Chapter 1
“Come on querida! Time to get up! It’s your first day of high school in England!” Her mother’s sing song voice was just too happy in the mornings. Why did she have to be so chipper every single morning?? Couldn’t a girl at least have her coffee first? Groaning, Lyra rolled over on her back tossing the covers off in a huff.
“OK Mom! I’m up!” she yelled. “Just please stop with the Mary Poppins routine,” she grumbled. Grabbing her stuff, she headed to the bathroom to begin her morning ritual. Looking at herself in the mirror, she scowled and jumped into the shower. She was already halfway through her senior year and she was starting in a new school. In another country. Yeah. Another freaking country. Her mother was a successful software designer and had been offered a high paying job with media giant, Halloway Holdings. While Mara now earned a nice fat salary, the company was located in England. As in Great Britain, the United Kingdom and whatever else it was called. Lyra was pulled out of school and moved across the ocean.
“Great. Now I have to wear some stupid uniform to school.” She was now enrolled in Hunter’s Crest, a high end educational establishment for the snobby and wealthy. Emphasis on the wealthy. Sighing heavily, she donned the uniform which consisted of a black pleated skirt that ended mid thigh on her. She was rather tall, at five foot ten. At least her legs were long and toned but she still felt practically naked from the waist down. She buttoned up her white shirt, leaving a few buttons undone at the top and wrapped the teal colored tie around the collar. Tucking the shirt in her skirt, she rolled her black thigh stockings up her legs and stepped into her favorite pair of combat boots. Throwing on the matching teal blazer that sported the school’s emblem on the left breast pocket, she slapped a black ribbon choker around her neck and pulled her raven curls up in a high pony tail.
After applying a little mascara, winged eyeliner and lip gloss she ran downstairs. “I’m gone, Mom!” She slung her black pack over her shoulder and ran out the door. Over the move, she had been given a car and gotten her license to drive in a foreign country. She had spent the few weeks before school started again getting used to driving on the opposite side of the road and how to get to places she needed to go. Like school.
Pulling into the parking lot, she got out and locked up. Her dark sunglasses were perched on her nose and served as the perfect camouflage to watch the other students without being noticed. It seemed the same old high school cliques were everywhere, even in other countries. Propping her sunglasses on her head, she headed to find her locker. Her schedule had already been emailed to her and she had it saved on her phone. Finding it quickly, she unloaded her things and proceeded to her first class.
Still caught in her own mind, she didn’t notice the group of students who came in behind her. A shadow fell across her desk. “So you’re the Yank.” Frowning, she looked up at the owner of the deep voice and the shadow. Good God, he was gorgeous. Sandy blond hair that waved over an arched brow and smoldering whiskey colored eyes, he stood there with a smirk watching her. Giving him the once over, she leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms over her chest.
“Yup,” she said abruptly. “And who are you supposed to be? Surely the school didn’t spare its most captivating student to be the welcoming committee for little ol’ me.” She batted her eyes exaggeratedly, placing a hand over her heart. The smirk grew into a grin. Pushing his hair out of his eyes, he blatantly checked her out, his gaze lingering on the small expanse of thigh visible between the hem of her skirt and her stockings.
“What’s your name, Yank?” Mmm, that sexy accent….
“You first, Goldilocks.” She wasn’t about to let this guy get a leg up on her. The grin spread into a wicked smile. He had no idea who she was and she wanted to keep it that way. She could already tell she would not be making friends with him. She was as snarky as they came, never holding back when challenged.
“Leo Brighton.” He made himself at home next to her. Stretching his long legs out, he laced his hands behind his head.
“Not Yank,” she replied. Leo threw back his head and laughed.
“A beautiful girl with a bad attitude and a quick wit. I like it.” She rolled her eyes. “Now tell me your name.”
“Lyra Salvador.” She looked around the classroom as the students began taking their seats. There were several eyes on her. Great. Just where she wanted to be, the center of attention. Um….no. She hadn’t even been at school for five minutes and it was proving to be a long day.
“Lyra,” he said. Why did her name have to roll off his tongue like a prayer? “Beautiful name. I must say you have quite the taste in style. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone dress up the uniform like this before. Those stockings are a tease.”
“So, this usually work for you Leo?” She squared off with him, defiance shining bright in her glittering aquamarine eyes. “You scope out the new chick, flirt shamelessly and hope your lame come on’s will make her drop her panties for you?”
“Most definitely,” he smirked.
“Uh huh,” she huffed. “Typical.” Class began and of course, the instructor had to call her out for an introduction.
Mr. Paisley was a short stocky man with a slightly soft middle, graying hair and round John Lennon glasses perched on the end of his nose.
“All right, class let’s welcome our new student Lyra Salvador. She comes to us all the way from Chicago, IL in the United States. Ms. Salvador, please introduce yourself and tell us something interesting.” Standing, she cocked her hip in a bored stance and eyed the instructor.
“Lyra Salvador and you pretty much just did my intro for me,” she said.
“Damn girl you are hot,” a voice came from the back of the classroom. “Do all girls from Chicago drip sexy like you do?” Turning around, she crossed her arms under her breasts and shot death daggers at the owner of the voice.
“Do all guys from England drip douche like you do?” The guy just winked at her. Rolling her eyes, she sat back down. Mr. Paisley shook his head and chuckled. He started the lesson and Lyra concentrated on the material. When the bell rang, she gathered her things and left quickly. She had no intention of trying to make any friends. There was no point because once she graduated, she was going back to the States. She loved her mother but right now, she didn’t appreciate being uprooted from everything just for a few more dollars an hour. Well actually it was more like several thousand a year but symantics.
Other than the incident in first period, the rest of her day was going on slowly with no further troubles. She had taken her lunch outside to enjoy the fresh albeit chilly air. Finding a vacant table, she sat breathing deeply and picking at her food. A scream interrupted her pity party. Looking up, she saw a group of Barbie wannabes cornering a smaller girl. One of the bleach blondies had a handful of dark hair. Lyra felt her blood start to boil. One thing she hated the most in life was a fucking bully.
