The Boy

"So, honey, do you think you're ready for your first day of school?"

I could hardly assimilate my father's voice. My mind was in that picture with the mysterious and handsome boy, and that silver chain with the cross on it. The same that now, was hanging from my neck.

A slight throat clearing caught my attention, I met the expectant eyes of dad. That intense honey color intimidating me.

-"Sorry?"
-"Leah, I asked you, if you're ready to start school?"

I looked at him for a few seconds before regaining my composure.

-"Honestly, no, but I have no other choice, right?"

-"True"

I knew it. Knowing my parents, I had been enrolled in school a month before we moved to Blackwood.

Typical of them.

Unwilling to speak, I turned my attention back to the plateful of vegetables. My nose wrinkles in disgust. I hate vegetables. I played with them a little with the tip of the fork, trying to delay as much as possible the fact that I would have to ingest them.

- "Leah, do not play with your food"
-"Mom"
- "Don't 'mom' me, you eat the vegetables and your room Leah Armine Anderson"

Leah Armine Anderson

I stopped short the moment he pronounced my full name, actually cringing in the process. I knew firsthand that when she said my full name, it meant she was being serious.

- "Amanda, don't be so hard on the girl. Besides, the vegetables are disgusting"

I smile faintly at dad who was trying to help me

- "Richard"

Only with the tone implied in each letter both, dad and I, knew that it was time to shut up or we would end in trouble. With some reluctance, I swallow the vegetables. With the most fake smile I could make, I take the dish to the kitchen and wash it. Wish them both goodnight before climbing the grand staircase two at a time. I got lost a bit on the way to my room as the house was unnecessarily large.

I closed the door behind me and made sure to put the lock on it before heading for the bathroom.

Yes, this room had bathroom included

The hot water hit my skin once in the shower, I thoroughly soiled while the water kept running. I wrapped myself in a pale pink towel and stuffed myself into my black sandals and then out of the bathroom. Goosebumps rose on my skin, the room must have been at least ten degrees Celsius.

It was freezing

Suddenly, I felt watched and the hairs on my neck prickled. I was frozen in my place, the temperature dropping with every passing minute. What the hell happened to the weather? This afternoon we were at forty degrees Celsius!

Has it ever happened to you that you feel that someone is watching you but you're so afraid that don't even dare breathe? Well, that was me.

With a little courage, I turned and as expected: the room was empty.

With my bare legs basically frozen, I went to the wardrobe. I took my underwear and carefully covered my body with black long-sleeved pajamas. The feeling of being observed is still present. I stuff myself into thick stockings with rabbit drawings and literally throw myself into bed. I hid under the warm duvet, but the cold was still there.

Paranormal and terrifying, latent.

Never, and I repeat never, in my seventeen years of life had I felt such cold, so unnatural.
With trembling fingers, I turned off the lamp next to my bed and the darkness invaded the room. The windows (well the sole window in the room) still had no curtain, so the moonlight was still there. A silver light bathing the dark room.
Soon, slumber came to me like death. But before closing my eyes completely and letting myself fall into Morpheus's arms, I swear I saw a jade color, similar to the treetops in spring from the darkest corner of the room.

***

As I said before. I was an antisocial. People made me nervous and I could not stand the irritating sound of laughter apart from my own. I had had a rather lonely childhood, but I would not change it for anything.

So here, standing in front of that red brick building worn by time, my eyes wandered over the different faces of the different students attending Blackwood High. Honestly, I could not care less about the fact that everyone present died now. If for me, they would all be ten meters underground. I am not such a bad person, I just say that with less world population there are more benefits.

The building was somewhat-very-old, but as my parents had told me, it was the only school in the small town and the oldest one in the state - thank you dad, it's very helpful to know that probably someone's grandfather's great-grandfather in this school was able to study here-

The worn red brick walls were vaguely familiar, I had the feeling of having seen those walls somewhere before. The old white bars seemed to scream to catch my attention, I was sure I had seen them before. While I was submerged in my thoughts, a girl with black hair and huge brown eyes appeared out of nowhere.

I stifled a small cry for the fright.

"Hello! My name is Elena Ford, you're new, aren't you? I've never seen you in Blackwood."

Her voice was too loud, her hair too dark, her joy gave a me headache.

I smiled falsely and my eyes wandered for a moment on her face, I saw something moving in the corner of my eye and managed to catch the movement of a shadow right in front of the old white bars, the worn brick wall contrasting in the background. A strange feeling hit the back of my stomach, it was as if something was missing there.

Suddenly, something clicked on my mind, and as if from a puzzle it was, I started to connect the pieces. Those red brick walls worn. The old white bars. That's why I became familiar. Sure, after spending the whole afternoon drooling over the boy in the picture .... My subconscious spits bitterly, but I decided to ignore it.

So H. S. this school? Duh, it's the only school in town, Leah. And if so, someone here should know him, right?

- "Yeah, nice"

I Try to avoid her as politely as I can. But it was impossible, this girl was like a stone in the shoe. Annoying and irritating.

- "This is your first day true? Great! I have to show you everything then!"

List of voices I hate:

1) Yuya
2) Peppa
3) Amelia Young
4) American Airlines stewardess
5) Mrs. Buttons; Annoying neighbour
6) Elena Ford

I ended up writing down her name on my mental list of voices that I hate when she pulled me tightly by the arm and without waiting for any response, forced me to follow her.

How rude.

- "I hope I was the first person to talk to you today, although with that face I doubt it very much"

I felt offended. I do not know if she said it as a joke or with what intentions, but in the same way, I felt offended. And I was not one of those who allowed themselves to be passed over, much less by an idiot who was apparently drugged. Being so happy at eight in the morning on a Monday morning is not normal, nothing normal.

- "Sorry smiley, what did you just say?"

-"Me? What happened?"
I tugged my arm from her grasp. I gave a quick view to her outfit.

Hippies, I'm fed up of their crap

- "What did you mean by 'although with that face I doubt it very much'?"

Elena scratched her neck nervously and then laughed, go crazy

-"Oh no, it was all a misunderstanding! I wanted to say that you are very pretty so I doubt anyone - especially the boys in this school - have not spoken to you already!"

Her confession left me somewhat stunned. I had no friends, so no one had ever called me pretty. I did not consider myself attractive, just normal. An average face.
I wrinkled my nose in disgust and rolled my eyes in response. This was as kind as I could be.

I did not give her time to take my arm again, I just left.

I had not made friends before, I would not start doing them now.

Notes