An early morning sunrise was never something Lina was particularly fond of. Shielding her visage with the sheets of her bed, darkness once again reigned in the absence of light. Lina always liked to think of it that way. The darkness was only an absence of light, just like the cold was only an absence of heat. Yet, she never saw hate as an absence of love. Lina liked to think hate and love were two sides of the same coin.
"Rosalina Kincardine!" called the strict and annoyed voice of her mother, Louisianna Kincardine. Lina's family always had normal names that were spelled in strange ways, apart from hers. Yet again, the name she was more known as was more commonly spelled with an E in place of the I. Louisianna was a woman of shortness. Much like Lina herself. Louisianna being one hundred and sixty four centimetres, Lina was only four centimetres shorter of her mother. The resemblance Lina bore to her mother was something people often liked to point out, much like her best friend from where she used to live, Sarah Li - more commonly known as Li - had done once. Lina had replied with; "Yeah, it's this thing called genetics." Louisianna was a proud Scottish woman with a distinct Irish accent from having grew up in her Ireland until she was ten when her father died, which they then moved to Scotland. However, Louisianna never seemed to drop the accent.
They both had the same curling, black hair, Lina's being only slightly longer. The same rounded lips that were a shade between pink and red. The only difference being, Lina bore her deceased father, Persesus - Percy - Kincardine's deep ocean blue eyes, her mother bearing Lina's grandmother's forest green.
Maneuvering her way from the bottom of the stairs and through the living room into the dining room, Lina sat down at the breakfast her mother had prepared for her as she always did on a Friday morning. Sausages and bacon. Lina began picking at the food before beginning to eat it. Conversation was lost to the thin air when in the same room as her mother in the mornings. Lina communicated with her mother on occasions that occured, such as history or religious studies homework, her mother being an archaeologist herself.
However, Lina seemed to want to break tradition today. Mainly because of the absence of someone important.
"Where's Susana?"
Her mother perked up, staring at Lina across from the counter with a bewildered look before providing Lina with an answer.
"College."
Lina creased her brows. Her sister never went to college so early. Susana was never a believer in too early or too late. It always had to be right on time. It might have been a result of having no friends in high school that made it a habit.
"Does she have an exam?"
"Not that I know of."
Lina let it go for now. Still, she was suspicious. Susana Lyn Kincardine, early. It was just not like her at all. Susana Lyn, a woman of perfection. Her bed always made evenly, made her own breakfast, cleaned the house when it was her turn until the sunlight gleamed off of it - annoying Lina. Who did her homework, handed it in on the exact due date. Never missed a strand in the hair when she brushed it. Lina had every reason to be confused.
For now, she let go of her confusion. Grabbing her school bag and preparing herself for her first day of the third new school in the past year, Lina made her way out of the door.
Now, being Scottish-Irish in the middle of South Carolina was no big deal as her mother had told her. Having a distinct Irish accent mixed with a Scottish one was not a big deal from having lived between Ireland and Scotland all her life, as her mother had told her. So, why did Lina feel like it was a huge deal? Inhaling through her nose and exhaling through her mouth - as her father had taught her when dealing with this - calmed her anxiety a little.
Lina was used to starting new schools. Same procedure, same student clique. Yet, each time, it was also different. Different people, different curriculum, different teachers. The differences ruled out the similarities. The thumps of her Chuck Taylor's felt like they echoed beneath the ground, creating an earthquake only she could feel. She wouldn't feel so bad if an earthquake came and seperated her from the school. Such an awful thought, but true.
Entering the school was like entering a Cathedral. Quiet with only a few people roaming about as they made their way to designated stations, as if preparing for a Mass. The thought of Cathedrals and Mass made Lina shiver. She had always found them creepy and disalluring. In a Catholic school she used to attend, most people in it were fundamental bigots, even the teachers. They would call her a devil worshipper, the spawn of Satan, an infidel, faithless, ungodly - and the names were endless. She had once come back with that James Montgomery was seen making out with Kayleigh Lawson when he was going out with Emanuella Nickson, and he was indulging in infidelity. It was a rather cruel notion but it still spread a sort of satisfaction when her face was as white as a sheet.
The next school, was a widely open where she met Sarah Li. No one seemed to bully her for being an agnostic there. Maybe that was because most of the students were atheists or liberally Christian. Waves of blue watched the chipping sign of the school she was currently facing inside, which was usually outside. It was supposed to read CONSTANTINE as Lina had seen the school on the prospectus. It looked a lot more lively and well looked after than it did now. Then again, that was the fifties.
Looking for the head- principal's - as they called their headteacher here - office was no walk in the park. It was like looking for something that didn't exist. It wasn't uncommon that when you're absorbed in something else you smash into people, which is exactly what Lina did right now, absorbed in the map she had been given a few days prior to navigate her way around the school.
"Oh," she said, her voice low and quiet to hide her accent, "I'm sorry."
