The Girl With Metal Claws

Invisible

NISH

The booming alarm clock sounded horribly loud.

Nish rolled to the other side of the bed and waited for the noise to stop. But when it didn't, she sat up and tapped it off. She felt dizzy and her head was throbbing with pain.

She recollected the things she had done the last day but she had no memory. She doesn't even smell any alcohol on her or anything that would prove her partying. She had no reason to.

She fished for her phone and stared at it till her eyes settled on the numerous texts. Her eyes widened as she jumped off of the bed. The school was reopening and she had no idea.

Just what did she do the whole day before?

"Where are you?"

"I'm in the basement. No one's here."

"Are you coming?"

Elliott had left her some texts but no one else. She walked out of her room and entered the hall. Nish stopped in front of the empty living room, staring at it. She shook her head, she still wasn't used to it.

The kitchen sink was overflowing with dirty utensils and the fridge was empty. Takeout sandwich again, Nish thought and sighed.

It hasn't been long since her huge family of seven have been deported abroad and the huge house they'd left behind for Nish, was too suffocating.

Nish wished she could've been where her family was. She didn't like the feeling of being alone. But if it wasn't for her scholarship she had worked too hard for, she would've left. It wasn't like there was much keeping her in Wellspring.

The city was bad news and rat holes. Either way, it didn't matter.

~

"I heard Mr Morgan already found out who was behind everything that happened," someone said from some rows behind Nish.

"I think it's that girl again," another said, "the girl who stole the question papers and sold them outside school."

"I think so too," concluded the conversation.

As everyone sat, holding on to the chairs of the auditorium and waiting for Mr Morgan to break the silence, Nish noticed Meraki walk into the area. She had a dazed look on her face and she dragged everyone's attention. It was to be expected because she had been at the top of Ellesmore's popularity chart and now she had hit rock bottom.

Nish wouldn't exactly call her a bully but Meraki looked like a person who scared people for fun. And she used to always hang out with Sandra Kennedy and her sidekicks.

As she watched Meraki take a seat a few rows ahead of her, Nish picked up her things and quickly occupied the seat beside Meraki's.

Eyes never left Meraki, eyes never fell on Nish. Their powers defined them. Hers was flashy and a spotlight stealer which Nish's matched herself, invisibility.

"Hi," Nish said, whispering.

Silence.

"I thought we had more than just a basement friendship?" Nish pointed out. She looked at Meraki with a hurt gaze.

"Don't talk about the basement outside the basement," Meraki quietly replied.

"Hmm, do you think we'll get caught?" She asked, quietly.

"Don't associate me with this," Meraki snapped back, a little hesitant.

"We literally saved you. What do you mean "don't associate me"?" Nish asked. Just then, the door opened once again and Nish saw Isis enter. She had a similar dazed expression like she had just woken up from sleep.

Isis walked up the rows till her eyes fell on Meraki and Nish watching her. Her eyes trailed on the empty seat beside them and she looked back up at them. Nish was just about to call her to join them when the faintest hint of a smile slipped on Isis's lips and then she walked away.

Nish frowned at her ignorance.

"Be like her. She's the last person I'm worried about who'd expose us all," Meraki said, nodding her head. Nish understood what she was trying to say as she looked around. People were glancing at the both of them and murmuring. Definitely, this sudden friendship between two outcasts was quite suspicious.

"Can't, she's too boring." Nish huffed.

Soon Mr Morgan, the principal, climbed up the stage and stood in front of the mic. He cleared his throat loudly and the speakers exaggerated the tone till everyone felt their ears numbed. He began the announcement.

"Almost every one of you is aware of what happened a week ago. It's not a surprise that some from this school are responsible for the invasion. And it's not a secret that the culprits might go to jail for this offence," Mr Morgan said. The auditorium erupted in murmurs and sceptical glances.

Nish felt her gut wrench in the sudden fear build-up. But when she looked over at Meraki, she found her almost dozing off.

"Did you go to the basement yesterday?" Nish asked. Meraki shook her head side by side. "Then, what did you do all day?"

"Stop talking," Meraki muttered under her breath.

"Tell me!" Nish insisted.

"Fine! I.. don't remember, okay?" She confessed. Nish frowned at how similar it was to her situation. How did they just skip a whole day and coincidentally, together?

"So, from today onwards, everyone needs to come to school every single day because the investigation will be going on. The wrongdoers won't be spared. Dismissed!" Mr Morgan strode off the stage and out of the auditorium while his voice still boomed in the room, loud and clear.

