Copyright 2014 - Sophia Kjeldbjerg. All rights reserved.

No part of this story may be copied, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted to anyone. It cannot be transmitted or copied by any means - such as by electronical devices, photocopies, recordings, mechanicals or any other forms - without prior written permission. Copying this story is a violation of the copyright law.

*PICTURES OF THE COVER ARE NOT MINE.*

...°...

"I'm sure you'll be fine Em." I glance hesitantly at the campus grounds, feeling a new flood of fear sending my body into trembles. I bite my lip and look over at Alice, struck again by the stunning resemblance to Mum. The same long straight brown hair and the perfect features. I've always envied her confidence and the admiration that she got from all of her friends. Compared to her, I was low status; strawberry blond hair cut mid-waist and pale skin that always seemed to burn instead of tan, leaving me like a fried potato chip. The only common trait that we shared were our similar blue eyes.

I feel the tears threatening to spill at the thought of my deceased parents, but I refuse to cry; not now, not ever. Crying shows weakness, and I have to be strong. I swallow my nervousness down and try my hardest to put up a nonchalant expression. Inside of me, nerves are battling with one another.

"I'll be here at 3PM to pick you up okay?" Alice says, flinging my bag at me. "I've got to get to work now but-" She stops in the middle of her sentence and looks at me, pity flooding over her face. I accept her outstretched arms and bury my face in her fluffy coat, taking strength from her strong embrace. We pull apart and with one last deep breath I slide out of the car and shut the door behind me. She rolls down the front passenger window.

"You should go now... don't want to be late for your first day right?" she gives me a slight smile and drives off, leaving me standing in the middle of a buzzing crowd.

Murmurs and whispers reach me from all directions as I make my way towards the double doors of the imposing school building, glancing at the groups either seated on the grass or talking by the entrance. They each stop talking and stare at me instead every time I pass, but the voices keep echoing through my head. I force my head down, doing my best to keep the thoughts out of my brain.

Who's she? - Look at what she's wearing. - What classes does she take? - Have you heard that Matt Bryan broke up with Tessa last week?

I hurry in through the double doors and relief washes over me when I notice only a few people in the hall. The rest of them seem to prefer the open air of the outsides instead of the stuffy atmosphere inside, despite the chilly temperatures that come with the frosted seasons. I take out a paper from my bag and take a quick look around. My eyes land on a sign that reads 'Secretary's Office', so I make my way over there with quick steps.

"Excuse me?" I turn around hesitantly, not hearing the approaching foot steps that had come up behind me. I relax when I see the warm smile that the boy gives me. The first thing that I notice is his good looks: blond ruffled hair and hazel eyes stare at me curiously, and I can't help but feel small compared to his tall, tanned, and well-built frame towering over me. His teeshirt hugs his muscles tightly and even though I haven't had very much experience with guys, I can tell that his casual and confident stance makes his hotness shoot by tenfolds.

"Yeah?" I reply, forcing out some assurance in my voice. I fail.

Miserably.

"You're new right?" He shoots that question out without any warning, and I try to cover up my annoyance. It's the exact same question that everyone else seems to ask themselves inside of those crowded little brains of theirs. But I've got to give him credit; instead of gossiping and forming instant false rumours about me he actually comes up to me and asks.

That's rare.

-Yeah I am." I turn my back to him but he reaches over and touches my shoulder.

She's kinda pretty... - I wonder why she moved here... - Seems a bit weird though...

His touch activates a new wave of thoughts into my head and I spin to face him again, anger already taking place on my pale face. I must look like a tomato. I can almost imagine smoke bursting out of my ears like those little cartoon characters.

-I am not weird!" I exclaim, directing unnecessary attention towards us. Great. He raises an eyebrow and backs away, lifting his hands in surrender. Of course, saying that I'm not weird probably makes me look weirder.

-Whoa whoa... Calm down. I didn't say anything."

