Devil's Coming

The New Student in Town

Morning - First Day of School

Awaking almost suddenly, Michael gave a sleepy gaze at the old fashioned alarm clock that sat on his bedside table. '6 AM'. Just a few more minutes. He thought to himself. As he closes his eyes, and gradually falls back into the sweet, yet never satisfying void of sleep, he wakes just as quickly. The alarm clock begins to ring throughout the room, startling him awake for good and waking his foster parents in the process.

Michael's foster parents were nothing like that 'Harry Potter's aunt and uncle. They never made him sleep under the stairs, always helped him with his homework and made sure he kept his nose clean.

No. This story is not like every other wizard story you've heard already, but you'll soon find that out.

Michael didn't know anything about his real family, their names, where he used to live or why they aren't around now. He spent most of his time acting like he didn't care, repressing the growing reminder of abandonment. His foster family usually took the brunt of this, whether it was arguing, fighting or ignoring them, it was clear he didn't care much for them.

His foster father worked around the country, taking Michael with him. As you'd expect, making friends was difficult for him, so much so that he stopped trying because he didn't stay long enough to remember their names. Except this was different. They were all here to stay.

After a quick shower and putting on his school uniform, he decided it was time to go downstairs. Almost uneasy about the first day back of Year 11, he slowly walked down the newly carpeted stairs, the wood beneath creaked and croaked with every step. One after the other.

Michael looked at his watch, at 7 AM. Not enough time for breakfast. If I'm quick, I can leave without them knowing. Just as Michael thought this, his foster parents came bumbling down the stairs with open arms to wish him well for his first day.

"Ahh, Michael! Excited for your first day back?" Asked Mark, Michael's foster dad.

Mark was mid-thirties with dark black hair and brown eyes and a rather big build. He was a soldier once upon a time, stationed all over the world as a Dog Handler. When he retired, he took his dog with him, Ruby.

"Final Year before College! You better make sure this one counts." Angel, Michael's foster mum, mocked as she poured a portion of dog food into the nearby bowl.

Angel had light blonde hair, that went down to her hips with blue eyes. Angel worked for a big company. Michael didn't know what she did there, but he knew it was something important.

Michael picked up the bowl of dog food and placed it on the ground, watching as a large, furry dog padded its way over. The dog's fur glinted from the light bouncing off the silver hairs that now cover what once was a brown coat. A red collar was wrapped around its neck with a hanging silver tag that read: Ruby. The name of the dog. Ruby would be turning 12 this year. After giving his furry best friend a few strokes as she began to guzzle her food like a hoover, he stood tall and proud.

"College is a little far away right now, don't you think? Anyway, I'm a little behind on time right now. I'll be home after school." Michael told, as he quickly walked to the front door to leave as soon as he could.

"You've got plenty of time! We were so excited to see you off! At least let us say goodbye." Mark asked with hurt in his voice.

Michael ignored him, a response Mark was used to and picked up his school bag and looked at the skateboard that hung on the wall. After contemplating, he picked up the hanging board and left.

Taking out his phone, he went to the music app and chose the playlist labelled: Problem Solver. After putting his headphones in, flooding his ears with heavy music and his skateboard on the floor, he began to make his way to his school. Michael took as many detours along the way, finding different paths and new routes along the way to make his journey more fun, Hopping from pavement to road.

The School

Upon arriving at the gates, Michael looked at what would be the school where he spent his final year. Cracked stone made up the walls of the building, complementing the broken tiles on the roof. The only thing that was modern about the school was the interior. Blue carpet, smooth white walls and classrooms that made the rest of the rooms look outdated.

Walking through the gates, towards the reception, he looked around to see what type of people he'd have to deal with. They all seemed to have their areas, with each group avoiding the other. It was easy to tell who belonged to what group. You know what you're looking for when you've been to so many different schools. All the students are the same. They find the people like them, flock together and avoid anyone different. Michael was the same, except there was no one like him. At least that's what he liked to think about himself.

Walking to the reception, a boy, the same age as Michael, began to approach him. The boy had short brown hair, green eye, glasses and a slim build. Michael noticed him and began to walk faster towards the entrance, but it seemed, that the quicker he walked, the faster the boy walked too. Just as soon as Michael reached the door, the boy grabbed him by the shoulder and tried to turn him around. Michael spun around and just stared at the boy, expecting him to say something. But nothing. It was like the boy was frozen in place with fear, rooted to the ground with a fixed gaze. He wasn't expecting such a startling response.

"What do you want?" Michael questioned, but he got no response, "Hellooo?" After getting another blank response, Michael turned around and walked to the reception office. The room was small and only consisted of a desk and a window. The desk held photos of a young girl, a computer monitor and scattered paperwork. Sat at the counter was an orange-haired woman wearing a smart suit and glasses that the monitor reflected off; Michael began to speak to her.

"Uhh, hi... I'm Michael? I'm a new student here. I start today?" He asked.

"Ahh yes, I have your timetable here. The Head of the year is looking forward to speaking to you. I'll let him know you're here." The receptionist tells Michael this, as she reaches forward for a phone.

"Hi, Mr Black? I have a new student here for you. Would you like me to send him over? Okay." She puts the phone back onto the receiver, "He will be here for you in a second."

"Thank you."

As Michael waits for the Head of the year, he sees a reflection in the window - the boy is standing outside, but he has someone else with him. A girl. They were following him. But why? He rattled his brain, trying to think of some reason for their weird behaviour but nothing came.

A knock at the door realigned Michael's focus.

"That's the Head of the year." The receptionist told. The Head of the Year was a tall, but wide, sporting a black suit. He had long black hair that was put into some sort of bun.

"Michael, I suppose?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm Michael."

"Mr Black." He said this, presenting his hand for Michael to shake; instead, Michael ignored the hand. "I'm going to be your Head during your time here. I know you're going to enjoy it. Mind walking with me to my office?" As Mr Black says this, he turns around and sees the boy and girl waiting behind, "I see you've made friends already! Good!"

Michael begins to walk off in front of Mr Black, following the signs to his office. "I don't even know them," Michael yelled backwards.

"Don't worry. I'm sure he will come around. Give him a bit of time to settle" Mr Black told the students as he followed behind, "Now you two better get off to class now."

The students agreed with Mr Black and began to walk to their next class, leaving Mr Black to catch up to Michael.

"Are you doing anything later?" The boy asked, scratching his head uncomfortably.

"No, wanna hang at yours?" The girl replied.

"Yeah, why not."

They both walked to class gossiping as if they hadn't talked for ages!