Bonfire of the Vanities: Combust

VI: The Second Semester

"But now it's the second semester

and my angel can't be found."

--Gemini

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

^

Chapter 1

It was Monday morning and the first day back to school after the Christmas break. The brutal events of the first semester--the deaths of her brother, Gage, and the missing Vanity-girl, Sunny Le--had been left behind only to begin the second semester with as much, if not more, dark matter hovering over the entire school and the entire town.

Jill climbed aboard the bus that morning with fear but she was prepared. She had rehearsed like an automaton the thing that Gage had told her during times like these in their youth: Screw your courage up and hold onto it real tight. She also reminded herself of the skill she had learned during her ranked week. Jill had learned to focus her eyes into a laser gaze that she would use to look straight through anyone who tried to tarnish her brother's name and they had better hope that she did not pierce their hearts in the process.

Nikola's warning had not fallen on deaf ears. Jill knew how needlessly cruel her classmates could be, although luckily, she had experienced little of it directly. With the exception of the situation where two of the Vanities G-6 girls had mercilessly insulted Jill and discussed her brother's death as if he was nothing more than a dried-up worm on the sidewalk, Jill had walked the halls of the Joan of Arc High School like an unseen shadow. In this sense, she was one of the lucky ones. Contessah Diego's arrival at their school was a perfect example of the typical Arc welcome process. She had been only a year or two out of the last season of the once highly-rated TV show, Swans, which had made her a young star.

The dramedy had centered on a character played by Trevor Allison Baird who had since appeared as the beautiful damsel in three movies that school year alone. On the show, Contessah Diego played the smart, chubby friend with low self-esteem until the last season when she was far from chubby. She remained a favorite among the viewers for her nontraditional beauty--which is to say, dark hair and eyes--and relatable flaws. That was among the viewers.

When Contessah showed up at Arc, she was the most flamed person in the building. They said she was bankrupt, broke, doing a stint in a nearby five-star drug rehabilitation center. The cheerleaders claimed that she was filming a reality TV show undercover. The most commonly spread idea was that she was trying to get into Independence High. It had been done before. People thought if they showed they weren't trying to weasel their way into Independence by enrolling next door at Arc, they would eventually be able to transfer. Contessah did not do that. She seemed content to stay right where she was and basically acted like a regular kid. Eventually, the comments diminished, Contessah got vained and the haters moved on to someone else. Torturing their fellow students was obligatory at Arc. It was no less than trial by fire.

Jill was ready for all of this. She sank down into her seat on the bus and sighed deeply. She watched the houses pass and she looked far into the distance through the bus window. All the while, her ears were sensitive. She was closely attuned to every sound around her.

Wait--who? she heard.

It was Phillip. He was sitting next to someone Jill could neither see nor hear. This person kept their voice low while Philip saw no need.

Found her where? he practically shouted.

Philip's exclamations seemed to draw others into the conversation. A boy sitting way in the back who didn't normally ride the bus piped up.

You're talking about that girl they found in the woods? Sue Something?

There were less than ten kids riding the bus that morning. Most of them joined the discussion, which amounted to little more than repeating the same details--where she was found, estimates of how long she had been there--and also her crew status and how she had gone from a crew that produced magazines and the school newspaper to the Vanities. Jill could do nothing but listen. They never mentioned Gage. Jill quickly found that she was more interested than apprehensive to hear their thoughts about the tragic turn of events.

Jill was crossing the Elysian Field when the sound of running feet assaulted her ears. She had been turning over in her mind the advice that Nikola had given her the night before, that people would automatically connect Gage to Sunny's death. She had allowed herself to think that might not be true. She was lost in those thoughts before she glanced over her shoulder and saw tall Polus. Jill was surprised to see that he had hair, golden brown baby curls, that gave him an almost friendly appearance. She was also surprised by her own relief that it was not Aaron.

There you are, he said, sounding slightly winded.

Not very impressive for a basketball player, Jill thought. She didn't like the sound of the words, There you are.

She said, Oh, hey Polus.

She turned back around and kept walking.

Jill, you probably want to come with me.

