Iridescence

CHAPTER TWO

ELIZA

This wasn't the first time I'd woken up to the sound of my parents arguing. It was happening entirely too much lately, to be perfectly honest. I sighed and looked at my cell phone. It was four in the morning. My alarm would be going off in two hours, but I knew I wouldn't be able to fall back asleep.

I pulled out my laptop and put on my headphones. I selected one of my angrier classical music playlists and blasted it, hoping to drown them out. Then I logged on to OurPlace, the most popular social media site currently sweeping my generation. I wasn't really one for posting photos of my meals or discussing every time I brushed my teeth online. In fact, I was a very private person, and being as shy as I was, I only had six friends on the site. Two were my parents, one was my piano teacher, and one was my best friend, Krissy. The other two friends I had were the founder of the site, who friended everyone, and Krissy's aunt, Abby.

Are you awake? I messaged Krissy.

Usually, she sent back immediately. Krissy hardly ever slept, except occasionally during class.

They're at it again.

That sucks. Want to come over?

Okay. I didn't hesitate. I quickly packed my backpack and threw in a change of clothes. I don't usually walk around in my pajamas in public, but Krissy lived next-door to me and we'd been doing this for the last four years, ever since she and Abby moved in.

Krissy opened her front door. She was wearing fuzzy socks and monkey pajamas, and her blonde hair was especially unkempt this morning.

"Nightmares?" I asked with concern. Krissy and her parents had been in a car accident right before she and Abby moved in. Krissy had somehow escaped from it. No one was sure how, especially since they'd found her back by the broken guardrail, unharmed but soaking wet. Her parents, however, hadn't been as lucky. That was why she lived with Abby now. It was also why Krissy didn't sleep much. She'd been prone to severe flashbacks of the crash in her nightmares.

"Yeah. It's no big deal," Krissy insisted.

I hugged her. "Are you okay?"

"Always." She flashed me her bravest smile. "So, wanna watch me kick some alien butt in my new video game?"

I allowed the change of subject. "Sure," I said, welcoming any distraction. Video games weren't my thing, but listening to Krissy's commentary as she played was never dull.

When it was time to get ready for school, Krissy sent me to shower first. Afterward, I felt slightly better. I headed downstairs and found her sitting in the kitchen with Abby, who was making an omelette.

"Morning, Liz," she greeted me, brushing some of her strawberry-blonde hair out of her face. Krissy had nicknamed me Liz upon meeting me, deciding it was quicker than Eliza. Most people used my given name, but Krissy and Abby almost never did. I didn't mind. It made me feel like part of their family.

"Hi, Abby," I said. "Sorry for stopping by unannounced."

"Please. You know our house is your house. You're always welcome, day or night." She cursed as her omelette fell apart. "Ugh. Cereal?" She asked.

I laughed. This happened pretty much every time I came over. Abby couldn't cook to save her life, but that didn't ever stop her from trying. She usually ended up ordering take-out by the end of it, but breakfast generally tended to be cereal of some sort.

"Sure, thanks," I replied.

She poured me a bowl of my favorite. Krissy made herself some coffee. My parents would never have allowed me to drink coffee in front of them. They didn't even tolerate soda most of the time, but I drank it when I was away from the house. Krissy, on the other hand, lived for caffeine and was constantly dragging me to coffee shops when we were out. I swear, she had more caffeine in her body than blood. Abby didn't seem to mind, probably because she also lived on caffeine. It was a miracle she didn't vibrate with how much she consumed on a daily basis.

"Want a lift to school?" Abby asked.

"No thanks. We'll walk," Krissy replied.

We finished breakfast. Krissy went to take a shower while I sat with Abby. We talked about her latest art project, which she showed me. I had admired Abby's talent since the day I met her. This painting made me feel something, although I wasn't quite sure what it was.

"It's beautiful," I said. There were so many colors that it was nearly overwhelming, but in a good way. Some of them were subtly different from the others, a shade or two darker here and there. The overall effect was very moving.

"Thanks. It took me six weeks to get this far... I think it's almost done," Abby replied.

Krissy came downstairs still soaking wet and fully dressed. "We're gonna be late. Let's go," she said.

I said goodbye to Abby and followed Krissy out the door. "You could have dried off if you let Abby drive us," I pointed out.

"I feel like we're supposed to walk today," Krissy replied. "That sounds ridiculous, but I trust my instincts. The last time they were this pushy, I met you."

I was the first friend Krissy made in the City. We both lived in Queens, but no one in our neighborhood really talked to their neighbors. New York's like that in certain places. We all lived on top of each other, but no one actually knew anyone. It could be a lonely city at times.

I followed her lead. We waited for the bus for a few minutes before I heard something faint. It was as if the wind had carried the sound to my ears. This wasn't the first time that had happened. Sometime, it seemed like the air itself spoke to me. I know that sounds crazy. Believe me, I'd considered whether or not to seek help for some sort of mental illness the first time it happened, but now, it seemed almost normal. It started when Krissy moved in, and I'd gotten used to it.

"Follow me," I said softly.

Krissy looked confused, but she did as I asked. We headed toward the sound only I could hear. Then, Krissy heard it, too. "What the hell?" She asked me.

We could hear a struggle. Suddenly, someone let out a scream. Krissy and I exchanged a glance before running toward the alley it was coming from.

