The Trouble with Evie

Chapter 15

"This is worse than the first-day jitters. Alright, I'll see you at three."

I opened the door, lifting my bag in the process. With my new phone tucked into my pocket, I closed the car door and began the descent into Hell. Life in high school was always difficult. Being the outcast because of my choices was never on my agenda, but I could see that it would be that way regardless of what I wanted.

As I reached the top of the stairs, I turned back. Brad was still sitting in his car, watching and waiting. He trusted me, but given the current events, he was probably worried that I'd turn around and walk to another location once he'd left. I couldn't do that once I'd walked through the main doors. The teacher on duty would stop me and send me to the office to call him back to collect me. There was no escape from this particular nightmare.

The corridors were full of students. I weaved through them, desperate to avoid their attention. As the new kid, I always attracted far too much of it. This place, though, was different. I was already a blur in the landscape.

The people of Hades were odd. I haven't ventured far in this town, just a few spots on Main Street and home. From what I could see, the people went about their lives without a care in the world. Some knew of the vampires but most didn't. At least, that's the way that it appeared. Unless I asked every single person in Hades, I'd never know the truth.

All I wanted was to get through each day and have no issues. That was another feeble dream. I should know better than to waste my hope for such things.

Reaching my locker, I opened the door and unloaded the books for my afternoon lessons into it. Checking everything was in order, I closed the locker to see that I was not alone. Audrey smiled sweetly at me, and I knew that this was the beginning of a bad day.

Audrey was her usual perky self. Looking extra pretty today with a soft blush across her cheeks, highlighting the gentle curve. She'd donned false eyelashes, and it looked as if she'd just swiped cherry-colored gloss over her lips.

Today's ensemble was not that different from any other day. Only today, there was a string of black pearls around her neck. They were stark against the white cashmere sweater.

I looked at the line of friends, noting that they were all wearing black pearl necklaces. That was interesting. I'd never seen that before. I would have thought wearing the same thing would be a fashion crime.

As usual, they pushed the school uniform to the limit. It made me wonder how they got away with it.

"Evie," she said in her saccharine sweet tone. "Can we have a moment?"

"Sure," I offered with a disinterested shrug.

Audrey smiled, gripping her books in front of her stomach.

"Great. I just love to chat with people. You like to talk to other people, right?"

I stared at her, wondering what she wanted. The friends behind her, they formed a wall that hid us from the main corridor. I was in my little hovel of darkness, wondering if the janitor would ever turn the light on in this section.