Here is the edited version of Divine Chaos :)
Well, hi! Thanks for taking the time to check out this novel! This is my first teen fiction, and I'm really excited to share it with you all!
Enjoy the 'Divine Chaos' in it ;)
xx - Andrea
Chapter 1.
I think my parents are trying to test me right now, in more ways than one.
For most seventeen year olds like myself, going back to school after winter break is hard enough, the weather has just started getting nicer, you're looking forward to wearing shorts all the time and heading to the beach, but you're dragged back to school for another few months to study...
Well, I've got to go back to school tomorrow after winter break ends. But there's a catch...
I must finish the year at a completely new school, in a completely new town.
It's hard enough starting at a new school at the beginning of the school year as a junior, but coming in halfway through, that's a completely different story.
Speaking of, this 'new town' needs to be addressed. Compared to the sleepy riverside area I used to live in until a couple of days ago, the Cobalt Isles are the absolute opposite.
My father, who's a top neurosurgeon, got offered a job here, and since my mother is a lawyer and can work basically anywhere, he took the job and well, here we are.
My mother turns to smile and mouth something at me from the front seat of the new car my father just got given for work. The two of them have been gazing at the scenery and talking about how stunning it is here ever since we stepped off the plane half an hour ago.
I take out my earphones and blink a few times, amazed at how quiet the world is compared to the music I've been blaring in my ears during the trip.
"Pardon?"
My mother rolls her eyes, "I said, isn't it stunning here?"
I glance out the window to watch the idyllic landscape speed past me for a few seconds, "It's very blue."
My father and her chuckle slightly, before she replies, "And I thought you were good at English sweetie. Can't you think of something better than that? This place just inspires you!"
I give her a small smile, "I'm just a little overwhelmed, and I'm not really looking forward to settling in tonight and then heading off to school tomorrow."
The two of them laugh again before my father adds, "I don't understand why you're worrying about that, it's not like you're going to be behind in any of your studies."
"It's not the school work that worries me, it's the whole social side of things, everyone already has friends." I sigh, blowing a strand of my long auburn hair out of my eyes.
"I'm sure they'll be welcoming. Don't start sounding like some clichéd book character on us." He replies, and then begins to talk with my mother about some fancy restaurant a new colleague recommended to him.
I place my earphones back in and unlock my bright blue iPhone to change the song to something more fitting, settling on Pumping Blood, by NONONO.
The more I think about this change of scenery, the more my heart flutters.
*
My headspace about The Cobalt Isles changes almost instantly when I catch sight of our new house.
I can't even think of one word to describe what I see; I couldn't even picture a house as mesmerising as this without seeing a picture.
This town is famous for its architecture, many of the houses and buildings were built a couple of hundred years ago and have been kept in pristine condition ever since, all the while being upgraded and fitted out with every single modern adornment, whilst still trying to remain with the character of the place.
The house is huge, a two-story villa with a pale red brick exterior and similar terracotta roof. It's full of arches and columns everywhere you look and a couple of the second story rooms have adjoining balconies that face the shimmering ocean below.
My parents have already gone inside to check if all our belongings have been properly placed; we didn't need to worry about moving furniture as this house was already full of pieces that were perfect for it. I take a moment to stare at the building a while longer, before heading in after them.
The interior of the building is just as mesmerising as the castle like columns and arches, and my eyes widen as I enter a spacious lounge, with light off white walls, sprawling couches, even an open fire although the warm climate of this place makes me wonder if it'll even be used.
My mother enters the room from the connecting kitchen, "Don't you just love it honey?"
I nod, feeling a little out of place in the glamorous white room dressed in my skinny jeans, black leather jacket and worn converse. "It's gorgeous. How did we even get a place like this?"
She gives me a warm smile, her shoulder length russet hair glowing under the afternoon sun, streaming in through the open glass panelled slider that takes up most of the ocean facing wall. "I know, and it wasn't too hard to get at all, there are so many beautiful houses in this place that I'm sure this is like an old cottage compared to most of them."
