Damien spots Rowan, and he beams, excited to see him, when he notices that the chair next to him is the only one available. Damien smiles.
He's loving this. He wants to torment him, make him go crazy; that's his plan, at least that's what Rowan thinks. But that's not what Damien wants to do; that's not his plan. He plans to get to know Rowan because he feels drawn to the hybrid.
Rowan has no choice; he rolls his eyes, and then he walks up to the chair to take his seat. He doesn't say anything to him, and he hopes Damien doesn't say anything and he just keeps his mouth shut.
But he knows that's not going to be possible because on the night they met, he talked too much, and he does look like someone who talks too much.
"Okay, okay, okay, everyone settle down. Class is in session." Miss Zara Walter, the English Lit and drama teacher, walks in.
"Oooh, looking good, Miss Walter. I've missed you." Raphael shouts, making his stupid jock friends laugh. His girlfriend Piper hits him on the arm.
"Ow." he mutters.
"Yes, yes, I missed you too, Raphael." She snickers and then shakes her head.
Miss Walter is a beautiful biracial woman, with a white dad and a black mom. She's in her mid to late thirties, and she has light brown skin, full lips, a curvy waist and slender shoulders.
She's dressed in a vintage-inspired brown, patterned green skirt, shawl, boots and glasses. Just like the principal, she's very cool, and the students love her.
"Who is she? Is she cool?" Cecelia asks Brandon, who is right in front of her.
"Miss Walter? Hell yeah, one of the coolest teachers, you're going to love her."
"Well, I see two new students. And they're siblings too. What are your names? I'm Miss Zara Walter, and you are."
"Cecelia. Hi." Cece waves at everyone.
"I'm Damien."
"Oh, they're British." Raphael makes a bad British accent, which makes Damien cringe, and the laughter even makes him cringe even more.
"Well, welcome to Cupid Hollow High. I hope you guys love it here. Just know I'm a chill person. If you're cool with me, I'll be cool with you. Got it?"
"Yes," they say at the same time.
"Good." She turns around and begins to write.
Cece leans over to Brandon to whisper in his ear. "I love her already."
"I told you."
Miss Walter starts teaching, but Damien doesn't plan on listening; he has other plans.
"Nice to see you again, Rowan Lockwood."
Rowan looks at Damien, and Damien wiggles his brows.
"How are you doing that?"
Rowan asks him.
"Did you just say something in your head?"
Rowan looks at him and nods.
"Fascinating. I can't hear anything; I can't even feel what you feel. Can you find another way of communicating?"
Rowan thinks, and he doesn't even know what he's thinking; he doesn't want to converse with this boy.
But then he immediately thinks of something.
He picks up his pen, and he mutters a spell; then he starts scribbling in his book. His eyes move to Damien, and he gestures to his notebook. Damien looks at his notebook and sees Rowan has magically written something from his book, which teleported to his book.
"I said, how are you doing that?" Is what's written.
"Oh, it's part of my spirit powers, but usually the people I communicate with communicate back. You're different."
Rowan bends to write.
Well, you better stop it; it's weird.
No, I want to talk to you.
Why?
I find you interesting, my love.
Do not call me your love; I'm not your love.
Yes, you are; we had a moment at the club.
No, we didn't
Yes, we did. Remember the flickering lights.
That meant nothing
Yes, it did, and you know it.
Rowan sighs, and then he looks at Miss Walter, who is oblivious to what is going on; everyone else is.
I don't remember telling you my last name, so I'm sure you know about our family's history.
Yes, but my parents were all cagey about it. Almost like there's more to it.
I feel the same way, but I don't know the full story. I do know it wasn't good, so you and I can't be together.
Says who?
Uh… I don't know, history.
Fuck history.
Rowan's eyes flash a gold colour. Something that happens when a werewolf feels a lot of emotions, and right now Rowan is pissed off.
Whoa, you're annoyed. But how come I can't feel your annoyance? I know what everyone here is feeling?
That makes Rowan relax a bit.
You do?
Yes. Miss Walter feels excited to be starting a new year. My sister is starting to love the school, the guy in front of her has a crush on her, and he's pretty cool by the way…uh, he's horny.
Damien nods at someone, and Rowan looks to see who he's talking about, and it's Raphael. Rowan rolls his eyes.
