Unintended: An Univile High School Story
Chapter One: Almost
Bering and Wells, Not really T yet

Seventeen-year old Helena Wells sped up as she rounded the corner of the track. Her gym shirt was starting to cling to her abdomen from perspiration and her normally pale face was getting flushed. The September sun was far warmer in South Dakota than she was used to in her native Bromley. She had moved to Univile over the summer and had stayed inside most of the time, busy, until the school year started, but when autumn came around, bringing its unseasonable heat with it, she found herself a junior at the tiny high school and adjusting to the American school system. She had previously gone to a gifted and talented school that offered classes like yoga, martial arts, and dance as physical education, but Univile High School had a 'one-size fits all' gym program that included the most ridiculous activities. Including running.

Running laps had to be the most useless activity known to man; and it was considered part of the core curriculum. On the bright side, the teacher had specified that after completing ten laps the students were done. For the average teenager, this would take most of the forty-five minute class period. Helena was anything but average. So, eager to get through with class before everyone else, she pushed herself. She had lapped most of the class, several times, even the kids on the so-called track team. She only had two laps left. Her lungs were starting to burn, her calve muscles ached, and the sweat was dripping into her eyes, but she pushed herself a little harder all the same. Helena didn't have anything to prove, in fact, if she felt like it, she could have dawdled in the back of the pack with the girls who refused to move at any pace classified as more than a brisk walk.

The clique of teenage girls that deemed themselves 'too cool' to run spent the entire class period gossiping. In a former life, Helena would have joined their cheerful chatter. But she had no desire to make friends. She had one goal at this school; to graduate. If her cousin (second cousin, technically), Emily, hadn't insisted Helena attend public school (mostly just to get her out of the house) she would have been just as happy to get her GED via independent study. But instead she was attending classes, most of them pointless. And she was only in her junior year; she had at least two more years of this bull before she could graduate and go to college.

Her speed stayed even as she caught up to the one girl faster than her, a shorter girl with mocha skin and wildly curly dark hair. What was her name? Helena thought idly, staying a few paces behind the other girl. L something. Leah? Leia? No. She shook her head. Doesn't matter. Just run.

They rounded the last corner and Helena felt herself relax a little. Almost done. Almost home. Almost free. She chanted with each step. Almost.

"Watch out!" The L-something said, just as a hard rubber ball hit Helena in the stomach.

Helena fell ungracefully into the fence surrounding the field with an unladylike mutter of "Bollocks." She allowed herself to hit the ground rather than try to catch her balance.

"Are you okay?" L-something asked, hovering slightly over the wounded girl.

"Sorry!" Someone else ran up from the field, holding a hockey stick. "Shit. Sorry, I think I hit it harder than I thought I did." This girl, too, hovered over Helena. "Are you okay?"

"I'm—ow." Helena crossed her arms over her abdomen. She felt ill. "Fine." She started to get up, taking the hand offered to her by the girl with the hockey stick. "Thanks." She said, not looking at the girl.

Now the coach was joining the crowd. "Everything alright here?" He barked.

"She got hit, Coach Martin." Hockey Girl explained. "Stray ball." That I hit. She neglected to explain.

"You girls gotta stop popping it up!" He scolded. "You know what, Myka, you can take…What's your name?"

"Helena Wells." Her voice was strained as she answered. Myka? Ah, must be Hockey Girl's name.

"Yes." He nodded. "Myka, you take Ms. Wells to the nurse. Period's almost done anyway. Leena," He addressed the girl who had been running ahead of Helena. "You can go with them if they need help." He promptly turned and went back to supervise the class.

"Sure thing. Totally my fault." Hockey Girl answered. (No, Myka, answered. Helena corrected herself.) "I'm really sorry." Myka repeated. Helena finally looked up to meet her eye for the first time. The girl was taller than she, with curly brown hair pulled into a ponytail. "I should have been—"

"It's fine, honestly." Helena interrupted. "I can take myself." She started towards the locker room.

Myka nodded to Leena to finish class and chased after the injured girl herself.

"Wells!" Myka called, causing the girl to turn. "Wait up!" Then more softly she added, "You could have a concussion, you shouldn't be unsupervised. Besides, do you know where the nurse is?"

Helena shook her head. "Lead the way."