Evelyn
Noelle didn't sleep in our room that night. When I had gone to bed, I had half expected to be woken up by her returning, but instead I awoke to the sound of my phone's alarm and the morning sun streaming through the window.
Breathing in the scent of an unfamiliar washing powder that clung to the bedsheets, I noted the room seemed bigger in the daylight, though that might have also been owed to Noelle's absence. I dimly wondered where she might have spent the night, but decided I didn't want to know.
At least her disappearing act had allowed me to take my time unpacking most of my luggage last night without feeling like I was bothering her. With a stack of my favorite books on the bedside table and a picture of my parents next to it, the space already felt more like home.
Looking at it, I remembered with a start that I hadn't texted my parents last night. I quickly scrambled for my phone, opening it to three worried messages from my mom.
How was the train ride? :)
Did you get there okay? I saw online that it was raining! Did you pack your raincoat?
I'm going to bed now. Please text me back when you read this! Have a good first day and call if anything happens, all right? Love, Mom xx
Guilt reared its head inside my chest as I quickly typed: Sorry for not responding last night. The train ride was good, I met a boy who's also going to Seven Hills so I didn't have to walk there alone. Everyone's really nice so far. A lie, but one that I knew would calm her. Maybe I'll call you after class. Love you loads!!
Finally, I dragged myself out of bed, showered, did my hair and makeup, and then tackled my uniform. It lay neatly folded in my unzipped suitcase, a pristine white button-down shirt that peeked out from under a dark navy sweater and a blue tie with stripes in a lighter shade. Additionally, there was a black skirt and white socks that almost went up to my knees.
The tie turned out to be a particular problem since I'd never worn one before; the fact that my hands were shaking a little with nerves for what lay ahead of me didn't help. Once I had accomplished something that at least approximated a knot, I gave up trying to make it any better.
My first day.
The mantra I had been telling myself in bed every night over the past few weeks echoed through my head again: A new school, a new chance. Studying myself in the mirror, I tried to imagine how the other students might view me. With my blond hair in a neat braid, a splatter of freckles from the summer that my makeup couldn't quite conceal, and my eyes slightly widened in apprehension, I looked . . . innocent? Inconspicuous? Hopefully enough of the latter to not get ripped to shreds on my first day here, I thought, flashing back to my former school, and gave my reflection a shaky smile.
Slinging my bag over my shoulder, I stepped out into the corridor. The building had an entirely different atmosphere by day: sunlight poured through the high windows and the hallways were bustling with students, laughter and the scent of perfume and hair products filling the air while a steady stream of girls was rushing down the stairs to breakfast.
I was about to fall in step with my new classmates when I felt a hand on my arm.
"Evelyn!" Amelia said. "I was just about to come to your room to see if you needed any help."
I stepped aside to let a pair of girls pass. "I'm fine, but thank you. That's really sweet."
"What in heaven's name did you do with that tie?"
"I've never tied one." I shrugged sheepishly.
Amelia shook her head with a quiet tsk sound and stepped closer. Within seconds, she had undone the knot and rearranged it neatly, so my tie matched her own. "There," she said, taking a step back. "Try and do it like this tomorrow."
I was almost 100 percent certain I would not be able to accomplish anything remotely similar, but said, "Thanks."
"Come along then. We don't want to be late."
I tried to hide my surprise when she looped her arm through mine, and I let her drag me along. Like last night, she was walking like she was late to an appointment, even though I had a feeling that she had not once been tardy to anything in her life. She ground to a halt only when we reached the top of the stairs; I was about to ask why, when my eyes found the reason for the disruption.
Noelle Daniels.
She was jogging up the stairs, pushing through a group of younger girls who readily made way for her. Instead of the school uniform everyone else was wearing, she was in a pair of black tracksuit bottoms and a matching top, both of which bore Seven Hills' emblem. Some stray curls had escaped her ponytail and were sticking to the thin sheen of sweat on her skin, and her earphones were blasting music loudly enough for me to faintly hear it as she neared us. I expected her to simply ignore me again; instead, Noelle gave us a sneer as she pushed past us towards our room.
Shaking her head, Amelia tightened her grip on my arm and tugged me along. "Pay no attention to her. The more you do, the worse she'll get, trust me. She probably made your first night here a living hell, didn't she?"
"Oh, it was all right," I murmured.
