SOREN || WELLS
I don't know when and I don't know how but I could always tell if someone was good or bad.
I could always sense if someone was a good or bad person just by their aura. When I was young I didn't trust it completely and I got hurt, mistreated, and wronged by so many people. It wasn't just the bad people it was the good ones as well.
After a while, I learned that no one, not one person is 100% good or 100% bad. On average people radiate an aura that is 50%-70% of goodness.
There's a balance because no one could be that good or that bad, right?
Wrong.
I was so wrong. When Amaris Wells first walked into Bridge Wood she seemed so familiar but she was a stranger.
A stranger that radiated darkness. Her aura was empty, it was nothing I felt before. Her aura radiated nothingness, there was no ounce of good in her.
When she walked passed me my entire mood changed. I felt an emotion that I can't even describe and it filled my body.
She wore the softest smile every day. She didn't speak out of turn, only in response. The bright, soft colors she wore to school contradicted everything about her.
I didn't immediately hate her. Even then I didn't trust that overwhelming feeling but I didn't trust her either.
The hatred for her was never there until sophomore year - the year when my trust for her started and ended. I hated everything about her from light brown eyes to her dark - almost- crimson hair.
I hated how good she appeared when I knew her true self. I hated how cruel and mocking her smile was. She infuriated me.
How could she?
How could she parade around in school pretending to be good? Playing the role of a goody two-shoe that does no wrong.
I felt like I had to be the one to judge her. To unmask the wolf that hiding in sheep's clothing. To make her life a living fucking hell.
She was a simple, uninteresting girl.
After years of observation, I learned she was just a normal girl who liked taking pictures of the most random things. She worked at Buffy's dinner after school and always carried around this book, I would sometimes catch her writing in it.
There is nothing to her. She was just there in the world. She went unnoticed by a lot.
But imagine my shock when this simple, uninteresting, normal girl created fire from her hands.
I was terrified, I'll admit that. I thought I was going crazy because there was no one I saw fire erupt from her hands and burn me.
Never would I have thought she was something much greater, extraordinary even. She was out of this world.
"SOREN" I was interrupted by the banging on my bedroom door. My sister Sadie was the one who was yelling.
I got out of bed and walked toward the door, yanking it open.
"What"
"Are you okay? Your hand looks better but I mean it still looks fucking disgusting." She said completely ignoring me and walked right up to me "Maybe you should skip your chemistry class, you wouldn't want a repeat of yesterday?"
I thought she was seriously concerned but then a smile began to show on her face, she was making fun of me. I pushed her shoulder and walked towards my closet and she followed.
I didn't tell her the truth about what happened between Amaris and me.
I came up with a story about chemistry class and getting too close to the burners. She believed me, well I think she believed me. I try not to lie to her often.
"Yes, I'm fine." I sighed "Now what do you want."
She looked at me skeptically, like she didn't believe me. I could see it in her eye, the same question she had been asking ever since that night.
"Are you sure because -" Before she could finish I interrupted her
"I promise I'm fine," I tell. It wasn't technically a lie because I am fine, just not her definition of it.
I could tell she still didn't believe me but she didn't push any further.
"Ok well good because I was wondering if you could still take me to school early to set everything up. You know for the student council meeting." She said
Sadie was crazy smart, she even skipped a grade and became student council president as a freshman.
"Yeah, I promise, didn't I? I never break promises, especially with you" I said
Sadie and I have been attached to the hip ever since she was born. I would do anything for her, she's my best friend even if she is younger than me.
"Go wait in the car," I said as I grabbed my keys off my dresser and threw them to her. "I'll be down there in a sec"
I grabbed some clothes and took a quick shower. I made it downstairs just in time to walk out the door or so I thought.
"Soren. Honey, could you come here real quick?" My mother said
I turn around to see her sitting at the dinner table. I walked fast just so I could get the conversation over with.
"Oh, honey is hand alright?" She said " I still don't understand what happened"
"I told you," I said quickly "It was just another accident. I'm okay."
