Chapter One:
My childhood was spent blowing the fragile white seeds of
daffodils into the wind. Giving them my wishes, and setting them free. The
stretch of green field, mixed with yellow and purple accents thanked me by
making more, and more until it was overflowing with unshed wishes.
It took me years to realize that the wishes never came true.
They were just one more lie to believe, like Santa Clause, or happy
endings; a lovely but impossible religion. More determined than ever I
returned to the field every day, wished the same thing, every day, and
waited for my wish to come true.
Don’t let me be alone, I wished. Yet still, I spent my life in
solitude, one day blending into the next with a monotony that soon burned
into a fiery hatred of the flowers I once wished my life on.
I stopped going to the field. Stopped asking for miracles, and
gave up on dreams until one day, every single daffodil was dead, and the
field was mine once more.
They were all the school had been talking about for days. It was
always like that though, new kids came, and for the week before they did
everybody already knew almost everything about them. These kids were
different though. Nobody knew anything about them at all, and that,
seemed to make it so much worse.
Normally, I didn’t care either. I kept to myself, as always. Went
to class, did my homework, and lived mostly invisible, but it wasn’t all bad.
It enabled me to sneak off to the field whenever I wanted, and it made it so
that I could do what I wanted, and nobody would say anything about it. For
some reason, when my classmates started talking about Kyra and Jacob
Zyter, I was intrigued.
“I heard they just got out of juvenile hall for conspiring to kill
their parents,” Heather said. She and Mia sat across from me in study hall,
and were the biggest talkers in my grade. They never talked to me, unless
of course they were asking for help.
“Really?” Mia asked, shocked. “And they’re allowed to come here
after that?”
“I guess so. Ms. Kendal couldn’t turn them down without making
the school look bad.”
That was just one of the story’s I had heard. Nobody cared what
they said around me, I was just like the chairs, and furniture doesn’t talk.
Some thought they weren’t brother and sister, but a married couple from
some other country, others thought they were supposed to check on how the
school was run, and still others thought they were the normal case of dead
parents and relatives that didn’t want them.
“Poor Ms. Kendal,” Mia said, shaking her head slowly.
“I wonder if anybody knows how they killed their parents,”
Heather said wistfully. “Hey, Anica?”
My head snapped up from studying. I had a test in Advanced
Biology after lunch, and still wasn’t perfectly solid on genetic distribution.
“Yeah?”
“Do you have the homework for world history done?” She asked.
My heart sank. I knew it was coming, but still, every time
somebody actually wanted to talk to me on purpose, I couldn’t help but
hope it was something other than school work.
“Yeah,” I said, trying not to sound too disappointed. I handed
her the worksheet and went back to studying. Just another day in study hall.
At twelve fifteen we were excused for lunch. Heather and Mia left,
promising that I would get the worksheet back in class. I didn’t have time to
protest, so I didn’t bother.
Living at a year-round boarding school has it’s downfalls. Major
downfalls. For example: the same lunch options every day, for your entire
life. I got a tuna sandwich, apple slices, potato chips, and a carton of milk
and sat down at the table where I normally sat. From the corner I could
watch pretty much the entire cafeteria, if I wanted to. Nobody could sneak
up behind me, because there was a wall, and I had the most solitude.
I watched the room fill up while I ate. Groups met, high five-ing,
hugging, and smiling. Some ate, some did homework, and some just sat
and socialized. I finished my sandwich, chips and milk, and put the bag of
apple slices in my bag. Nobody saw as I left the building, or went around the
back of the girls building, or jumped the fence. I was alone, and there was
the field.
As far as I know, I’m the only person who knows about it. It’s
not some well kept secret so much as, you would only find it if you were
trying to get out. I’m the only one who found it, and kept going back. It
isn’t the most beautiful, or special field I’d ever seen. The grass wasn’t as
green as the one on school grounds, or the flowers as perfect. There’s just
something about having something all to yourself that makes it worth
coming back to over and over again.
There was a tall tree off to the side, with branches low enough to
climb up, and enough to limbs to support me as I climbed to a spot where
the limbs connected, forming a seat-like structure. I took my biology notes
out of my book bag and studied while eating the remaining apple.
At two thirty I went to the girls dorm. Most of the number 99’s
and up were hanging out there, watching TV or studying. I climbed up to the
second floor, room eleven. None of my roommates were there, but I’d seen
at least two of them downstairs. I quickly exchanged my books and
notebooks, putting things back in the shelves neatly, along with my few
other possessions. On the way out I stopped in front of my reflection in the
mirror hanging on the door.
My uniform was the same as everybody else’s, white button up
shirt, and black or blue bottoms (in my case navy blue pants). My hair was
wavy, and fell halfway down my back. It looked messy, like it could stand a
good brushing, if I ever got around to it. My eyes were wide, and plain, no
makeup on my face, letting the brown freckles show like unwelcome ink
spots. There were few things I thought were extraordinary about my
appearance, like my eyes, which were deep, almost grassy green, different
than anybody else’s I’d ever seen, or my teeth, which were just sharp
enough that when I accidentally bit my lip, I drew blood. None of this
mattered, however. I wasn’t a beautiful blonde with perfect straight hair and
blue eyes, or a curvy brunette, or a fiery redhead. I was painfully plain in
every way that mattered.