"Anyway, since she probably won't even talk to you, I suppose I should tell you that Noelle is on Seven Hills' basketball team. In fact, she is the first female captain the team has ever had."
Impressed by how quickly she had gotten the conversation back to after-school activities and companionship, I asked, "Basketball team?"
"Yes. Since this is an international boarding school and we have students from all over the world, we offer a wide variety of sports. I, myself, am the captain of the cheerleading squad. If you are interested in joining, you can visit our practice some time."
"Maybe, if I have the time," I lied.
A moment later, we arrived at the entrance hall where Amelia had picked Seth and me up yesterday. There, she led me towards a door between the two flights of stairs that I hadn't noticed last night because it had been shut. As we neared it, I could hear the clattering of tableware and loud voices.
"The Great Hall," Amelia commented. "We have all our meals here."
Behind the door lay a huge hall with long rows of tables and benches. Banners in black, white, and navy—the colors of Seven Hills—adorned the stone walls and were wrapped around the tall pillars that held up the arched ceiling. Nearing the buffet in the back of the room where the students queued to get breakfast, I was engulfed in the smell of pancakes and toast, sausages and scrambled eggs.
When it was our turn, Amelia said, "I recommend the whole grain bread and some fruit."
Pretending not to hear her over the racket, I loaded my plate with a chocolate croissant and a fruit yogurt. Amelia eyed my choice with disdain but took off towards the tables without commenting.
As we crossed the hall, I was glad to have Amelia with me. Most of the tables were already occupied by different groups that seemed like they were formed based on age, with the year-nine students at one end and students who seemed to be our age at the other. However, there were also other distinctions, as one table seemed to be made up of athletes in tracksuits like Noelle's worn over their uniforms while another group looked like it consisted of theater kids. I didn't know where I fit into the ecosystem yet, so I happily followed Amelia as she hunted down an empty table close to the entrance.
I was even happier when Seth made his way towards us. The tray he was carrying had two plates overflowing with food and clattered loudly against the table when he slammed it down.
"Are you all right?" I asked, scooting a little to the side to make room for him as he slumped down next to me.
Seth's answer was a groan and a shake of his head. Up close, I could see the dark circles under his eyes, his skin even paler than it had looked yesterday.
"Didn't sleep well?"
He stared darkly into his coffee. "It's bloody Gabe."
"Who's Gabe?"
"My roommate." Looking up at Amelia with a pleading expression, he asked, "There's no way I can change rooms, is there?"
Amelia gave a brusque shake of her head. "We cannot please everyone. Consider it a lesson to improve your social skills."
Seth looked like he was about to chuck his cup of coffee at her face, but instead he only took an angry sip. "God, you should see our room. If you can call it that. Rubbish tip is more accurate. How can one person alone make such a mess over the course of the two days he's been here? And the smell."
"Are you sure you're not exaggerating?" I laughed.
"Yes. I'm not the most organized person, either, but Gabe . . . I went in and I swear I couldn't even see my bed under all the trash he'd thrown on it. I literally had to shovel empty cans and crisp bags off my sheets."
"You are being overdramatic," Amelia stated. "There are worse people to room with. Just ask Evelyn."
Seth looked over at me in surprise. "Why, what happened?"
"Nothing happened," I quickly said. "Noelle is just a little . . ."
"Deranged?" Amelia threw in.
I frowned. "Harsh."
"What'd she do?" Seth asked. Bracing his elbows on the table, he suddenly seemed much more awake.
"Nothing, it's fine," I said before Amelia could answer. "She's just not very happy to have me as her roommate, is all. I'm sure we'll get used to each other eventually."
Amelia didn't look convinced. Her expression darkened even more when she spotted something behind me. "Speak of the devil and she shall appear."
Noelle was just settling down at a table at the opposite end of the hall. While she was wearing parts of the uniform, she was breaking the dress code completely; instead of the socks, she was wearing fishnet tights, along with black boots that looked ten times more comfortable than the ballerina flats the rest of us were wearing. She had also disregarded the tie and the blue jumper and was just wearing the white button-down and the skirt instead.
Next to her was a boy who immediately caught my eye because of his unusual hair color, a bright silver. When Noelle sat down next to him, he grinned at her and pressed a kiss to her cheek.
"Who's that guy?" Seth inquired. Like me, he was also looking over his shoulder to get a better view.
"That is Jasper Des Lauriers."