Whoa, you don't like the guy. I may not be able to feel your emotions, but I can read them.
Yeah, we've hated each other since we were kids, but whatever, bro. It's nothing.
Okay, then I hate him too.
Why? You don't know him.
An enemy of yours is an enemy of mine, my Rowie. If we're going to be dating, you should know these things.
Dating? We're never going to date; that will be disastrous.
Why?
Because history
Again with history, fuck history.
You
"Nice to see only Rowan Lockwood is taking notes", Miss Walter says, and Rowan slowly closes his book. "Come on people, summer's over, you guys aren't sophomores anymore, take this seriously."
"Nerd," Raphael says under a fake cough and his friends laugh.
"Thank you for your input, Raphael." Miss Walter says sarcastically.
"Look at you taking school seriously," Violet says to him.
Rowan nods his head and has a fake smile on. Which Violet knows is fake because she knows Rowan doesn't smile, so something must be going on.
Yep, he's not just serious, but he's hot.
Rowan faces Damien, and Damien winks at him.
Rowan rolls his eyes and looks away, but he has a small smile on his face. He sure hopes that Damien's charms aren't working on him.
And that's how Damien has been harassing him until lunchtime, when Rowan is happy to be away from him for a bit.
He's on the same lunch table that he and Violet usually sit at.
"Alright, spill what's going on with you?" Violet asks him.
"What?"
"You were using magic, weren't you? The communication spell- you weren't taking notes. Who were you talking to?"
"I wasn't talking to anyone."
Violet squints her eyes. "I don't believe you; you're lying, and at first I thought you were writing to Kael. But no, with the way you keep looking at the Ivanov twins, especially Damien, I suspect you're already interrogating him, accusing him of killing Faith and Abdul."
"What? No I'm not."
Yet.
Violet sighs. "Rowan, I say this with love. But they're not the ones who killed your parents." Rowan faces his best friend. "Look, I know you hate all moroi vampires because a moroi vampire killed your parents. But they're not all evil."
"So what are they doing here?"
"I don't know, but I bet you they didn't kill Faith and Abdul."
"Look at them; they just arrived, and they're already at the popular table." A girl with sandy blonde hair sits with them at the table.
"Hello, Amber." The two best friends drag.
"Hello guys, how was your summer? Hope it was splendid?" She pauses and faces Rowan, not allowing Violet to tell her how her summer went "Rowan, this year the paper has to be bigger and better. And thank goodness we have new material." She gestures at Damien and Cecelia who are surrounded by jocks and cheerleaders. Raphael and his crew.
But Rowan can see that Damien doesn't really want to talk to Raphael. In fact, he didn't want to sit with them in the first place.
"Too bad we can't put on the paper that moroi vampires are attending our school for the first time. There are humans here after all."
Amber Miller is your typical nosey head of the school paper. She dreams of being a journalist someday. And she's already showing signs of being a good annoying reporter.
She has sandy blonde hair, rosy cheeks, and she's wearing a brown tweed long coat over a burgundy turtleneck, checked mini skirt, black tights, chunky black boots and a brown leather shoulder bag.
Just in time for fall, and that is her favourite season. She's also a witch who passed her test this summer. She had to fight fairies, which is fitting for her.
"There's more to that family than meets the eye," she says.
Rowan can't help but think that this girl is going to find out about their history, both the Lockwoods and Ivanovs Looks like he has to tell Violet about what he heard the other night, and he also has to tell her about the night of his first kill. He could keep everything from everyone but not Violet.
"Oh gosh, not you too," Violet says.
"Huh."
"Rowan thinks they're fishy as well."
"Ah, you see great reporters think alike," Amber says, smiling.
I don't want to be a reporter. Rowan wants to say, but he just shuts up.
"Will you two stop? They're not bad people."
"You're just too trusting, Vi." Says Amber, and at least he agrees with Amber on one thing.
Violet opens her mouth to protest, but she doesn't speak; she just keeps quiet.
"Anyways, I have to go. Make sure everything's in order. Catch you guys later," and she leaves.
"So nosey. I'm surprised she's not your best friend."
Rowan ignores that last statement. "V, there's something I have to tell you. Same place after school."
"Of course," she says.
Rowan figures if he has to say anything to anyone, it has to be his best friend; she's the only person he can say this to.