Pernisia and Rowan--A chapter in which Caleb gets thrown by Rowan

Pernisia

We shopped practically all night and I think I saw Caleb banging his head against a wall for at least half of it, I told him he could go but he just shoved me away and commenced with banging his head again anyways it ended up being a good thing he did come because I was able to get him a new tie and some shoe polish for his scuffed up shoes (believe me he really needed that stuff!) I started out to the door when Rowan pulled me back in.

“No! The wolf is still out there!” 

“Soooooo, we can’t stay in here all day ya know, the malls going to close soon.”

She heaved out an annoyed sound and grabbed my arm. “Fine, but I’m going to be in charge I’ve delt with him before.”

“And who’s destined to defeat him?” I mumbled thinking back to my dream.

“What was that!” She countered.

“I said lead the way.” 

We started out and Caleb kept close pace with Rowan asking her question to question and she just walked ignoring him, when he realized she wasn’t going to answer any questions he began to tell her about us, our family, the move, our school, what a high school dance was like, who to make friends with, who to avoid, how great he was at sports, that sort of thing; I noticed that Rowan bit her lip for most of it probably trying not to yell at him to 
“Just be quiet already!” Oops I clapped my hand over my mouth. Why on earth had I yelled that I certainly hadn’t felt like doing it, one minute I’d been thinking the next shouting seriously what was going on here?!

When we’d finally reached the house I shooed Caleb away and hustled Rowan to my room. “Here.” I said handing her my extra pair of pajamas, she looked a little disgusted with them and laid them on the bed. “I’m going to let my parents know that a new friend of mine is staying over, you just put those on and I’ll be back in a sec.” 

An hour later I was sound asleep on the floor….yes I gave Rowan my bed.

*beep* beep* *beep* “Errrrrm.” I mumbled as my hand instinctively reached out to the alarm clock that sat on the chair beside me. “Morning Rowan.” But she wasn’t in bed I jumped up to see her coming into my room with a cup of orange juice and some pancakes.

“Oh awake I see, I was just downstairs having a chat with your parents they’re really quite wonderful people and I somehow got the feeling that they were relieved to have me here?”

I groaned inwardly, they probably thought that she would help keep my mind off the move for now. “That’s fine, I see you helped yourself to a fresh pair of clothes.” 

“Yes, I didn’t want to bother you about plus after what I saw yesterday I’m pretty sure I know how you crazy people dress here.” She handed me the plate of pancakes and the orange juice . “The foods not to bad really…once you get past the first mushy um, is it syrup? Yes once you get past the syrupy part.” 

“Sure.” I murmured glancing at my clock again. “Listen do whatever you’d like, I need to go get ready be back in a bit.” I rushed out of the room and hurried with everything, then raced back into my room and glanced at the clock again. 

“Okay grab your bag we gotta go, we’ll barely make it one time as it is.”

“Um…where’re we going.” She asked.

“School!” I yelled. “And since tonight’s the dance it’d probably be a good idea to get to know the people who’ll be there, oh and if any random boy asks you to go with him tonight, Just….say…..no.” she sniffed,

“As of I’d say yes.”

“Well yeah.” I grabbed her arm and yanked her out the door.

Rowan

"So," I started in whisper to Pernisia so that her mother in the front seat wouldn't hear. "This is what you keep on calling 'school'."

Pernisia sighed. "Yes. This is school."

It was a huge old building made of some kind of peculiar-looking reddish stone that Pernisia told me was brick.

Caleb opened the door of the minivan and hopped out, starting towards the "school". A whole bunch of the kids dressed in these strange clothes clustered around him, talking a million miles a minute. It made me dizzy to watch.

Pernisia got out, too, and I followed her.

All of a sudden this girl ran up to me. "Who're you?" she demanded.

Before I could say anything, Pernisia quickly replied, "She's new. Her name's Rowan."

Her raised one of her really skinny eyebrows. It was strange. "And what's her last name?"

"Moondance," Pernisia blurted.

I frowned. Moondance? Couldn't she have come up with something better than that?

The girl snorted. "Rowan Moondance?"

"It's true," I lied. "So stop being a jerk." I brushed past her and started towards the school.

However, somebody grabbed my arm.

Working on instinct, I grabbed the person's arm and threw them over my head.

It was Caleb.