In your arms

Chapter 1

I slowly opened my eyes, and the sunlight stretching in through my window glimmered against my blonde hair. The alarm from my phone throbbed in my head. I rolled over and shut it off. God, how I hate waking up in the morning. My bed felt like a warm cloud, and just the thought of leaving it felt awful. Slowly, I lifted the blanket off me, and the cold that greeted me sent goosebumps across my entire body. I quickly slipped on my slippers and robe and started walking toward the kitchen. That was when my phone chimed.

"I got to borrow my dad's car today, want a ride?" it read.
The text was from my best friend, Tobias. A smile formed on my lips, and I started typing back.

"Sure, as long as you don't crash!"

I slipped my phone into my pocket and walked into the kitchen. My smile quickly vanished when I saw Mom, asleep while sitting at the kitchen table, an empty bottle of wine beside her. Not again... I thought, sighing. I quickly checked on Elvira, who was still asleep, then returned to the kitchen and cleaned everything up. Elvira was already struggling enough, and I didn't want her to see our mom like that. After all the drug problems I've had to help her through when Mom wasn't around, their relationship isn't the best. Mom isn't very kind to Elvira either, but that's probably because she sees herself in her. A lonely fifteen-year-old who can't handle all the emotions she feels and is searching for the fastest way out. I was pulled out of my thoughts when Tobias honked outside.

By the time we arrived at school, I already felt awful and just wanted to leave.

"Are you okay, Emilia?" Tobias asked, his face full of concern. I looked up at him and nodded with a smile.
"Yeah, everything's fine," I replied. We both got out of the car and started walking toward the school. The narrow hallways were packed with people, and we could barely move forward. Tobias grabbed my hand and started pulling both himself and me through the crowd. Eventually, we reached our classroom just in time. When we walked in, we went to our seats at the back and sat down. That's when someone new entered the classroom. Someone unfamiliar. He had dark, curly hair and deep brown eyes. I couldn't stop myself from staring at him. He must have noticed, because at that very moment he stared back, and our eyes met.

"Emilia?" Tobias said, and I quickly turned back to him.

"Huh? Yeah, what did you say?" I asked. Tobias gave me a look I didn't quite understand, but I chose to ignore it.

"Alright class, can everyone be quiet?" our teacher called out. Eventually, everyone took their seats and fell silent.
"Today we have a new student! His name is Matteo, and I hope you'll all be kind to him. Matteo, why don't you sit next to Emilia?" she continued, and the girls immediately started whispering when they saw him. Matteo nodded and began walking toward me. My eyes followed his every step, but when he sat down, I quickly looked away. The scent of his cologne reminded me of something I couldn't quite explain. The teacher started talking, but I couldn't focus on what she was saying. I couldn't stop thinking about him, and the fact that he was sitting right next to me made me nervous.

"Emilia, was it?"

I quickly turned toward Matteo and realized he had just asked me a question.

"Yes, exactly, Emilia Vakström!" I blurted out nervously.
Why did I say my last name? I thought, instantly embarrassed. I saw a smile form on his lips.

"Nice to meet you, Emilia. My name is Matteo Strandgren," he said. There was something about the way he said his last name too that made me feel oddly happy. I smiled a little, careful not to overdo it.

"Emilia? I asked you a question, young lady!" the teacher said, and I quickly turned forward.

"Uh, sorry, I don't know..." I replied, my face turning red. The teacher sighed loudly.

"You're seventeen years old. You should be able to pay attention in class!" she exclaimed. I heard Matteo chuckle softly at that, which made me do the same. The teacher continued the lesson, and I could feel Matteo's eyes on me from time to time. Eventually, I decided to be brave and try to talk to him.

"Did you just move here to Trelleborg, or did you just switch schools?" I asked nervously. He was silent for a second before answering, which made me think he found the question strange.

"I just moved here from Stockholm, so I'm completely new," he finally replied, and a wave of relief washed over me.
Thank God he didn't think the question was weird... I thought to myself.

"From Stockholm? Why would anyone want to move away from there?" I asked curiously. He looked down at the desk as if he were ashamed of something.

"Well... lots of reasons," he said, and I felt it was best to let it go.

"In any case, I hope you like it here in Trelleborg," I finished, and he gave me a faint smile. There was something about him that made me want to know more about him and his past, but something told me it wouldn't be easy. When the lesson ended, Matteo grabbed his bag and left quickly. Tobias came straight over to me.

"So, you ended up sitting next to the new guy," he said, sounding annoyed.

"Yeah, he seems nice," I replied quickly. Maybe a little too quickly. Tobias looked at me in surprise.

"There's something weird about him," Tobias said, his tone condescending. I shot him a look and started walking toward the door.

"What? He was creepy!" he continued, following me.

"You shouldn't judge people before getting to know them. What if he's actually really kind?" I replied, heading toward my locker to drop off my things. Tobias rolled his eyes.

"If you say so," he said.

Tobias and I had just finished our last class and were on our way out of school. My shoulder ached from carrying my heavy bag all day, and all the stairs didn't help. I had been thinking about Matteo all day, and during lessons I could feel him glancing at me now and then.

"Did you hear what Dante answered when the teacher asked how many people died during World War II?" Tobias said, laughing.

"No, what did he say?" I asked.

"The guy said five million. What was going through his head when he said that?" Tobias continued. I had zoned out and didn't react to what he said. He nudged me lightly, and I looked up immediately.

"Yeah, that was really strange."

Tobias gave me a look that said more than he probably ever would.

"Are you sure everything's okay, Emilia? You've seemed down all day," he finally said. I forced a smile onto my lips. Not a real one, but a necessary one.

"Yeah yeah, everything's great!" I replied, trying to sound positive, but if you listened closely enough, you could hear the pain in my voice. Tobias didn't say anything more, only gave me a worried look. We had just stepped outside the school and were about to turn a corner when we suddenly stopped. Matteo was standing there, arguing with what looked like his mother. Tobias and I quickly stepped back but listened to what they were saying.

"I can't deal with you anymore! First we move to this damn place, and now this? When are you going to leave me alone?!" Matteo yelled. The woman was silent for a second before she started screaming back.

"You should be grateful for everything I've done for you! If it weren't for me, you'd still be at that damn orphanage, rotting away with no future!"

Everything went quiet. Tobias and I stood there holding our breath, waiting for a response, but both Matteo and the woman were completely silent. What were they talking about? And why had Matteo been in an orphanage? The only thing I could think was that I had to find out more, no matter what it took.