Chapter 3

In the morning, the large stream of sunlight filled the room, forcing her eyes open. It was finally day.

Good for her. School was another prison, but it was better than the one that kept her awake most of nights.

She knew how her school day would go, even as she was new. Being a loner and getting no attention from anyone was the best. She avoided talking with others or joining groups. The only reason why she was going to school were her mostly A's and B's grades. And she didn't even study that much to get them, but she still did.

She entered the bathroom and dressed up quickly. Her clothes didn't include big options of wearing, so she went with baggy, knee-ripped jeans and a black t-shirt with words written in bold gold color: "STAY AWAY".

Ironic, this spoke volumes of what she wanted others to do.

Then she combed her hair, letting it hang over her shoulders. She picked her bag and her phone, then left the room.

As she stepped down the stairs, just a glance on her phone made her realize how damn late she was.

"God, I'm so late," she said, frustrated with herself.

Monica was already sitting on the couch, drinking her morning coffee. She looked up at Regan with the usual smile.

"Hey, at least drink something before you leave," her aunt called.

Regan nodded and poured herself a glass of milk in the kitchen. She swag it down quickly and waited outside for her aunt to drop her off.

The phone showed 08:47 when they finally arrived. She had seen the school before on photos but was slightly nervous to go inside herself.

So Monica accompanied her inside until they found a teacher that led Regan to the chemistry lab. Her aunt left then, leaving Regan standing right before the door.

Now, she wasn't only worrying about the excuses of being late but also if she had to introduce herself to the class.

With a deep breath that didn't help, she knocked twice and opened the door slowly to reveal a whole class staring at her like she was some sort of alien.

"Excuse me? Who are you?" the teacher who was standing near the board asked.

The words eluded Regan for a moment, not liking the way she was being stared at.

"I'm Regan Miller," she answered, trying to swallow her anxiety.

"Oh, you're the new girl," the teacher said but from her expression one could tell she was annoyed. "Already late on your first day miss Miller?" she asked, slightly raising her voice.

"I'm sorry miss...I just moved in and had some work to do. It's not going to happen again."

The class laughed, but Regan didn't look at them.

"Fine, miss Miller, I'll forgive this time because you're new but next time you won't do so easily. No one dares to come late in my class," she emphasized the last sentence, "now go sit somewhere."

Regan did as told and started looking for a seat. A hard task because of all eyes following her.

To her luck, there was an empty seat at the end of the class which was near the window.

She sat there, feeling slightly relieved that the teacher hadn't said something like 'introduce yourself to the class'.

But noise had erupted now in the room, and she hated that it was about her.

"Silence!" the teacher yelled sternly at the class and it became quiet for a while, making Regan feel better that the attention had shifted.

She took notes from the bag and some pens. The topic on the board was 'Organic Chemistry' and she quickly got the hang of it and even answered a few questions that the teacher asked.

Again, the class started to babble for no specific reason. The teacher shut it up once more.

Meanwhile, Regan eyed her surroundings better. A girl before her, and a boy next to her who kept staring. She cursed under her breath. If there was something she hated after physical touch was getting stared at.

The hours passed and her next class was math, which she managed easily, just like any other subject.

It was lunch and all the students were out of class. She didn't even know where the cafeteria was.

In the school corridor, she saw where everyone was going, but seeing the big crowd there changed her mind. Maybe school was just emphasizing how detached she was.

Being hungry didn't help.

She tried to go past the crowded area, managing to stay away as much as possible, and wait in the long queue.

After what seemed like eternity, the cafeteria worker gave her a tray of food and a smile, noticing she was new. Regan returned the smile awkwardly and disappeared to sit on an empty table.

But the students eyes weren't lost on her, though. She didn't know why they couldn't mind their own business and leave her alone.

It had been going on for so long. Literally everywhere, and she didn't have any better thing to do. They had their own mind, their own eyes. And still, no matter how accustomed she'd gotten to it, she still didn't like it.

Just when she thought that was finally eating in peace, she noticed a tall girl, with red-colored hair ambling towards the table, two blondes behind her following.

"Hey, weirdo," she said, her eyes narrowing with a disdainful scorn, "What's with that scar?"

Her bluntness caught Regan off guard for a moment, but she had heard these words enough, "What is it to you?"