I chuckle, "Well, I'd consider it a castle."
"You should check out your bedroom then, you've got one of the balconies. It's the room with the open door." She replies, before her phone begins to ring. Her phone is always ringing, I thought maybe my parents would have more free time here, but it seems like things have already started to fall into place, I think I'm going to be left to my own resources a lot...
I give my mother a quick wave and walk up the grand sweeping marble staircase that consumes the back of the lounge, taking the steps two at a time until I reach the second floor. I do a quick scan around, glancing at all the closed doors before noticing one slightly ajar at the end of the hall. That must be it.
My anticipation gets the better of me and I begin to run, before coming to a stop at the half open door, I push it open completely and let out a breath I didn't even know I'd been holding at the sight of what lies behind it.
The room, to say the least, looks fit for a princess, or someone similar.
I reach up to run my fingers along the hanging cream and powder blue silk draped over the top of the dark oak canopy bed that is the centrepiece of the room, gazing at the satin sheets on the bed and the five plump pillows at the head of it. The rest of the room is in the same shades as the canopy, with a bookshelf, desk and chair, bedside table and walk-in wardrobe. I make a mental note to get some more books as the shelf looks a bit empty with only my ten favourite novels on it, and to get some more clothes too, as the walk-in wardrobe is like another room and my current wardrobe only takes up half of a wall.
"Home sweet home, Amber, you'd better get used to it." I tell myself, stepping out onto the circular balcony leading off from my room. From its crisp white pillars and perfectly curved arches I look out at the view of the garden below, public walking track that is next to the boundary of our property, the beach and finally the ocean. I feel like it's a view I will find difficult to get used to.
I pull my phone out of my pocket and check the time, it's only three in the afternoon, which means I have a few more hours of time to myself before I should prepare for school.
I decide to check out the walking path next to my house and go for a run, heading into my wardrobe to trade my jeans and leather jacket for my favourite knee length black skins with a blue stripe on the side and breathable black tank. After attempting to sweep my slightly curly auburn hair up into a high ponytail and pulling on my trainers I'm ready to go.
I plug my earphones into my iPod shuffle - which I have affectionately named my trusty running companion - and amble down the marble steps into the lounge again.
"I'm off for a run, be back soon!" I shout, before heading out the open glass slider without a glance back.
The weather is perfect for running and I jog down the coastal track at a steady pace as Charli XCX's album plays in my ears, gazing at the scenery around me the whole time, there's just so much to take in at once with this place. The lush greenery on one side of the track, the white sands and blue waters on the other, this place is almost dreamlike. I kinda wish I'd paid more attention to it on the drive to the house instead of thinking about school tomorrow. I think this is the best way to get to know the place though, and it feels like there's a lot to explore here.
It seems almost magical.
You know, I don't think I mind this place after all.
*BANG*
I'm pushed backwards, falling back against the white stones covering the track. A burning sensation goes up my right hand as I stick it out to break my fall and I clench my teeth as my nerves register the sensation of pain.
"Crap! I'm really sorry about that."
I cringe as I move my right arm and look up at the person who must've knocked me down.
There are two figures standing over me.
Oh, my gosh...this is how I die. Only a few hours in this new town and I'm already getting kidnapped.
Then again...one of them has a hand outstretched to me, I gratefully take it and am amazed as I'm pulled up from the ground in one swift motion, to come face to face with two, um, model worthy guys. They're both tall, lean and muscular and I can't help but give them a quick once over.
Don't judge me.
The one who helped me up is gorgeous in that perfectly popular way, with his dirty golden blonde hair, hazel eyes and tan. Whilst the other also has a golden tan he looks a bit more sporty and carefree with his messy short coffee-coloured mop and dark brown eyes.
They don't notice that I'm just awkwardly gazing at them, because they're both staring at my right hand.
I look down at it too and sigh a little, there's a large cut running across my palm where a rock must've ripped it open, oh and there's blood, quite a bit of it.
