Darkest Dawn

Trapped Little Dove

Briana hesitated in the doorway. Emily was home-schooled but, perhaps to make this less isolating, she had three class mates. The classroom was a large oval room with desks for each pupil large enough for the CEO of a company – let alone teenagers. Briana's gaze lingered over these desks wondering which was hers. Maria stopped at her elbow – watching her. Briana chewed the inside of her cheek. Time to make a guess.

Sucking in her breath Briana approached the desk furthest from the door. She hadn't wasted her time snooping in Emily's room and she recognised the girl's style in stationary. Smiling confidently she sat down and risked a glance at Maria. Frowning the teen was taking her seat at the desk beside hers. Bingo. Humming to herself Briana got out notebook and pen - ready for learning.

She was not ready for learning. It felt like wading knee deep in mud up a sharp incline – in clown shoes. Briana looked down at the notes she'd taken and whimpered pitifully. She'd forgotten all this stuff – if she'd ever known it. Their tutor had gone to make tea though the students were of course not alone. Briana's eyes met Troy's across the room. Sunlight through the windows spilled over his handsome face and spread a halo over his dark head. Her stomach flipped and clenching her teeth she glared determinedly down at her page. Hopefully Emily isn't a genius.

"Why haven't you called me?" Briana's head snapped up. It was one of her fellow classmates. As well as Maria, Emily had two male study companions. Their tutor had called the boy sat at the desk beside Maria, Klaus. Klaus had bad acne – it reminded Briana of how she'd been at sixteen. The boy standing in front of her was the one that wasn't Klaus. Not-Klaus looked surly.

"Erm..." She pushed her glasses further up her nose - racking her brain.

"You didn't reply to any of my messages. I was worried." He didn't sound worried – he sounded pissed. Realisation dawned. This must be boyfriend Andy. Briana paled and her gaze flickered across to Troy. He was looking right at them.

"Let's not talk about this now – yeah?" She spoke softly so that they wouldn't be overheard.

"No I want to talk now." Andy retorted loudly. Briana cringed in embarrassment. "If you don't like me any more just say so." The tutor walked back into the room.

"Later." Briana pleaded. Scowling Andy retreated and Briana was glad his was the desk furthest from her.

At the end of lessons Andy waited for her. He leant against the door frame, twirling his ridiculously pretentious hair and Briana had a bad feeling about what was coming. She opened her mouth but he cut over her.

"I'm bored – let's go horse riding." Briana rose an eyebrow. He'd decided not to be angry anymore then but now he was speaking like a lofty emperor. Judging from his attitude Briana reckoned he was expecting her to be grateful.

"I don't feel like it."

He frowned, "well I do."

"Go alone then." Briana mentally chided herself. She was being snippy because honestly this guy pissed her off. Even his voice irritated her. It was overly posh – far more so than anyone else at Eros house – self-consciously so and that just grated her. "I'm not feeling well." She managed in a more apologetic tone. She didn't want to screw up Emily's relationship for her.

Briana rested her forehead against the table in despair.

"Emily," she looked up to see Elias entering the room. She'd set herself up in one of the dining rooms – laptop whirring like it was about to take off and books spread out in small piles corresponding to subject. "Homework not going well?" It was going terribly.