LUNCH TOGETHER

After the classes were over, Oliver rushed to my desk to hug me and I hugged him back. We didn't have English so I didn't have to be uncomfortable during the classes.

"I had been waiting for you for a long time. I'm glad you're here. Are you okay? Does it hurt anywhere?" he asked me without stopping.

"I'm fine don't worry."

This is the first time since I got here that that statement is true; I am fine.

"But you slept throughout the day and you had a fever. I was so worried I didn't even sleep, I even looked up...." he kept quiet after that because he remembered that no one was allowed to use a phone so if anyone heard him he would be in trouble and he'd just get me in trouble,"....some diseases in the books from the library."

I smiled at him for his quick lie because everyone was looking at us as if they knew about us carrying our cell phones. He moved closer to me and said in a whisper,

"I even forgot to give you yours."

"How are you even planning to do that? What about the search on Thursday?" I whispered to him.

"You hand it back to me Wednesday evening after prep and I'll hide them." he said stretching out his hands like he was trying to implant an image of the hiding spot into my mind.

He sounds so confident about his plan like he might never get caught but with the creeps that roam around the school grounds, I highly doubt our secret will remain a secret for a very long time.

"Come on let me take you to the cafeteria. You haven't been there right?" he said as he grabbed my arm, making me walk, then he stopped walking suddenly,"As a matter of fact, you haven't eaten since you came here."

That shocked me as well. I don't think I've eaten since I arrived here. This must be the longest that I've ever gone without having anything to eat. At that very moment I heard my tummy rumble and Oliver looked at me with concern. He helped me walk and complained the whole way about how the school was not taking care of its students, particularly me.

"Relax. Don't worry. I don't think I've felt hungry ever since I came here."

"It doesn't matter if you're hungry or not they should have forced you to eat something." "Maybe they gave me something while I was asleep."

"I don't trust those people. I'll make sure you get a lot of food."

"How are you going to do that? Aren't the food rations always constant."

"Not for people like me." he said and smirked,"You'll also be treated with special care."

"What do you mean?" Is it Maria or Markus?"

Alone, Ollie ain't important so it must be those two.

"I don't talk to Maria so it's obviously Markus."

"Oh I see. What kind of special treatment are you talking about anyway?"

"We can switch tables with the people we want and get the food we want. I asked him to get us to sit at the same table the only problem is that we are with Elise and Maria."

"But I thought you can't switch tables....like during prep. What if we get into trouble."

"It seems Markus is not much of a good boy as we thought he was." Oliver laughed.

"Meaning?"

"Meaning he bribes them with cash. Apparently his parents bring him some money every Christmas as a present because they are oblivious to the fact that the students don't leave the school and hence don't need the money so he uses it and sometimes even pays some of the workers to get him stuff from outside."

My mind is officially blown! I honestly did not expect that Markus would be the type of guy to do that but...I like a guy who can live dangerously. I do not know what path we took but soon we came to a more lively a building that stood out from the other gothic looking buildings. It was more modern and so it seemed to be the odd one out and I think it's better this way. I don't think I want to know what medieval lunchrooms looked like. The first person my eyes fell on was Markus who had a bright and childish smile on his face as he looked at me. He got up from the chair he had been sitting in and came towards Oliver and I.

"You came." he said with a little excitement and a little breathlessness.

"Yeah. I'm here." I answered smiling back at him.

"I forgot to tell you something." he said seriously even though he was still smiling and my smile faded.

"What is it?" Oliver asked impatiently because Marcus was taking his time.

"You do not use slang on school premises unless, of course, it's Christmas. Words like yeah, bruh, dude, yo, thanks and the like will land you in the detention room with Ms Heathers so that she can teach you 'real English', as they refer to it." Markus explained. "Ms Heathers is not that bad." Oliver said waving his hand in front of him.

If he knew what I knew then he'd also be as uncomfortable as I am at the thought of having to spend time alone with her to be taught. My question is, how a dead girl is now a teacher and her best friend or 'alias best friend' is still a student. Whatever the answer is I do not want to find out today before I eat. In fact, I never want to find out because I am enjoying the peace right now the peace of being a normal teenager again or at least a would be teenager.

"What do you like to eat?" Markus asked me.

"I eat anything as long as it doesn't look slimy, has no mushrooms or mayo and stuff like that. Just.....nothing slimy."

"You should also stop cutting your words. If you want to say mayonnaise say mayonnaise. Got it?"

"Okay." I responded in a whisper.

"Good."

Markus left Oliver and I standing with shock apparent in our eyes. I don't even know when we got in but we are inside. Oliver led me to our designated table where I saw Maria and Elise glaring at each other. I guess the fight over Oliver is still going on between the girls. I do not know why Oliver pushed away Maria but did not push away Elise but whatever his reason is, it's none of my business; I do not approve of any one of these girls to be my future sister-in-law...if they even have futures. The one I highly doubt has a future is Elise because she has been here overdue. For all I know she might just be dead which might make sense as to why she is not aging but it doesn't make sense as to why none of the teachers know that she is dead. It doesn't look like the school changes it's staff very often so everyone must know who Elise is. That's why they all seem to respect her, isn't it?

I sat down next to Oliver while there was an empty seat on my left that I'm sure Markus will come and take. We waited in silence while Oliver kept looking at the girls in the lunchroom and even waving at some of them. He must have grown wings or something to be brazen enough to do that in public in front of the head girl and the punisher. I slapped his shoulder to get his attention so that I would make him stop waving at the girls and he turned to face me with an innocent expression on his face like he had done nothing. I frowned at him and he looked down in shame.

"Sorry." he said then he put his hand down.

At the same time, Markus came back to the table with two plates that had the same food.

"I thought I would get you my favorite. It's not slimy, no mayonnaise and definitely no mushrooms." he said smiling down at me.

"What about me?" Oliver said looking at the two plates that had been placed on the table. "What do you mean? Are you the one who is sick? You can walk so just go and get your own food." Markus said as he pulled out his chair further to sit down.

"How rude Mr Head boy. I will make sure you'll never marry my sister for this." Oliver complained as he went to grab Markus.

Markus frowned at Oliver's words and so did I unconsciously but when I realized what I was doing I completely schooled my expression to turn it passive.

"I already saw you." Elise said addressing me.

I looked away and watched as Oliver left dragging along Markus with him and then it was just us girls at the table.

"What food does Oliver like?" Maria asked moving her chair closer.

I noticed how Elise rolled her eyes because of Maria but I could tell she was also listening.

"He eats practically everything, his favorite... from the last time I checked is pizza if not pizza then it's just plain vanilla ice cream; if that counts as food. But that's what he likes." I said and I saw them nod.

"With my power in this school I can get him ice cream easily and pizza as well." Maria boasted to make Elise feel inferior but Elise just chuckled dryly.

"Don't forget you're beneath me Maria." Elise said while Maria frowned but she did not say anything probably because it is true.

I do not know how the hierarchy in this place works but it seems to me that Elise is second only to the head mistress herself.