As I entered the kitchen through the backdoor a few minutes later, my siblings' conversation immediately fell silent. Since our parents' deaths, I'd managed to spend more time around them. Uncle Ben felt I had enough control that I didn't have to keep my distance as much, but because of our parents' years of forced separation, I had no relationship with them at all. That sibling bond was missing. I had always seen them as my family, but the same could not be said for them. To them, I was an outsider, and they never even tried to hide it.
Julian, who was fifteen, didn't mistreat me perse. He chose to just ignore my presence entirely. It wasn't that he didn't like me. He just didn't know me, and he didn't seem to have any desire to change that. River was a different story, however. She was sixteen and seemed to see me as the bane of her existence.
Although I was lonely, I refused to beg for a relationship with my own siblings. I had put forth an effort to be there for them, but all attempts had fallen flat. So, I eventually chose to quit trying and let the pieces fall where they may.
That's why when I noticed their silence as soon as I entered the room, I grabbed a drink from the fridge and turned to leave, but I was stopped short by Uncle Ben's low, rough voice.
"You need to hurry up and get ready, Ari."
I spun on my heel to face him, where he stood pulling a frying pan out of the cabinet. He was making yet another attempt at being domestic that would no doubt fail like all the others had before. The poor man had gone from the life of a self-proclaimed bachelor who had owned the local bar in town to raising three teenagers overnight, and he was clearly floundering.
"Get ready for what?" I asked, completely lost.
What he said next shocked me to my core.
"School," he said with a big grin, looking like he expected me to burst with excitement, but I was distracted by the anxious flip my stomach was doing.
He must have seen the fear in my eyes because he dropped the spatula he was holding and turned to face me.
"You'll be fine. You've got this. Lucien and I discussed it, and we think it'll be good for you. We understand why your parents did things the way they did, but things are different now. We think you need this distraction," he said gently, staring into my eyes with confidence.
"You've got to be kidding me!" River screeched from her seat at the table, causing both of us to wince when the high-pitched, disbelieving tone pierced our eardrums. "We're already struggling to fit in at a new high school. We've been here for months, and I've still not managed to make any decent friends. The last thing we need is for everyone to realize we have a freak of nature for a sister."
I tried my best to shake off my aggravation, sucking in a deep breath through my gritted teeth. Uncle Ben's hand landed on my shoulder, in what he meant as a comforting gesture, but it only served to wind me up even more. My muscles tensed uncomfortably, and he shot me an apologetic look, dropping his hand back to his side. He knew of my aversion to touch, but I understood why he slipped sometimes.
It was human nature to want that contact. It was natural to reach out a hand when you see someone you care about upset or hurting, throw an arm around their shoulders, or even wrap them in a hug. It was supposed to be a way to show support, to ease whatever burden they were carrying, but I had never found it comforting like everyone around me seemed to. I'd spent so much of my time secluded that I'd become uncomfortable with simple social gestures that others found natural.
Shaking off my unease, I watched in apprehension as Uncle Ben faced off with the ball of attitude and teenage hormones known as River. His arms crossed over his chest, and he glared angrily at the young girl.
"I'm not going to tell you again not to call your sister that. I don't really care if you like it or not. She's going to be going to school with you. So, I suggest that you use the next hour to adjust to the idea."
Anger flared in River's cobalt eyes, and I took a step towards our uncle. River's main power was weak telekinesis, but it was more than enough to harm our very human uncle if she lost control of her anger.
"Besides, Ari is older. She's learned to hide her differences for the most part. It'll be fine. I'm sure she'll make friends in no time," he continued.
Her anger evaporated momentarily, replaced by amusement as she snorted loudly. I didn't even blame her for that one. I seriously doubted I'd manage to make friends at all. I had no idea how to act around people. The best outcome I could envision was simply to blend in. Maybe, I could watch the other students and imitate their actions enough to not be considered a freak like I was here at home.
"You're joking, right?" River said with the condescending voice she usually used when speaking of me. "Even if she somehow manages to hide most of her freakish nature, her eyes alone will give it away in a second. There's no hiding those. She has no business with the rest of us. I'm sure that's why Mom and Dad always kept her hidden. Even they knew she was a freak."
Flinching away from the impact of her words, my eyes fell to the floor. That last comment cut deep. Turning my back to her, I left the kitchen without a word, tuning out their continued argument.
