I can't seem to get those endless eyes out of my mind as I wander through the hallways, searching frantically for the room where my maths class has surely already started. I'm so late, and it's only the first class of my first day. Finally, slightly out of breath from the rapid walking, I find the door and push it open. Immediately, a chubby old man turns towards me which leads the rest of the class to do the same.

"Miss Sanders, glad you could make it. Please chose a seat." I nod at the teacher, slightly embarrassed, and divert my attention from him. I scan the room for an empty chair, attempting to ignore the curious and already judgemental stares from the others. 

I notice the blond guy from previously and he waves at me, smiling brightly. Okay, so he must not think that I'm that weird. That's good, I hope. The girl seated a table away from him notices his gesture and sends me a murderous glare.

Great... I'm already making enemies. 

I walk over to the back of the classroom, where there are only two seats at two one-seat desks available. I take the seat closest to the window and pull out my maths notebook and a pen, my gaze hardly leaving the grey sky outside of the glass pane. My mind wanders to some place far away for a moment, but then the teacher's booming voice brings me back to attention as he continues his lesson about whatever it is he's teaching us about. Honestly, when it comes to maths, I have no clue.

Several hours seem to pass by as I try my best to focus my hearing on Mr. Arwin's incomprehensible sentences about foreign numbers and equations that have my brain shattering to pieces, even though it's only been twenty three minutes and ten seconds. 

Eleven seconds.

Twelve seconds.

Yes, I'm counting. Don't judge me, I don't get anything at all. 

The teacher must notice my absent-mindedness and the way that I keep my gaze locked on my wristwatch, since his voice silences down, before coming back out in an entirely different tone. He's interrupted the lesson and I can feel his eyes directly on me. The rest of the students instinctively turn in their seats to follow his gaze and I suddenly find myself the centre of attention. Exactly what I wanted to avoid. 

"Having trouble, Miss Sanders?" The teacher asks, making his way towards me. Feeling everyone staring at me, I flush a deep red, attempting to hide my face from them by using my blond locks as a shield. 

"Miss Sanders?" Mr Arwin repeats, slight annoyance creeping into his tone. He is now standing right in front of the table, scanning my blank notebook and making a quick analysis in his mind. I can hear his disappointment screaming through his thoughts, and the sounds bring great pain to my already painful headache. His features contract as a frown forms on his face.

"I suggest you take notes to be able to understand this class." He settles with that sentence instead of voicing the obvious words that he's thinking in front of the whole class. 

Take notes? Yeah, well I'll do that when I'll actually understand a single word you're saying. I bite my tongue and refrain from saying that, from fear of being sent to the head mistress of the school. I've heard horrible things from the minds of fellow students during my way through the school's halls, and I'm in no hurry to land in her office any time soon. 

I don't say anything, but nod quickly and bury my face in the notebook, listening to his retreating foot steps. I try to set my mind on the class in front of me but the thoughts all mix up like scribbles in my head, and I feel the urge to bury my head in water and drown to stop the pain. 

I try to set up barriers to hold the thoughts out but they all come tumbling in again. 

And then they're gone. 

I relax instantly, feeling my mind emptying. Confused, I raise my head, and notice a strong and firm hand clutching my lower arm. 

"What are you?" The familiar boy hisses, taking me completely off guard. I had not expected that...

"What the hell are you talking about?" I reply, trying to keep annoyed and disturbed, but hearing my own voice crack slightly at the end. His eyes are still endlessly deep, the eyes that burned holes in my back previously this morning. In the rare sun rays coming from the window, his dark hair goes a shade lighter. It's entrancing, watching the glints wash over his ink strands. 

Again, a feeling of peace takes position comfortably in my mind, and I have the wish of never letting him go, to hold onto this boy, who seems to cloud all the other thoughts.

He has other plans though, and lets go of me, almost with disgust. He chuckles humourlessly and slumps back gracefully - I have no idea how slumping down like a potato sack can be graceful but he masters it perfectly - tapping the table with his long fingers carelessly. 

I hadn't seen him coming at all, and by the looks of Mr. Arwin's furious face, he hadn't either.

"Well, well... If it isn't Mr Jakobs." He says, folding his hands maliciously. He's obviously looking forward to punishing him. 

-Good morning, professor." My neighbour replies, not in the least nervous by the situation that he's making more worse and worse for himself by the second. Everyone else in the room is watching the scene curiously, staring at him with awe mixed with fear.