"Um..." I begin, not knowing if I should thank them for helping me up or get mad at them for knocking me over in the first place. Or maybe it was my fault because I wasn't looking where I was going in the first place.
So, I just keep staring at my hand, watching the crimson blood pool around the cut. Glancing up again just in time to watch the guy who helped me up tug off his white tee and wrap it around my right hand.
"Oh, thanks." I reply, shocked to say the least.
The two guys smile, before the one still wearing a shirt speaks.
"Hey we're sorry about that, Andrew here was too busy droning on about who knows what to look where he was going."
The shirtless guy, Andrew, laughs a little, "Yes, I'm really sorry about that, uh, is there anything else we can do to help you?"
I shake my head quickly, pressing the shirt against my cut a bit harder to relieve some of the pain that has begun to come through in another wave, "Oh, nah, that's fine. I'm fine. I wasn't looking either. I'll just go home and get this stitched up."
The two guys look a little surprised when I say this, probably because they'd go to the doctor to get stitched up, well my dad can do a lot more than just brain surgery, stitches are easy to him.
"Uhm, thanks for the shirt by the way, I can always buy you a new one, I feel like you probably won't want this back, even if I bleached it..." I look down at the now bloodstained shirt, doing everything I can to not look at his bare chest.
What can I say? I'm a seventeen-year-old girl, these two gorgeous guys are talking to me, and one of them is now topless.
Andrew shakes his head, "Don't worry about it, I have tons of tees at home anyway. Take it as my gift to you." He winks at the end.
The other guy rolls his eyes, "You are unbelievable. Look, how about we walk home with you, is your house one of the ones next to the track?"
I nod, "Yeah, I've only been running for about fifteen minutes too, so it'll probably take about half an hour to get to it. Only if you guys want to though, I mean, I don't want to disrupt your run."
"We're going in that direction anyway, we'll just be home a bit later, no big deal. It's not like we've got any homework or sports practice tonight." He replies.
I smile at the two of them and we begin walking back to my place.
"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself," The guy wearing a shirt adds, "I'm Lykaios, but you can call me Lyke if you'd like."
I laugh, "I hope you realised how perfectly that rhymed. How do you even get a name like Lykaios anyway?"
"It's Greek." He replies, "My parents are Greek and they liked it, you know? Anyway, what's your name?"
"Amber." I reply, suddenly feeling a bit self-conscious.
Andrew looks like he's thinking for a few seconds before he replies, "How old are you?"
"Seventeen," I reply, "what about you two?"
"We're both seventeen too. So...you'd be in our year at school, how come we don't know you?" He asks.
I sigh, "I'm new. I just moved here today actually, I was just going for my first run here when I knocked into you."
The two of them share a look.
"So I'm guessing you're the new student our teachers told us to look out for on the first day back?" Lyke muses.
My eyes widen, "They told you that?"
They both nod, "Yeah, we don't get very many new students halfway through the school year, if any. The teachers let our year group know."
I nod, "Well, at least I know you two now. I don't feel so bad about tomorrow anymore."
Andrew laughs, "Why? Were you worried about tomorrow?"
"I mean, you guys all come from these super rich families and what not, and you all know each other, so I was worried I wasn't going to fit in." I explain sheepishly.
"Nah, you'll be sweet. Our year group is full of reasonable people, there's just a few who can cut you down with a look." He replies.
I glance down at my right hand; the white tee is now starting to become a shade of crimson. Oh, the joys of bleeding, it's not a bad wound though, and luckily I'm left handed, so I don't need to stress about not being able to use a pen for the next couple of weeks.
"So is there anyone I should look out for?" I ask, I'd love to get as much inside intel on this school as I can, the place is called Paideia Collegiate and it's the super prestigious school here. I looked up a few photos of it online and it looks just as magnificent as all the other buildings in this town, plus, it's huge.
