Mrs Callahan

chapter 1

narrator's perspective of myla
September in Oregon, USA
Columbia Gorge Academy

Their laughs completed laps in her mind, echoing over and over. Her stomach was escaping my jeans, hanging over my waistband. Everyone's eyes pierced her skin as she walked into the classroom. She flipped her English test paper - a D minus. Her vision became blurry and the ringing sound of the bell attacked her ears.

*myla's alarm clock sounds*

She gasped and hit her alarm off, her heart still punching at her ribs. She checked her alarm clock - 6.45am on a crisp Monday morning. The blanket held her close, gently whispering at her to stay in bed forever. She groaned, forcing herself to get up before slumping onto her desk chair. Myla turned her mirror light on and took a long look at herself. Her gaze lingered on the subtle hollows beneath her eyes. She put on makeup to give herself some comfort for the unstable day. Myla never wore much makeup, but she liked the ritual of it. It gave her a few minutes to silently and gently gather her thoughts before school. By the time she stepped away from the mirror, she felt less vulnerable than she had 15 minutes earlier.

"At least I look alive now."

Myla had only ever been to a public school before, and hated it. Cold. Damp. Cruel. But thankfully, she is leaving that behind. She is leaving him behind.
She pulled on a thick red jumper, the sleeves carefully covering her wrists, and her worn black leather boots. She paired this with a faded blue denim skirt and sheer black tights. She thought she looked tired. Then again, everything had lately. The clock said 7.15am. Myla slung her bag over her shoulder and paused at her doorway, taking one last look at her bedroom. Her curtains were closed, her books were stacked unevenly in a few corners of her room, and her bedsheets were barely managing to cling onto her bed. She sighed and turned her light off, dreading the day ahead.

The smell of toast and coffee faintly warmed the kitchen air. Myla slipped into her usual seat before unlocking her phone and beginning to scroll. Her thumb moved automatically against the screen. Post after post blurred together until she was unsure about what she was looking at. The familiarity of the endless media was soothing. Her mum left a note on the table. Even though Julia Wilson was away from home often, she always made the effort to care for Myla.
"Myla, today will be a good day! smile and try to make a friend. i love you. mum x."
The house was quiet other than the careful clink of cutlery against the ceramic plate. Myla preferred mornings that way - silent, before the harsh day fully arrives.

The bus was already full when she climbed on board. All the seats were taken, apart from 2 at the back-left of the bus. Myla dropped into the seat closest to the window, trying to avoid the distressing eye contact from her new peers. Her headphones played intimate artists - Leonard Cohen, Portishead, Frank Sinatra. Their music made Myla have a strange, uncomfortable, but enjoyable sensation in her stomach. The town drifted past her in fragments - wet pavements, dim bookshops, dark trees. The students on the bus filled it with conversation, but Myla preferred to experience the world alone, silently.

The crisp fall leaves blanketed the stairs up to the entrance of the school building. There were bustling corridors of students leaning against lockers, greeting one another with warm smiles. Myla dragged her feet towards her locker to familiarise herself with her surroundings. The other children seemed desperate to become known before the first bell. She was desperate for the opposite. She slammed her locker door shut, before being welcomed by striking green eyes.

"Hey. I'm Amelia. I can tell you are the new girl. Everyone's so excited to meet you. You're the most exciting thing to have happened here in a long time. Too long actually. Anyways, we are in the same homeroom. Let me show you where it is."

Amelia grabbed Myla's sleeve, giving her no time to process what she said.

She speaks fast then.

Homeroom passed as normal - register, announcements, assembly, the usual information no one listens to. Myla sat near the back, analysing the race of the rain drops as they fell against the glass of the window. The bell cut across the classroom while all the chairs scraped back against the floor. She shuffled alongside the crowd towards her first class.

English with Ms Callahan.

Room 054 was already open when she arrived. Some students took their seats, while others lingered around the door frame. Her teacher wasn't present yet, so Myla decided to swing her bag off her shoulder and slouch into a seat near the back. The windows of the classroom presented her with a view of the muted campus. The partially opened blinds let in a pale wash of the grey morning light that settled across the desks. Myla glanced at the clock hanging above the door for the third time in a minute, before becoming distracted by a striking figure who entered the room. The class went from busy conversations to quiet murmurs in a matter of seconds. All of the other students immediately took their seats, Amelia falling next to Myla. Ms Callahan crossed the room with unhurried confidence that quieted conversation better than any raised voice could. Her coal pinstripe trousers hugged her lower waist, and her wine red shirt buttoned closely against her torso. The collar was loose, showing a hint of her prominent collar bones. Her black ballet flats clicked against the wooden panels beneath her. Ms Callahan's glasses were gently positioned on her head, forcing her blonde hair to fall into smooth sections around her face. Her bold lipstick deliberately complimented her crisp shirt.
Myla was immediately captivated by her strong presence before she said a single word. Ms Callahan grasped a stick of white chalk and wrote 'Jane Eyre' in block capitals, before underlining it with a smooth, straight line.

"We will be studying 'Jane Eyre' over this term. Write down this title." Ms Callahan said firmly.

Myla wrote down the title, but found herself continuously watching the clock hands move forward alongside a lot of other pupils. At least they have something in common.

After setting an exercise, Ms Callahan began to slowly pace around her classroom. Her students kept their heads low, scribbling swiftly. Myla noticed her rhythmic steps build louder and louder as she got closer and closer to her. She kept her head down. Ms Callahan briefly paused behind her, before continuing to step to the front of the class.

The rest of the class passed as normal: a small assignment, students writing, chalk scratching the board.

"By Friday I want a 500 word essay on a character in a book you have read recently," Ms Callahan broke the silence.
"Go into detail about why you are interested in them."

Easy. Myla didn't mind reading, but much preferred films. She would write about Amy Dunne from Gone Girl, a character who remained etched in her mind. She would write about her narcissism, vengeance, and a mix of her antagonist and protagonist qualities. Myla related to Amy's embodiment of female rage and societal exhaustion in the film.

The final 5 classes blended together, a blur of monotone lectures and rustling paper. By the time the final bell rang, Myla was the first one out of the school doors.

She pressed her forehead against the cold window, watching the unfamiliar streets go by in silence.

Myla let the front door click shut behind her before dragging her feet upstairs.
She was greeted by a small ball of fur on her way to her room, purring at her legs. Leo offered a silent sanctuary amidst Myla's raging storm of a life.

After getting changed, Myla began writing her essay. She picked up her black ballpoint pen and let her thoughts flow onto the paper. She detailed Amy Dunne's striking character, and the way her sinister and psychopathic mind works. The essay seemed to finish itself, exploring the character's unique traits. Myla initially fell in love with Amy on screen, before being enticed to the intriguing pages of the novel.

She flicked her light switch off and let the darkness swallow her exhaustion.

This is my first chapter EVER! so there are probably many formatting, spelling, etc mistakes. Any tips will be recommended, I will eventually come back to this chapter and edit it. Thank you for reading!

- myla <3