Jill sighed and continued walking. Polus was patient. He walked next to her. She realized that they wouldn't be able to go much further without him giving her a book or something to carry.

What's going on?

They stopped. Jill glanced at Gage's watch. They had five minutes.

Don't worry about the time. They won't take attendance until 15 after or so.

Jill did not repeat her question. She waited and watched Polus as if he had only paused momentarily. He eventually got the hint.

Okay, this is it: Admin is making this a mandatory crew day. Everyone is supposed to get with their crew. Anyone who isn't ranked gets to spend the day in the gym. How does that sound to you?

Jill started walking again. Nikola thought he would pull her back in over a stupid little thing like that? No, she wouldn't let it happen. If she did, it would never end. What was so bad about sitting in the gym anyway?

The closer that Jill came to the row of doors that led inside the school, the slower her steps fell. She could see teachers standing in the foyer with clip boards and students milling around and looking bemused.

Jill, when you hit those doors, they are going to tell you where to go. We're in room 207. There are no classes today.

She stopped and looked worriedly at the tall, pale boy. Why?

He shrugged. It probably has to do with Sunny. They'll debrief us and try to contain us. They'll probably give us some work to do. Hey, Jill, you can quit the crew tomorrow or whenever. That's up to you but it might really be easier for you to be with us today.

Jill thought quickly. If she went with them, she would be spared any chance of hearing what the haters would have to say. She would also be under Nikola's thumb forever, she told herself. Polus said she could quit but it hadn't been so easy so far. Jill took a deep breath. She had only seconds to decide. Polus looked at her expectantly. Kids were floating past the two of them and watching with too much interest, having no idea that they would have their own concerns soon.

In the end, she chose her brother, as she always would. She followed Polus, who made a point of walking ahead of her, to room 207.

^

Chapter 2

Inside room 207, Jill saw that everyone was there. Everyone. That was a first. She anticipated hopefully that it would also be the last. It was odd that everyone had arrived to the school so early, as if they had known in advance what would happen and had planned accordingly.

The Loners had been assigned to the anatomy classroom. It was larger than most and held both room for seating at desks and lab tables with sinks in them, around which stood stools. There was even a further area that appeared to be off limits. The Loners had positioned the desks in a tight circle: Nikola, then Gino, Lotti and Angela, Aaron, Johan, an empty seat and then Hadi going clockwise. Polus headed toward the empty seat with his hands tucked into the rib pockets of his Shades-red hoodie. They were all in red. Jill had gone back to her neutral colors.

Look who I found, he said unenthusiastically.

Hey, Jill thought, you chased me down!

Nikola turned to look. He smiled but his only words were to Hadi, telling him to make room. Hadi shifted and Polus dragged a free desk to the resulting spot between the two boys.

Hey, Hadi said, lightly touching her arm. Didn't know if I'd see you again.

Same here, Jill answered.

Lotti bubbled up, taking over whatever conversation they'd been having, her long straight ponytail dancing behind her. She wore a loose red sweater with a huge red rose across the front and black leggings.

No, remember the drag racing thing two years ago? Mandatory counseling session or whatever it was? Six dead kids at once. This is the exact same thing.

Jill tensed at the words dead kids until Gino cupped one hand around his mouth and shouted, Brick!

Some laughed but Lotti gave him the excuse me look.

Yeah, Nikola said behind his dark Ray-Bans, wearing a long sleeved plaid shirt in red, green and blue, dirt denim jeans and red kix, but this is different. Lots of dead kids, yes, but they don't even know what happened with this one.

Jill noticed a large bag going around the circle from person to person. Hadi noticed her eyes following the big paper sack. He explained that he'd brought breakfast for everyone--bagels and fruit cups. Jill was impressed. She didn't resist a cinnamon raisin bagel with maple pecan cream cheese and a fresh berry fruit cup when the bag of food reached her. She thought about what it might have been like if she had gone to the gym.

One side of the circle continued speculating about what would be in store for them that day while the other side chatted among themselves. Polus and Aaron had already inhaled their bagels. Johan was texting someone. Hadi had gotten up and left the room.

So, what are we doing? Jill asked no one in particular.

