~ALISON'S POV
THREE MONTHS LATER
A hard bang on my door forced my eyes to fling open. My lids were open but sleep still threatened to draw them close.
"Wake up you twerp." Clover, my stepsister yelled rudely.
I groaned loudly as I felt a slight stab of pain in her head. Nonetheless, I slowly pulled my sheets back up and brought them close to my chest ready to lay back down for another round of sweet slumber when the bang came again.
"Are you trying to break down my door?" I yelled in frustration.
The bang died down but obviously my sleep had gone and my mood had turned sour...like always. It was going to be another rough day for me. Everyday was like that and I had gotten used to it.
Almost.
I lazily flung my sheets away and pushed myself up to stand. Then I walked over to my bathroom for a lazy but quick shower.
Under the shower, droplets of water trailed down my skin rapidly. I shut my eyes and brought my hands up to my face to rinse off the lather that had formed on it when images flashed in my mind.
Eden smiling...blood dripping...a red-eyed hairy beast snarling at me...
It all happened so fast. My eyes flung open and my chest kept heaving up and down as ragged breaths left my lips.
I flattened my palm against my chest to ease my breathing. Three months had passed since the incident and it still hunted me. It was hard to get by during the day and then at night...it was extremely difficult.
Many nights for the past three months saw me staying awake at wake and sleeping only when dawn approached.
I had become a shadow of my former self with my under eyes swollen like I had been pinched in the face with a dark ring circling around it.
I walked out and headed straight to my wardrobe and pulled out a short denim skirt which halted right above my thighs and a casual baby pink coloured cotton long sleeves to go with it. My light chocolate waist-length hair was done in a messy bun style with loose ends framing my face.
I got out of my room, walked past the hallway into the parlour. My family was seated at the table with empty dirty plates set out in front of them.
I looked at the seat kept aside for me at the far corner of the dining table. The plate in front of it was empty and pristine.
My brows creased in a frown. "Where's my breakfast?"
I turned to Clover who rolled her eyes and threw her face in the other direction. I looked at her mother, Rachael. She rolled her eyes and sighed deeply,
"Well, it took you long enough to drag yourself out of your cave and unfortunately, your father has a big appetite."
My eyes darted to my father whose focus was on his plate. He kept stuffing his face without racing his eyes to look at me.
My hand balled to fist at my side as I tried to keep my bubbling emotions in check.
I simply sighed and walked out of the house, mounted my bike and rode to school.
A few hours later, I was standing at Darnville High. I stood at the entrance for a good thirty minutes until I heard the bell go off signalling the start of classes.
I was in for even more torture and I had to brace myself. I steeled myself and drew in a very long breath to gather as much courage to walk through the large towering wooden double doors.
As soon as I placed my leg forward, some students came running. They bumped into my shoulders from both sides, nudging me forward roughly so that I almost fell on my face but then I felt a strong hand wrap around my arm and hold me steady.
I blinked severally, my heart beating loudly in my chest and rapidly.
That was close.
I looked up at my rescuer. His hair was silky and danced in soft curls which disappeared where his shirt was folded at the neck. He looked dryly at me, tucked his hands in his pockets and walked away without a word.
I blinked once again, my head tilted as I watched him casually stride down the hallway.
That was definitely his first time in Darnville high because I had never seen those set of daunting yet breathtakingly beautiful blue eyes and no one... absolutely no one in Darnville was nice to me.
I was a curse to them all and my very existence was like an insult to humanity. I shook the thought from my mind and continued on my way to my art class.
As I walked to my seat, the fat Darby Drew, one of Darnville's biggest bullies, put his leg in the way for me to trip, but I caught his devious act and gave him a dead pan look.
"The witch just arrived." Brittany's voice filtered from across the room.
I closed my eyes and inhaled sharply as thoughts of Eden filled my mind. The last encounter he had was with Brittany and after he died, Brittany had the audacity to make the whole school believe that I had something to do with it with my "witch abilities."
I didn't pay any mind to her and walked over to my seat.
"So class there's someone I'd like to introduce to you all." The arts teacher Barnes announced as soon as he walked in.
Everywhere fell silent as they all anticipated to see the new student.
"His name is Daven Cross."
Whispers echoed through the class.
"As in the billionaire Cross family?" Brittany asked, leaning into her table with a proud smile on her face.
"Yes that one." Teacher Barnes replied absentmindedly as he glanced at his wrist watch and back at the entrance.
"He should be here any minute now." He muttered, glancing at the door.
Then finally he walked in. Curly hair and bangs which framed his perfectly handsome face. I could hear Brittany giggle softly in her seat. She was already drooling for him.
"Welcome him and treat him warmly, students." Barnes announced warmly.
I looked at him, tracing his features with my eyes and stopped at his eyes...blue and enigmatic.
As I stared at him, a voice rang in my head.
"Hello beautiful."
I turned around to find out where it had come from; everyone had their focus on him but then my eyes landed on him...his focus was on me. At that moment, a lopsided smirk appeared on his lips.
My eyes grew wide in shock. Did I just hear his voice in my head?