We saw one of the neighborhood thugs come running out of the alley. He was the one screaming, and it was fairly obvious why that was... He was on fire.

"That's what you get!" Someone shouted as he fled. The quicker he ran, the more he burned.

Krissy instinctively knocked him to the ground. The flames died down. The kid was suddenly soaking wet, which defied all logic. I was pretty sure Krissy had dried off at least somewhat, so why was the kid soaked? Regardless, he was no longer at risk of burning to death.

The girl who'd shouted after him shrugged as I looked at her in confusion. "He had it coming. I told him to back off," she explained.

I recognized her. It was hard not to. Faith Edwards stood out, even in New York. She was a pretty African-American girl with long hair that changed color frequently. Today, it was lavender, which suited her nicely. She had pierced her septum, as well as her ears (several times over), her tongue, and who knew what else. Her clothes were a mix of punk and gothic styles, and she pulled it off effortlessly.

"We should go," I told Krissy.

"Hey, I'm not the jerk here," Faith said quickly. "The little wannabe thug pulled out a boxcutter and tried to demand I give him my wallet. I told him, 'listen, bro, I need my MetroCard, so I'm gonna have to pass,' but he wasn't having it... So I made like I was going for my wallet, but I pulled out my lighter instead, and this little homeboy must buy cheap knock-offs, because his clothes went up in flames fast. Regardless, he deserved it."

"Right. Well, it was, um... We need to get to school," I replied lamely.

"Don't be so scared, chick. I won't set you on fire."

"That's good, because neither one of us is named Katniss," Krissy replied. She kicked the jerk that had attacked Faith. "Apologize, dude, before she does it again."

"She's crazy!" He protested.

"You're damn right I am," Faith agreed cheerfully. "But I like her idea. Apologize, and you get to walk away. Don't, and I'll find my other lighter and do it again."

"I..." He cursed. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"Did you hear that? I must have something in my ears. What was that, Homeboy?" Faith asked.

"I'm sorry, okay?"

"Try it again and even the fire department won't be able to save you," she replied pleasantly. He took off running.

"So, ladies, you said you're heading to school?" She asked. "Want some company?"

"Sure," Krissy replied with a shrug. I kind of wanted to slap her for that.

"Awesome. I'm Faith. You're Eliza and Kristen, right?"

Krissy wrinkled up her nose in disgust. "Krissy," she corrected her. "No one calls me Kristen except for the occasional teacher who can't take a hint."

"Sorry. Nice to properly meet you ladies. Let's get to class."

That was how I found myself walking into school with Faith Edwards, of all people. She didn't act like it was a big deal, but then again, Faith never seemed to care what people thought. I kind of admired that about her, actually.

We made it down the hall before someone slammed into me and nearly knocked me over. "Jeez, girl, watch where you're going!" Faith said as she steadied me.

I looked up to see who'd bumped into me. I recognized this girl, too. It was Jenna Ramos, the star of pretty much every sports team the school had. She'd been a superstar during our freshman year, and now she was the captain of the girls soccer, basketball, and softball teams. She was also the co-captain of the track team. Apparently, she'd been practicing inside, judging from how hard she'd hit me.

"Sorry," she said quickly. "I was in a rush."

"Clearly," Faith replied. "You okay, Eliza?"

"I'm fine," I said. "It's not a big deal." I was half afraid she'd set the poor girl on fire.

Jenna picked up my French notebook, which I'd dropped. "You're sure?" She asked me.

"Yeah, I'm sure," I reassured her.

She nodded, then took off running again. I noticed she ran by Vanessa Singh, one of the theater kids. Vanessa moved out of her path quickly. She offered me a bright smile as she caught me watching her.

"Does that girl ever walk?" Faith wondered aloud.

"She's late, she's late, for a very important date," Krissy remarked.

"So, what are you girls doing after school? I'll pay for some munchies if you want," Faith said.

"Seriously? I like you," Krissy replied.

"Well, you saw me set a guy on fire and didn't call the cops. I appreciate it."

"He tried to rob you. Anyone would have... Well, maybe not set him on fire, but they would have fought back," Krissy replied.

"Sure," I agreed. I wasn't sure what else to say. Conversation wasn't always my strong suit. Like I said, I was really shy.

We agreed to meet up at the end of the day. When I finally got to my first class, it was a relief. "Eliza, dear, would you mind taking this to the guidance office?" Mrs. Hubbard asked.

"Of course," I replied. "No problem." I took the folder she handed me, as well as the hall pass, and headed to the guidance counselor's office.

When I got inside, the only person there was sitting in the waiting area. She didn't move her head as she lifted her eyes up to glare at me. I recognized her, too.

"Hi, Emily," I said awkwardly. It seemed polite, after all.

Emily Kang didn't answer me. I didn't take offense. The girl hadn't spoken in over a year. She seemed to spend nearly all day every day hanging out in the guidance office. No one knew much about her except that she was weirdly angry all the time and seemed to hate everyone.

Miss Johnson walked into the waiting area. She smiled when she saw me. "Hello, dear," she said, taking the folder from me. "Would you like a cookie?"

"No, thank you," I replied quickly. I wondered if she offered Emily cookies, or if Emily would be offended by such an act.

I headed out of the office, feeling like Emily's eyes were burning a hole into my back. I tried to shake it off as I headed back to class and hoped the rest of my day would be nice and normal.