3

WINTER

Emma has been a very useful guide because she has shown me around, helped me with my schedule and taken me to my first lesson.

It was awkward heading into class for the first time and I felt the curious stares of the other students as I slid into a seat beside her at the front of the class. I know this will label me as a nerd, just being seen with her will do that, but I couldn’t give a fuck anyway because I’m here to enjoy my freedom for as long as it’s mine to keep.

We head out after the bell and Emma says sweetly, “I’ll find you a locker.

I think there’s a few spare ones near mine.”

As we head down the hallway, I feel the looks walk with me. Guys, girls and teachers all register I’m an unfamiliar face and I try to look unconcerned and friendly because the last thing I need is to draw attention to myself.

As Emma chatters beside me, I try to listen, but my mind wanders as I think how surreal this is. I could be normal. I could be forgiven for thinking I can have it all, but I know as soon as I graduate, I will be married off as part of a trade deal with a rival family. The men get to continue the family business and the women marry into power. It’s always been that way and just thinking of that fate waiting for me makes me want to run and never look back. I want to make my own choices, make my own plans and live a life free from anger and pain. I’m a fool if I think that will ever happen, but Angelo has told me he will protect me or try to at least.

Emma stops in front of a bank of lockers and says with a hint of excitement. “Here it is. Fallon Edwards moved on last week and I knew it was going spare.”

She opens the door, and we hear a low drawl. “What have we here?”

Her wide eyes look at me from behind the door and I look with interest at the person who spoke. I see a large, buffed guy wearing a jock sweater, and it’s pretty obvious he’s one of the football team and from the look of the girl holding onto his arm, she’s a cheerleader. She has the most beautiful blonde hair and brown eyes that are regarding me with a malevolent gleam in them and before I know what’s happening, the guy slams my locker door shut, hitting Emma’s face so hard I think I hear her bones crack. Her grunt of pain makes my blood run hot and I say loudly, “What the fuck…” That’s all I manage to say because suddenly, out of nowhere, a guy appears who makes my blood run cold because for the second time today, I stare into eyes dancing with madness. I watch in disbelief as he slams the jock’s face into his own opened locker and continues smashing it with a look of fury on his face. He doesn’t stop and the screams of the cheerleader does nothing to deter him and as he smashes the guy’s face to pieces, time stands frozen in a moment of pure terror. Still holding onto the flaying guy, he hisses, “Get her to the medical room.”

Jumping to attention, I see Emma with a bloodied nose, trying desperately to stem the blood flow with tears pouring down her face. Taking her arm, the last thing I hear is him saying roughly, “Fuck off, bitch.”

The sound of the girl running down the hall is almost hidden by the constant thud as her boyfriend’s face hits the back of his locker on repeat.

Emma is crying and I am running on disbelief because I have never witnessed anything like that, and I’ve seen some fucked up shit in my time. I never expected that, though, definitely not from him.

Despite the fact she’s completely traumatized, Emma guides me to the medical room and, as we step inside, the nurse looks up in disbelief. “What happened?”

“She fell.”

I squeeze Emma’s arm in a warning and Emma sniffs. “I’m such a klutz.”

I can tell the nurse doesn’t believe a word of it and as she takes charge of my friend, I shrink under the disapproving sneer from her pinched lips.

I have no choice but to sit and wait and as I think about what happened, I still can’t understand why. It made no sense. Why would the guy pick on Emma like that and where the fuck did Angelo’s friend come from?

Picturing the dark fury on his face and the wild look in his eye, my soul shivers. There’s something beautiful about that guy. Malevolent stormy eyes disguised by beauty. Long dark lashes hide many secrets within them, and the slightly lost look of a psychopath makes my soul weep. The bleached blonde hair that makes him look like a fallen angel and the troubled aura that surrounds him makes him appear almost demonic disguised as an angel.

Emma is soon back and looks as if she’s fought a war. If anything, I’m surprised the jock hasn’t made it here already and I’m keen to get away before he does.

Taking Emma’s arm, I help her out and she whispers, “I can’t believe that just happened.”

“Neither can I.” I look at her sympathetically. “Do you want to go back to our room and have a lie down? I can fetch anything you need.”

She sniffs and winces as her injuries introduce themselves. “I’ve got math. I can’t miss a lesson.”

“But…” I stare in disbelief as she says almost ferociously, “I won’t miss a lesson. I’ve worked too hard to let something like this set me back.”

As we walk, I feel a little lost because I haven’t got a clue what’s happening here and as Emma strides off with determination, I can’t do anything else but follow her.

She stops outside a classroom and says wearily, “You’re in here. I’m next door, so I’ll wait for you when the bell rings and we can grab some lunch and I’ll head back and fix this.”

She doesn’t even look at me as she heads off and I can’t help but feel the despair growing inside me. Day one and I’m already caught up in some serious shit, despite everything.

As I head into the room, I see the teacher look impatiently at his watch.

“You are?”

“Um, Winter, sir.”

He consults his list and nods, and only the slight nervous tick in his jaw reveals he knows exactly who I am.

“Take any spare seat.”

Trying not to catch anyone’s eye, I take the nearest one and stare blankly in front of me.

I can feel the eyes on my back, though. There’s an atmosphere of danger, curiosity and fear surrounding me, and I wonder if they know already, or if it’s just my overactive imagination playing tricks on me.

As I concentrate on the lesson, I’m pleased to find I’m familiar with the work. In fact, I’m pretty sure we did this last semester, so at least I’ll have an easy ride for a while. I try to shut out what happened before and I almost manage it, but as the bell rings and the class is dismissed, someone stops by my desk as I make to stand, pushing me back down in the seat.

Looking up, I see a girl sneering at me who is almost a carbon copy of the cheerleader from earlier. Then I see the girl herself, hovering behind her friend, looking nervous as the first girl hisses, “Watch your back, nerd. Tell your little friend nobody makes a fool of us. My friend will need surgery for the mess that bastard made of his face, and we are holding you and your idiot friend responsible. So, watch your back because your face will soon be unrecognizable when we’ve finished with you both.”

Sighing, I look up into a face twisted in animosity and say in a low voice, “Back off. You don’t intimidate me. I’ve dealt with worse, so run along and shake your pom-poms somewhere else. Don’t play with the dark side unless you can deal with the consequences of that.”

She just straightens and laughs in my face.

“So, you’re a fool as well as a bitch. Well, bring it on because you’re about to learn who runs things around here and, like I said, watch your back.”

She spins on her heel and heads off, closely followed by her friend, and I sigh. Day one, two enemies and a beating and it’s not even lunch time yet.

Just another day in paradise.