"Is he Noelle's boyfriend?" I asked.
"Jasper?" Amelia asked. "No, they are friends. Best friends, apparently. Noelle is with a guy from year twelve. Jasper's also in year thirteen with us."
Seth considered the pair for a few more seconds before he turned back with a shrug and dug into his scrambled eggs. "She doesn't seem that bad."
"That's because she probably isn't," I said.
Amelia raised an eyebrow. A moment later, she checked her watch and got to her feet. "Class is about to begin. I have to make some copies for the student council first, do you think you will find your way there yourselves?"
"I'm sure we'll manage," Seth said.
"All right. Don't forget the assembly later today! Mrs. Whitworth is going to welcome all the new students and give you a tour."
Seth waited until she was out of earshot before he said, "Bit strange, that one. And proper posh."
I nodded, watching as she disappeared through the door. "She definitely likes her rules."
"God, she got off on them when she read them to us last night," Seth snorted. "It's all a bit much though, isn't it? Especially the whole no girls in the boys' wing and vice versa thing to prevent intimate relations." He shook his head with a crooked grin. "Fools. I'm bisexual, these rules can't stop me."
I was silent for a moment, taken off guard by how casually the words rolled off his tongue. Before I could stop myself, I said, "I'm—I like girls."
"Sick. We're really conquering the system, huh?"
"Looks like it," I laughed, almost incredulous at how easy that had been before I suddenly realized that the hall was almost empty. "And we're also late."
Seth immediately got to his feet. "Shit. What class do we even have?"
"English Lit, I believe."
Seth groaned. "The name makes it sound like so much fun but once you need to interpret poems, nothing's lit anymore."
"You don't like English?" I asked in surprise while we crossed the entrance hall. Using the map of the castle that had waited on my bed along with a bunch of other pamphlets last night, I managed to lead us to the hallway with the classrooms that were located in the west wing.
"I like reading, but I don't like writing. Technology, maths, physics, that's the kind of stuff I understand."
"At least I know who can help me with my homework now."
"Only if you write my essays."
"Deal."
Seth wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "You know, Eve, I can already tell that this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."
I couldn't help the smile that spread on my face at his words. With Seth, it all seemed so easy; we had met reading the same book and naturally started talking, came out to each other in a joking conversation, and now he considered me his friend. He embodied everything I had wished for when I had agreed to my parents' idea of going to a boarding school.
However, before I could express any of this, a thin voice sounded from my left. "Excuse me? Excuse me, children?"
Seth let go of me as we turned around to look at the short woman trying to get past us. She appeared to be about sixty years old, with gray curly hair that spilled out from underneath a big purple hat. "You two must be new here!" she chirped. "Are you in my English class?"
"I think we are?" I answered.
"Fantastic!" the woman said, clapping her hands in excitement before she walked off in the direction of her classroom. "Follow me, follow me! Oh, it's so good to see new faces! We will have so much fun together! The lectures this year . . . Children, you are going to have a lark with them, I will make sure of that. Have either of you read Wuthering Heights?"
"I have," I said.
"Magnificent! I will make sure to have you read some of your analyses to the class this year. There's nothing I love more than teaching children who are truly interested in literature. Oh dearie me, I forgot to introduce myself again, didn't I? My name is Miss Pepperman, teacher for English Literature and Seven Hills' librarian. I'm also the boarding parent for the girls, so if you ever encounter any lady problems, be sure to come by my room! I live in the tower of the girls' wing and I always have an open ear, not to mention a fantastic tea collection!"
"Nice to meet you," Seth said, looking vaguely amused. "Though I'll apologize in advance. I'm really not good at writing—"
Miss Pepperman shook her head, her curls bobbing around her round little face. "Oh, love, everyone can write! I will make sure that you pass this class with flying colors. Now, come on in!"
She ushered us into a classroom that was smaller than I had expected, or maybe it just seemed that way because of all the bookshelves lining the brick walls.
At the front of the room was the teacher's desk, which was mainly covered in papers and little porcelain figures. The blackboard behind it, which was where Miss Pepperman headed, was filled with notes in neat calligraphy. With the golden morning light streaming through the high windows, catching in the specks of dust that were lazily floating about, the room seemed much more inviting than any of the claustrophobic, dimly lit classrooms I was used to at my former public school.
