The Final Trial of Emma Lee
Author's note: This was inspired like most of my writing is inspired: me, being bored and just thinking about "What would happen if..."
Chapter 2She trudged through the hallways, focusing on the lit torches that lighted and lined the corridors. She passed students headed in both directions. Fraying posters for long since forgotten bands and musicians like The Beatles and Janis Joplin and Miley Cyrus lined the walls, a half baked attempt to put some more cheer into the Compound.
Emma turned down a hallway, heading toward her Science and Genetics class. No other students were in that corridor, it appeared she was the first one. Passing one of the bells that the teachers rang to signal the end of glass, Emma jumped as she thought she saw a shadow move underneath the great cavern that was the bell. Taking a deep breath, she assured herself that no one infected with the Cold Fire could be underneath the musical instrument, she peered into its depths.
Seeing nothing but blackness reflected in her eyes, she bravely stuck her hand out into the shadowy bell. Her searching appendage disappeared underneath its enormous bottom, and groped around in darkness. At first, she found nothing but dust, lint, and a pen long since run out of ink. But as she was about to ignore the bell and turn into her classroom, her hand caught on something slightly sharper.
She drew her hand back, frightened. Something cold and sharp had touched her! Emma told herself it wasn't a knife, but her head was imagining a creature with the Cold Fire waiting in the bell, ready to strike. She backed away, and then shut her eyes and thrust her hand underneath the bell again, jabbing down on the sharp item, grabbing it, and pulling it out.
Its cold texture penetrated her hand, and she squeezed it tightly. Her hand didn't feel cut, so she peeked out from under her eyelids at the alloy she now grasped, and laughed out loud.
It was a paper clip. A simple, rustic paper clip. One that was worth at least three extra pens from any teacher in the school. Maybe even a new t-shirt, she thought, glancing down at the one she was wearing. She had gotten a point on her record for not wearing her uniform, but she didn't care that much.
A tap came on her shoulder for the third time today, and for the third time it was Celene. "Why didn't you wait up for me? I just went to the Barter Office to see if I had enough credit for a new pair of shoes." She pointed a sneakered toe. "I was thinking of going brighter, what do you think?"
Emma ignored her, and held out the paper clip. "Look what I just found?"
Celene admired the clip. "I've only seen them on my television, never in real life! I wonder if it'd get me a new pair of shoes?" She put on a puppy dog face as other students began rounding the corner. Not wanting the other students to see what she had found, the paper clip took a one way trip to the inside of her deep, secure pocket.
Emma let all of the other students file in through the stone archway before her. Glancing back at the bell one more time, she wished desperately that someone else would come rounding the corner, telling her this was all a bad dream, that the Cold Fire had never happened, that she should wake up now-
But the only person who came was her teacher, who rang the bell in unison with the other teachers in other corridors, and shoved Emma through the stone archway to begin class, which really put Emma in a sour mood.
Plopping down in her colorful chair, she fingered the cold alloy in her pocket, wondering what she could get for it. Possibly a new shirt, like she had thought before, but that was too easy. Maybe a television, like Celene had? But she could go over to Celene's dorm any time she wanted, and borrow the TV.
No, Emma wanted something different. She gazed out the unpaned window, and admired the sun. The sound of birds came wafting through the air, and the fragrance of the outdoors never matched anything her nose had ever smelled. The views she had seen in old books were what she was really looking for, but for now, gazing out the window in the middle of a boring class would have to do.
A shadow passed over the window, just a quick flash, as if someone was running on the balcony outside. Emma blinked, and it was gone. Shivering in her own skin, she jumped back to class, frightened.