A Taste of Death

Chapter One

Nova woke up with a start, bleary eyes scanning around as the bell rang, the ravenette sweeping her purple streaked hair out of her face. "I-I'm awake!" She yawned. The redheaded female besides her chuckled and grabbed Nova's backpack. "Sure you are." She rolled her eyes. The teacher walked over, pushing her glasses up. "Sleeping in class again, Miss Scott?" She inquired. "I'm sorry Mrs. Skye!" Nova got up, taking her backpack. Mrs. Skye smiled. "It's alright. How was the sleepover?"

"It was amazing!" Nova replied. "Yeah, we watched tons of movies. Casey fell asleep first." The redhead remarked with a slight smirk. Nova laughed lightly. "Hey, Rosa, you fell asleep soon after!" Nova teased. "At least I didn't fall asleep in class!" Rosa teased back. Mrs. Skye smiled. "Now now, girls, no arguing." The three laughed and the friends bade Mrs. Skye farewell before leaving.

"What did you dream about? You looked a bit pale." Rosa quirked an eyebrow up as her green eyes scanned Nova's grey ones. "Oh, it was just some creepy dream. Probably from that movie we watched last night." The ravenette responded, shrugging. "I didn't find it that scary." Rosa chuckled lightly. "You don't find anything scary!" Nova protested. Rosa smiled. "Must be my sheer awesomeness." Nova rolled her eyes. "No, that's just your ego."

A sound of footsteps caused them to turn around as a dirty blonde female ran towards them, a bag on her hip bouncing in time with her. "Rosa! Nova! Hey!" She panted slightly, coming to a stop when she reached the two girls. "Dang, girl, in a rush?" Rosa teased, lightly punching the other's shoulder. The female pushed a strand of her wavy hair behind her ear. "Well of course! Can't have my two friends leaving without me, can I?" She smiled. Nova gently hugged her. "We wouldn't leave without you, Casey." She replied.

The three began walking to the entrance of the school. "So how's lover boy?" Nova teased. As Casey blushed slightly, Rosa fake gasped, feigning a pained expression. "Oh my gosh, Casey Harley has a boyfriend and didn't tell me? Who's the lucky guy?" Nova laughed lightly at the comment, and Casey hid her face a little. "Uhm- Christopher Moris." She mumbled, a little embarrassed as her cheeks brightened in a blush. "Ah, the geeky nerd." She responded, tone still teasing. Nova rolled her eyes. "Rosa, you're a geeky nerd!" She responded. Rosa laughed. "Well of course!" She tossed her red hair back, then placed her hands on her hips. "But if he hurts you-" She hummed lightly. "You'll help me bury him." Casey smiled. "Definitely. We have it all planned out." Nova chimed in.

The three friends continued their chatter, getting on the same bus and fighting over who would get stuck in the middle this time. "I don't want to sit in the middle this time!" Rosa complained teasingly.  Nova laughed lightly. "Fine fine, I'll be middle this time." She settled in the middle in between her two best friends then spent the rest of their time together on the bus chatting and talking about various things from Marvel, to Harry Potter to boy and normal teenage topics.   

Eventually though, Nova was left alone, a light smile on her face. She was fond of her friends. She had met Rosa first and they quickly bonded, then the two met Casey and happily accepted her after Rosa told off the guy that was being a little less than gentlemanly to the blonde. Sure, the trio wasn't popular, but they weren't bullied either, and took an oath to stick together.

Nova thanked the driver and got off on her stop, listening to some music from her phone and enjoying the scenery as she walked to her house. "Hey mom!" She greeted her mother, Trisha Scott. Her mother smiled and paused her baking to hug her daughter. Nova hugged back and set her bag in her room before coming back out. "Whatcha making?" She asked, curiously. "Oh just some raspberry brownies. I thought the bakery could do with some new variants." She slid the pans into the oven and set the timer. Nova watched fondly.
Her mother was a manager of Sweetie's Bakery, where employees sold delightful pastries, goods and the like, as well as being encouraged to try something new and interesting. "Raspberry? I bet they'll be good!" She commented. Her mother nodded and placed her hands gently on her daughter's shoulders. "How was school? Did you and those friends of yours stay out of trouble?" As Trisha asked the last question, she raised an eyebrow and winked in a friendly manner. Nova smiled. "Maybe!" She teased. "School was, well, school. They loaded us with homework. Again." She groaned, rolling her eyes. Her mother chuckled. "Well, go on and do that, then, and I'll call you when the brownies are ready. I'll need my little taste tester!" Nova nodded. "You got it!" She smiled as she went to her room, closing her door.
She powered up her speaker and connected the bluetooth to her phone and put on some relaxing music, humming along as she got set up. Sitting at her neat desk, she opened the computer and opened her bag pulling out her science book and opening it to the page listed to find a postcard sized photo tucked into the book. "Huh..." Nova pulled it out and looked at it, examining both the front and back. "This wasn't here before." The image was of a forest, a batch of monochrome trees, still. There was nothing on the back. Nova eventually shrugged and, thinking nothing of it, threw it in the trash, beginning to work on her assignment, only pausing when her mother called her down for taste testing and dinner.

Much later, she finally finished the homework and yawned, looking at the time and gasping in shock. "11:30?! I didn't realize it was so late-" She packed up her school stuff and yawned, deciding to just hit the bed for tonight as she changed and slipped under the covers, falling asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.