1 New Student

Mid term is the toughest part of each semester. Julie knew that for sure as she stumbled from one assessment to the next. She couldn't wait to get back to her quiet dorm to sleep. She'd been pushing her limits recently and she felt it in her bones. She stumbled into a wall, at least she thought it was a wall. She bounced back and looked at what she'd hit. the grey three piece suit and black shirt took up more space than her bed did. She gazed upward to look into dark blue eyes and a scowl. It was Mr Hareena... the owner of the school. He was known to be a recluse, staying in his mini mansion on grounds. Why he was here she didn't know. She whispered a gentle "sorry" and gave him a gentle smile before continuing on her way. She glanced back to see him still standing there watching her over his shoulder, a dark look in his eyes. She turned back around and sprinted back to her dorm.

She could feel her heart racing as she flopped into her bed. She brushed out her long blonde hair with her fingers, ignoring the many knots hidden within it. She couldn't wait for Jesse to get here to cut her hair. A knock came at the dorm door she'd left slightly ajar. The dark wood creaked as it swung open to show Headmistress Toola, her tight, pinched face and vicious tight bun scared her for a second. She sat up straight and nodded at the older woman. "There's a new student I want you to show around." Her voice was unnerving and harsh but she left quickly giving Julie a moment of piece before she wrangled her hair back into a plait. She rushed to the office at the other side of the old Victorian mansion. The halls were endless but she knew her way, she had to after being here for most of her life. She entered the office to see a tall skinny girl looking more nervous than she should. Julie smiled at her before giving a slight wave to the receptionist.

She then ushered the young girl out of the wood panel door. "My name is Julie, I'm in 11th form. I'll show you all the basics and then take you to your first class. The halls here can become a stampede sometimes, at the moment the older forms have assessments so we'll be moving around at odd times." The young girl kept quiet and looked around the huge building with a mix of awe and fear. "This place is a bit big but all you have to do is follow the crowds. I've been here a while so I know my way but a lot of new students get lost." Her voice wavered, she was talking too much again. "I'll take you to your first class, what is it?" The girl fumbled with all the papers in her hands until she fished out a small yellow sheet and handed it to Julie "My name is Brenna." The girls voice was so quiet that Julie almost didn't hear her.

She gave Brenna a gentle smile before she read today's schedule. Art History, Engineering, Classical Music, Drama and Maths were her classes today. She had Art History with Miss Brittle, a kind small woman. They wondered through the halls until they reached room 218. Julie gave Brenna a smile as she opened the door and walked in. "Good morning Miss, I have a new student for you." Julie used her sweetest voice and smile as she walked up to the teacher. They shared a hug before Julie motioned to Brenna. "I'll leave you two to talk before the bell. Have a good day Brenna." With that Julie left the room, sprinting through the halls once more towards the main office. She had to collect her mail before the end of the week, and Wednesday morning seemed like a good time.

She stopped focusing on her thoughts and instead on the mental map as she sprinted through the quiet unused halls of the building. She slid to a stop at the office, the polished wood floor making hard to stop. There was someone between her and the wall, someone who was soon going to be hot by her flailing body. She braced herself for impact letting out a gentle squeal. She bounced off the body and flew towards the ground. A strong hand gripped her shoulder, stopping her fall. She had her eyes tightly shut as the hand pulled her to stand. Her silvery blue eyes flickered open as she looked up into the dark blue eyes of Mr Hareena... again. She let out a groan as she internally kicked herself. His eyes darkened at her groan and his grip tightened.

She got up her courage and apologised, "Mr Hareena, I'm deeply sorry for Bumping into you again. I shouldn't have been running through the halls, especially not with my old shoes that have no grip. I hope you forgive me but am prepared for any repercussions." Her mouth shut as she felt her hands shake. This man was terrifying, the girls had rumours that he kept girls in his basement to torture them. But of course, no one had gone missing from the school. He looked down at her still, his face unreadable. He let her stand by herself and pointed her towards the Headmistress' office. She was in for it now, the Headmistress was a harsh woman who would gladly hand out punishments to the girls. They even rumoured that she enjoyed it. But as she opened the heavy wooden double doors the room was empty. She dared not breathe a sigh of relief, instead walking to the uncomfortable chairs to take a seat.

Mr Hareena closed the doors as he entered and proceeded to sit opposite her. He steepled his fingers on the table, his hands large and fingers long. He was a large man so it shouldn't have been a shock that he seemed to take up all the space in the room, but it could have just been her fear talking. She fidgeted with the hem of her skirt, looking down instead of at him. "You can looks at me, I won't hurt you." His voice was deep but silky like honey. His voice making Julie look up. As she looked at him he gave her a smirk that made her relax. "Can I have your name? So that I don't call you child or girl for the rest of our talk." She let out a huff of a laugh at his humourous crack. "My name is Julie Ceers. 11th form." She stated. He calmly looked her over, almost assessing her. "Well, Miss Ceers. First of all you shouldn't be running in that halls. But it's not that bigger deal, I used to run through these halls when I was younger." He let out a laugh, a warm laugh. She smiled along with him, relaxing into the seat.

"Now, you mentioned something about old shoes?" Her looked at her now with a mix of concern and anger, she just couldn't work out why. "Yes sir, I'm waiting for new ones next term. My mother will send them then." She hoped he'd buy it, she nervously pulled at her leather Apple Watch strap. His eyes glanced down at her hands before they continued to bore into her soul. His brows furrowed as he let out a growl. "It's dangerous on the polished floors without grip. I'll talk to Dr Chase about it. I'm sure he'll have some for you." She let out another groan and rolled her eyes at him. "Just leave it alone." She quickly stood from her chair but before she could go anywhere he was before her. "Behave Julie." He said before he walked four of the doors, leaving her stunned by the seat. She wondered out of the room and to her next class, forgetting about her mail and everything she should be carrying to class. Zombified and oblivious she walked into the Art room and sat at the back desk, her mind focusing on his last words. She could never tell you what happened for the rest of the day as she went from one class to the next until she was lying in her bed in her nightgown still reeling from what happened.