The girl seemed to take one glance at Lina through locks of flaming red hair before gasping and quickly hurrying away from the ravenette. Raising an ebony brow, Lina looked behind her to the hurrying girl, not stopping to take another glance at her. Shrugging, Lina gathered her belongings off the floor from where she had dropped them.
However, beneath it, she could feel something. A locket, a chain, a clasp. Moving the map, she picked up the locket. It was silver, real silver encrusted with the letter D in fancy writing. She assumed it was the letter of the girl. The loud bell that rang broke Lina out of her reverie. Looking around to see if anyone would start filing out of classes soon, she stood up, stuffing the locket in her pocket and making a beeline for the head- principal's office.
Mr Lee was an eccentric principal. He had pictures of ravens and snakes all over his office, which Lina was no one to judge him for, but it was still creepy. The birds with their beedy black eyes and the snakes with their sharpened tongues felt like she was about to be attacked. They were just waiting for when she went insane so then she would be at her weakest.
"So," started the startlingly deep, Southern voice of Mr Lee. "British, I see."
"Yes, sir." Lina answered as she had a staring contest with a particular beady eyed raven that looked as if it were staring her down. She must have looked uncomfortable as when Mr Lee looked at her again, he looked to the raven and laughed.
"Ravens aren't birds to be feared, Miss Kincardine." he assured, picking up the photo of the raven. "In many cultures, ravens symbolise wisdom, thought, knowledge, mind. In today's society, they have a bad reputation."
Lina could pick out the way he uttered the last sentence as if he wanted to strangle whoever gave ravens the symbolism of death and ill omen. Creasing her brows, she began to stand up, taking her class schedule with her.
"Thanks, Mr Lee."
What a weirdo.
Lunch that day was no picnic either. People were infuriatingly loud and Lina was at a table all by herself. Maths was a horrific subject, not because of the work, no. The people. Whispering about her behind books. Her mother said she was blessed with good hearing to make up for her short sightedness, but she felt more as if she was cursed. History had been a better part of the time, yet people were now commenting on the birth mark she had on the back of her hand.
The shape of a little star that her mother had once told her symbolises the Wiccan faith. She thought it was cool and pretty. Others thought she was the Devil or some other ridiculous concept. She remembered Jessica Park from the Catholic school, coming up to her and confronting her about the birthmark.
"You wouldn't know you were possessed by the Devil. He's much trickier than that."
She had blinked and walked away.
English was like being ran over by a giant bus. Loud, annoying. Then there was screaming from being nearly hit by a giant rubber from someone with light brown hair. Maths was the best subject she had all day. No loud noises or annoying shrieks. Just the light chirping sound of a bluebird outside.
Bluebirds were extremely rare to be seen. It was a beautiful sight, perched on the window sill. It had moved when the teacher had looked at it. In fact, it stared at the teacher before flying off in a hurry.
Lina had been absorbed in not touching her food and thinking about the bluebird in Maths to notice three people watching her. The girl with the flaming red hair she had seen earlier was there, talking with two boys. One looked almost the same as her, the other with fair, light almost silk golden hair and deep brown eyes. As if on cue from the creepiness, that she suddenly thought they were witches, a sudden flood of water came raining down on top of her head.
"Oh. My. Lord." the boy that had spilled the water had said. "I am so sorry."
He didn't get the chance to unnecessarly develop his apology as Lina had already dragged her bag from the floor and bolted for the door.
Drying herself off seemed like an infuriating task.
"It's like trying to dry the ocean." she whined, her normal curly locks of hair transformed into a tangled mess. The blackness mixed with the water was like a sea of black blood. A groaning noise escaped her lips as she smacked the towel down, seeing someone in the mirror. They had a black cloak on with the hood up. Nearly all of their clothing was black, save for the crisp white shirt they were in. Gasping, she turned around to find no one there. Lina wondered if she was going crazy.
The sound of the door swinging open sent a jolt of fear through Lina as the girl she had saw earlier with the flaming red hair stumbled in. Looking at her face now, Lina could see the beauty that had been carved on to each feature. The dark grey eyes that almost looked like the darkest rain clouds Lina had ever seen that they almost looked black. The full pink-red lips with the red hair that was in ringlets, framing her features perfectly. Realising she was staring, Lina blinked.
"Hey," the girl breathed, even though she looked hardly out of breath for someone - Lina had deducted from her entrance - ran all the way from the cafeteria to the nearest girls bathroom. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay."
"I'm alright, thank you." Lina replied, looking to the mirror with an expression of fear before the redhead began to move towards her. Lina seemed not to notice the girl's approach as the figure appeared again, this time, their head lifting. Lina backed away from the mirror, the redhead staring at her with an immense amount of concern.
"Are you... alright?" she asked, staring between Lina and the mirror. Doing a double take to the mirror, the redhead seemed to pale as she looked back to Lina. The two girls exchanged a glance before Lina grabbed her backpack and darted out of the bathroom.