Plans In Motion

"What the fuck, no wonder you were wearing that parka. you are cold... like literally as ice"
Vicky lounged on her chair, looking at Rudy as suspiciously as one possibly could while exchanging a simple handshake. The two of them sat opposite each other, with your seat next to Rudy. You had to stay close, it wasn't as if you didn't have faith in her.

"Just in case" You told yourself.

Rudy had removed her coat on account of being fully enclosed, revealing her rough and partially unbuttoned blouse. The gold-yellow, black Pokka-dot shirt was held tight by thick brown suspenders, buckled to each side of her ripped jeans. "Cold, that's right. Oh but you, my sweet molasses... you're so so warm." Rudy said holding on to Vicky's handshake for a little too long.

"Okay, moving on." You said nudging the blonde who slipped her hand away.
"How was class? are you feeling any better?" you asked.

Vicky shrugged "Could be worse, nothing a good chow won't fix. Izzy finally answered my messages too and said she was running late. Are you sure, Jane's alright?"

"The shrimp?" Vulcan said chuckling "That girl's cooking up something fierce!"

"From the fever!" You quickly added "She's been bedridden all morning. Look I have the people at the mansion hanging on her every whim, I promise, she's gonna be okay." You didn't like this part, every moment that passed was fixed on Jane and her breaking... if bringing her back from **** was the right thing to do, but you had to at least maintain the grand charade, for now, humans could not be told of undeath... but there was no law about discovering the truth for themselves.

"The Cowboy ain't wrong there, Classy. She's got eyes on her, trust me." Rudy said confidently.

Vicky raised an eyebrow "Ummm, okay? So what is this scheme you have going on then?"

"I am not scheming, I told you, just wanna make some new friends"

"Bitch I am the queen of schemes, and this stinks of scheming. Now tell me what you're up to." Vicky insisted.

Sighing you decided to twist the truth again "Listen to me, I don't want to scare you, but I won't lie to You. I think something's going on behind the scenes here, something to do with the Spiritual and Religious Studies Club... and Izzy is involved."

"The S&Rs? that jumped up little group? What do you think their planning cultish blood orgies in between discussing the significance of Santa Claus in Christianity? don't be stupid." Vicky said.

"That Omnyo gal heads the thing, right? she didn't exactly smell like Christmas." Rudy wasn't wrong, Haru Omnyo was hiding something.

"Smell? Where the hell did this chick come from?" Vicky asked you, but you waved her off.

"Look something isn't right with Omnyo, or Isabella, I know it sounds crazy but you have to have felt it too. You ever notice how they all kinda... stick together?"

"You mean like that freak Penelope Helia and that square Vana Cristoval? Yeah I mean... I thought it was a bit weird that Izzy started hanging with them after high school but - that doesn't mean their in a cult."

"I spoke to Miss Omnyo and there's definitely something off there." Vicky was surrounded by things that she didn't understand, you'd seen first-hand how the dark society stole the lives of mortals without them ever even knowing what hit them.

You straightened, giving off a serious air "There are things going on here that you couldn't possibly imagine. I can't give you the details without putting you in danger, real danger. This is some serious-next level shit that's beyond the scope of imagining, I'm talking stuff which could easily lay all that I care about and more to waste, Vic. And despite our past, it seems that you're becoming one of them."

Vicky huffed, absorbing your words with folded arms. "Let's say I believe all this nonsense, what then? we take down the theoretical cult running the school?"

You shook your head "I didn't say anything about taking anyone down, I just wanna-"

"-Make friends?" Vicky finished, resting her head on her hand and puckering her sharp lips in thought "Well I won't lie, as ridiculous as it sounds I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious. What is it that you want me to do?"

Mischief painted your face, today would prove to be a productive one indeed.

The halls of the academy were still and silent. This was rich ground, and the academy's board lived for the satisfaction of their students... or rather the parents that kept their financials bloated. This was reflected in the decorations that were plastered on every wall, hanging from every tanoid's speaker, and sprayed on every locker. All-hallows eve was only a couple of days away, and the haunting spirit of Halloween could be felt by all.

until the Lunch bell screamed for sweet relief. At lunchtime, the empty corridors flooded with rushing bodies, like red cells flowing and crashing through veins, hurrying to reach the cafeteria; their heart.

Vicky weaved masterfully through the crowd who (as per usual) made steps to part for her as she strutted towards her goal. People would occasionally greet her "Hey Vicky! Nice singing at Charlie's party!"

"If it isn't the songbird herself! when's the next concert, Vicky?"

"All hail Queen Kaz and the King of the Keg!"

Her lips curled, she didn't even remember the last time people wouldn't shiver in fear every time she walked by. But now people smiled at her, praising her without so much as a lowered head and evasive fast walk away.

Despite herself... Vicky actually found herself, enjoying this. She had worked hard to establish her bad bitch persona, but now that Charlie had shown her what it was like to live in reality, with people smiling at her and adoring her, she wasn't sure that all of her 'hard work' actually meant anything.

She bit her lip as she strolled into the busy cafeteria.

"Me and Chaz, never meant anything you mean?" She thought to herself in revelation.

A long breath escaped her as she scanned the lavish dining hall, looking and peering for the two that she needed to complete her task.

"What are we staring around for exactly?"

"Ah!" a fright sprung up Vic's spine as she twisted, seeing Millie looking out into the crowd with her hand shading her eyes cartoonishly. "Jesus Mill!"

Camille's frizzy hair was unleashed into a slightly curled afro today, her dark shiny face creasing joyously as she looked up at her friend with those big curious eyes. "Hey gurlll, what's got you all tightened up like a spring?"

"Oh it's just um..." should she really tell her? Camille was famous for her loose tongue, it wasn't her fault, of course, Millie just tended to get too excited for her own good. "Don't worry about it, I'm just tired."

