The Dragon Hunter- and the Lost Soul -

Chapter 5

The symptoms of a coming headache were evident as Amanda slumped her head into her resting hand. The restored class chatter made it easier to distract herself from the worries constantly on her mind.  

She glanced beside her at the two girls who seemed deep in concentration over the teaching being conducted at the front of the class. Tiffany sat directly beside Amanda and then Victoria beside her, but neither had paid any heed to her existence since her introduction earlier that morning. It was almost irritating that no one seemed the slightest bit interested in her, aside from the fact they had all stared her down when she'd first arrived. But she had to remind herself that this was precisely what she'd wanted. 

She sighed, redirecting her attention back towards the teacher. English was usually one of her more preferable subjects but she had to admit, this wasn't her first time experiencing an English lesson so boring, that she felt like going to sleep. 

She forced herself to pull out a pen and jot down a few notes, hoping it would pass the time. She knew she was already two weeks behind everyone; having started the year later, but she was too bored out of her mind to care right at that moment. She sat up, stretching her back as discretely as possible but failed, as a clear creaking sound erupted from her chair. Even though no one in front had turned around, she could feel the eyes watching her from behind. She glared into the air, her eyes squinting in annoyance as she returned to a resting position. 

Just as she thought the lesson would never end, the bell rang and she suddenly found herself surrounded by a pile of students eagerly packing away their belongings and heading out to lunch. It all happened so quickly she didn't know what exactly she was supposed to do. 

As she sat contemplating her next moves, she became aware of a trio of boys walking past her. Not that it pricked her curiosity, but she couldn't help noticing they kept peeking glances at her over their shoulder. She shook her head, removing the thought from her mind as she tried her best to ignore them. She had no idea why it bothered her as she wasn't normally the type of girl to notice or have an interest in guys. She needed to constantly remind herself this was a new school and of course, everyone was going to be looking and talking about her rather than talking to her. That was just the way teenagers were.  And besides, it wasn't like she wanted anyone to talk to her anyway. 

Once she finally made the choice to take herself outside to her bag, she was startled to see the same three boys still hanging around the bag racks. She continued to ignore them as she packed her things but was suddenly alarmed when one called out to her.

'Yo! Amanda isn't it?" They said, almost in a joking manner. She paused, a slight amount of anxiety kicking in. She slowly zipped up her bag, deciding whether she should respond, pretend she hadn't heard, or make a run for it. Instead of waiting and making the situation worse, she finally turned to look at them. Holding back the urge to choose the latter option, she slowly picked up her bag and rose to stand. 

"Yes?" she responded flatly, taking a moment to observe their appearances. It was obvious they were taller than her which was slightly daunting. She held on tight to her bag hoping this wouldn't end badly. She knew full well she might accidentally say something rude in an effort to get out of the conversation. 

The boys seemed relaxed as they picked up their own bags and took a step closer. Out of instinct, she took a small step back, hoping they would keep their distance.

The boy who'd called her grinned in amusement. "For heaven's sake, we're not going to eat you," he said taking another step forward. He held out his hand for her to shake, clearly unbothered by how uneasy she felt. She hesitated, not sure if she should return the gesture, but decided it was best to just get it over and done with. She stepped forward herself, reaching to shake his hand but with no clear expression on her face. 

"Anthony," he said, releasing her hand. He turned to the others, gesturing to each one in turn. "This is Lucas and Jorden," he continued as both boys nodded, acknowledging the introduction. Amanda glanced at them both. Lucas had rough, dark hair, broad shoulders and his skin was nicely tanned. She was somewhat drawn in by his flawless jawline and his deep brown eyes. There was no doubt he was good-looking.

Jorden was slightly shorter than the others but still held himself at the same level as his friends. He had hazel eyes and a nicely shaped face. His hair was a dirty blonde and he had it just as rough as the others.

And then there was Anthony. He was obviously the leader in their group, although she was sure they were all just as extroverted as he was. Anthony wasn't exactly well-kept and seemed to enjoy wearing his uniform unprofessionally, which appeared to be the same case with the other two. He was also broad-shouldered, with untidy, basic brown hair. But what caught her attention the most were his dark, ocean-blue eyes that held her gaze effortlessly. She shook her head as she had done earlier to save herself from overthinking.

Anthony smiled; aware he had her full attention. 

"I'm curious," he began, "where exactly did you come from?" The question almost sounded as though she were an animal he'd happened to find on the side of the road. 

"New Mexico," she replied quickly, trying not to overthink the question. She wanted to leave so she needed to keep her answers short. 

"You've come a long way," he retorted. 

"I suppose I have." Her voice was emotionless and dry as she tried desperately to drop the hint that she didn't want to keep talking. 

Anthony, finally taking her feelings into consideration, decided to end the conversation. 

"Well, I guess we'll see you around," he said with a grin as they walked past her, and out into the school grounds. 

They disappeared from view, leaving Amanda still standing on the front porch of the English class. As she turned to leave as well, she couldn't help thinking about a million other things she could add to her list of worries.

She slapped both hands over her cheeks several times, pained by the constant thoughts that kept running through her already-troubled mind. she needed to calm down and just... stop thinking... 

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First day of school down. An odd 170 to go. Amanda took the deepest breath she'd taken all day as though she had just won a race and accomplished the most difficult task of her life. 

She face-planted onto her bed, too exhausted to get changed before doing so. Even her bag was still slung over her arm. After a few moments, she rolled over onto her back, groaning as the thought of having to go back again tomorrow washed over her. 

When she finally sat up, the rushing symptoms of another incoming headache started once more. She squinted against the throbbing pain as she took a moment to clear her mind. The smell of a lovely meal being cooked came floating through her open bedroom door giving her at least one reason to put aside her worries. 

Maybe after a nice warm dinner, she could sleep it all off and have the courage to face another day.