Awaiting instructions, Aaron said.

Then, to Jill's amazement, Aaron winked and made a kiss face. She stared open-mouthed, then glanced around to see who might have seen. Jill's whole body tingled with embarrassment and fear. When it seemed to her that this had gone unnoticed, she turned to face Nikola.

Nikola slurped from a long straw that penetrated the lid on a large plastic cup and nodded.

Lotti has a good point, though. They have to do something.

Lotti winked at Nikola.

Brick, she mimicked back at Gino.

Yeah, not counseling, though. Probably cops and FBI or something like that.

Yeah right, Aaron added. Probably Clarice Starling or somebody like that.

Everyone laughed. Jill managed a smile. She knew what they were talking about for a change. Gino immediately did an impression of the character from the Silence of the Lambs movie and slurped his teeth in a bug-like fashion. The entire group laughed loud and hard at that, especially Jill. She laughed so hard, it wasn't long before the others were laughing with her more-so than at Gino. Tears ran down her face. She realized that she was crying in front of them again. This time, she didn't care.

A few minutes later, Hadi returned and sat down next to Jill. Polus had taken Hadi's seat next to Nikola, which had given Jill a chance to feebly greet Johan when he wasn't tapping away on his phone. She was grateful when Hadi sat down between them. Hadi announced that a big group of police officers had come into the school. Gino raised his hands high, as if he had just been selected the winner of some game. Lotti gave him a light body-blow to the ribs.

Jill had been sneaking glances at Johan at various moments. She noticed that he ate, and laughed, but he was otherwise occupied by his phone.

The classroom door opened. In walked some kids, members of another crew. Jill did not recognize any of them. First, a guy walked in, followed by three more guys and three girls. Whatever crew they were, they acted as if they were Vanities. The first guy stepped in, looked at the Loners and dismissed them with a snicker. He headed toward the tables that were further inside the classroom.

'Sup, Anthony? the front kid said.

The others followed behind him. They laughed and looked directly at Nikola. Jill watched this closely, as did the others in the circle. She had assumed that the kid had been addressing someone else in his own crew. The way they looked at Nikola, she guessed that the comment had been directed at him.

What did you say?

Nikola's voice had changed. It wasn't the same voice Jill had heard before. After a moment's thought, she knew she had heard that voice one time, on the day that he had pulled her back from the bus. It seemed so distant to her, she almost wondered if that really happened. On that day, Nikola's voice had sounded upset, not angry. In the classroom, however, he sounded like he had a matter he wanted to settle.

The kid who had spoken looked back at Nikola from across the room. He shrugged and wore a stupid look on his face. His crewmates laughed again. Nikola leaned over to Gino and whispered something to him. Then he did the same to Polus on his other side. Polus and Nikola kept whispering back and forth. Things went differently on the other side of the circle. Gino leaned over to Lotti. Lotti nodded and leaned over to Angela. Jill watched each person lean over to the next person. It reminded her of an old game, one she never expected to play in an Arc classroom. Aaron had to slap Johan's leg to get his attention. After he'd gotten the message, Jill saw Johan glance over at the other kids before leaning over to Hadi.

Jill could tell that Hadi knew the message already. Johan even asked Hadi a question or two before he finally leaned over to Jill. Hadi's lips came very close to Jill's face. She looked away from him, but she could feel it. Her neck tensed so much, she was sure she heard it creak. Hadi wore a cologne or aftershave--Jill never had understood the difference--that made her want to sniff him.

Be careful what you say when any of those kids are in the room, okay? They are flunkies for the Secretary of Defense.

Jill frowned. She was deeply confused.

The Secretary of Defense?

He smiled and nodded. Jill's mouth fell open. All she could think about was how cute he was and how delicious he smelled.

Yeah, he said. He mouthed, D'Lorah Knight.

Oh, Jill said in slow motion.

D'Lorah Knight is the Secretary of Defense?

They are like her spies, he added softly, then brought a finger to his lips to shush her.

Jill looked around wildly. Where am I, she wondered. Spies, specious nicknames and Jill's returning crush on Hadi were all too much.