Jogging up the stairs to my floor, I entered the bathroom to shower off the layers of sweat covering my body from the nightmare and my run. I angrily kicked off my shoes, watching them skid across the black tiled floor. Gripping the edge of the white countertop so hard my fingers went numb, I stared bitterly into the mirror.
My pale lavender eyes stared back at me, mocking my desire to even appear normal. The color looked great with my pale porcelain skin and long black hair, but River was right. No matter how cool they looked, my strange eyes would forever mark me as different... other.
When a soft knock echoed through my floor, I dragged my eyes away from my reflection and made my way back out to the door at the top of the stairs that separated me from the rest of the house. Pulling it open, I came face to face with my favorite person in the world and couldn't stop the resulting smile. All my anger and bitterness fell away immediately.
Lucien, my godfather, was the only person in the world I was truly comfortable with. Even with my parents, I was never fully relaxed when they were around.
He'd been good friends with my parents since before I was born, and he'd been a daily part of my life. After my parents died and we all moved to this tiny town in the middle of the forest in Maine, he'd dropped everything to follow us. He sold his house and bought the one across the street from our new home.
"Whatcha up to, AJ?" He asked affectionately, using the nickname that only he was allowed to use while playfully ruffling my hair.
Slapping at his hand with a glare, I ducked away from him. He knew how much I hated that. Easily dodging my slap, he made his way into my personal living space and plopped down on the couch. He kicked his feet up onto the coffee table and made himself right at home, as per usual.
"I was about to jump in the shower before I was interrupted," I said with a mock attitude.
Ignoring me, he simply pointed to the other end of the couch, indicating that he wanted me to sit. "We need to talk about your training." A groan slipped out of my mouth, but he continued before I even had a chance to argue. "Don't start. I gave you a break to adjust to everything and try to get your emotions under control on your own. It's more important than ever to stay on top of your training with you starting school. Don't think I haven't noticed that you're not sleeping well either. Training might help with that too," he coaxed gently.
Reluctantly, I nodded in agreement, not meeting his eyes. I wasn't happy that he could always see through me so easily. I knew that the training might help. It really was an excellent release for any pent-up emotions. I just didn't want to admit that to him after years of fighting tooth and nail against the training.
Eyeing him speculatively, I wondered if maybe... "You ready to explain the training yet?"
He instantly shook his head. "Sorry. It's not my place."
"You've always said that, but they're not here to give me answers. So, whose place is it exactly?" I asked, desperate for some answers.
His sadness was evident in his chocolate brown eyes when he looked up at me. "Not mine. Besides, they didn't want you to know any of this yet. I won't go against their wishes on this one, AJ. We're already going against what they wanted by allowing you to go to school. Ben and I didn't come to that decision lightly. We just think you need some kind of distraction from what happened. It can't be good for you to be cooped up with your thoughts right now."
"This is bull-...." I muttered, ignoring his disapproving stare. Raising an eyebrow, I basically dared him to call me on my language, but he kept his mouth shut since I was already aggravated. "I'm sick of everyone lying to me or keeping secrets. It's my life. I have a right to know!"
"You're right. You do, but it was never my decision to make," he said calmly with a shrug of his shoulders. He acted as if he had no choice in the matter, but he did. My parents weren't here to stop him anymore, but he was still choosing to stay silent.
"I'm going to shower. You know the way out," I gritted through my clenched teeth.
He huffed in annoyance but otherwise ignored my attitude. "We start training again tomorrow. You want to do it before or after school?"
"Before," I answered simply while slamming my bedroom door for good measure. Even the people closest to me kept so many secrets, and I was tired of it.
The next hour turned into a mad dash as I tried to get ready for my first day of school. This wasn't a routine I was used to.
It didn't help that I had no idea what I wanted to wear for my very first day of freedom. I finally settle on what I would usually wear, frantically throwing on a pair of dark distressed jeans, a faded Metallica shirt, and my high-top red Converse.
Hurrying downstairs, my steps faltered when the smell of smoke reached my sensitive nose. I rushed into the kitchen, throwing open the small window over the sink, chuckling the whole way. Turning to lean my back against the counter, I watched my uncle in amusement. He was frantically waving a towel around in a futile attempt to disperse the smoke that was quickly filling the room.
