I ducked around the corner of the hallway, keeping my head tilted down so my sheet of hair hid my face. Scurrying down the hall, I slipped into an empty classroom, whisper slamming the door behind me. I leaned back against it with a sigh of relief, rocking my head back until it hit the hard wood with a thump. I grimaced at the sound. Taking a few deep breaths to calm my jangled nerves, my heartbeat thumped against my ribs. I strained to listen as the tinkle of laughter and click of heels passed by.
I don't know why, today of all days, I decided to hide out from my nemesis and her cronies. I just couldn't deal with Linda Cryner right now. Or her painted and bleached band of mean girls.
Something in me was... off.
I felt off.
If I was being honest, I'd felt off for a few weeks now, ever since I turned 17. It was like I had some weird, restless energy collecting in me, growing and expanding. Except, I didn't know where the energy was coming from or what to do to release it. I read in a magazine once that sexual energy could make you feel restless. Maybe that was it. Maybe I was just a mess of sex hormones and needed to get laid. I quirked a lip at that.
Right. Like I would ever have sex with someone just because.
Get real, Feyona. You're as straitlaced as they come.
I counted to ten and waited for the sound of footsteps to fade. Heaving a sigh of relief, I cracked open the door and peeked out, then glanced at my watch and yelped. Two minutes until the bell. I hoisted my backpack higher on my shoulder and started speed-walking in the direction of my next class. Mr. Belview was a stickler for punctuality, and I didn't want to write a bunch of sentences on how being on time was a virtue.
The energy inside me rumbled again as I sped back around the corner of the hall. I was so focused on getting a grip before walking into class, I plowed smack dab into the exact person I'd been trying to avoid. Linda screeched like the abominable alley cat and went flying, her backpack full of books hitting the back of her head with an audible thunk. I made a face, something between a wince and a grimace.
Bet that hurt.
She gained her feet so fast, I retreated a step before I realized what I was doing.
"Feyona!" she screamed, rage and frustration evident by her balled fists. I was surprised there wasn't steam coming from her ears. I swallowed, but refused to cower to her histrionics.
"Calm down, Linda. It was an accident."
That ball of energy I'd been feeling all day rumbled again, somewhere deep in my innards. I gulped a second time, but it was like trying to swallow powder. My mouth had never felt so dry. Linda's rage was sparking something inside me, something that drove that restless energy to churn harder.
I swayed a little on my feet.
Crap, what's with you, Feyona?
I looked around, eyes widening. I swayed again, before I realized it wasn't me swaying, but the floor shifting beneath me.
What the heck?
Glancing up, my gaze collided with Linda's wide stare. Her face was pale as she gaped at me. The floor shifted again, and the hallway walls started vibrating.
Oh boy. This was bad. Very bad.
I felt the energy that had been winding me up for weeks crackle inside my body, and the walls around us shook harder. The ground beneath my feet bucked and roiled, and Linda was thrown backward, landing with a grunt a few feet away. I screamed as the tile between my feet split apart, a crack appearing through the concrete and shooting down the length of the hallway.
A matching crack manifested along the ceiling as plaster and drywall plumed around me and tiny rocks shot everywhere. I heaved myself to the side of the hall, away from the opening in the ground, and everything stopped, just as suddenly as it started.
No more shaking, or rumbling, or cracking. Total silence, bits of plaster floating in the air, before absolute mayhem broke out. Students poured out of classrooms up and down the hall, screaming warnings at each other. A couple of students scrambled for their footing, almost tripping through the gap in the floor. Thankfully, the fissure wasn't terribly deep.
Teachers shouted as legs clad in high socks or trousers flashed all around me. Through it all, I stared across that divide at Linda, my heart thundering, drywall dust coating my throat like chalk. She was propped up on one elbow, glaring back at me, mute.
"At least you're not screeching anymore," I muttered under my breath.
But her eyes said it all. She was staring at me in fear and disbelief. I shook my head slowly, as if to deny her silent accusation. It was complete insanity. She was the crazy one, not me.
There was no way this happened because of me. I didn't do this.
I glanced around and leaned forward to spit dust from my mouth, when sudden clarity hit. I felt better now. I sat for a minute, not sure why I felt better exactly. Then I realized what was different.
That restless energy that had been roiling around in my gut for weeks.
It was gone.