~

Nish sat in the cafeteria, eating another club Sandwich. She felt deprived of healthy food but it was her laziness that wouldn't get her out of bed on time.

Suddenly, someone rashly walked past Nish's table. His hand accidentally hit the bitter chocolate shake she had bought and it spilt on the floor. She got up and stared at the guy.

"I.. am so sorry! I just... I wasn't paying attention." The guy faltered, not knowing how to handle the situation.

Nish deliberately tilted her head to look at the guy's face. He had side-parted blonde hair with a tanned skin tone. His eyes were round and light brown and he smiled generously while apologizing to the cleaner who had come over to do their job.

Nish found herself smiling a little. She never knew Keith Stefansson was on the softer side.

"It's... it's okay. Don't worry about it." Nish said, gathering up the rest of her food to throw it away. She felt like she was flattering herself with some stranger's weird smile.

"Hey, wait!" Keith called out from behind and grabbed her arm to stop her. Immediately, he left her arm when he realised what he had done. "Sh*t, I'm sorry. I just feel guilty."

"It's fine, really. I wasn't planning on drinking it anyway. It tastes.. bad." Nish smiled at him. He stared at her for a few seconds and before it got awkward, he spoke again.

"Let me buy you one," he offered. Nish worked a little too hard to maintain eye contact. "I insist."

~

Somehow, Nish was sitting at her table once again. She kept glancing at Keith while he stood at the canteen counter. He always wore a smile.

In a minute, he came over to her table and placed a beige-coloured packed drink in front of her. To her surprise, he took the seat in front of her with his food.

"That's the drink I'd recommend," Keith said. His eyes looked enthusiastic as he leaned in and spoke in a whisper, "It's the best."

"Thanks," Nish smiled and picked up the drink. She pierced it, inserted the straw and took a long sip.

The taste settled in her mouth and escalated quickly. It went from a sweet peachy drink to orange cough syrup in a second. Nish felt her taste glands turn bitter. She saw Keith's expectant eyes waiting for a reaction and she seized herself from wincing.

She quickly gobbled it down and started chuckling like a maniac. She wanted to get the feeling of puking off of her system.

"Woah, haha," Nish nodded frantically, "it's too good. You drink this every day?"

"Yes! I do weightlifting and stuff so I need some protein in my system." He looked content as he spoke. It seemed like Nish was the first person who said she liked the protein shake.

"So.. don't you have to go back to your friends?" Nish asked, looking back at the cafeteria. Almost half of the people stared back at her.

"No it's fine," he said. He liked maintaining long eye contact and Nish couldn't do that. Not when she realised she was sitting with the school's popular guy.

Nish was already known for humiliating herself while dealing with Harold. She remembered, that after she proposed to Harold in front of the whole cafeteria, he poured a milkshake all over her and stuck a sticky note with "loser" written on it on her forehead. The things he said were worse. She shook her head.

"You okay?" Keith asked, concerned.

"Yeah," Nish glanced at Keith once and got up to go. "I should leave. Thanks for the drink."

Before he could object again, Nish was quick on her feet and she left. She knew it was better to be away from being the centre of attention. Not with the powers she had.

~

Nish found her mind wandering around what happened in the cafeteria and Keith's effortless smile. Was he always that charming, she thought?

After her classes, she spotted Meraki coming out of the library. Nish sprinted to her and blocked her way.

"Let's go together," she said, beaming at her.

"No?" Meraki gave her a confused look.

"We're headed to the same destination and.. you have a car!" Nish said, trying to save a little money. It was very tough to find rich people in Wellspring and not everyone was the Mayor's right-hand's daughter like Meraki.

"I'm.. not going there today," she said. She looked a little puzzled.

"Oh..", Nish backed up a little.

"Let's not drag too much attention," Meraki said, walking past her. As she left, Nish's eyes shifted over her shoulder and she spotted Keith again.

He was standing with his friends but his eyes were on Nish. She wavered but before she planned to ignore his existence, she saw him waving in her direction.

Nish stood with an idiotic gaze on her face as she tried to figure out if it was her who he was calling out to. She spaced out completely.

That's when Keith ran up and stood in front of her.

"You okay?" He asked, with his similar concerned gaze. Nish kept watching him with a tilted head.

"Yeah," she said.

"Look, this may come out a little strange but.. are you free.. later?" Keith stuttered while he spoke. He scratched the back of his neck.

"Um-", Nish realised she had nothing to do now that the basement was out of the way for the day, "yes, I am."

"Then... Do you wanna grab some food?" He beamed.