The girl arched an eyebrow, a sneer curling her full lips, "I'm just asking," she hissed, "You should be grateful someone as pretty as me is talking to someone as ugly as you."

The people in the background had had their attention shifted, and now their eyes were on them. Regan could feel a surge of defiance rise within her, but she had to keep her cool, "You think I care?" she shot back, voice stronger now.

"You won't talk like that to me," the other retorted, setting her soda on the table with a furious move, "I'm the principal's daughter, I can expel you whenever and wherever I want."

Regan leaned back on her chair, her nerves already fired, but she was in no mood for fights, "Get away from my table," she hissed back. But the girl didn't move, she just whispered something to the blonde one beside her.

Regan didn't want for them to speak, she stood up and left the cafeteria, leaving behind a trail of whispers and rumors.

The hallways were suddenly feeling too suffocating, so she decided she'd sit somewhere outside. She found an empty bench under a tree's shade and sat there, continuing to eat.

But there were footsteps heard, and she looked up to see another girl coming. Regan's frustration raised. Was she one of those jerks?

She had long brown hair, with bangs dyed in pink. Her clothes were fancy, a white long shirt underneath a black corset, tight black pants and black boots that reached her knees. Kind of different, considering most wore ankle boots and sneakers.

"Regan, right? We're in the same class," the girl spoke, her accent strange and unheard of.

Regan didn't notice her in the class. Maybe because she wasn't looking at anyone. Maybe because she was trying to escape the mocking eyes.

"Yes?"

"I'm Vesper," the girl replied, flashing a bright smile, "Nice to meet you."

Regan was caught aback by her smooth approach. She felt a weird feeling of suspicion for a moment, but quickly shoved it away, "Nice to meet you too," she said.

The girl stood there for a moment, as if in some daze, but shook her head. "Nice t-shirt," she remarked, noting Regan's shirt. The most apparent thing about that tee shirt, were the words written in bold, "STAY AWAY".

"You have a good fashion sense too," Regan replied, not trying what else to say. She had never been good at conversations, but she had been good at making them awkward.

"So, do you want to be friends?" Vesper asked, her smile never faltering as she leaned against the tree.

"Yeah, sure," Regan mumbled, though what she said mirrored nothing of what she thought.

"Great," Vesper said, her smile turning into a smirk, "Let's exchange phone numbers."

"Isn't it too fast for that?"

The other's expression didn't change, "We're classmates, girl. Of course, we're going to have each other's numbers. I'll give you mine, and you give me yours."

Regan reluctantly did as the girl said. They talked for a while, learning that they were neighbors. Vesper was keen on talking about herself, but just surface things. Her family, hobbies and interests.

Regan felt slightly uncomfortable at the thought that she'd have to talk about herself too. She wasn't someone with great hobbies and interests, apart from reading and singing sometimes.

The lunchtime passed, and with it, the school day. Regan left the building without looking back, not waiting until she'd get home.

But even as she thought she'd find a shelter of relief, the whole walk home, she felt perilous, like someone was following her.

She hated turning around, but she couldn't help the slight pang of fear forming. Her pace quickened and she held the house's keys in a self-defense position.

As soon as she reached home, Regan threw the bag on the floor, locked the door, and sighed. It was more a sigh from tiredness, than one from relief.

She decided to do her homework, to drift her mind off the uneasy thought. But it started to creep up again, like a vine tightening its grip.

She managed to get through her homework, though not that focused. When the aunt came home, Regan barely spoke about her school day, and didn't tell her about the red haired girl, or Vesper. It wasn't too important anyway.

After they finished dinner, Monica went to her room to do her work assignments and Regan played a game on her laptop. She didn't know if it was just her mind, but she could still feel a little unease in her chest. That feeling hadn't gone anyway.

She lay on the bed and tried to sleep, trying to not ignore the non-belonging feeling or the recent one about being watched. It was no use.

She took her phone, scrolling the net, sitting up a bit higher. A small sound clicked on the window and she immediately tensed, heart nearly stopping.

Jumping out of the bed, she swept the curtain aside, but there was nothing. Just the night, dark and cold, and a stray cat wandering through the streets.

"Oh God," she murmured to herself.

Sleep came much, much later, though she was still perturbed.

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