The Darkness Within

Chapter 1 | Awakening

I'm standing before the mirror in the upstairs bathroom, as I apply the latest in a long line of creams guaranteed to clear my skin right up. I close the tube I'd ordered over the internet and study my face intently. I have collar length sandy-brown hair, green eyes in a somewhat plain freckled face with many a pimple calling it home. This cream doesn't appear to be working either.

"Why won't anything work, to get rid of this acne? A diminishing in pimple size within the first minute or your money back guarantee!" I scoff. "Why do I keep falling for this. I hope Gran is right and I grow out of it soon!"

I pull up the hood of my hoodie and walk down for breakfast.

My mother's mother, or Gran as she insists I call her, has taken care of me since my parents died in a car accident when I was four. She says it was a miracle that I survived. We still don't know what caused the accident. It's been a struggle and we don't have very much, it doesn't matter though we're just fine by ourselves.

I walk into the kitchen, sit at the old log-plank table grandpa built, to eat the bacon and eggs grandma has made for me. I eat hurriedly.

"Bye Gran, I'm off to work," I call out as I rush out of the old farm house my grandpa built.

I jump on my bike and head to Mr Jenkins' farm, that's my first part time job that pays my college fees. I muck out the pens and feed the animals before heading to the grocery to stock shelves and mop the floors, my second part-time job. Next is the college where I am part of the janitorial staff. It's the only way I can afford to go to college where I attend night classes.

I make use of the college showers to clean up and change into clean clothes before class.

As I walk into Biology, one of my two favourite classes, a foot trips me and I go sprawling face first, in front of everyone already present. Everyone, including Mr Shirkins, the teacher, starts laughing. My cheeks pale with repressed fury, while my ears blush from the embarrassment as I pull myself off the floor. Luckily I sit at the very front and I don't have far to go before I can claim my seat.

The lesson starts and so does the usual avalanche of items that hit the back of my head during every lesson.

I'm used to it and nothing really bothers me, when the door opens and a brunette girl, her face dominated by a pair of big brown doe eyes, enters the lecture hall.

"You must be Miss Cherise Somerset, please take a seat next to Mr Fenton," Mr Shirkins instructs her.

As instructed, she takes the only seat open, the one next to me, with a polite smile and a nod my way before she sits.

"My Fenton, please provide Miss Somerset with your notes so she can catch up with the rest of the class," Mr Shirkins instructs, taking it for granted that his instruction would be followed.

"Hi, I'm Cherise," she whispers to me.

"Um... Hi... Simon," I whisper back hesitantly as I lift up my textbook so she can see which page, we're currently on, she nods as she opens her textbook to the same page.

Class finishes, thankfully with no more projectiles having hit the back of my head since Cherise sat down next to me. As we're packing up I ask, "would you like to make photocopies of my notes?"

"Yes, please," she replies gratefully.

"Okay, we can make them in the library, if you would just follow me," I say.

I get her the photocopies and she politely thanks me before she says she still has more stuff she needs to unpack.

She's also in my other favourite class, Calculus. She asked to photocopy my notes here as well and I agreed.