It felt like an eternity that we stared into each others’ eyes. Every breathe of his fanning across my face but soothing the anger and animosity right out of my body. It felt as if the anger had fizzled out and was replaced by a sense of calmness. My once furiously beating heart had now steadied, being replaced by a gentle thud against my chest. He reached out and grabbed a lock of my long red hair, twirling it between his fingers.
His actions made me forget how to breathe, causing a flurry of butterflies swarming through my stomach all over again. All I wanted was to get off this roller coaster ride of emotions. One second, he was acting like a complete jerk, and now he was standing inches away from me, twirling my hair in between his fingers as if I were the most delicate flower he has ever seen. I raised my hands to his shoulders and try to push him away, to give myself just an inch of space between us before I melt into a puddle of goo, but I am met with resistance.
Pushing him felt as if it was a brick wall. He doesn’t budge, doesn’t even sway from my push. He hesitates for a second, before dropping my hair and takes a step back. Running his hand through his hair revealing a deep scar that runs across the side of his neck, looking like he's been burned by something. I’ve never seen someone with such a deep scar before, but it only adds to the mystery that is this guy.
Coming from suffering of my own, a scar like that can only come from unimaginable pain. While my scars are invisable, I can only imagine what had to have happened for something like that to stay on his skin. Something about it makes me wish that I could take away his pain, wishing that I could make him hurt less. Knowing that he was in pain, made my own call out to him.
He noticed that I was staring at it, and he immediately tensed again, his hands balling into fists at his sides as if I had angered him. He turns his head to hide it from me, as if he was embarrassed.
I reach out to touch the scar on his neck, before I make a conscious decision not to do so, “You don’t need to be embarrassed. It takes a lot of strength to get through whatever it was, you should be proud of it, not ashamed of the mark that it’s left on your skin.”
His eyes look as if a fire had been lit underneath my touch, and I brace for him to swat my hand away. Instead of what I was expecting, he lets me stroke the pad of my finger over the scar repeatedly. Even in our silence, it had felt as if we had come to a silent agreement.
The electricity running through my fingertips was intoxicating as I stroked the deep scar on his neck. No words have left his lips since I noticed his scar but instead, he closes his eye and turns into my touch as if it calmed him. He lets out a long sigh sinking even deeper into my touch. As if something has caught his attention, he pulls back putting distance between the two of us.
“I don’t understand,” he whispered, as if he were talking to himself and not to me. I had barely heard the words leave his lips.
“The more a thing is dangerous, the more it feels pleasure and pain,” I repeated back to him. He only shook his head, as if trying to shake off the few moments we just shared between us. He takes in a deep breathe before looking back at me.
“Since you won’t leave, you’re going to listen to me very carefully. Keep your head down" He leans in close to me again his voice becoming low and raspy, “And don’t trust anyone.”
“Is that some kind of warning?” I asked, feeling as if I had gotten whiplash from his rollercoaster of emotions.
“Evanora!” a deep voice shouted from the common room behind me. A smile instinctively washed over my face, even though I felt like I couldn’t move. Turning back to confront the mysterious guy, I’m met with an empty alcove and a messed-up end table. The book I had pulled off the shelf was gone too.
Before I realize what is happening, my body is being lifted off the ground in a huge bear hug from behind. My feet left the floor, and the only thing I could do was dangle and let out a small laugh. Morgan was behind us, laughing her head off at the sight.
“I’m so sorry I couldn’t pick you up, Evanora. A couple of kids were causing trouble and I couldn’t leave. I’m glad you found your way okay though,” Uncle Jasper said, once he set me back on my feet, running his hand through my hair on the top of my head like a child.
“Oh, no worries, I’m here now and that’s all that matters,” I say, fixing my hair and following as they lead me back to the main foyer with the high ceilings and tapestries.
“How was the trip? And most importantly, Evanora, how are you?”
“Uncle Jasper, you can call me Evie. The trip was long, but good. It was fine. And I’m okay,” I say. If I were going to be honest, I would say overwhelmed, anxious, and annoyed, but I didn’t want to discourage my uncle or cousin in the first hour of being at Windamere Academy.
