Chapter 1

**Zaina**

I walked out of my physics class with my best friend Maddy. It was only 10:00am but the day was so hot and dragging already. It didn't help that I was basically covered from head to toe. Not that I had much of a choice in the matter really.

"Oh my gods it's so fucking hot, I don't get how you manage to stay covered up like that. I bet you'll get sunburn under all of that in this heat."

Maddy said this as she put her arm around my shoulders and quite literally hung off me like an Orangutan. She was quite petite and very agile, top of the fencing class and PE in general.

"Well you clinging on and hanging off me Tarzan style isn't really helping now is it?"

"Oh but me Tarzan and you Jane. I mean how will they know not to mess with my bestest of friends if I'm not hanging around your neck like a necklace, huh? But for real, they should really reconsider the mandatory uniform thing for you, it looks painful."

The painful thing she was referring to was the fact that I had to wear additional clothing under my school mandated uniform. My faith required it. I had to cover up my hair, neck, arms and legs. The only visible thing about me was my face, hands and feet at any given time. I think only me and the physician actually knew what my ears looked like at this point. Of-course I could let my hair down in the hostels but that was only because it was a strictly no males section of the school. Right now it was in a bun underneath my head wrap where no one could see. The head wrap covered my ears and neck so that only my face was visible. Our school uniform was in standard preppy style, dark blue blazers with the phoenix emblem on the chest, dark blue sweater, white short sleeved shirt, blue checkered tie and gray knee length skirts. For obvious reasons, my skirt was floor length and I always wore leggings underneath it just in case. I also wore a long sleeved top underneath my school shirt for when I had to take off my blazer and/or sweater.

"It's not painful Mads, it's purity."

"Uh huh, says the girl who would paint the world black and charcoal if she could."

It didn't help that all my extra cover ups were black. And all my non uniform clothes. And as many of my possessions as I could get away with. I liked black. It was a solid colour. It felt safe. But right now the temperature was probably over 40 degrees and it felt like an inferno.

"Come on Mads, let's get out of this heat and get to class before we're late."

I grabbed her hand and started pulling her down the hall towards our next class. Our physics class was on the top floor of the two storey building that housed the entirety of Bell Academy. We had to make a right to go down the stairs and cross The Square (it was called that because it was literally an open square space in the middle of the building where we had assembly, hung out or had informal student meetings when the weather was good. Unoriginal, I know) to the opposite block to get to our next class. As we rounded the corner, we bumped into a group of girls going in the opposite direction.

"Hey! Watch it you morons!"

Urgggh. It was Cassilda, our years resident mean girl. She had bone straight blonde hair that fell past her shoulders and onto her ample chest in front. As usual her tie was on her wrist and she had the top buttons opened to show off her cleavage.

"Or maybe you should watch where you're going before your cleavage swallow us whole. Gods Cassilda have some shame, your nipples are practically popping out of that bra." Maddy shot back at her.

"You're just jealous coz of those bee stings on your chest. No guy would ever want you, little boy."

Maddy looked like she was ready to jump on Cassilda. I tugged on her sleeve.

"Come on Mads, she's not worth it. Let's go."

"Ouu look what the cat dragged in. Another worthless piece of trash nobody would ever want. Careful Maddy, you don't want to be hanging out with abandoned road kill in case the smell rubs off on you."

"Go jump off a cliff and fuck yourself Cassilda."

"Ouu, it bites back. I bet that's what they did you know, your parents. Jump off a cliff." She smirked and her friends started snickering behind her.

I saw red. I clenched and unclenched my fists a number of times, taking deep breaths. The story of my parents was a touchy one. When I was a baby, like a cliché they'd left me in a basket by the school gate with nothing but a note with my first name on it and instructions on which faith I must follow. The grounds keeper found me as he was doing one of his night time rounds. The school called it in to the police but nobody claimed me, so they kept me. It was the school staff that raised me, home schooled me and when I was old enough I started high school here at the academy. I was 17 now with only one more year to go, no savings and no future plans. But that was next years problem, right now I had to get away from Cassilda before I landed myself another punishment thanks to her.

"You can be a real bitch sometimes you know that? Come on Zaina, let's go."

Maddy grabbed my arm and shoved past Cassilda and her crew. We went down the stairs into the square but before we could fully cross it, a group of girls rushed in from the front entrance. They were chatting excitedly amongst themselves and kept pointing and looking back at the entrance as the chatter became louder and louder.

"He's here, he's here!"

"OMG I can't wait to see him."

"Do you think he's here to pick another?"

"Lexi is so lucky to have him."

The girls kept saying things like that and attracted the attention of others who were in classes on the ground floor. Some girls poked their heads out of the windows and others stood by their doors. By now there was a lot of excited energy in the square and even Cassilda and her crew came down the stairs.

" There he is!"

"Oh isn't he stunning!"

All the girls were packed into the square, drooling and jostling each other so they could get a look.

'He' was Abel Moore.

'He' was the richest man in town.

'He' was practically a god.

'He' was a vulture.

And I had to get out of here.