"What was it this time?" I ask, trying and failing to keep the laughter out of my voice.
Throwing the dishtowel on the countertop, his shoulders slumped in defeat.
"Bacon and eggs. I wanted to have a good breakfast ready for you to celebrate your first day of school," he mumbled sheepishly.
Shooting him a genuine smile, I grabbed a pack of pop tarts from the cabinet behind me.
"Thanks, Uncle Ben, but you know we're old enough to feed ourselves, right? You don't have to keep trying to cook for us. At this rate, if I don't burn the house down, you will."
We both shared a laugh while he nodded in agreement.
"You're right. I think it's best if we stick to simple things or take out," he said, and I bit my lips to hold back my retort about how bacon and eggs are simple.
Hopping up to sit on the counter in a way that always used to drive my mother crazy, I took a big bite of one of the pop tarts. While it wasn't a favorite of mine, it would serve its purpose and keep me sustained until lunchtime.
"Agreed," I mumbled around a mouthful and grinned at the disgusted look he shot me. "How's the bar and grill coming?"
Back home in South Carolina, he'd owned a bar right off the beach, but he sold it to relocate after taking us in. Since this house was already owned by my family and in my name, it didn't cost much to move. Just the cost of some furniture and a few other things we left behind in our rush to get out of town.
My siblings and I agreed that on top of the sale of the bar, he should use some from the sale of our parent's house to get a new bar up and running.
It wasn't like we really needed the money. We'd always had more than we needed. River even had an SUV that our parents gave her on her sixteenth birthday.
The money left after he gets the bar open would be split three ways and put into accounts for us. It was really the least we could do after he gave up everything to move us over a thousand miles away as our parents wished.
"It's coming along. I should be ready to open in about a month. The remodeling is almost finished, and I'll start hiring staff soon."
"You think I could get a job there? I asked hesitantly.
He looked over at me skeptically before shaking his head. "I don't think that's a good idea, Ari."
"Why not? You said that it would be good for me to get out into the world. You said I need a distraction. Now that I'm allowed to, I want to do everything." I gave him the pleading look that usually worked on Lucien when I wanted something.
He hesitated before shaking his head again. "And I'm not changing my mind on that, Ari. Although you don't need a job, you're free to get one if that's what you want to do. If you could work during the day, I'd think about it, but you can't. You'll be at school during the day and would only be able to work at night. I just don't think it would be a good idea for you to be working somewhere people will be drinking alcohol. Not when you look like that," he said with a wave in my direction as though his meaning should be obvious. It wasn't.
I glanced down at myself in confusion, unsure if that was an insult or not.
"I can dress differently for work if that's the problem, or is it my weird eyes? You don't want to draw attention?"
Snorting in amusement, he shot me a disbelieving look which only causes my confusion to grow.
"Geez, being so isolated has made you clueless," he said with a laugh. I shot him an angry glare, but before I could make a scathing retort, he held a hand up to stop me.
"I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to insult you. It's just that you really have no idea what you're in for. You're a beautiful girl, Ariella. I'm pretty sure that's one of the reasons River is so mean to you all the time. She's used to being the prettiest girl in the room wherever she goes. You're going to attract attention wherever you go, strange eyes or not. You need to be ready for that. So, I just don't think it's a good idea for you to be working in the bar. Lucien and I might end up hurting someone if a drunk got out of hand."
Not genuinely believing his excuse, I chose to let it go and brushed his comment aside. If he didn't want me working in the bar, that was fine. I'd look into maybe finding a job somewhere else.
There was an urgency inside of me, pushing me to do everything that I'd been missing. I didn't need the money, but I felt like I needed the exposure. I wanted as much contact with the outside world as I could get. No matter how uncomfortable it made me.
Who knew when Lucien and Uncle Ben might change their minds and lock me up in the house again? I planned to take full advantage of the freedom while I had it.
I just thought the bar would be more accessible since I didn't have a car. I'd never needed one before.
My forehead wrinkled in confusion when I heard the soft click of the front door. Why was it so quiet? Uncle Ben's ears didn't even catch it. My hearing had always been better than everyone around me, along with my eyesight and sense of smell.
