Turned and Taken (Packed 1 & 2) Read Free Page A

time for her to sink or swim.
    Once the morning announcements began over the PA system, the rabble of student voices returned. She felt a sense of relief. Looking over her left shoulder, she examined the group against the wall, who had to be the cool kids. They were all good-looking, but the one in the center was especially so. He looked like a model. His face was narrow and his body was lean. He moved with authority and the other four boys seemed to hang on his every word.
    Looking over her right shoulder, she saw the bad boy and his crew. Something about them that seemed more like a gang. The one that she had sat next to in the administrative office was definitely good-looking, but in an intimidating sort of way. He stared out of the window, lost in thought. Looking closer, he almost looked worried. The longer she stared, the more he looked like he a guy with the weight of the world on his shoulders.
    She could stare at him all day. She would have if she hadn’t caught the eyes of the one girl in the group. The girl didn’t seem soulful and deep, just angry. When she gave Saki her what-are-you-looking-at look, Saki immediately turned away.
    Saki‘s heart ached, trying to figure out how she would survive. Maybe she would just give up on trying to make friends and just focus on her schoolwork. She’d always been good at academics. Class work had always come easy for her. It was everything else in life that was hard.
    Clint, she remembered. How could he do that to me? Maybe he didn’t recognize me , she thought, consoling herself. After all, that would make sense. Although she had thought of him often and had put him on a pedestal, that didn’t mean that he had thought of her since the day they graduated from elementary school. She would give him a second chance, she thought, as long as he showed he hadn’t become an asshole since they had last spoke.
    Saki loosened the grip on the medallion to examine it. It was heavier than she thought it would be, given the size. Something about it made her not want to take her eyes off of it. It was mesmerizing. She flipped it around, staring closer and saw what had to be an inscription. She leaned in trying to encipher the markings, wondering if it was English.
    “Let me see that,” the teacher’s voice said from directly in front of her.
    Saki was caught off guard. Her intention was to turn in the medallion as soon as she got a good look at it. She had waited too long.
    “It’s not mine. I found it,” she proclaimed handing it over.
    The teacher stared at it questioningly. “Where did you find it?”
    “In the grass near the end of the sidewalk.”
    “Then if it’s not yours, I’ll return it to its rightful owner,” the teacher said almost accusingly.
    This was not how Saki wanted to begin at her new school.
     
    The morning continued on as awkwardly as it had begun. The classes were all hard to find, and each time she was sat at the center desk of the front row. Between classes, she couldn’t find her locker. At lunchtime, she sat at an empty table in the center of the room.
    Things only got worse after lunch when she heard her name spoken across the PA system. “Can Sakina Lightbourn please report the principal’s office? Sakina Lightbourn please report to the principal’s office.”
    If Saki ever feared that people wouldn’t know who she was, she knew she didn’t have to worry about that anymore. She raised her hand, turning all of the student’s attention on her.
    Saki found her way to the administrative office. Checking in, she was told to take a seat. She sat in the seat she had taken hours before.
    “You can go back now. The principal is the second door on the left,” the administrative assistant said from behind her desk.
    Saki got up and entered the hallway. She found the second door. On it was a sign that read “Principal” and another that read “Mr. Jenner.” She knocked.
    “Come in,” a thick, warm voice said from inside.
    Saki opened the