SECRET TAIL

CHAPTER THREE

As I walked to the entrance of the school, I saw my friends waiting for me under the shade of our favorite tree close to the doors and when Katie saw me she looked surprised.

What happened to you? Did you go to a beauty salon or are you wearing new makeup because I swear you are glowing? How on earth did you do it? Tell me your secret, so I can get all dolled up and look as hot as you do. She said.

This made me laugh, and I could only reply with the truth, 'I did nothing special or unique to myself. I guess it's just one of those days when you look great without even trying, or I am growing to be annoyingly gorgeous.' and I struck a pose to get my point across with my left hand on my waist and my right spread out like a model. This made them break out in laughter and Jane said while trying to control her laughter, 'You clowns, we had better get to class before we are late for the first period. The warning bell just rang.'

We took off running like our lives depended on it, we all had a perfect record and nobody wanted to ruin theirs by getting detention. On my way to the cafeteria during launch break later in the day, my friends and I were goofing around like we normally do when I felt that sudden and unexpected headache. It was like my head was on fire, my eyes were hurting like somebody took a hot iron to it and the next thing I know, I opened my eyes to find myself in the infirmary and the nurse was checking my pulse.

'How are you feeling dear?' She asked me. Like I have been hit by a train, what happened, why am I here, is anything wrong with me?'

Oh no, you are fine darling, it seems like a case of heatstroke and dehydration. You need to drink water constantly to keep yourself hydrated dear, and no hard exercise for a while. Am I clear?' she asked me. 'Yes Mrs. Clifford. Can I go now?'

Yes, you are good to go and if you feel any more discomfort, come and find me immediately. I will write you a health pass, so you won't be in trouble. The second period after the break had just ended. You had better head to your next class.' Thank you very much Mam.'

I left immediately and did not take note of the way Mrs Clifford was looking at me. If I had paid more attention to my environment, I would have found her expression strange and I would have been better prepared for the changes coming my way. I rushed straight to my biology class, which was the last period of the day. I gave the teacher my health pass since I was late, and she let me in without any fuss. As soon as I sat down, Jane asked me, 'How are you? What happened out there?'

'Just a case of dehydration, nothing serious.'

'Dehydration? That did not look like what dehydration would cause, and you have been drinking water all day, I saw you.' she said. I just shrugged and replied, 'That's what the nurse said.' 'Are you sure we do not need to go to the hospital because that was a pretty bad headache you had there, you were screaming like a banshee.'

Really, I screamed that much, I don't remember that happening at all.' I said, surprised.

Yes, you were screaming like you were about to die, the whole school gathered, and we thought it was something serious. I am surprised to see you up and about right now. If I had not been present when the incident occurred, I would not have felt it was possible to recover this fast. Katie replied to me.

I could tell from her expression that she was really worried about me and that would explain why the whole classroom was giving me weird looks when I entered the room. 'I don't think it was very serious, as I feel pretty good right now. But I will be careful. If I feel any different, I will go to the hospital immediately.' When I noticed the teacher looking at us, I quickly added, 'We will talk later after school.'

When school was over, we decided to meet at the beach around four, and we all went home to change. Before leaving the house to meet the girls, I grabbed a bottle of water from the kitchen, and suddenly I noticed I was pouring a large quantity of salt into the water. I was surprised but something in me was telling me to taste it and I could not resist it. It tasted like the best drink I have ever had in my life. I decided to drink it like that because it seemed to be what my body needed, even though I knew it was weird and left the house.

When I got to the beach, I went straight to our favorite spot, which was a cluster of rocks located in a secluded part of the beach that people do not normally go to. My friends were already there, and we spread our blanket in our little cave surrounded by rock walls with the ocean at the front. There was a narrow path between the rocks like a slit that led to the spot, and it was difficult to spot from the outside unless you knew what you were looking for. It even had its own mini-pool filled with seawater which led to the ocean, and it was perfect for when you feel like swimming but do not want to face the challenges of the ocean. We discovered it when we were kids and have hung out here since then. There was no roof, so it was the perfect spot for tanning and I usually don't like swimming in the ocean, so you can say it's my own little heaven, a way of enjoying the best of both worlds.

It is a very beautiful place and our own private place. We had never seen signs of anybody coming there before. Laying down on our blankets, we applied sunscreen on our bodies and just soaked in the sun.

It is usually very peaceful and quiet here, unlike the other parts of the beach that are crowded. That is one of the reasons we loved it. There was no need to fill the silence with words, and we just enjoyed each other's company.