To The Mistwoods

Somehow a year passed, and eventually, everyone moves on, but me? No! My wounds were still bleeding as new… still hurting as new.

Watching how fast I was slipping away from life, my mom decided to send me to my aunt, the place where I was actually born, to Mistwoods!

"Mistwoods was a small town, with lots of natural attractions and people with big hearts, at least that's what I used to know as a child when I used to live there with my family and aunt.

Mom thought it would be good for me to get close to nature again, and I thought maybe… maybe I needed to run away from my home, from the place where my father's memories haunt me, where my brother lives, the brother who was close to me, more than anyone else, a brother who hates me now.

"Hey!!" I heard a voice of a girl as I tried to open my eyes but I failed.

"I can not keep standing here forever you know?" I heard it again, I forced my eyes open and with a blurry vision, I saw a girl standing in front of me.

I shook my head and my vision got clear enough to see a girl with two black ponytails with red streaks standing in front of me, she was wearing a black crop jacket on a red short skirt and long black boots, and there was a tattoo of a raven on her neck peeking from behind her headphone hanging around her neck.

Where did she come from? I did not watch her getting on the plane in the first place.

"Sorry!" I apologized and slid my legs to the left to give her space so she can sit beside me.

Right after I regretted my decision when I heard her chewing her bubble gum with a lot of noise, it irked me, to be honest, but I kept it together even though I am not good it at since…. well since I lost my dad.

Even though I am nothing like I was before, but despite that, I managed to keep my anger in check until she uttered those words.

"Ah, a Mistwoods Student!" she sneered sarcastically.

Curiosity piqued, I turned to face her. "How do you know?"

She stared at me, as if I were some sort of freak. "Who chose you?" she questioned, her gaze piercing.

"Excuse me?" I raised an eyebrow, locking eyes with her. "I applied and... I was selected."

"You shouldn't have come here," she muttered, her chewing growing louder. If her incessant questions weren't enough to drive me mad, her chewing certainly was.

"Is that a threat?" I inquired, my voice steady.

She grinned, donned her headphones, and began listening to God knows what.

Somehow, we managed to reach our destination. My aunt Lisa awaited me at the airport, greeting me with warmth and pulling me into a tight embrace.

Throughout the journey to our home, I could only speculate about what she spoke of. I found myself lost in thought, my mind wandering, my gaze fixated at the passing trees, and my presence elsewhere.

Upon arrival, she offered me food, to which I declined. She could see the exhaustion etched on my face and kindly directed me to my room, leaving me to unpack or do as I pleased.

I collapsed onto the bed, gazing up at the ceiling adorned with stars and magnetic starlight, remnants from my childhood. Aunt Lisa had helped me put them up, I recalled.

A faint smile graced my lips, and within moments, I drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, I awoke in a panic. I hadn't unpacked since my arrival, and I needed to get to school. Hastily, I grabbed the first outfit I could find, took a quick shower, and hurried out the door.

"At least have something to eat, honey!" Aunt Lisa called after me, but I apologized, explaining that I was running late.

The school wasn't too distant from that place, so it only took me a few minutes to arrive. As I approached, I noticed a gathering of students in front of the school. Upon getting closer, I realized they were all surrounding a remarkable guy. He stood out from the crowd with his tall, beautiful stature, golden wavy hair, golden eyes, and chiseled face.

It turned out that he was a prefect, there to guide the students. "Hey, I'm Dominque. I'll be taking you all on a tour. But before we begin, let me hand out these," he said as he started distributing timetables, locker numbers, and keys to everyone, until he finally reached me.

He smiled at me, sending a shiver down my spine. I felt nervous and began to look around anxiously. However, my relief washed over me when I spotted a familiar face in the crowd.

It was Crystal, my childhood best friend, with her burgundy bangs. She was slightly taller than me, but who cares about height?

We had become friends when she used to live in my neighborhood after we moved away from the Mistwoods, but then she moved away due to her parents' divorce.

Despite the distance, we managed to stay connected through the internet and calls.

"It's so good to see you!" I exclaimed, embracing her tightly, all the while aware of Dominique's gaze fixed on me.

Just as we finished greeting each other, another guy emerged from behind the crowd. He grabbed both Crystal and Dominque by their arms and shouted, "Hey everyone! I'm Shawn, Dom's best friend and your second prefect." He casually ran his fingers through his dark brown hair.

Cris managed to slip out of his grasp while Dominique chuckled. "Okay, okay, first of all! He's not a prefect, and second! Remember when I said there are so many things to love about this school? I forgot to mention the things you'll hate, like Shawn's sense of humor." Dominique raised an eyebrow, causing everyone else to burst into laughter.

"Harsh! But I'll forgive you!" Shawn placed his hands on his hips and bobbed his head.

"How about you? Who might you be?" He rubbed his jaw with his fingers and stared at me. 

Before I could respond, a muscular and tall guy with long red hair appeared from behind the crowd, accompanied by three other guys. "Look who's here! The self-proclaimed Mr. Bean!" He laughed at Shawn.

"Guys, this is our football team captain, Fredricks!" Dominique introduced him.

"You can call me Freddy!" He slightly bowed while placing his hand on his chest.

"And who might you be?" He raised an eyebrow as he approached me.

Hearing that question for the second time annoyed me. I mean, there were plenty of other students, why targeting just me? Right?

"Is this some kind of greeting around here? And who might you be to all of you too!" I waved my hand to everyone, but then I felt two hands firmly gripping my shoulders and turning me around.

"Excuse me!" It was Cris, pulling my hand and staring into my eyes. "What are you doing? He's the captain!" She gritted her teeth.

"It's okay! She's just being friendly, right?" Fredricks looked at me, and I nodded like an obedient child.

It was a beautiful day for exploring, so there were no classes to worry about. After our tour, Dominique stood before me, as if he had something to say. However, before he could utter a word, Fredricks came slipping in and positioned himself between us.

"Are you free this evening?" he asked, shrugging casually. "I was thinking about showing you around."

Fredricks was undeniably attractive and charming, but he wasn't exactly my type. I frowned at him and couldn't help but ask, "Are you seriously asking me out on the very day we met?"

"No, no, of course not!" he replied, attempting to sound confident. But I could sense his awkwardness, knowing what my answer would be. He quickly explained himself, scratching the back of his neck, "I heard you just arrived here, so I thought it would be nice to show you around."

"I would love to, but I'm sorry, I haven't had the chance to unpack yet..." I began, but he interrupted me.

"Hey, it's alright! I was just trying to be a friend," he said, raising both hands before leaving.

"Okay then, see you tomorrow?" Dominique asked nervously, a smile on his face.

"Yeah!" I nodded and went on my way.

Later in the afternoon, while I was busy unpacking, I heard a knock on my door. Opening it, I found my aunt standing there.

"There's a young man asking for you," she informed me.

"What young man?" I wondered aloud as I descended the stairs.

Even from behind, I could recognize those distinctive red locks. It was Fredricks, sitting on a chair. I approached him and stood in front, my eyes widening in surprise. "You! What are you doing here?" I couldn't help but feel alarmed. I had just moved here, and now some guy was showing up unannounced at my doorstep... or rather, on my chair! It was definitely a bit creepy.

He smiled at me and replied, "Good evening to you too!" Standing up, he maintained his polite demeanor, but his smile still sent shivers down my spine, I bet there's something very wrong with this guy.