My blonde hair up in a ponytail, I looked in the mirror and shrugged. I was seventeen now but not much had changed since I was seven. I mean, sure, I grew taller, my body changed but the rules were pretty much the same. No makeup, no piercings, no parties, no boys.
Those were things sinful children did.
I checked to make sure I had everything I needed before zipping my bag up, slinging it over my shoulder and heading downstairs.
I met my mum in the kitchen, frying pancakes.
"Good morning, mum" I kissed her cheek and grabbed a plate.
I noticed her nose wrinkling at my choice of clothes.
I had worn jeans.
I wasn't allowed to wear jeans.
They were tight and showed off too much of the body. My parents said.
"Good morning, dear" she finally replied, not saying anything about the jeans.
I put two pancakes on my plate and grabbed the syrup before plopping down on one of the stools around the kitchen counter.
"Good morning family" Dad said, coming into the kitchen. He was already dressed for work in a blue button-up shirt, tucked neatly into black slacks.
He kissed mum on the cheek like I had and plopped down at the kitchen counter, opposite me and mum put a plate piled with pancakes in front of him.
I finished chewing before greeting him.
Good girls don't talk with food in their mouth.
"Good morning, Grace. Please pass the syrup" He said while reading the headlines of the morning paper. "Stranger things in woods; new curfew enforced"
I shivered. We just had to move to Valley hill didn't we? My father got transferred to the Valley hill branch of the company he worked for. We just arrived in town two days ago. So yes, I was starting my senior year of high school in a completely new environment. Lucky me.
"We'll pray for the town" I said, knowing daddy would be happy I said that. He smiled at me, nodding in agreement and I ate the last piece of my pancake.
I took a gulp of orange juice and grabbed my bag. I had 30 minutes till school started and I had to walk.
"Bye, mum, bye dad" I headed to the door.
"God be with you, honey" I heard mum calling out after me.
I closed the door and patted my pocket, making sure I had my key.
Valley hill was a really pretty town; quaint. The town was surrounded my woods. Thick woods with tall green trees that you could barely see the top of.
It was a town with one of everything. One supermarket where you got everything you used on a semi-daily basis, one small mall where you could get clothes, shoes; the result being, almost everybody dressed alike; one gas station.... You get the idea.
The walk wasn't long; about seven to ten minutes.
'Welcome to Valley Hill High School; home of the wolves'
The big sign in front of the school read.
A few students milled about, talking in groups. These were people who'd known each other since birth. Who went to the same kindergarten, the same middle school. I was going to stick out like a sore thumb.
As I walked towards the building, people stared at me not so discreetly, whispers going round. I kept my head down and walked faster. The office was pretty easy to find. It was bland as expected. The room was a combination of beige walls and hardwood floors. A radio crackled noisily in a corner.
"Good morning dear. You're the new girl I presume?" The secretary pulled a file from a drawer and read the name "Tamara Finely?"
I nodded.
"Okay. I'm Mrs. Cooley but you can call me Gladys. Here's your schedule. You have English first. So, you'll want to take your right at the end of the hallway, it's the third door on your left."
I smiled and thanked her. My locker wasn't that hard to find. I dumped my books in there; making a mental note to bring stuff to stick on and bring some life into it.
I followed Gladys' directions and found my English class. There were just a few people in the class since the bell hadn't been rung.
All eyes snapped to me as I stepped into the class. There were a group at the back; four boys and two girls.
I ignored them and chose a desk front and centre. The bell rang and more students started coming in and taking their seats.
A middle aged woman walked in, her hair pulled back in a low bun, glasses balanced on her nose; sensible shoes clacking on the floor.
She gave me a nod but otherwise didn't acknowledge me and I was glad. I didn't need more attention.
I heard the chair next to me dragging and out of the corner of my eye, I saw somebody settling into it. I felt the person's eyes on me. My stomach squirmed.
I braved a peek at the person and found myself looking into deep grey eyes. A boy.
His eyes seemed to be pulling me in. They were so warm and calm.
I snapped my head back to the front, heart thumping.
I'd seen those eyes before.
