Chapter 1
I woke up slowly, the sun shining through the window. I opened my eyes and sat up. Glancing at the clock, I saw it was 6:00 AM. I quickly got up and started getting ready for school.
10 minutes later...
I stepped out of the shower and put on my usual black blouse and long black skirt. I applied some fragrance and a bit of lip balm. After finishing up, I stepped out of my room.
“Good morning, little flower,” a soft, deep voice caught my attention as I walked toward the dining room. It was Klaus Henderston—my mother’s childhood best friend. He was a 50-year-old single man and a former Delta Force commander. I never knew why he stayed single, but that wasn’t my business. Ever since I moved here to Chicago, he had become my adoptive guardian, as suggested by my mother.
“Hi, good morning, Uncle Klaus,” I said, offering him a polite smile.
“You look stunning as always, little flower. I made your favorite—an English breakfast with bacon and eggs,” he said.
I sat down comfortably as he poured me a glass of Earl Grey tea. After a short prayer, I picked up my utensils and began eating.
“How is it?” he asked, sipping his coffee.
“It’s really good,” was all I could say as I sipped the tea.
He smiled warmly as he watched me eat. After I finished, I said goodbye. He offered to drive me to school, but I politely declined. I preferred walking.
About 30 minutes later, I finally arrived at Chicago Northwest Park School. It was 6:58 AM.
The school opens at 8:30, so I knew I was way too early—but that’s exactly how I liked it. I enjoyed the silence and avoiding people.
I walked down the empty halls. As I turned a corner, I didn’t see someone in front of me because I was looking down at my phone—bam, I bumped right into someone.
“I’m terribly sorry, excuse me,” I said as I looked up—and froze. Standing in front of me was a huge, muscular guy, at least 6'8", with jet-black hair and sparkling blue eyes.
“Wait!” he said, but I ignored him and walked straight to the library.
Later...
After the bell rang, students flooded the classroom. I had already been in my seat for 15 minutes to avoid everyone. As usual, I ignored the glares and whispers. I didn’t care what people thought of me.
A minute later, Mrs. Ella Byott, our science teacher, arrived.
“Good morning, class. Today we’ll begin a new chapter—an introduction to electrical science—and explore how it applies to our everyday lives. First, you’ll need to find a partner for the upcoming project,” she announced.
The classroom immediately filled with chatter as students scrambled to pair up.
“Silent, class!” Mrs. Byott snapped, and within seconds the room was quiet again.
“I will assign partners with these number cards,” she said, walking around and handing them out.
I looked down at mine: a large red 8.
A moment later, someone tapped my shoulder. I turned—and there he was. The guy I had bumped into earlier.
“Hey, I guess we’ve got the same number,” he said with a big, friendly smile.
“Yeah,” I replied, nodding.
“Alright, great. Let’s talk about it later,” he said, still smiling like a kid who’d won the lottery.
After class...
I rushed to the restroom—I had been holding it in all through class. I took the last stall and sighed in relief. After I finished, I washed my hands and stepped outside—only to see the tall guy again. He was leaning against the wall, tapping away on his phone. When he saw me, he smiled again.
“Hey,” he greeted. “Ready to talk about the project? We can go to the library, if you want.”
I nodded in agreement.
“Alright,” he said, reaching for my backpack.
“What are you doing?!” I snapped, irritated. I didn’t like people touching my stuff.
“Your bag looked so heavy, I could hardly ignore it,” he said, now wearing it casually over his shoulder.
I glared at him, but he just chuckled like it was nothing.
“Yeah, whatever,” I muttered.
