35

Cherry's glare silenced all the students on the bus, making it clear that she was the one getting the young girl to school today, not her sweet twin who couldn't harm a fly.

There were three seats on each side of the long school bus aisle. Cherry spotted two empty seats on one side and guided Berezira to them. She took the seat by the window, and Zira sat between her and another male student.

As the bus began to move, the boy attempted to leave his seat and join his friends. Cherry wasn't sure whether he was trying to escape "Evil Bella" or "Medusa," but she didn't care to find out.

"Sit. Down. Now," she ordered through clenched teeth, and the boy immediately complied. Good.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Zira trying to shrink into herself. Cherry knew that the girl would have disappeared if she could. Living like that wasn't an option, especially not at Campbell Victory High School, the same school she and Ixora had attended. It was a place shaped by mean teachers, even me