I was stuffed, but my plate was still half- full. Father
told me I needed to eat it all so I could start the day off on the
right foot. I didn't think vomiting would be the way to do
that.
I dressed in my usual attire—black boots, black
jeans, a black tank top, and my black hoodie. Keira and I had
decided that we would see how the other kids were dressed first and
then we'd adjust our wardrobes. I slid my new backpack on my
shoulders. I'd never had use for one before. I grabbed the duffel
bag filled with things I had packed and went downstairs.
We stood at the pantry/transporting chamber.
Father handed us each an envelope filled with money for various
expenses. It was American money, a different currency from the
silver coins we used in Nowhere. Bram's wad was twice as large as
Dorian's and mine. He would be in charge of keeping the house
stocked with food and other necessities.
We loaded our things into the chamber before
giving Father a final hug. He gave me an extra kiss on the top of
my head. "Take care of them," he said to Bram as the door of the
chamber slid shut.
We began to move up like in an elevator. Doyle
had said there would be a vehicle waiting for us. I'd told him that
none of us knew how to operate a vehicle, but Bram had insisted
that he did.
The chamber opened up to a forest clearing.
There was nothing but trees and a black SUV, a nice one with
black-tinted windows. It was big enough to carry us and all of our
things. The trees formed a nice shaded canopy over us. I was happy
for that. The human world was much too bright for a Grim's
eyes.
"Nice!" Bram said as we carried our bags toward
it. The doors were unlocked. We threw our duffle bags in the back
compartment. I climbed into the passenger seat. Bram slid in front
of the steering wheel, where the keys sat in the
ignition.
Dorian got in the middle row. "Bram, don't
wreck this thing, okay?"
"Relax. I know what I'm doing."
But he didn't. It took him a while to start the
car and get it out of park. We lurched forward. Bram slammed on the
brakes and I almost hit my head on the dashboard, prompting me to
pull the seatbelt around my waist. I wasn't so much worried about
us, but I didn't want Bram wrecking our only source of
transportation.
We rode like this for what seemed like a long
time. I began to feel sick. Bram made sharp turns and slammed on
the brakes the entire time. A little box connected to the dashboard
told us how to get to Kennedy High.
Finally, we pulled in front of a huge
red-bricked building that had several other buildings behind it.
There were kids walking toward the school in all directions.
Someone honked a horn behind us.
"All right, all right," Bram muttered. He
pulled into the place where the other cars were parked. He turned
into an empty space, put the car in park, and turned off the
ignition. The finality of that made my stomach drop.
Bram smiled at me and Dorian. "All right,
Grims. Let’s get this show on the road."
The three of us left the SUV and moaned as we
reached for our shades. The brightness burned my eyes terribly. I
looked at Dorian. He looked terrified. I patted him on the back as
we followed Bram toward the building.
Bram walked ahead of us with confidence. He
turned to us, walking backward. "Just think. Any day now, this
place is going to be the sight of an epic massacre."
Stay tuned for Part 2 of
Naomi Grim: The Silver Scythe Chronicles
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