"These are amazing," Sibo says. "This girl can draw."

"It's all from her head?" Lethi asks.

"You think someone would've posed for this?" I pin up a detailed drawing of a girl masturbating with a crucifix.

"You think she'll get expelled?" Sibo's forehead puckers with concern.

"The art teacher never said anything, so I doubt it. Besides, this school needs some progressive thinkers." Lethi pins up another drawing, this one of three naked men, the last more ephemeral than the others.

"Oh my G.o.d, is that the Holy Trinity?" I ask.

"Yup." Jordan beams and carries a huge canvas to the central easel.

"You are going to be in trouble, Jords."

"Wait til you see this." She places the painting, fussing over the alignment, and once happy, beckons us to look at her display head-on.

"Eish." Sibo sucks in a breath.

"Girl, you've got sack." Lethi high-fives her, and I stand gobsmacked. I'm blushing just looking at it. The painting is beautiful at first glance, a perfect replica of the Virgin Mary statue in the main corridor of our school. Except, instead of a crown of roses, Mary has a crown of razor blades cutting into her forehead. She's also got razor blades protruding from her wrists and ankles. And what should be a bleeding heart is actually, well, it could be a flower, but I know Jordan, and what she's painted is a v.a.g.i.n.a.

"What are the lyrics again?" I ask, my hands shaking at my friend's audacity. Jordan unrolls paper made to look like an old-fashioned scroll complete with ink smudges, charred edges, and a broken wax seal. She pins it up above Mary's head, just like the INRI scroll present on many crucifixes. As we read, my blood cools and fear knots in my belly. How could the art teacher let her do something like this?

"Crimson orifice?" Lethi asks and Jordan points at the heart-flower bit.

"And the naked guys?" Sibo asks with a flick of her braids.

There's a mischievous glint in Jordan's eye. "Father, Son, and Holy Ghost," she says.

"That's disgusting!" Hannah stands behind us with her hands on her hips. "Like, I may actually lose my lunch right here. It might improve your installation."

"Oh, blow me," Jordan shoots back.

"I bet you'd love that," Hannah sneers.

"I've heard you give great head." My words are bullets.

"And I bet you're doing both those Stormhof boys." Hannah's shaken-I must have hit a nerve-and her accusation lacks conviction.

"I think they're messing up your display." Sibo points at Hannah's setup and her friends, who are struggling with a giant fishtank for who knows what.

"No, not like that!" Hannah bolts as her friends slosh water all over the carpet.

"An hour til parents and everyone else start arriving." Jordan rubs her hands together gleefully.

"If you want to stay a pupil long enough to have this seen by anyone, maybe you should cover it up." Lethi gestures to spare tablecloths lying on an unused desk.

"Great idea." Jordan grabs one, and we all help her enshroud her painting before going in search of free tea and biscuits. If nothing else, the reveal will certainly be dramatic.

GABRIEL ARRIVES ARRIVES on time, his hair hanging in damp waves that brush his blazer collar. I'm surprised they haven't ordered him to cut it yet. He flicks strands from his eyes and fiddles with his tie, searching the crowd. on time, his hair hanging in damp waves that brush his blazer collar. I'm surprised they haven't ordered him to cut it yet. He flicks strands from his eyes and fiddles with his tie, searching the crowd.

"Up here." I wave from the top of the stairs, and he takes the steps two at time.

"Hi." He gives me that smile, and my heart kicks up two gears.

"You're on time."

"Ja, thought it would be impolite to show up late."

"I'm glad you're here." I tuck an errant curl behind my ear, and his gaze drifts from my face to my hair.

"I preferred it the way it was."

"Really, you liked my orange hair?"

"It wasn't orange, and it reminded me of Boudicca." He leans against one of the pillars lending our library Grecian elegance.

"Like the Queen of the Iceni?" He knows history too. Could this guy be any more perfect?

"That's the one. You look Irish."

"I am, sort of." He doesn't even know I'm adopted. I wonder if that'll change anything?

"Hey, Gharbriel." Jordan p.r.o.nounces his name with the guttural Afrikaans G. I glare at her.

"I've heard you're a fantastic artist." He charms her, and I'm a little jealous until he takes my hand. Our fingers are entwined, our palms pressed together. I cannot breathe.

"Flattery will get you nowhere, mister." She smiles, and I know he's forgiven for last Sat.u.r.day's hair comment. "You coming? Time for the great reveal." She skips into the library, and we follow. I hope everyone sees him holding my hand. I want to hold it high above our shoulders and do a victory dance.

I manage to restrain myself, leaning into his shoulder. He smells so good. I can't wait to kiss him again.

Parents and teachers are gathered around the artworks, some already t.i.ttering about the contents of Jordan's sketches. Sibo and Lethi join us, and after introducing them to Gabriel, we all help Jordan peel back the tablecloth. There's a collective gasp from the onlookers and Jordan suppresses a grin of satisfaction.

"Um, really?" Gabriel looks shocked, and so am I when I turn around to face the painting.

"No, no, no."

Jordan's painting is destroyed. Sure, it was subversive and blasphemous to start with, but it was still a brilliant work of art. Not anymore. The word "s.l.u.t" has been daubed over the canvas with thick black paint, ruining the piece. Parents and teachers stare aghast, not knowing whether this was intended or some horrible prank.