Most seats were already occupied when we entered, but we were lucky to spot a free table in the back. Seth and I had to exchange only one glance before we darted towards it and sat down next to one another.
Looking around the room, I was surrounded by faces I didn't know, briefly wondering where Noelle was. Since there weren't more than thirty students in each of the four years, therefore only roughly a hundred and twenty in total, the students in each year had every lesson together. In the end, she and her best friend arrived only a few seconds before the start of the lesson, not appearing to be in any hurry as they crossed the room and took up the last free table.
"Jasper!" Miss Pepperman exclaimed as soon as she noticed them, hurrying over to him. "How lovely to see you again. I missed your essays so much over the summer, you wouldn't believe it! Have you been busy? How is your play going?"
"You know me, Miss Pepperman, I'm always busy! And the play is going fantastic. Rehearsals start again on Wednesday. I would love to hear your opinion on the script, especially on the third act. I took out some things to make the plot more comprehensible for the year-nine pupils, so . . ."
"I will be happy to read the script, though I doubt I will find anything to criticize," Miss Pepperman laughed.
After a bit more talk about whatever play Jasper was working on, she walked back to the front of the class and clapped her hands. "Good morning, children! This year I am happy to welcome five new students to this class. Two of you I already greeted, to the rest of you: Hello, my name is Miss Pepperman. I will be your teacher for English Literature this year."
Some mumbled responses sounded through the room. Miss Pepperman smiled brightly at us, eyes twinkling behind her thick glasses. "I know that some of you may have reservations regarding literature, but I promise that even you will be able to find some joy in my lessons. After all, we will start this year with a lecture on Wuthering Heights by the exceptional Emily Brontë."
The rest of the period passed quickly as the class read the first chapter out of the worn paperback books she handed out. Whenever Miss Pepperman asked a question, Jasper was the first one to put up his hand. I was nervous to participate at first, but after Seth nudged me with his knee to say something, I followed Jasper's lead.
It was strange to see how invested he was, while Noelle sat next to him with her arms crossed stubbornly in front of her chest, not saying anything. When it was her turn to read, she simply passed the book on to Jasper, who read her part without hesitation. Miss Pepperman's only reaction was a resigned sigh, like this wasn't the first time this happened.
After seeing Noelle's behavior in English Lit, I was all the more surprised when her hand was constantly up in math class only two hours later.
In every class, I realized one thing: I needed to catch up. Amelia hadn't lied when she said the school expected peak performance and some things mentioned today I had never even heard of, like the natural logarithm or Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics. While I assumed I could read up on the latter, the former seemed impossible to teach myself, especially considering my rather slender grasp on all things mathematical.
I would have asked Amelia, but she had a student council meeting that afternoon, and Seth had seemed just as lost as I was. So, when I came back to my room after the assembly and the tour across the castle grounds, I was determined instead to ask Noelle for help. She was good at school, and excellent at math, so I was confident she could help me. All I needed to do was get her to talk to me. And that couldn't be so hard now, could it?
At least that was what I thought until I unlocked the door to our room and Noelle was nowhere to be seen. Unsure of what to do next, I took a tentative step towards her desk, which, just as I had expected, was covered in notes.
I knew that it was probably a bad idea—the worst idea ever—to touch her stuff, especially in her absence, but they were just school notes; surely she wouldn't mind. After glancing at the closed door once more, I reached out and blindly took one of the pages.
I was still trying to decipher her handwriting and figure out which notes belonged to which class when the door suddenly flew open and I whirled around, my back pressed against the edge of the table.
I knew the second her eyes fell on me that I had made a mistake, my heart fluttering like a panicked bird in my chest as Noelle stomped towards me and snatched the piece of paper out of my grip.
"Have you read any of this?" she asked in a dangerously low voice.
"No," I breathed. "Noelle, I'm sorry if I overstepped, I didn't think—"
Noelle looked at me for what felt like hours with an expression I couldn't read, her hand rumpling the paper in her hand with how hard she was clutching it. Finally, she said, "Don't ever touch my things again."
"I won't," I said. "I'm so—"
Noelle cut me off with a low don't. I didn't dare move as she slid the paper under one of the magazines on her desk and grabbed a duffel bag from her bed.
A moment later, the door slammed shut behind her and I slumped back against the desk, releasing a shaky breath. If I had had any chance of getting Noelle to like me, or even stand to have me around, I'd just ruined it.