The door opened and I yelled in surprise. Samantha walked in,
blue eyes wide.
“Damn, you scared me,” she said.
“Like-wise,” I replied, lowering my hand from where it rested
over my now calming heart.
“See you around,” she said, walking to her bed, grabbing an
envelope and walking right back out.
“See you,” I said as the door closed in her wake. I checked my
watch, and hurried off to Advanced Biology. Afternoon classes were starting.
I thanked myself for studying while I took the test, only missing
a few. We took a few notes after, and then went to our next classes. In my
case, world history. One of my least favorite subjects.
Heather handed me back my homework, smiled and went back
to sit with Mia. Things never changed. After world history I went to the
library, where I ‘worked’.
Mr. and Mrs. Hart were the librarians, and they were my two
favorite staff members at the school.
“Anica,” Mrs. Hart said, opening her arms for a hug as I walked
through the door. I smiled automatically, hugging her quickly. “You’re going
to be very happy,” she told me, walking into the back room.
“Why?” I asked, following. She was always right about those
kinds of things.
“We got in a new shipment,” she said, “and a few of them were
from your list.”
“That’s awesome!” I exclaimed as we approached a table where
Mr. Hart was adding the new books to inventory.
“Just in time,” Mr. Hart said, winking. “Want to help me get
these ready for the shelves.”
“Of course,” I said, sitting down. Mrs. Hart smiled and left the
room, as the sounds of a class walking in summoned her.
Mr. Hart and I spent the next hour and a half writing down titles
and authors, taping up the bindings, and preparing the books to be put up
on the shelves. Working in the library was usually the highlight of my day.
Mr. and Mrs. Hart were the only people who seemed to know I existed, and
were the closest thing I had to family.
At seven, Mr. Hart looked up at the clock. “Oh, wow,” he
said, “time sure fly’s when you’re working with books doesn’t it. You should probably be getting to dinner before it gets put away.”
I said my goodbyes, grabbed my book bag, and hurried to the
cafeteria. That’s when I saw them for the first time.
Kyra and Jacob Zyter stood at the front of the cafeteria as Mr.
Kendal introduced them. I managed to slip in, unnoticed by everybody,
except for the two siblings standing up in front. Kyra and Jacob’s identical
eyes followed me to where I sat. Their eyes were a light color I couldn’t
make out from the back of the room, but reminded me of a really light
gray.
Kyra’s hair was long, blonde, and straight. Her skin was pale and
flawless, and everything about her screamed perfect. Jacob was the same,
messy golden hair falling into his eyes, and male model-esq features. They
looked almost too perfect.
When Mr. Kendal was finally done with the introductions, Kyra
and Jacob were set free to sit wherever. It was the moment of truth, and an
old tradition. As they walked, anybody who wanted would offer them a seat
at the table, and they would either accept or decline. Their decision would
effect the rest of their time at Skyrian Cross.
They walked down the stairs, and sure enough, were offered
seats at pretty much every table they walked by. When they realized that
everybody was going to offer them a spot they stopped, and seemed to
understand the system.
Damn, they’re quick. I thought. Jacob whispered something to
Kyra, and they continued walking, the entire room’s eyes following as they
sat at an empty table.
Idiots, I thought. That had been my exact reaction when I
arrived here ten years ago. Their table was close enough to me that I could
see that the color of their eyes was actually a light, almost lilac color. It was
the strangest color I had ever seen on any human before.
When the room settled down, I finally got my dinner. It was
watery lasagna and diet coke. Kyra and Jacob weren’t eating. They were
talking, quietly enough that nobody could hear them, and seemingly
unaware that half of us were still watching them.
Finally, more and more people lost interest. Most left, as usual,
and before I realized it Kyra, Jacob and I were the only people left in the
cafeteria. I checked my watch. It was eight. Too late to go to the field, for
the sole purpose that it was about the time I normally got back. I may be
invisible to most, but draw attention, and people will eventually see you.
Kyra whispered something, and both of them looked at me. I
ducked my head, realizing that I was blushing like crazy. I stood up to
quickly, bumping my leg hard again the table.
“Crap!” I exclaimed, almost sitting back down. When the
throbbing in my thigh stopped I grabbed my empty tray and book bag,
threw away my trash and hurried out of the room, aware that Kyra and Jacob
were watching me the whole time.
“You’re such and idiot,” I said to myself as I walked to the girls
dorm. “You should have left at a normal time. Anybody could see that you
were obviously watching them.”
I held my bracelet under the scanner at the gate to the girls
dorm. The scanner picked up the signal in it, and my name popped up. I
entered my security code, and the gate slowly opened.
Ms. Davis, the house mother, was taking role when I entered the
house. She looked up through her glasses, eyes confused, and looked back
down at her role.
“Name please,” she said. After ten years you would expect them
to remember small things like that.
“Anica Smith,” I said.
“You’re late,” Ms. Davis said, marking me on her clipboard.
I mumbled an apology and went up to my room. Some days
being ignored and forgotten came in handy, and other day’s, it just plain
sucked.
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A work in progress, of course. It's only fantasy because later in the book it becomes about [spoiler]vampires[/spoiler]
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