Chapter 1
Have you ever been sad but you don’t really why? My whole life has been like that, I’ve always had this sadness inside of me and I don’t really know how to stop or control it let alone suppress it.
Walking though the hallways in school makes me question my actual existence I sigh. As I begin to grow more anxious on a daily bases. I somehow have this guy wrenching feeling that something bad is going to happen.
As I and deep in thought I hear a voice that brings me back to reality.
“Hey can we talk?” Says a male voice from behind me.
I turn around slowly, I think he already knows my answer so he jumps to speak again, “you can’t just avoid me.”
I look at around to find eyes all over me, “Not here,” the students and the towns people are always so nosey I pull a face at them.
I take him by his arm and pull him inside an empty classroom and close the door behind us, “Okay talk.” I say a little too aggressively as I fold my arms.
“What changed, because I am sure as hell I didn’t. Breaking up with me was a misktake and you know it.” He whispers as he comes towards me put he comes to a holt when I shake my head as I open my mouth to speak but he beats me to it, “We were perfect together. At least just tell me why?” He looks me directly in the eye.
“Because I feel nothing, nothing at all. And you can’t fill that void. No one can.” My eyes starts to tear up but luckily before I start to ball my eyes out the class door opens and Mr Forbes gives us looks as to what are we doing in his class but before he can question us, I slip past him and I am already walking down the hallway.
Why am I a complete mess?
I just hate myself.
“Aria!” Says Beth while she’s approaching me, “we have a new student!” She says excitedly as she fixes her hair.
“What?” I ask her wondering what’s all the fuss about.
“This guy is so freaking hot you won’t believe it.” She squeaks.
I roll my eyes, “Beth you think anyone of the opposite sex is hot.” I mutter.
“Extra cranky today are we?” She folds her arms, “he is literally the hottest human being I’ve ever seen in my life.” She was about to go on but then the bell rings, “I’ll take your word for it.” I say while I’m walking off.
“Where you’re going?!” She squells.
“Class.” I mutter back to her with a smile.
That new kid is in for a treat with Beth, she is a guy magnet and of course irresistible to them with that platinum blonde hair and those long legs.
I look like a little boy next to her and really the only guy that didn’t have a crush on her in this school is Jake, he sadly has low standards.
I sigh just thinking of him, I wish we can all go back in time and just be friends again.
Walking down the flight of stairs and I think I forgot my history book in my locker, I aggressively look through my bag and I am satisfied when I see it. I smile in relief because I don’t have to walk all the way back there again.
My heart drops as I loose my footing— My body turns stiff as I grab the railing but I miss as I am already going to fall down the stairs.
I feel my body melt into someone’s arms as he is holding me, my heart skips a beat as my eyes meets with his cool grey eyes and now I am very out of character as I find myself staring at him.
He is perfect, honestly and utterly perfect. I stare in disbelief at his perfection. This must be the new guy Beth was talking about! But why did someone like him come to this dead town?
“Hi.” He says with a dashing smile.
My eyes widen as I realise that he is still holding me in his arms.
“Uhm can you let go?” I say as I am a bit embarrassed.
He gently releases his grip from me and then picks up my history book and hands it to me.
“Sorry about that Aria.”
I frown at him, “How do you know my name?” I ask him.
He looks at me a bit too seriously and then points at my history book, “Aria Stone.” He reads off of the label on my book.
I feel even more embarrassed, I smack the palm of my hand on my forehead. “Right.” I mumble as I begin to walk off. I want to turn back and say thank you but I don’t as I think better of it.
After school is over I dart out of the school yard to avoid Beth. I stuff my hands in my pockets because it is actually really cold as it usually is. Besides from the weather itself— the people are cold as well. I’ve always felt out of place here, like I didn’t belong. I sigh as I find my mind thinking about him. How his fingers curled around my waist as he caught me. It made shivers run down my spine and my heart pound as I stared into his light grey eyes. His calm eyes. I found him strangely soothing.
I bite down my lower lip as I begin to push those thoughts and feelings away— after all I didn’t know him. But how could he make me feel something where as Jake tried his outmost best. My heart began to ache as I thought about him and how cruel I was towards him. But every time I think about the dreams I have. The dreams that haunt me, that feel so piercingly real. I bite down on my lower lip. How could I ever let anyone in, I simply couldn’t when my whole life feels like a lie.
I follow my usual path— that includes a short cut through the woods that my mother so hopelessly begged me not to take anymore. But I just nodded my head in agreement already knowing that I won’t stop. What was the worst that could happen I already feel dead anyway.
I huff as I hear someone me from behind, I turn to see that it is Jake. I growl under my breath. I think that I would rather have to deal with Beth at this point. He runs up in a little pant.
“For someone as small as you— you actually walk really fast.” He tries to lighten the mood with a joke but somehow to me feels like an insult.
I just keep forward, walking at my regular pace as if my ex isn’t walking right next to me. I just simply ignore him.
“So how was Miss Benson. Did she give you a lot of homework again?” He lets out a little chuckle as he so desperately tries to get through to me. “I bet she did— so did you see we’re playing Oaken-valley’s high schools football team on Friday.” He turns to me in a smile. “I still can’t believe they made me kicker.” His voice trails off.
I come to a holt and look at him. “So you’re finished?” I raise my brow to him.
“Ariella.” He says my full name.
“You know I hate it when people call me that.” I say in a low angry tone.
“Why because it reminds you of your dad?” He asks abruptly and I couldn’t help but smack him across the face when he said that.
He pauses for a short while as his face is turned to the other side, showing off his jawline. Then he turns back to me. “Did I deserve that?” He asks. “If I deserved it then hit me again.” He tells me in a soft voice.
“I can’t do this with you, why can’t you just be normal!” I yell at him, “Why can’t you just like someone who is beautiful, who is a girly girl. Someone like Beth!” I shout.
He stares at me for a while, “You don’t think you’re beautiful?” He asks in confusion.
I scoff, “How could I?” I shrug wondering just how can he be so calm after I slapped him across the face just a moment ago.
“To me no one is more beautiful than you.” He tells me as he looks at me deep in the eyes body towering over mine.
“Then you need glasses.” I frown.
“No you do.” He smiles as he pushes the hair that was in my face behind my ear.
But then that’s the problem— this moment was supposed to give me chills. Was supposed to make my heart skip a beat but once again I feel nothing.
“There isn’t anything you can do or say that will make me love you.” I say harshly and he is taken aback, he then pulls his hand away.
He nods, “You say all these awful things and somehow I know you mean them. But still— but still I find myself here. I find myself here and I don’t know how to love you any less.” He says softly but then he sighs then he just turns around and walks off. I could hear by his shakey voice that he was hurt. I watch him leave my sight and wonder to myself if he was crying.
“Harsh.” Says a voice from my left as Jake is long gone.
I turn hastily to this voice, “What do you want?!” I shout at him. As I see that it is the new student. Is he following me now?
He smirks, “I should be asking you that.” He says calmly as he jabs his thumb to the back of him to what I thought was to be an abandoned mansion with an eerier aesthetic.
“I thought it was abandoned.” I say out loud.
“Well not really abandoned but just waiting for me to return.” He says in a light British accent. Absens haeres non erit.” He smiles as he walks over to me.
“An absent person will not be an heir.” He elaborates.
“What language is that?” I ask him.
“My home language.” He whispers playfully. “You seem to be clueless of many things.” He says as he walks slowly around me as if I am the prey and he the hunter.
“What do you mean?” I ask him but when I turn to face him he is gone.
My mind whirls, was I really talking to him? How could he just vanish like that?