“I’m pretty sure by you saying “okay” you’re not really at all. I’m sorry you couldn’t come sooner, especially with everything that’s happened. I wish we could have been at the funeral,” he said, wrapping a comforting hand around my shoulder. His eyes held sympathy, but I didn't want it. I just wanted people to act normally around me again.
“It’s fine, the company you called in basically handled everything. I didn’t have to lift a finger,” I said, shrugging my shoulders.
“Come on, Dad. Evie is exhausted. Let me take her upstairs!”
“Okay, fine. I’ll leave you to settle in with Morgan. But I only ask that you come see me in the morning. I can give you your class schedule,” Uncle Jasper said, giving me a small smile, “About your room though.”
“We’ll be sharing a room; I hope that’s okay. If you really need it, Dad can try and move people around to get you your own room. I get if you need some space after-” Morgan started, but I cut her off.
“After what?” I asked. Having people walking on eggshells around me all the time was becoming old very quickly. Morgan’s face turned as white as the snow that lined the outdoors, and I instantly felt a pang of guilt run through me. She was only being nice, and here I was getting an attitude with her for no reason. Some cousin I was.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, almost low enough for me not to hear it. I pulled her into a hug and patted her back as if to ease her worry. It’s as close to an apology she’ll be getting out of me right now.
When I let Morgan go, I see Uncle Jasper eyeing me up and down, “Are you feeling alright?”
“I’m doing fine. Not the greatest, but I’m alright,” I say plainly, trying to hide exactly how much this place was already messing with my brain. He grumbles something unintelligible before turning his attention back to Morgan.
“Make sure you get her lots of water, and maybe some Tylenol. I can only imagine the headache she must have from jet lag,” he instructs. Morgan gives him a big thumbs up and a huge smile.
“Will do, Papa Bear!” she says giddily, “I’m glad you’re here Evie, this is going to be so much fun!”
I give her a small smile, but my mind instantly went back to the alcove where Mr. Tall, Dark, and Rude looked when he basically tried to turn me away from Windamere Academy. The way his eyes burned holes in my body when I refused. The way his breathe felt against my face.
But especially how he made me feel.
Reaching out for one of my suitcases my uncle swats my hand away, “Don’t worry about those, Evanora,” he says before yelling over to one of the students in a small group to the right, “Hey Silas, Come here a sec, will you?” The sound that came from Morgan sounded like halfway between a groan and a sigh as Silas made his way over to us. Clearly there was something she wanted to say but bit her tongue as he made his way over to us. “Come on, Evie. Before he comes over here,” she said rolling her eyes, tugging me away from my uncle. “What’s wrong with Silas?” I ask, seeing her obvious frustration. “Oh, nothing! He’s great, just awesome. He’s also, like… superhot and he knows it. I don’t really want him to meet you like this though, or see me like this for that matter,” she says grunting. “Oh, Morgan. Stop! You look great,” I say, trying to reassure my cousin. Her words were enough to solidify that she definitely had a crush on Silas. = “N
I slowly entered my new home, and gasped when I took a look around. Morgan clearly already knew that we would be sharing, as I noticed that my side of the room was already lightly decorated with plants and books. Morgan and I haven’t always been close cousins, but we did spend a fair share of time together growing up, so she knew of my interests when I was a kid which seemed to work out. She even went as far to get me moon colored bedsheets which were light shades of dark purples, blues and whites.“I remembered you we’re obsessed with things like this as a kid,” she says, almost shyly, “I hope it’s okay.”“I absolutely love it, and I appreciate the fact that you tried to make it feel like home as soon as I got here,” I say, flashing her a genuine smile. I seemed to be feeling okay since being surrounded by these new faces, and it felt good.“Do you ladies need anything before I head back downstai
“Let me help you! Why don’t you go take a shower and get into some comfies?” Morgan says, gleefully as she springs around the room. For someone who’s close to my age, she sure was hyper.“Actually, a shower sounds like the best thing I’ve ever heard of right now,” I say thinking about the chill I’ve had ever since I walked into this school. Morgan playfully shoos me into the bathroom connected to our room, and I can’t help but feel a little relieved at the solitude.Once alone in the confines of the bathroom, I strip off what feels like a thousand layers of thick clothing. On one side there’s a huge shower/tub combo which begged to be used. It looked very luxurious for a castle, but I wasn’t going to complain. I walked over to the vanity on the other side of the room and stared at my reflection in the mirror.Although my light blue eyes were a little bloodshot, which was probably from the je
