Anathema

☾Chapter One

A/N I don't know what I'm doing with this, but it's decompressing, ignore any mistakes- I'm lazy af

The first time she was warned away from Cedric Chauvert, it was her first day of elementary school.

She was nothing but a gap toothed six year old, with braided pig-tails, and a lisp that seemed like the inconvenience of the century.

Her Mama held her face tight between her hands after she'd eaten all the waffles made for that very special occasion, the first day of school.

Her Mama's hands were soft, but damp, and cold from sweat, despite the heat of that September morning.

She gripped North's face with a determination like no other, her mother's green eyes staring straight into North's exact replicas.

The only difference was her Mama's were rimmed with mascara, and wary, like somethin' was 'bout to go down.

"North Elizabeth Pierce." She said seriously, eyes starin' straight down to North's soul, her mama's southern Louisiana accent thick with emotion.

And everyone knows, in the south if someone used your full name you better listen up, and listen good.

"You're gonna get to school today, and you're gonna play with your friends, just like ya always do. But you stay away from that boy, the one with the black eyes. Ya hear?" Hell hath no fury like Rose Pierce when angry. North knew that.

So she knew good and well to stay away from the boy with black eyes.

When her Mama dropped her off on that first day, North sat in the back seat, and stared at all the kids, faces gripped with their mother's shaky hands, and whispers to stay away from the same boy.

The boy with black eyes.

It wasn't like he was hard to spot, people split away from him like the red sea, stayin' as far as they could.

He was three grades above North. That made him fourth. But everyone knew to stay away from the boy with black eyes.

His name was Cedric Beaumont Chauvert.

Not one kid that was born east Wildbury wasn't warned away from that kid.

No you knew good and well to stay away from the boy with black eyes.

But only North had the slightest urge to become friends with him.

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There is not one moment of any day in the whole world that North despised the Louisiana heat.

Sure it was as annoying as hell, sure it stuck to your back, and made you sweat something thicker than recycled water.

But that's what made up the very back bones of Louisiana.

She loved it.

However, on this particular day, at this particular hour.

She did not like it.

Especially with eyes glued to the rusted out clock, mockingly swinging from side to side, directly across from her.

Marking how many minutes she had until she could clock out.

The air conditioning never worked at 'Rusty's' a little general store that'd been around before her grandmother, and probably one of the first permanent settlements made on the east side of Wildbury township.