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01. ONE : something odd walks this way
It was not uncommon for the days to be cool in New York City, especially during fall, but Ella still hated it. It made her miss the muggy summer heat and everything that came with it. She wished she could still relax in the sun, take pictures of her friends, and enjoy the days filled without school. There had been actual things Ella could try to write about, things that swing from a web and stop crime, but school loved to get in the way of such things.
Ella glared up at the sign that read Midtown Science High School in bold yellow letters. They seemed to be mocking her, watching every little step she took. She wasn't supposed to be stuck at school. Living in New York was not the dream that everyone said it was going to be.
She pursed her lips for a moment before letting out a breathy sigh. Ella watched as her breath danced around her head like smoke from a cigarette, transfixed on the cool air.
Mobs of kids rushed past past her in flurries of pajamas, headphones, shouts, and coffee. She had never hated high school more in her life than right then. Waking at the crack of dawn only to spend eight hours of her day in excruciatingly small classrooms. She hated being cooped up in small places for hours on end, yet there she was at school.
There was a never ending cycle of misery as she found herself in the same place. It wouldn't get any better until they finally graduated. Graduation was still more than a semester away, and that felt like forever for her.
A small sigh escaped her mouth as she brushed a strand of hair away from her face. It wasn't even eight in the morning and her hair was already a tangled mess from rushing to catch the only subway train that could get her to school on time. Instead of moving out of the chill and into the school, she was frozen in the middle of the path. It was something she found herself doing more often as each day passed her by. The cool air nipped her face, sending a shiver through her spine. Ella tightened her grip on her laptop, adjusting it so it lay safer in her arms.
The shouting of the other kids around her usually fell deaf to her ears, but as their shouting got louder Ella found it harder for her to ignore their calls. She turned her stare to the kids frantically waving and pointing at something that seemed to be behind her, but ti was all lost in translation. It was almost like cotton was blocking her ears, muffling their cries.
With a shrug, Ella turned to finally embrace the warmth inside the walls of the high school, but before she could take a step she felt herself get pushed onto the ground, laptop flying out of her hands onto the cool concrete right next to her.
The impact of her hands and knees on the ground jarred her back into reality. Her bones felt hollow, trembling from the wave of falling and hitting cold, hard concrete. The pain, no matter how weak it felt, was fresh on her skin. The small scrapes stung her hands, revealing little droplets of crimson across her palms.