Millie sucked in her broad lips and tilted her head, making that gold-fish expression when she puzzled over things she couldn't quite grasp "Are you... not wearing make-up? since when do you not wear make-up!?"

"Since I lost my fucking mind, apparently."

"What?" Millie inched closer to try and ascertain what Vicky mumbled, but the tall olive-skinned diva nudged Camile playfully.

"Nothing, come on, If I don't have a cappuccino or something I'm gonna lose my mind."

With Camile by her side, the two ventured towards the food counters where the hundreds of silver players revealed mounds of steaming mashed potato with gigantic jugs of rich gravy, chicken pies and buttered carrots, fanciful stacks of burgers and buns with all the trimmings that a student whose parents pay 60,000 dollars a year on the academy food fund would allow.

People flocked here like mad wolves despite the food being gradually replenished by the neatly dressed kitchen staff. Vicky and Millie slid into line with their trays, and several groups of preppy girls naturally slid back to allow their queen to move forward, but this time Tricky Vicky just stood awkwardly instead of taking her rightful place.

So often she had taken this luxury without thought, but today was not like the other days... no, this Vicky was not like the one she was before. And so she actually turned to look at the group of the darkly dressed, sad-looking bunch behind her.

"Ummm, you can jump ahead if you want?..." One of the gothic boys' eyes widened and backed off as she tried to speak to him, making her sigh. Millie raised an eyebrow in confusion, as Vicky stepped out of the way and gestured at a plump girl with too much mascara to go ahead of her.

The Goths drowned in an enigma, but all the same quickly rushed passed, knowing better than to ignore this small kindness.

"That was... nice?" Millie said, so wound up in what she had just seen that her arms nearly flapped like fins as she shrugged and tilted. "Since when are you nice to those weird emo kids?"

"I..." Victoria's mind went back as it usually did to that day in the courtyard, with a puny charlie staring with piercing eyes, how they overwhelmed her with compassion. "I'm not feeling the carbs today is all."

Millie was clearly still trying to make sense of this bizarre behaviour "Okaayyy?" her lips tightened then, as she rubbed her thigh. Vicky had noticed how she relied on her left foot, limping a little as she walked.

"You feeling alright, Mil?" Vic asked.

"Oh don't worry about me, just pulled a muscle after morning palaties, no biggie!"

The Dark skinned girl got her food first, the usual lentil soup with a tiny bowl of carrots with them... but when Vicky's turn came, she felt almost possessed. She smelt the suckling pulled pork and the sizzling beef letting out their luscious fumes.

Her mouth watered at the glorious sights and smells, dictating her action as she walked away from a huge kiosk with a heavy tray packed with every meat she could get her hands on.

"Feeling a little peckish there?" Millie asked as they found their seats.

Pushing the rich meats between her lips, Victoria barely used a fork as she gorged herself, feeling a fullness of satisfaction as she packed her groaning stomach.

She was so occupied by the feast that she didn't see the silvery-blonde locks swaying at her side, nor the dark watchful eyes that gazed with confusion at her friend wolfing down half the tray. "...Dios Mio."

"Umm?" Vic looked up, wiping her greasy lips and smiling shyly as Izzy's brow furrowed.

"What the hell are you doing? what happened to the diet you were on, Are you going for plus-sized modelling or something holy shit!?"

"Oh shut up, Izzy." Vicky spat, pointing her fork at her friend "I have been drinking nothing but juice for seven days, I'm hungry."

"All week we've been listening to you sing about how close you were to slimming down a size for your Lyndis Festival dress, I mean what about your meeting next week?" Millie asked innocently.

Vicky set down her fork, sucking the juice from her digits "I don't know... I haven't slept right for the past few nights, something just feels off, okay? All I can think about is bacon, the smell of it the taste of it, I haven't eaten bacon since I was twelve, I think I have the right to eat what I want for fuck's sake, even if dad wants me all twiggy for some jumped fashion agent and some stupidly overpriced dress. So just... leave it alone will you?"

Izzy and Millie exchanged looks, why wouldn't they? Nobody was the model of willpower against overeating, laziness and maintenance like Vicky was, but now indulgence consumed her thoughts.

Something animalistic was growing inside her, something she'd felt since she was a little girl... something that was becoming harder to ignore.

Isabella didn't press like she usually did, however, she saw her friend struggle underneath the outburst and intertwined her pale narrow fingers with Vicky's "You're right, I'm sorry - We, are sorry, right Millie?"

Making a funny face, Millie shook away her confusion and grinned "O-Of course we are! We are besties for life, even if you blimp up-OW!" Millie cried as Izzy pinched her hard in the arm.

The Queen Bitch grinned "Thanks, I really appreciate it."

They talked about their normal stuff, what clothes they would buy to astound the other students during the Lyndis Festival at end of the term, what car Millie's dad would purchase for her after her birthday on Christmas... Jane also came up, Millie didn't seem so worried by their new friend's absence "She and Charlie probably hit the hay a little too hard or something, mmm I bet that guy is a killer in the sack."

Izzy was not so obtuse "Killer? yeah, because that's super attractive." She muttered under her breath, looking slightly forlorn.

They gossiped and laughed as they usually did until Vicky's eyes caught on two figures one with a cordial walk skimming through her phone, the other scowling at everyone who dared give her a look.

Penelope and Vana were just the ones she needed. Her eyes wandered to the window in the corner of the hall, its single bench, vacant.

"Iz, can you watch this for me?" Vicky asked, sliding the tray next to Izzy, who had no food of her own.

She looked curiously "Sure? where are you going?"

Standing from the bench, she paused only to snatch another piece of smoked gammon off her plate, chewing on it urgently "Making friends, I guess?" with that she left her girlfriends behind, marching onward to Penelope and Vana.