"Well, that's great." She sighed happily. "So I'm gonna need you to watch your sister tonight, while your dad and I have a date night, ok sweetie"
She didn't even wait for me to say yes before she got up and left. My mother, Melissa, antics were not something I was shocked by, she had been like this since I was a kid.
She never truly cared about my well-being, it just needed to seem like she did. She only cared about herself.
"Sure Mom. I would love to" I whispered
I didn't dwell on the conversation and hurried to my car. I had other things on my mind.
The drive to the school wasn't that long and I pulled up to the school. I parked in the parking lot and saw that it was almost empty, the only things occupying the spaces were teacher's cars.
This was perfect I needed to ease my mind and there's one place at the school where I can do just that.
"Mom and Dad are having a date night, so you are stuck with me," I said turning to face Sadie
"Really," she said excitedly "Can Lauren come over? I promise we'll stay away from the stove."
Lauren was Sadie's other best friend. When Sadie is going through something and I can't help her, I know Lauren can. She's like family.
"Sure, why not? Just please don't touch the oven, I don't want the fire department to come back." I begged
"I promise. You won't even know we're there" she said as she reached over the console and hugged me. "I'll see you later"
I watched her leave the car and walk into the school.
As I leave the car my mind starts racing. My emotions are on an all-time high with the whole Amaris thing. Thoughts after thoughts just kept coming as I walked toward the school doors.
It was killing me not knowing what or who she is and I'm determined to find out.
I wasn't gonna let go of what she did, how she burned me. I didn't stop when she knew my secret, no I only got worse.
I walked further into the school making it to the art room. The teacher was in there and she gave me the keys to the locked room.
I need to finish the painting I started and this was the perfect time. No one outside of the teacher knew that I painted and it wasn't because I was ashamed or embarrassed.
There was just a bunch of personal paintings that no one could ever see. I worked on the painting until I felt like my mind was back on track.
And it's not like I kept it a secret, I just didn't tell anyone.
After I was finished, the only thing on my mind was a plan to figure out who Amaris was. As I walked out of the Art room I didn't even realize that someone was calling my name.
"Soren"
I turned my head and saw one of my closest friends, Reid, calling my name. I walk over to him and leaning against the nearby lockers.
"Hey man" I replied
"Why didn't you come by last night? You know I brought all your favorite snacks and the other things," he said the second part lowly while running his hand through his light brown hair.
"Well I kind of couldn't come because of this," I said I took my hand out of my hoodie and showed him my scarred, charred burned hands. His face twisted with disgust.
"What the fuck happened?" He asked
"That red-haired bitch happened" I sneered
"And you came back to school?" He said while trying not to laugh but he couldn't hold it in.
I pushed his shoulder "It's not even that funny."
"Ok. ok I'm sorry, I'm sorry but seriously how did she do it," he said while trying to catch his breath
I couldn't explain just yet. He would laugh some more and call me crazy. The story was too far-fetched. If I didn't see it with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe myself either. "It doesn't matter" I started "just know I have something planned."
"Maybe it's time for you to stop messing with her" I hear Reid say. "If she can do this to you, you don't know-" I stopped listening to him as soon as she walked through the door.
She was alone this time. She always came to school with Imani, her best friend. Her only friend technically.
She's over there all by herself. Maybe I could talk to her now. No, even better I'll talk to her when we're alone.
I didn't notice how long I was staring at her until her eyes met mine. Those light brown eyes quickly looked away.
"Are you even listening to me?" he asked stepping in front of me blocking Amaris from my line of sight.
"Yeah, yeah," I said hurriedly. "I heard you, just go to class. I have to get my stuff from my locker, ok." I walked towards my locker and he went toward our class.
I'll talk to her and I'll get my answers.
I waited until we were the only two left in the hallways to approach her. Amaris was still at her locker.
I noticed her braids were in a low ponytail and a few pieces were left out. She wore a burnt orange cropped sweatshirt with grey sweatpants paired with her white all-star Converse.
Amaris closed her locker after grabbing her most precious items. She still carried around that same camera and tattered book, that I always see her reading.
