In retrospect, sleeping through History class wasn't her best idea. She might've done better to go with the ever preposterous science or even art where the toxic fumes of acrylics were comforting lulls to sleep. But Mrs. Cooper's history class was just so...boring.

History could've been fun. It could've had movies and games and stories and enthusiastic students that wanted to be there. But Lucy Maverick had the horrible unluckiest luck ever. She got stuck with Mrs. Cooper, who everyone called the Flashcard Freak behind her back. Flashcards with dates, flashcards with places, flashcards with long dead people, flashcards with silly loopy notes on the sides-- overflowing her backpack, spilling from her poor locker, spreading throughout her room like a mold Lucy couldn't expunge.

"When am I ever going to need to know about Moctezuma?" Lucy kicked up a stack of fallen leaves, holding her phone to her ear as she walked home from after school tutoring.

"Dunno, Child." Christy replied, though her voice sounded distant like she hadn't even heard the question. There was a shuffle of paper on her side of the phone and Christy sighed. "Kasey said he liked my hair again today. I wore it the same way I do everyday, Luce. Why is he just now mentioning it?"

Lucy made a face and it took everything in her not to groan out loud. She nearly tripped on the sidewalk doing it though. For a second Lucy felt gravity slip but then in a rush of relief, she balanced herself like a ninja.

There were so many things that didn't Christy know. So many things that were happening around her. Lucy wanted to tell her. But every time, his words came back to her, "It'll only hurt her more."

What type of best friend was she if Lucy kept secrets like this? Guilt pooled in Lucy's stomach, and she kicked a small pebble across the sidewalk. Suddenly her bag felt ten times heavier, a long distant calling that rumbled in her head. The antagonizing truth dawned on Lucy that she had enough secrets to fill up all her flashcards. And she couldn't tell anyone, any of them ever.

"--you know? Like when he says he likes my eyes?" Christy paused probably looking for confirmation that Lucy was still listening, which she wasn't. But it didn't matter as Christy continued on changing the subject, "Hey what are you going to do for that essay in English?"

"Essay?"

"Yeah the one about our greatest adventure or whatever. It's not due until next month but I want to get it done and out of the way." More shuffling on Christy's side, she was probably making her own set of those dreaded flashcards. "You know, I think I'll do mine on that time we went to the zoo. Remember that? With the monkeys?"

She grinned, "Yeah, I...."

"Lucy?"

Lucy had frozen on the sidewalk looking ahead of her. An inconspicuous gray truck was loitering by the stop sign ahead of her. No turn signal, no other traffic. Lucy shivered and it had nothing to do with the fresh autumn wind that tussled her hair. The windows were tinted and engine hummed. A cloud passed in front of the sun and the world seemed to darken in that one second.

Lucy knew right then that that truck was waiting for her.

"Child? You there?"

"Christy, I'll call you back." Lucy said. She'd hit the end button before her friend could even reply.

She never called back.

The next morning, Lucy Maverick's backpack of flashcards was the only thing anyone could find of her.