Freddy Valler--4

   Elf Girl stayed silent, thoughtful, and suddenly said, "My dad's dead."

   I messed with my I-Pod, trying not to look too closely at her. If she was about to start crying, I don't know what I'd do, so I figured that as long as I couldn't see her, it wouldn't happen. "Yeah? How?"

   "He was in the war, and well, you know." She shrugged her bony shoulders as if it didn't matter.

   I did know. I may not have fought in any war you've heard of, but that doesn't mean they don't exist, or aren't just as deadly. "My mom died in a war. And my dad's missing because of a war, too." He was the mediator, the go-between guy, for the faeries and vampires. I guess someone didn't think that there needed to be a messenger, and took him out of the picture. That was two months ago.

   Elf Girl smiled at me. "I'm Lilly, by the way." She offered a pale, thin hand. Plastic bracelets dangled loosely on her wrist, and when we shook hands, hers felt as thin as bird wings. Anorexic, I realized. This girl had baggy clothes to make her appear larger, but she was thin. Too thin.

   "Short for Lillian?" I asked absentmindedly. I was still stuck on the anorexia. I mean, she definitely looked unhealthy. Maybe she was just sick or something.

   "Nope. It's always been Lilly. As far as I can remember." The bell rang, and she jumped, her bracelets clacking together and her mess of red hair flying. Skittish, too. "Woops. Should've been paying attention. Ohs wells, maybe we'll have class together. Whattaya got?"

    "Um..." I pulled out my already folded and messed up schedule. "Chemistry. Room 241." Finally, something I was good at. I already knew I would probably fail math, but I actually enjoyed my science classes. Though that might have something to do with the blowing up stuff part.

   "Okay, well, I have P.E. So, catch you later, Valler?" She batted those bright green eyes at me, and I sighed. They took up about half of her face, and were an emerald color. They were the kind of eyes that could hypnotize you into doing anything.

   Which was probably why I found myself saying, "how about lunch?"