Hearing a car start, I jumped off the counter and ran to the front door. I swung it open just in time to see River's smirking face as she threw me a wave before driving away. Sighing, I kicked the ground. I wasn't sure how I was supposed to get to school now. I'd expected to catch a ride with River on my first day. In hindsight, I should have known better.
A grunt behind me caused me to turn. Julian was sulking down the stairs, looking like he wanted nothing more than to go back to bed. I guessed River was willing to ditch him, too, if it meant that she didn't have to drive me. She probably didn't want anyone at school to even know that we were related.
"River left you, too?" I asked quietly, not really expecting an actual response. He leaned around me to glance out the front door, groaning when his eyes landed on the empty spot where her SUV should be.
"Guess so. Looks like we're riding the bus. Come on," he grumbled, grabbing his backpack and his thick, fleece-lined bomber jacket from by the door.
I scrambled to grab my favorite leather jacket and my new backpack, following behind Julian out the front door.
"See you later, Uncle Ben!" I called back through the door before pulling it closed.
"Good Luck!" He called in return. "Try not to blow up the school!"
Chuckling under my breath, I hurried to catch up with Julian. We both walked in awkward silence, neither of us knowing exactly what to say. Glancing up at the sky, I noticed it was an overcast day. Grey clouds covered the sky as far as the eye could see, blocking the sunlight.
As we neared the end of the driveway, we both turned as a loud whistle broke the silence. Lucien stood in his driveway across the street, waving for me to come to him. I glanced hesitantly back at Julian, not really relishing the thought of leaving him when he was actually willing to be around me, but my curiosity soon got the best of me. Jogging across the street to see what he wanted, I hoped it would be quick.
"River ditch you?" He asked in a voice that clearly communicated his aggravation, and I shrugged in response. "You're not riding the bus."
"Well, I'm not riding to school on my first day with the Science teacher either. So, it doesn't look like I have much of a choice."
He took a job at the local high school when he followed us to Maine. He didn't really have to work since he came from old family money, and he hadn't until we moved here. He said that he missed working and that he enjoyed it. I'm not sure if I believed him, but I'd let it go.
Now that they'd agreed to let me go to school, I was almost positive that he only took the job to keep an eye on me. They must have been planning this for months without mentioning it to me.
"Actually, you do," he said happily. I saw something flying towards my face, and instinct moved my hand to grab it out of the air. Glancing down at the keys in my hand, I couldn't contain my grin. "The GT-R is yours."
The smile fell off my face, and I stared at him in shock. He couldn't be serious. I'd been in love with that car ever since he bought it two before. When he'd thrown me the keys, I just assumed he was letting me borrow it.
He'd let me drive some of his cars a few times in the past when he'd talked my parents into letting him take me out at night to teach me how to drive. He used the argument that it was a good skill for me to have in case of an emergency. I'd always enjoyed going joyriding with him the few times I'd been allowed to do so. He always had the best cars.
"But you drive the GT-R every day," I said hesitantly, still unable to believe what was happening. He had a couple cars, but this was the one he drove the most.
He shrugged like it was no big deal, but he had to know that it was. "I just bought an Audi R8. Thought it was time for a change. I've wanted one for a while. Besides, now that you're free to come and go, you'll need a way to do so."
Squealing loudly, I threw myself at him without warning, finally accepting that this was happening. He stumbled back a step, but he caught me midair, laughing at my enthusiasm.
"Now hurry up before you're late on your first day. You need time to stop by the office to get your schedule," he said, still chuckling.
Squealing again, I jumped down off of him to run to the car.
"Be careful! If you need anything during the day, come to my classroom or text me," he called out.
I waved a hand over my shoulder in acknowledgment, but my eyes didn't leave my new car. It was a 2020 bayside blue Nissan GT-R with dark tinted windows. Pulling the door open, I tossed my backpack into the back and dove into the driver's seat. Unable to help myself, I just sat there for a second, running my hands over the wheel as I admired the black leather interior. I'd ridden in it numerous times, but I couldn't believe it was actually mine.
After taking a moment to soak it all in, I carefully pulled out of his driveway and came to a stop when I saw Julian walking down the side of the road.
The bus didn't come down our road. It had no need to since we lived on a short dead-end with only three houses, and Julian and River never rode it. So, if we wanted to catch the bus, we had to walk to the end, where it met a more populated street.