Lyke runs a hand through his coffee toned hair, "Try and get on Selina's good side. Right Andrew?"
Andrew nods, "Oh yeah, definitely. You're pretty though, so that shouldn't be too hard."
I feel my cheeks flushing a little, so I try to focus my thoughts on the pain in my hand instead of the fact that this extremely good looking guy called me pretty.
I'm not a girly girl, I'm not supposed to be flustered around guys, not matter how good looking they are!
Pull it together Amber.
"Oh, are you taking Classics by any chance?" Lyke asks me.
I'm taking all the same subjects I was at my old school, and Classics was one of them. So, I guess I am.
"Yes. How come?" I reply.
Lyke offers me a friendly smile, "Well we're going on a class trip during third period and lunchtime tomorrow to explore the ruins of one of the old temples out here on the lovely Cobalt Isles. There were quite a few built here and our Classics teacher is pretty obsessed with them, he's been dying to take us out there for ages."
Andrew chuckles, "Oh yeah, Mr Tanner is so odd, he's a good teacher, but he's a little quirky and all."
"He does sound like quite a character. And I didn't know there were temples built out here. That's cool, I did a study on some of that at my old school." I reply.
"Yeah, we've been learning about Ancient Greece and the Gods in Classics." Lyke says, and then turns to Andrew, "If I was a Greek God, which one would I be?"
Andrew pretends to think hard for a few seconds before replying, "Hades. Obviously."
"Nah, man, you'd be Hades." Lyke replies, giving Andrew a friendly shove.
"Why don't we let Amber decide?" Andrew suggests, and the two of them look to me.
"You'd both be pretty convincing Aphrodite's, I guess." I reply, smirking a little.
The two of them realise that I'm joking and chuckle a little.
"Oh no, we've got a witty one right here." Lyke tells Andrew.
I shrug, "I don't think I'm particularly witty, but I'll take that compliment. Anyway, this is my stop." I explain as the three of us approach a big black wrought iron gate full of perfectly designed curves and leaves. I unlock it and pull it open before turning to face the two of them.
"Well, this is me." I say, a little disappointed I must say goodbye to them both already.
"Alright, well we'd better be off then, it was nice meeting you, Amber." Lyke says, giving me a quick wave.
Andrew nods in agreement, "See you tomorrow, hope your hand's ok."
They turn and sprint off along the track, continuing their run and trying to make up for the time they lost when they were with me.
I close the gate and walk up the path back to my house, opening the slider and stepping into the lounge to find my parents sitting on one of the couches as the evening news begins.
"Who were those two?" My mother asks, raising her eyebrows suggestively.
I stifle a laugh, "Oh that was Andrew and Lyke, I kind of crashed into them whilst running, they're in my year at school."
My two parents smile, before my father looks down at my hand, "What happened?"
I shrug, "It got a bit cut up on a rock when I fell, it's fine though. You're going to have to look at it though."
He rolls his eyes jokingly, "What do you think I am, a doctor?"
"Sure do." I reply, unwrapping the tee shirt from around my tender hand to reveal a cut that takes up the length of my palm.
My father sighs, "First night here and you already need stitches, what are we going to do with you?"
I smile, "I have no idea."
Because even though I need to have stitches and it's my first day at this entirely new school tomorrow. I don't feel worried anymore.
Despite meeting Lyke and Andrew, I feel like there's more to this place than its beauty, and with this Classics trip tomorrow, I think that I might get to find out more about it.
But my next step is to get through a day at Paideia Collegiate.
Authors Note:
Hopefully you enjoyed the first chapter! I guess everything will really kick off in the next one :) I'm so grateful to be able to pick this novel up again and give it a clean up and actually continue the story!
To any new readers, I really hope you like the book!
To my old readers, thank you for sticking with me and I hope I give you the novel you deserve for being so patient!
1) What are your thoughts on the characters so far?
2) Would you live in the Cobalt Isles if they existed?
3) Uhm, well..what do you think will happen next?
xx Andrea