Just then, another crew came running into the room. It was a group of five girls, all laughing.

Are we late? they asked.

You're good, Gino shouted as he stood to toss his trash.

Jill had no idea who any of them were either. She realized that she hadn't had much interaction with the vast majority of her schoolmates and that was okay with her.

^

Chapter 3

All of the students were settled down and getting bored when an adult finally entered the classroom. A teacher came in looking flustered and carrying a clipboard.

I do not get paid for this, the man muttered loudly.

All of the students stared at him. After a bit of fidgeting, he asked what crews were present.

Chocolatiers, a member of the girl group said from the lab tables.

Aaron called out, You know what they say--bon-bon.

Quiet, the teacher demanded when laughter broke out.

While the teacher looked impatiently through several pages, a girl in that group stood and blew Aaron a kiss. Jill watched in shock. The guys closest to her smiled knowingly. Aaron and Johan started a quiet conversation, likely about the girl. She was a pretty blonde. Jill couldn't believe the strength of Aaron's magnetism, even though she fully felt it herself.

Because the girl had pronounced the word chocolatiers properly with a French accent, the teacher was lost.

Repeat that, he requested.

Chocolate tears, another girl said in as American an accent as ever.

The teacher nodded and called each girl's name. He moved to the next group, the spies, and did the same.

Foist, the obnoxious one said proudly. The teacher called their names. Jill noted that one who had said, Anthony, was named Darin.

Lastly, the teacher moved to the circle where Jill sat. Nikola spoke up for them.

Loners, he said.

The teacher did not bother to call out their names. He went over to Nikola and started chatting. He called Nikola Mr. Magic.

The Knights are going to go all the way this year, right? he gushed.

Nikola engaged the older man as if he was another kid. Jill looked around the circle for reactions. Did anyone else find that strange? Most of them were talking amongst themselves. Jill saw Angela pointing at Polus menacingly. He ignored her but she continued pointing anyway. Jill made eye contact with Lotti. Lotti looked toward Nikola and the teacher and rolled her eyes. Then she smiled. Jill smiled back at the girl. She felt the same way.

The classroom door opened again. Two police officers shuffled in. They were stocky and their faces were solemn. The teacher hurriedly went around the circle and checked off names as each one responded to the call. Jill sighed, knowing she wouldn't be on the list and there would be trouble. After calling Angela's name, however, Jill heard her name. She raised her hand and the teacher checked her off.

Okay, students, the teacher said. He went to join the officers at the front of the room. These are Officers--

The teacher looked to the two beside him. The men said their names gruffly. The teacher repeated them.

"These are Officers Pierson and Rose. Most of you should know about the terrible incident that happened over the break involving a Joan of Arc student. The administration decided after the loss of two students in such unexpected situations that it would be a good time to remind us all about the importance of safety and awareness in and around the community of Lorraine. So these fine officers will talk to you now. They will give a presentation that will last until lunch time. After lunch, your crew time will continue in this same room.

I suggest that you all pay very close attention. The information they give will be useful later."

The teacher moved toward the door, allowing the officers to begin their talk.

The officers introduced themselves again. Their faces had looked as serious as if they intended to arrest everyone in the room initially. As soon as they began talking, however, their demeanor changed to light and friendly. They made jokes and they tossed mini chocolate bars and bags of candy to anyone who answered their questions. They started with trivia about driver safety, intoxication and drug use. That was a necessity, a given, that served as a warmup.

Is everyone familiar with the news about your former schoolmate, Suong Le? I think she went by Sunny?

Officer Rose took the lead. He was the taller of the two. He also had a warm personality that quickly shined through when he talked and smiled. Officer Pierson took a seat. They waited for a response from the audience.

Can you explain it a little more? Lotti asked after seconds of silence.

Officer Rose clasped his hands.

"Yes, young lady, I can do that. That is a good suggestion. You all have probably heard different things. There are many things we don't know right now since this is an ongoing investigation. Also, there are some things we aren't at liberty to share with anyone. It is better to hear what facts we do have.