No but you thought it. I shake my head and reach for the door handle of the secretary's office, well aware of the surprised look that he sends me. He seems amused as well though, and it bothers me for some reason. I don't want him to start mocking me. I wouldn't want to break a fist punching that pretty face of his I mean.

When I step into the room, a smell similar to cheap perfume reaches my nostrils and I restrain the urge to cough.

"Well hello." I look over at the middle-aged woman seated behind a large mahogany desk with two bookshelves on either side of it. She's wearing a tight pink suit, matching the pink cat plates hanging on every available space on the walls. Her hair is pulled tightly back into a perfect bun and her nails are neatly french-manucured. She looks like one of those strict and snobby woman who pretend to be nice to uphold their precious reputation.

She smiles tightly and pushes her thin glasses up her nose, creating wrinkles in the dents of her face. I take a step forward and try my best to contain a blank expression even though all I want to do is reach over to that stinking dispenser and break it to prevent any more perfume from seeping out of it.

-How can I help you?" I take two steps forward and place the inscription sheet in front of her. She scans it up and down before nodding and typing something quickly on the computer.

"Uh-huh. Well, well... Emma Sanders, transferred here from London. It doesn't state a reason for that transfer, but I suppose that you can fill me in on that matter?" She looks up at me expectantly, and I shift uncomfortably. It's something that I hate to talk about. In fact, Alice has told me that if someone ever asked, I should just keep my mouth shut.

-It's kind of a personal matter..." I reply, avoiding her piercing eyes. Some anger seems to flare up in those orbs. She obviously doesn't appreciate being told no. Instead she gives me a fake understanding nod.

"Yes, I am very aware of that since you haven't filled in that part of the form, but I must inform you that being part of this school means that you have to uphold its policy. It is important not to disclose any valid information from us. Am I clear?" I take a deep breath. Even though I'm supposed to stay quiet, this woman doesn't seem to be willing to back off any time soon, and going back to Florida is just not an option.

I level my gaze with hers and take a silent breath, hoping that what comes next won't affect the school board's decision of accepting me. "I was transferred here because the teachers and my classmates noticed something weird about me." I say, suddenly extremely nervous when I see her eyes lighting up with curiosity. Oh no... please don't press, please don't press-

-And what was this weirdness constituted of?"

She pressed.

I shake my head and look at anywhere but her. I can't tell her that, I can't risk it. I hear her sigh and a shuffle of paper. Relief clouds my face and she seems to notice, making her drop the topic.

"Well, lets drop that matter for some time. It isn't very important anyway as long as your behaviour remains perfect and you maintain above average grades. This school has a reputation for pushing students to do their best and I expect nonetheless from you. Here is your schedule and student information, as well as the school rules that you must not, under any circumstances ever break. Your locker number is displayed at the bottom of the page. You will find your subject books and novels for English Literature in that locker." She extends the paper towards me and without another word, returns to her computer screen, not even casting a second glance at me.

I back out of the room and close the door behind me, clutching the paper firmly.

As I take a step back, my eyes scanning the length of the page for the locker number, I bump into something hard. I spin around and am face to face with a muscular torso, hugged inside of a black teeshirt and a black leather jacket. I raise my head and stare into deep endless eyes. His dark hair falls perfectly around his face which looks like a perfect copy of Michelangelo's David.

You probably get me... the thing is, he's extremely hot.

"Watch where you're going." His voice is deep and menacing and I gulp, ripping my gaze from his full lips. They look so...kissable...

Wait- what!?

Emma, you seriously need to get a grip.

Quickly, I mutter a miserable apology and back away, feeling his stare burning into my back. Something tells me that I do not want to mess with this guy.

It's only when I've retrieved my books and closed the locker when realization suddenly hits me. I didn't get a head ache. I didn't feel like screaming and ripping my brain out. My mind was completely still. It was peaceful and quiet, an incredible feeling that I'd never experienced before.

I couldn't hear his thoughts.