Chapter 3

The double lesson is only two hours long but it drags on for what feels like fifteen. Rain can’t focus on the dull, monotone voice of the historian as he holds up a crude plastic model of King Harold’s head with an arrow sticking out of it. All he can think about is this strange new girl sitting next to him. Someone else who actually knows what it’s like to have the world think you’re a monster. As the pealing of the school bell cuts it’s way through everyone’s daydreams, Mr Braxton waves a lazy hand at the whiteboard, indicating that they should copy the homework task he’s scribbled down. The room empties quickly, with Gregory aiming one last paper aeroplane at Rain’s head before he leaves, and Rain finds that he and Kali Sherman are the only ones left with Braxton.

“Remember what I said, young lady.” He says sternly, plonking himself down at his desk and opening an enormous bar of fruit-and-nut chocolate, “Violence is not the answer.” He sounds a lot like the hideously embarrassing anti-bullying video that Rain and Zoe were forced to film for PSHE last year.

"Yeah, yeah, sure.” Kali mutters, with all of her fingers crossed behind her back. She hoists her bag onto her shoulder, her bird-skull clip glinting in the glare of the strip lights, and vaults over a barricade of battered chairs someone decided to build across the middle of the room whilst the documentary was playing. “See ya.” She looks as though she might say something more, but then her phone rings loudly in her pocket. “What is it, Jason? No, I’m fine…” her voice fades as she leaves the room. Rain hastily scrawls the homework task onto the nearest piece of paper he can find, and heads for the door, stumbling over the chairs in his haste. Mr Braxton lets out an unpleasant snort of laughter, and stifles it with his chocolate bar. When Rain steps out into the corridor, Kali has already vanished. Frowning, he shoulders his bag, and heads down the stairs, trying his best to ignore the judging eyes that bore into him from every direction. He’s almost made it back to his locker, when a hand shoots out from the crowd and grabs his arm in a fierce grip. Rain finds himself face-to-face with the furious pale green eyes that haunt his nightmares.

“Rain.” Lester growls, sounding for all the world like he’s actually going to murder him right there in the corridor. “You think you’ve got away with this, don’t you? Just ‘cause the police believe you? But I know, Rain. I know what you did.”

"I didn’t do anything!” Rain snaps, trying to pull his arm away so he can make a run for it. “She fell in the water, by accident. Is that really so hard to understand?”

"Why should I believe you? You had blood on your hands and it wasn’t yours!” Lester looks deranged as he shakes Rain viciously by the arm. One of his eyes is bloodshot, red veins snaking across it like twisted tree roots. Desperation is beginning to kick in, and Rain’s voice comes out an octave higher than it usually is.

“I tried to tell you, Lester, she cut her hand when she fell through the railing! That’s why I couldn’t help her back up! Her hands were covered in blood!”

Lester’s grips tightens, his nails digging into Rain’s arm like the claws of some wild beast. Rain heart is raging so fast he can feel it thrumming in his throat. He’s actually going to kill me. “For all I know she’s under your garden patio!” Lester roars, “The police never found her, did they?!” The crowd around them is thickening, watching like a pack of wolves hungry for a fight, and Ivita isn’t the only one filming.

"Punch him Lester!” Someone yells above the raucous throng of people. Gregory. Of course it’s Gregory. Rain has just enough time to think about how much he despises Gregory bloody Fletcher, before Lester’s fist comes flying towards his face.

***

“Ouch.” Kali winces. “That looks bad.” She says it somewhat matter-of-factly, but it’s the most sympathy he’s got all day and he’s grateful for it. He’s also grateful that someone else has finally showed up outside maths, because as much as he hates the other students, facing Mrs Wright alone is a terrifying prospect. He’d rather spend the whole day with Braxton and his budget documentaries. Being new, Kali wouldn’t know that their maths teacher is somewhat of a demon from the darkest depths of Hell. She’s staring at his black eye with a sort of morbid curiosity, like someone looking at a dead cat on the road. Rain reels about as great as a squished cat, because Lester really knows how to throw a punch. He wonders how much worse it would’ve been if a teacher hadn’t leapt into the scene and dragged Lester off to isolation. Then he decides he doesn’t want to think about it.

"Why’d he punch you?” Kali’s question makes him jump.

"Same reason everyone else hates me.” He mutters, “They think I killed someone, but I swear I didn’t.” Before he can continue trying to get just one person on his side, a sharp voice cuts across him.

"Hey! New girl!” Ivita is marching purposefully across the corridor, with her phone outstretched as normal, and a steely frown on her face. She stops beside them, “Your thoughts on this?” She gestures to Rain, “You know, the whole murder case? You seem to be interested in him, so maybe you know something?” Ivita looks expectant, as though she really thinks Kali’s about to reveal some elaborately detailed murder plan.

"I don’t know anything, except that you can get that phone out of my face, and shove it where the sun don’t shine.” Kali smiles sweetly, and waves a hand in Ivita’s face. “Bye.”

Ivita stares at her, gaping. “What did you just say?”

"I think you heard me.” Ivita’s burnt-caramel eyes narrow to slits, and for a moment Rain worries that another fight is about to erupt. But then she turns on her heel and stomps away, calling over her shoulder, "I've got that on recording!” Kali merely shrugs and starts picking at her thumbnail again.

"These people are seriously messed up.” She mutters to Rain, as Ivita disappears around the corner. He can’t help feeling a small glimmer of satisfaction that he’s not included as one of ‘these people’.