"Soung Le--Sunny--has been missing for a while. This came to the attention of the police department around Christmastime or a few weeks before Christmas. The LPD started looking into where she might be, could she have run away. Just yesterday, you probably saw the news reports that a body was found in the wooded area off of Lookout Drive. The LPD went through all the necessary procedures to make identification. The deceased is Sunny Le. There will be updates as we uncover more details.

Now, many of you may also realize that another student here passed away as the result of a car accident on the same road."

Washington, Officer Pierson volunteered from where he sat.

Right, said Officer Rose. Washington.

Gage Washington, several guys in the circle called, including Nikola, Hadi and maybe Gino.

Jill bit her lip. She sighed deeply. Hadi laid a hand on her forearm. Glances from around the circle, even around the room, came flying her way.

Right, Gage Washington. He was a great basketball player. And we have some of his teammates in here today, don't we? Yeah, I recognize Mr. Magic and Hadi Nelson. Hey, the team needs you, son. Where have you been? Yeah, we have half of the team in here, don't we? But the loss of a young life, sports star, Crème de la Crème, whoever it is, is a tragedy and something to be avoided.

Officer Rose asked for, and received, questions. He could answer none of them. The questions revolved around the circumstances of Sunny's death, so his responses all boiled down to, we can't discuss that, we don't know about that or we are investigating that. With so little A in the Q and A, the students lost interest.

Officer Pierson stood and Officer Rose sat. He introduced a new topic: intervention. He talked about the importance of friends intervening immediately when they become aware of danger or bad decision-making. He showed a demonstration video that showed actors from the previous decade intervening in three difference scenarios. The old hairstyles and fashions were more entertaining than the scenarios, in which there was a good, bad and ambivalent example of intervention. Jill watched tiredly; however, her mind was still on Gage and Sunny.

The officers broached multiple areas that they argued were paths leading to danger and intersections where friends, classmates and acquaintances could redirect vulnerable kids toward better outcomes. The last one they covered was Anonyblogger. Anyone who had fallen asleep woke up then. Jill looked at the clock on the wall. It was 11:15. She looked at Gage's watch to compare the time. Gage's watch was one minute ahead.

Let's see a show of hands, Officer Pierson began. Who uses Anonyblogger?

No hands raised at all. The officers looked at one another.

Okay. That was a trick question. Everyone passed. Officer Pierson tried again. Alright, who here has ever heard of Anonyblogger?

Every student raised his or her hand. The officers smiled and nodded. Officer Pierson delivered candy to the audience while Officer Rose continued.

"Right. That's right. We all know Anonyblogger and you might be wondering what that has to do with what we've been talking about. Well, listen, I love Anonyblogger. I mean, as a father, I hate it, but as a regular citizen, I love it. It gives young people a voice to express themselves anonymously.

"We know at the ages you guys are--fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen--there is a lot of pressure to be a certain thing, right? You have to say certain things, wear certain things and do certain things. With Anonyblogger, though, you can be who you are and say what you think. The problem is that each one of you has friends who are having feelings or problems and they aren't coming to you with it. They are going to Anonyblogger and they may not find sympathetic ears. They may find the haters, right? They may find horrible, terrible advice. They may even get flamed, right? A kid posts something about feeling terrible and wanting to die and another kid replies, yeah, do it, or nobody cares, quit whining or something unhelpful and aggravating.

So, each one of you needs to be aware of your friends. Ask them how they are doing. Don't get mad when your friends catch an attitude. Ask what is wrong and how you can help. You may just save a life.

^

Chapter 4

The Loners, the Chocolatiers and the Foist crews sat quietly while Officers Pierson and Rose completed their presentation on safety. The officers asked for final questions and made wrap-up statements. Most of the students had already checked out. It appeared that the flustered teacher had left at some point during the presentation. The officers discussed something in a corner while the kids in each crew began stretching and moving around.

Officer Pierson said, Okay. It is just about lunch time. You all can snack on that candy until it is time to eat. We are done with everything but we understand that each one of the crews is going to have an assignment related to safety and good decision-making and everything we have talked about. So, if anyone took notes, that was good thinking. If you didn't, just remember some of the basic ideas.

Officer Pierson and Rose headed to