I walked up to her slowly and watched her every move. I noticed how she slowly started to close her locker. I started to walk in the other direction. I was following her until she turned a corner and started sprinting.
Fuck, she was fast. I picked up the pace until she turned down a hallway that empty and being under construction. I caught up and grabbed her arm, dragging her into one of the empty classrooms that no one uses, and locked the door.
"Are you fucking crazy?" she said as she snatched her arm away from me. "Let me out, right now.
"No, that's not how we're going to do things" I stalk over to her, grabbing the camera around her neck and pulling her towards me. "I'll talk and you're going to answer every single question I ask." I spat out lowly.
She began to push at me and hit me with her book. I grabbed it from her and threw it on a nearby desk. Tears spilled from her eyes faster as I threw it and my grip on the camera grew tighter.
I took the camera from around her neck and sat it down on a random desk next to me.
I stooped down to her level and grabbed her chin, so I could look her in the eye. "Now, do you wanna explain how you burned me yesterday?"
I could feel her grow tense, as her eyes grew bigger. "What? I have no idea what you're talking about."
I scoffed loudly as I stood up, my hand still on her chin. I grabbed her by the throat instantly and her always filled with horror. "You know I'm being nice to you, I just wanted you to answer. Sometimes I think you like me being mean to you."
I stepped close to her face, looking her in her eyes. "You like me choking you, don't you?" I said looking into her eyes and she averted her gaze.
I let her go and she dropped down to her knees, gasping for air. I walked and grabbed a book and camera. I sat on a desk and watched her recuperate.
"Come on Amaris. Just tell me" I said with her book in my hands and camera right next to me.
She started to speak: "Y-your h-hands are so cold" she stammered as she stood up and walked closer to me.
I ignored her and stood up back away with her precious book and she walked faster. I held it in the air.
"Since you can't answer a simple question." I started ripping pages from the book. "Maybe this can help you"
She did something I didn't expect, she stopped moving and stared at me. Her eyes began to grow more redder and coldness infiltrated my body.
"Don't be mad" I cooed "That book was old and tattered anyway. You'll find a -" I began before she cut me off
"Let me out of here," she said lowly, "or I'll burn you again" Her eyes were fully red and fire protruding from her fingertips.
I walked closer to her, testing her "No, you won't"
"You wanna bet?" she tilted her head and her smile grew.
Before I could respond, Amaris held up her hands to me and a surge of fire came towards me.
It almost hit me before I dodge it and it hit the wall behind me instead. "Shit," I said as my body grew colder.
I didn't even register that I had stood up and moved towards her. It was like my body knew what to do before I did.
Her eyes were still red but she looked shocked.
"Y-your eyes," She said walking backward. "They're black"
I didn't even realize she was talking, my body was so overwhelmed. It was like signals were being sent to me, saying to hurt her. I backed her into a wall and grabbed her throat.
"All you had to do was answer a simple question" I gripped her throat tighter.
She pushed at my shoulders and I grabbed her other hand and held it between us. I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't notice when her eyes went wide until I saw ice start to form around her neck.
I let go of her throat and hands instantly, I was shocked.
"D-did I do that?" I asked but it more a question for myself.
I stepped back and examined my fingers and saw that the tips of my fingers carried ice crystals. It formed all around my fingers and even around the burned scars on my hands.
I looked up and Amaris was staring at me, gasping for air. Her hands were bound together by ice.
She had backed away from me, going to get her camera, "Get the hell away from me" Amaris screamed as banged her hands against one of the desks.
Once her hands were freed, she grabbed her camera and sprinted towards the door, having trouble unlocking it.
I was still frozen in place, watching her try to open the door before she did.
Halfway out the door, she turned to look at me and said "It seems we both have secrets" before running down the hallway, the door slamming behind her.
My mind was in overdrive, and I didn't even know where to start first. What she said was right, we both had secrets.
The problem at hand was, that she now knew two of mine and I have no idea what the second one means.
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I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter and will
continue to give my book a chance. I'm working on the next chapter and it'll be out pretty soon. Bye❣️