overhearing every word.

Laura didn’t have to wait long before he burst through the door, hair frazzled as if he’d been running. Laura looked, and saw his face for the first time.

If her friend Stacy could be considered too-tanned, he was the polar opposite. His skin was pure white, and reflected the light strongly. It wasn’t a sickly white, though; rather, it reminded her of the strong, clean white she could imagine on a horse or unicorn. His eyes were sharp and dark, and set deeply into a strong, lean face. If Laura hadn’t known that he was her age, she would have guessed him to be in his early twenties. And he looked more a man than a boy.

His face looked strong – proud. At least, that’s the first impression she got. Although at this particular moment in time, it looked like all his strength and pride had drained away, and he felt every bit the young boy of sixteen or seventeen that he was in an unfamiliar school.

“You’re late,” Mrs. Millburn said sharply, and he dropped his head, looking right at the floor. He mumbled something, but Laura couldn’t make it out.

“What? Speak up, boy! There’s no shame in being loud enough to be heard.”

“I said, I’m sorry,” he repeated, louder this time. “I got lost in the hallways on my way here.”

“Yes, yes, that’s perfectly understandable,” Mrs. Millburn said waving him away with one hand. “The only one you’re harming by being late is your friend over there, sitting at the back. Every minute you’re late is an extra minute she’ll have to stay.”

“I’m sorry,” he said again.

“Bah! Don’t apologize to me, boy. It’s her you should be saying sorry to. But that’s neither here nor there. Miss Cubus?”

“Yes, Mrs. Millburn?” Laura said.

“For your first day at Mr. Sutherby’s personal tutor, I want you to go over all the chapters we’ve completed so far this year. Take note of anything he may have not seen before, and make sure he learns it well.”

“Yes, Mrs. Millburn.”

“Hmph. Good, then. Well, Mr. Sutherby? You’re not going to learn anything standing up here. Go say hi to the nice girl at the back, and get started.” Laura knew that Mrs. Millburn knew how awkward this whole thing was going to be for her, and figured it was just a way of punishing even further. “Go on, she won’t bite. Although I’m not sure how good her attention span is.” And with that, Mrs. Millburn turned her attention back to her desk.

Laura switched her gaze to “Mr. Sutherby,” who still stood at the front of the room, looking at his feet. A bag – the same one that hit her this morning – hung slumped over his shoulder. Finally, she saw him shake his head, and start to make his way over to her. He walked slowly, and every step he took looked like it was one step closer to agony.

In spite of herself, Laura began to feel a little nervous, too. Her heart started beating faster, and she could feel her palms start to clam up. He sure was taking his time coming over. Was he always like this? Was there something wrong with her that he didn’t like? Was he just shy? Questions raced through her mind as the distance between him and her closed ever-so-slowly.

Finally he came up to her desk, pulled out a nearby chair, and collapsed heavily into it. He still hadn’t made eye contact with her.

“So…” she began unsteadily after a moment’s silence, not sure of what to say, “…are you, uhm, any good at math?”

He shrugged his shoulders in reply.

“Do you… know what we’re doing in class?”

He shrugged again, eyes glued to the floor. Laura swallowed. She felt like she was talking to a wall. She didn’t know what else to say. The silence stretched, growing awkward.

“Thanks for dragging me into this,” he finally mumbled. Laura could barely make out the words, but when they registered, she was taken aback.

“What?” she demanded.

“I said, thanks for dragging me into this,” he shot back, and rose his eyes to meet hers. His eyes were fiery, ablaze with untold emotion. For the first time in her life, Laura felt truly scared. It looked like they pulsed – angrily or not, she couldn’t say – and wielded supernatural power. She felt cold, lost, and alone. Isolated from everyone else in this world, stuck forever in his unnatural gaze, helpless to ever escape.

Then he blinked, and all that died, and her