Pulling up beside him, I rolled my window down, and he glanced over, raising an eyebrow.
"You getting in, or what?" I asked. He hesitated for only a second before giving me a small smile and running around to jump in the passenger's seat. He glanced around, appreciating the interior the same way I had while dropping his backpack between his feet.
"Nice ride," he admired quietly.
"Thanks. If you ever need a ride, let me know." He nodded but stayed quiet, and I continued in an attempt to break the awkward silence. "You sure you're okay riding to school with me? You don't mind everyone seeing you with me?"
He smirked in my direction. "I'm not River. Besides, I have a feeling that it'll only help my reputation," he chuckled, which turned into a laugh when he saw my confused expression. Shaking his head, he turned to watch the scenery pass by the window.
We only had about a fifteen-minute ride to get to the local high school, and the rest of it was spent with only the sound of the radio filling the silence.
LakeCrest High School was a rather large two-story brick building situated beside the river that ran through the middle of the town, right past the middle school. It wasn't far from Uncle Ben's new bar and grill. Actually, it wasn't far from anything in town. Everything was basically located on one of two streets.
I pulled into the crowded parking lot and found an empty spot near the back. I sucked in a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves while looking around at all of the teenagers standing around their cars, talking to their friends.
Just because I'd always wanted to do this didn't mean I wasn't terrified. Going from complete isolation straight to high school was more than a little overwhelming. The excitement I'd been expecting to feel was noticeably absent at that moment.
Julian gently nudged my arm, and I glanced over to see him watching me intently.
"You'll be fine," he said as he shot me a small smile before stepping out of the car.
Following suit, I noticed a group of students nearby staring directly at me. I offered them what I hoped was a friendly smile but was probably more of a grimace before turning away.
I headed directly for the school's doors, having no reason to linger in the parking lot seeing as I didn't actually know anyone besides my siblings, and River definitely wouldn't welcome my presence. Speaking of, my eyes caught on her standing by her RAV4 across the parking lot, glaring daggers at me.
"See ya later, Ari," Julian said before jogging off to a group of people I assumed were his friends. I noticed more people glancing in my direction as I made my way across the parking lot, but I tried my best to ignore them and the rising panic their stares caused.
It didn't take me long to locate the office where I found a petite woman with frizzy greying hair and dark-rimmed glasses seated behind a desk. She looked up as soon as she heard the door open and gave me a huge welcoming smile.
"You must be the new student," she said while glancing down at some papers on the desk in front of her. "Ariella, right?" She asked, and I nodded silently. "Welcome to LakeCrest High. Here's your schedule, locker number, combination, and a map of the school. I doubt you'll need the map, but it's here just in case. This is a pretty small school, and it's relatively easy to navigate. Most students will be happy to help if you have any problem."
She handed me a few papers and turned to answer the ringing phone on her desk. Before I could turn to leave, she covered the mouthpiece on the phone and said quietly, "Good luck on your first day. Let me know if you need anything."
Nodding, I quietly thanked the woman before escaping the office, only to find the hallways overflowing with students. With a glance at my phone, I realized there were only about five minutes left before classes started.
Deciding to find my locker later, I rifled through the papers looking for my schedule. My first class was World History. Unlike my other classes, this one didn't have a teacher's name listed, but I noted the room number.
As I jogged up the stairs to the second floor, I couldn't help but smile when I noticed I'd be in Lucien's class for AP Chemistry later in the day. I was already looking forward to that.
I made a conscious effort to keep my eyes on the schedule in my hands as much as possible as I made my way through the hallways, trying to avoid the stares I felt from a few of the students around me. Despite my lack of socialization, I'd never exactly been a shy type of person, but being around so many unknown people at once was unnerving.
As expected, I could already feel a headache coming on. It was a typical reaction when I was around other people. The stomach cramps would follow soon. My parents always told me it was just anxiety. I could only hope it would pass once I became accustomed to the swarm of bodies crowded in the narrow hallway.
Thanks to my stronger senses, the overwhelming scent of the perfume and cologne-covered bodies filling the hallway was already choking me. My nose and throat both started to burn painfully.
With a sigh, I sent up a silent prayer that I would make it through the day without any major incidents. I'd wanted this for so long, and I couldn't afford to screw up this chance. With my luck, I'd never be allowed to leave the house again if things went wrong.