"Jordan." I lay a hand on her shoulder. She wrenches away. Jordan takes another look at the painting, tears welling in her eyes. "Jords, we'll find out who did this."

"We know who did this." She glances over her shoulder at Hannah, who's not doing a good job of feigning innocence. Jordan strides toward her.

"Jordan, don't," I call after her, but she ignores me and has already reached Hannah's installation by the time I catch up. Lethi, Sibo, and Gabriel follow.

"You did this." Jordan's voice is low and deadly.

"What? I would never." Hannah smirks.

Jordan stares at her, and I can almost hear the cogs grinding in my friend's head. Jordan's gaze drops to the fish tank. Hannah has got tiny figurines suspended in gla.s.s bubbles at various depths in the tank. It's clever and really pretty, and I know Jordan's about to break it.

"Jordan, please." I grab her arm too late as she kicks the tank with the full force of her newly acquired karate skills. Hannah screams as water, varicolored angelfish, and her gla.s.s bubbles scatter across the carpet.

"You b.i.t.c.h." Hannah claws at Jordan, but Jordan evades her fingers and gives her a b.l.o.o.d.y nose instead. Parents and teachers stare, dumbfounded. Jordan pulls back her fist, and I'm frozen to the spot, knowing she's going to keep hitting Hannah until someone stops her, and I still can't seem to get my limbs to move. Gabriel steps around me and grabs Jordan's arm. She tries one of the defensive moves, attempting to buck Gabriel. He antic.i.p.ates her movement and folds his arms around her even as she screams. Meanwhile, Hannah starts spitting invective at Jordan, calling her four-letter words I've never heard before.

"Hannah Walters!" Mrs. Owen swoops in in all her intimidating, bowel-loosening, headmistress fury.

"She started it." Hannah points at Jordan.

"And I will end this."

"She broke my nose!"

"If you can swear at these decibel levels, I highly doubt your nose is broken." The princ.i.p.al has spoken.

"Hannah, darling, what happened?" The woman who can only be Hannah's mother joins the fray, dabbing at the blood on Hannah's face with tissues. "Who did this to you?" the woman shrieks.

"She did." Hannah points at Jordan.

"Mrs. Walters, I'd like you and Hannah to meet in my office, immediately. Please. As for you-"

Mrs. Owen turns to Jordan, who is hysterical, sobbing into Gabriel's chest. The princ.i.p.al looks at her with what might be sympathy before gesturing to me.

"Calm her down and then bring her to my office. Bring your friends as well, anyone who might've been involved." She gives me a stern look that turns my innards to water. "Got it, Treasa?"

"Yes, Mrs. Owen."

"Good. And you can thank that young man for me too. Get hold of Jordan's mom, please." The princ.i.p.al then orders a bunch of grade eights to clean up the spill, and the crowd returns to relative normalcy. Lethi and Sibo have the good sense to cover up the ruined painting before joining me as we escort Jordan to the bathrooms.

I turn to Gabriel. "I'm so sorry about this."

"Don't be. Just take care of your friend."

"Call me later?"

"You don't want me to stick around in case you need help with anything?" he asks.

"You really don't have to. I'll call you later. Thank you, though. For everything." I could kiss him if it weren't for Jordan's renewed sobs echoing from the bathroom.

I say good-bye and hurry into the to help Jordan, cursing Hannah and humanity in general for ruining what could've been an awesome night for all of us. I wish I could reverse time like Resa. I'd take us back to before Hannah ruined the painting, and I'd stop her from doing it. Maybe I'd unravel time even farther and stop myself from sending that b.l.o.o.d.y nipple note to Hannah in the first place. This is all my fault.

Am I an Alien, Treasa Test #06

HYPOTHESIS: Extraterrestrials possess superhuman powers such as the ability to suspend or even reverse time. Extraterrestrials possess superhuman powers such as the ability to suspend or even reverse time.

GOAL: To prove I have control over time. To prove I have control over time.

METHOD: ( (Spontaneous experiment carried out without specific methodology.) Decide on specific moment to freeze or amount of time to alter reality by (freeze moment before Jordan hit Hannah-reverse time to before Hannah damaged Jordan's painting).

Concentrate on given moment and alter time.

RESULTS: Time neither froze nor reversed. Time neither froze nor reversed.

CONCLUSION: This spontaneous situation was one of immense emotional duress, and this may have affected my ability to perform a temporal shift. Results are therefore inconclusive. This spontaneous situation was one of immense emotional duress, and this may have affected my ability to perform a temporal shift. Results are therefore inconclusive.

Gabriel

"IT COULD COULD'VE been worse," Treasa tells me Thursday afternoon while we're sitting at the piano. "Jordan could've really done damage if it weren't for you. They're lucky Hannah's not pressing charges, but then, of course, Jordan could press charges for destruction of property since Hannah's friends admitted they helped her destroy the painting." been worse," Treasa tells me Thursday afternoon while we're sitting at the piano. "Jordan could've really done damage if it weren't for you. They're lucky Hannah's not pressing charges, but then, of course, Jordan could press charges for destruction of property since Hannah's friends admitted they helped her destroy the painting."

"Why do any of it in the first place?"

"It's complicated." She bites her bottom lip as a look of guilt settles over her face.

"So what's happening to Jordan?"

"They've both been suspended pending a disciplinary hearing next week." She drags her fingers along the piano keys.