The Red Man: An Evylia Wilde Novel

Chapter 1 ~ Trouble

The world has it out for me. I swear to you, no matter how much I try to stay out of trouble, trouble always finds me in the end and sinks its poisonous fangs into my life.

I thought that day would be different. Just another listless day at school. I wish.

An alarm blared in my ear: 'What's that comin' over the hill, is it a monster, is it a monster!'

I shot up, sucking in the first ragged breath of the day.

Blinking through dappled sunlight, I snatched up my phone and clicked answer.

'Hey 'Manda, what's wrong?'

My best friend practically screamed down the line-
'Dude, where are you? You're late and Ms Oade is frickin' pissed.'

What?

I brought my phone to eye level and read the time- 8:15.

Crap!

My heart was pounding.

'Okay, do what you can to distract her. I'm coming!'

A heavy sigh from Amanda.

'Well you better be quick dude, she might not notice for a while but trust me, she'll notice.'

I was left staring at my mobile as Amanda hung up.

'Right, I need clothes.'

I swept the bedsheets aside and launched out, toward my wardrobe.

Late on the first day back. Perfect.

I rifled through the hangers that lined the wardrobe's rail.

'Let's see: faded jeans, black tank.' I glanced down to find myself still wearing my mother's sky-blue jacket from last night. 'That'll do.'

I paused for a moment, lifting one sleeve up to my nose, and inhaled. My mother's scent was long gone. I forgot when it last smelled of her. Too long, it seemed.

Bathroom:

I scraped a brush through my dark hair, tying it back in a messy ponytail. A quick splash of cold water on my face and I was already darting down the stairs.

I stumbled down the last few steps in shoes one size too big.

You'll grow into them, my butt!

I raced into the kitchen, expecting to find Samuel preparing a late breakfast.

The room was empty.

What?

On the table was a small slip of paper. On it, in blue ink were the words:

I'm sorry you woke up without me to greet you, sweetheart.
Work called me in early. I've left you some scrambled eggs in the microwave.

TRY to have a good first day back. Love you,

x Samuel. x

Yes, the word try was in all caps. Typical. Even my guardian thought I went looking for trouble.

I scanned the room for my backpack, ignoring the promise of congealed eggs festering nearby. I spied the red and black check of my bag on the counter and snatched it up before sprinting out the front door.

It was agony racing for the bus stop each morning. The closest one was down the end of our street. Have I failed to mention our street is the longest in the frickin' galaxy? Well, now you know.

But today, I was late. But not so late. Sixth form students were required to arrive an hour earlier than the other students, just like the high-school newbies. It was just a way for us to get our bearings in a slightly different environment.


Two buses ran the first day, one for the sixth form students and newbies to get there an hour early and one for students getting there at the usual time.