Chapter Two
SET IN MOTION
If there was one hallmark to Ashley Wolodkowicz, it was her drive for testing the limits. To go above and beyond the ordinary goal. If she got one hundred percent in a class, she would ask for extra credit to bump it up to one hundred and three.
Shortly after glimpsing those girls — the tanorexic one and the one with the glide-on-water walk — Ashley found herself gazing up and down Velikovsky's great structure, blue eyes shining. It was here that the blonde girl aspired to expand her reputation as the smartest person in Sherman Middle School to the smartest person in Dustborough. The other middle schools' so-called "high-brows" didn't stand a chance. Valedictorian was sure to be hers.
She strode purposefully into physics class, the room opening itself to her like the first chapter of an epic book. Science classrooms always smell so clean, she thought happily, running her hand gently along an Erlenmeyer flask set on the front ivory-topped table. Science had always been not her best subject, for she made sure every semester to get straight A's, but definitely her easiest. The one that came naturally to her. Nothing could go wrong in this classroom.
Rows of black lab tables accented the far left- and right-hand sides of the immense room whilst two rows of pair-desks took the center. An electronic projector was bolted to the ceiling; over the front wall a screen was pulled down. Just behind the front table and next to the computer was a grinning skeleton — a male, Ashley could tell by the pelvis. A sign was taped to his clavicle. It read: "Mr. Bones." Mr. Koenigsaecker was probably going to be one of those teachers who thought he was funny.
And in the front row sat that glide-on-water girl. Ashley was a sceptic through and through, and her science-powered brain didn't allow belief in ESP, but she knew right then this girl would bring her trouble.
"Well," Mr. Koenigsaecker sighed half an hour later, staring dully at the last slide of his powerpoint, "I guessh that just about wraps up our shyllabus..." He had drooping eyes, like a basset hound, which now drifted toward the clock. Ashley noticed the teachers here were just as eager to get out of school as the students.
After a moment of beard-scratching, Mr. Koenigsaecker declared, "We'll use the resht of the time to play an introduction game. Get to know each other a li'l bit better, eh?"
Ashley could suppress her groan, but she could not stop her beryl eyes from rolling. Were teachers really going to play introduction games in high school? So far her expectations of Velikovsky were amounting to a hill of beans.
"We'll go up the rowsh," the elderly teacher instructed. He had a low, thick, gravelly voice. Ashley wondered if he had grandchildren. "I want you to give your name and two thingsh you like that begin with the same letter as your name."
Mr. Koenigsaecker had the students arranged in alphabetical order by last name. Thus, glide-on-water girl introduced herself first.
"I am called Virgilia Aligheri." Her voice was so hushed, Ashley had to lean over her desk to hear her. She sat in the middle of the left row, Virgilia in the front right. After a bout of utter silence, the brunette added, "I enjoy vapor and vegetables."
A few people tittered, but Ashley could appreciate that no words with especially positive associations began with the letter V. It was not just the way this girl spoke that put the blonde girl off. Nobody said things like "I am called" or "I enjoy" when introducing themselves. And her voice itself was a bit ghastly — a robotic monotone reserved for aliens when they asked you to take them to your leader.
Aligheri, eh? She must be Italian. As Mr. Koenigsaecker ran up the rows, Ashley leaned her round chin in her left palm, studying Virgilia's ahen complexion. She doesn't look one bit Italian, though. The girl standing up to introduce herself now did.
"I'm Eva Madden." Ashley saw Virgilia turn fluidly in her seat to watch and realized Eva was the other girl she saw this morning. Eva brushed her dust-colored palms over her shorts and continued, "I like equality and...um, elephants." She looked about uneasily, brown eyes darting. She flashed Virgilia a quick grin before hastily seating herself.
What kind of a relationship do they have? Ashley wondered.
Virgilia started to turn back around, and as she did so her hazel eyes caught the blonde girl's stare. She ceased turning and sat, angled, her intense eyes locked on Ashley's. Some people stare at a person; Virgilia seemed to stare at Ashley's eyes exclusively.
The blonde girl's brow puckered, and her face reddened. Why is she staring at me?
Virgilia's glassy eyes seemed to respond, Why are you staring at me?
Point taken. Pale eyebrows still lowered, Ashley averted her gaze. Behind Eva-God-knows-what-she-has-to-do-with-Virgilia, a pale boy with brush-cut brown hair and blue eyes was standing up to introduce himself.
"Hi. I'm Gabe Norton." He beamed, exposing teeth bound with braces. He wore a green polo, Bermuda shorts, and flip-flops. "I like Gaga — as in Lady Gaga — and gymnasiums."
Ashley lowered her mouth into her palm and giggled. She always loved a person who could bend stupid rules. The introductions kept going around, and when she turned to look at Virgilia again she found the brunette facing forward as before.
Who are you?
Finally it came Ashley's turn to introduce herself. This was her opportunity to make her debut in her golden class. Physics. She loved how it sounded — like a manifestation of a new phenomenon. When she stood, her supple chest puffed proudly, she saw Virgilia turn to watch her. The brunette hadn't done this for anyone else's introduction, except Eva's.
Vainly attempting to avoid Virgilia's stare, the blonde girl declared, "I'm Ashley Wolodkowicz, and I like anime and aliens."
Finally tearing her azure eyes away from Virgilia, Ashley leered at her classmates, who stared back uncertainly. A quick glower was enough to extinguish some of the more daring stares. With that, Ashley Wolodkowicz immediately plunked herself back down in her seat. She glanced one more time at Virgilia, who blinked and lowered her chin in response.
Ashley had wondered who this girl was, and she was beginning to think Virgilia wondered the same thing about her.