"And where have you been for the last thirty minutes Jakobs?

-I don't see how that's any of your business-" He pauses and smirks, "-sir." 

Mr. Arwin's face fires to red, and it looks like he's about to pop. The students begin snickering and whispering to each other, and me sitting right next to the culprit, well I can merely sit completely frozen and hope that no one notices my discomfort. 

The poor maths teacher slams the open book that he's holding loudly down onto the desk at the front of the class, and balls his trembling hands into fists at his sides. His grey moustache twitches. 

It actually twitches. 

"That's enough Jakobs! Get out of my class! You are set for detention!" He roars, and I flinch as his loud voice washes over us. The recipient of the teacher's anger doesn't seem bothered at the least, and he actually chuckles again, sighing loudly. 

He lifts his shoulders without caring and grabs his bag on his way out. I clearly notice the admiring stares that he gets from all of the girls around. He even seems to earn some respect from the boys.

When he slams the door, all the thoughts come streaming at me again, and I restrain the urge to cry out in pain. Mr. Arwin, gaining more or less his normal colour back, turns around and begins to write the rest of his equations on the board, deepening the room into a tense silence. It doesn't stop the noise in my head though. 

Unable to concentrate, I decide to focus on the dark and foggy morning colours outside. 

When the bell goes off, I'm the first to run out, drowning all the thoughts away completely. I breathe out with relief. 

"Hey! Wait up!" I look to the side only to find the blond guy hurrying to catch up. He looks completely out of breath, so I guess that he's been searching for me through the thick crowd thinning out of the classroom as students wander lazily to their next classes. 

He gives me another grin that kind of looks goofy, causing me to laugh. He notices, and extends his hand with a satisfied smile. 

"I don't think that we got to properly meet each other before. I'm Brad." I shake his hand, only to connect fully to his thoughts that are increased in volume and intensity with that simple touch.

She's pretty... - Saw her talk to Jakobs though... - Wonder if she knows... - 

I quickly pull my hand back from his, as if it had burned me.

"I - I have to go..." I utter, suddenly breathless. He looks at me with quizzical confusion.

"Sure, I'll see you later. I will see you later right?" He asks cautiously, and I force a strained smile.

-Sure." Just as I turn to leave, I feel his warm hand on my arm, spinning me around again.

"I didn't catch your name." His hazel eyes are more intense up close as he searches my face with wonder. 

"Emma..." I mutter, already wishing to escape away from him, "Emma Sanders." He nods gratefully and lets me go, and I walk away as quickly as I can.

"You should come watch my game on Friday!" he shouts a distance away, but I don't reply. 

...°...

"Em!" I turn around, pulling my coat tighter around me. Since I went outside the school's front doors, a frosting cold reached my bones and I started to tremble uncontrollably from the chill. I search around for Alice's familiar voice but don't see her amidst the crowd of students piling into cars or onto scooters, and heading out or home for the rest of the day.

"Emma!" Finally, I notice my sister's car, parked a few feet away. She smiles at me warmly when I slide into the front passenger seat and close the door, thankful for the hot air conditioning streaming through the grids. I link my hands together in front of them and blow on my freezing skin to bring some much needed warmth to it.

"So...?" Alice asks, starting the engine. "How was it?" 

I sigh and slump further into the soft chair material. 

"Fine I guess..." I whisper, barely audible against the gentle hum of the country song playing on the radio. Alice has got a weak spot for country. 

"What do you mean?" Her eyes fleet hastily between the road and my face with excited curiosity, "Did you meet anyone nice?"

"Yeah... A guy named Brad was quite nice to me I guess..." And also an extremely hot, intimidating, wicked guy who I only know the last name off, and seems to block away all the other thoughts around me when he touches or is even in my close presence.

But of course, I don't say that. It's bad enough that I feel guilty not telling Alice about my hidden talent. Or curse, as it seems to me...

I notice her smiling sideways at me. 

"Good, good..." I nod at her incomprehensible enthusiasm at my rare skill of being social and making friends, and stare out of the window, focusing on the flashing lights and the streets that we pass.

Suddenly, I see a flash of black. I blink my eyes rapidly, trying to regain focus, but it's gone as quickly as it came. I lean back in my chair with confusion and let out a sigh. Our move to this city is turning out to be extremely - interesting.