Randy Russell - Dead Rules

Dead Rules

RANDY RUSSELL

THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED TO
STEPHANIE MACLEAN, WHO GAVE ME WINGS .

Contents

JANA HAD THE JITTERS.

It was her first day at her new school and everyone on the bus looked distinctly peculiar. She felt her face with both hands to be certain she wasnt dreaming. The inside of her mouth tasted like strawberries. She didnt remember eating breakfast.

Her hands lingered upon her face. Her fingers felt cool.

Its the back of your head, the girl sitting next to her said. Not your face.

Whats that?

Your hairs messed up in back. Did you fall down?

I guess I did, Jana said. She was beginning to remember.

Im Arva Davis. The girl choked out her name in a harsh whisper.

Jana Webster.

Of Webster and Haynes , Jana wanted to add, but didnt. Everyone at her new school would soon learn that Jana wasnt alone in this world.

Oh, I know. Were roommates. Im here to help with your orientation, first day and all.

If Arva was trying to be cheerful, it was difficult to tell. She spoke in a strained whisper, like the bad guy in a movie after hes been shot.

Theres a school guidebook in the library, Arva said. But if you have any questions, you can just ask me.

Jana gazed out the window. The houses on the street seemed to slide by, as if they were moving instead of the bus. It wasnt a street she had seen before.

Wheres Michael? Jana asked. It was the most important question she had.

Which one?

My boyfriend. Michael Haynes. Were never apart.

They were famous at her school for being together, for being a couple. Jana felt undressed without him. With Michael, she was the perfectly content Jana, the confident and talented Jana. Without him, she fidgeted.

Hes at your old school, I guess. Are you feeling homesick? Everybody does at first.

Something was stuck in Arvas throat, Jana decided. Nobody could talk like that on purpose. Jana wanted to pound Arva on the back until her voice turned normal.

He wont leave me here alone, Jana said. Hell be waiting for me in the parking lot when we get there.

Closed campus, Arva said. No visitors.

Jana turned around in her seat to look out the back window of the school bus. Michael was probably following in his car. He couldnt live without her.

The students in the seats behind her stared at Jana. There was something odd about every one of them. Even the cute guy sprawled out in the backseat of the bus looked a little crazy. He smiled at her.

He had beautiful blue eyes and perfectly arched dark eyebrows, but Jana knew his kind with one glance. Every school had them. They acted tough and talked dirty. Michael could scare them off with a wave of his hand. So could Jana.

She held up the back of her left hand to the boy at the rear of the bus, the hand with Michaels white-gold senior-class ring on it. Jana waved her fingers at herself.

The boy at the back of the bus nodded and grinned. Then flipped her the bird. A tall guy with his leg stuck out across the aisle laughed.

Jana turned around in her seat.

Dont look at them, Arva warned her. The guys at the back are Sliders. Theyre dangerous. Theyll get you into real trouble. Thats all theyre good for.

Janas new roommate sounded like a frog trying to talk.

If I strangle you right now as hard as I can, will you quit talking like that? Jana asked.

Arva giggled. It sounded like car brakes squeaking.

Jana looked for her cell phone and noticed her clothes. They were the same clothes that Arva wore: a pleated plaid skirt of dark greens and a white button-down blouse with a mans collar. Knee socks and black loafers. These werent clothes shed owned before. Ever.

They didnt smell like her clothes. They didnt smell like her fabric softener or like her perfumethe one Michael had given her for Valentines Day. Jana wrinkled her nose. Her new clothes smelled like Ivory soap. And so did she.

She slid her bottom forward in the bus seat and checked her new clothes for pockets. There was one on each side of the thick cotton skirt. Both were empty. She checked the top of her socks.

Are you looking for cigarettes? Arva asked.

Jana shook her head. Cell, she said. I need to text Michael. He would meet her wherever she said. Whenever she said. He would leave class if he had to.

Cant, Arva told her. Cell phones dont work here. Not on the bus, not at school, not in the dorm.

Oh, Jana said. Really? That cant be true.

Her white blouse had a chest pocket. It was empty.

Definitely true, Arva said. If you had one on you when you came here, it will be back in the dorm with the clothes you were wearing, but it wont work here. Theres no signal.

Purse? Jana asked, startled that she might have lost so many things by transferring to the new school. Not the least of which was Michael. Where are my books? My laptop?

Purses and bags are not allowed on campus. Your books and notebooks for each class will be at your seat when you get there. You just leave them where they are and then they will be in the dorm room when school is over. Its one of the things they do. And theres a computer in the dorm room, but you wont like it.

Jana didnt care whether she liked the computer. Email would save her life. Shed just have to wait.

What time do we go home? Jana asked, her thoughts shifting.

Arva laughed again. Or at least Jana interpreted the two harsh squeaks as a laugh.

Its a boarding school, of course, Arva said. Youll get out for a funeral and field trips, things like that.

Jana looked out the window again.

Nothing made sense, really. No one should be plopped down in a new school in the middle of the year. Especially not her junior year when she was dating a senior. Jana touched the back of her hair. It felt messy. Her brush was in her purse, wherever that was.

Were almost there, Arva told her. Well be in homeroom together. But if you have any more questions, you should ask them now. When I talk in class, they know its me.

Jana was puzzled by a girl who sat at the front of the bus. Everyone else wore school uniforms. She wore a shimmering white gown. It looked like satin.

Okay, then, Jana said. The girl in white. Whats her story? Is she in a cult or something?

Shhh. Arva held her finger to her lips. Dont make fun.

Im not making fun, Jana said. She just looks so pale. Except for her lips and eyes, shes the same color as her dress.

I know. Its like you can see right through their skin. Shes a Virgin. Theyre diaphanous. Ethereal.

Why is she wearing a gown? Is she in the choir or something?

Sort of, Arva said. Virgins sing. Otherwise, they dont do much at school. They arent in classes with the rest of us. Theyre not allowed to talk to us either. Theyre almost angels.

How do you get to be one? Jana asked. She wouldnt mind skipping class for a year and a half.

A Virgin? Arva grinned. Think it through. You start out as one.

Well, crap, then. Im a virgin!

Arva shook her head slowly, looking directly into Janas eyes. Fingers count, she said.

Jana stared at her new classmate in disbelief. That wasnt fair. Youve either had intercourse or you havent. Jana and Michael hadnt. Theyd made a unanimous decision not to. They were going to, but not yet. Jana was almost an angel too. Almost.

Anything else? Arva asked.

Jana shook her head.

You want to know his name, dont you?

Whose name?

That guy in the backseat. Hes beautiful, really. I look at him all the time when its safe. But dont let him see you doing it. He has a smile that can melt the buttons off your blouse.