The way he said my name sends goosebumps raising across my skin. His voice wasn’t pleasant sounding at all, and all I wanted to do was run away from these two who were clearly looking to cause trouble for me.“Umm, how do you know my name?” I ask, raising an eyebrow at the two brooding men who look between each other and laugh, as if I'd just told the worlds best joke. Their eyes were dark and menacing, making the knot in my stomach wrap tighter around itself.“Everyone at Windamere knows that you’re the new girl around here. No one new ever comes here without being noticed,” he says as he takes another step closer to me. He takes in a big breathe, almost as if he were sniffing me just like Jace had done earlier.“Well, since we’re here why don’t you tell me what you’re doing out of bed?” he says, folding his arms across his chest and raising an eyebrow as if he was a concerned parent. The s
Briar and Liam both move closer to me, and that’s when their plan hits me. My body realized I was in danger, before my mind, as the lump in my throat begins to build. My adrenaline kicks into high gear as I try and make it up the stairs past them. Unfortunately, I wasn’t fast enough or big enough, and Briar grabs my wrist before I even make it up a step.“Let me go!” I scream louder then I thought, trying to wiggle out of his grasp. He’s so strong that I can barely get any leverage against him. I turn my head back to him and sink my teeth deep into his arm triyng to get him to let go. Although I could see the blood forming, he doesn’t let me go and instead just tightens his grip on me causing me to let out a whimper. This is not good. There’s no way I can go outside in the cold. He pulls me closer to him, so that I’m wiggling against his chest. I give as much fight as my tiny frame can handle, but it's no use against him. He sta
Both boys nod, but don’t wait for another second before sprinting off down one of the hallways in the opposite direction, leaving Jace and I alone in the empty school foyer. Jace turns his attention back to me but doesn’t say anything as his eyes scan my body. His eyes are so intense as they trail over every inch, making goosebumps flash across my skin.“Nice jammies,” he says rubbing the hem of my pj shirt between his fingers. I let out a small chuckle but could feel my already rosy cheeks redden even more from his words.“Don’t you hate it when that happens? Getting caught in the hallway in your pjs?" I say, trying to make light of the situation, and getting caught in this awkward situation, “Do you always rescue girls in the hallway?”“Only girls who don’t take my advice and stay in their rooms,” he says smirking down at me. I look away from his face, unable to meet his eyes. There’s some
Have you ever felt a pain that consumed your entire being? A pain that latched onto your heart and felt as if it shattered it into a million pieces? A pain that you try to shove down deep, but in the end, you weep until your eyes run dry and there should be nothing left inside of you? And yet, you somehow come out unscathed. You’re still alive to see another day, to sleep, to eat and to live.The pain I am referring to is a pain like no other.The pain of losing your parents.My entire world came crashing down around me when I heard about my parents’ brutal car accident. It’s been three months, and I’ve been living a walking nightmare ever since. Day after day, week after week, wondering what I did to deserve such a harsh punishment.I’ve learned that showing how much pain I’m in is useless. Everyone else moves on, leaving me behind in the darkness. No one wants to hang out with the “sad” girl who lost her p
I couldn’t help but eagerly nod and follow as she walked past the vast tapestries into what looked like common room. We passed many students on the way in, staring at me. I could feel a harsh blush form across my pale cheeks, as I met each set of eyes. Something about the looks they were giving me set me on edge, but I tried to shake it off as I followed closely behind Morgan.“Don’t worry about them, they’re just curious about you. You’re the new girl, after all,” Morgan said, as if reading my thoughts.“What happens if the new girl doesn’t want to be checked out?” I mumble out loud, trying to duck my head so I wouldn’t have to see the staring eyes. I was never someone who wanted to be the centre of attention, but I guess that’s what I get since I’m so shiny and new here.The common room is exactly what it sounded like. There was only one photo on the walls, and it was a portrait of a man h