The Dark One

I

Good to Be Alive - PVRIS

It's raining again.

I frowned whilst looking up as rain fell down on me. It was mid-October; the time of the year where the leaves started turning colors and everyone was settling into the new school year. In the distance was the high school; students piling out of their cars and buses. The droplets began to grow harder as the storm finally came rolling in. I hurriedly tried to get to the entrance, but my luck had me left there soaking as a car went by, passing a large puddle while doing so. People glanced and chuckled, but some saw what happened and quickly fled. I was so embarrassed that I ducked my head and walked into the school without looking.

So much for being inconspicuous, I thought angrily. Huffing my way through the hallways, I find my locker and stuff my soaking bag inside and hurriedly head to my first class. Before I could walk past the door of my history class, my arm was suddenly grabbed and tugged to the side.

"Are you okay?" a rumbly low voice asked. There was a hint of an accent in there, but I couldn't make out what it was. I looked over to find the most handsome man standing there. He wore a brown cardigan with a white long sleeve button up. The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, which exposed what looked like tribal tattoos, but I was focused more on his face. His complexion was an olive tone, only that which could've come from a European atmosphere. His brown hair was styled to the side, but what got me were his shockingly blue eyes. You could see them swirl around like a small tempest brewing inside them. His jawline was covered with a small beard. He must have noticed me staring at him since his jaw tightened immensely. I didn't know what to say until he asked, "Did you get drenched outside? Do you have extra clothes?"

I only shook my head no.

"Come with me," he said as he tugged my arm. We glided through the busy hallways as everyone tried getting to class. What was happening? We arrived at the front desk in the office by the doors. He told the ladies about what happened. They luckily had some clothes to spare, which made me somewhat happy. I turned to thank him, but he was already out the door. One of the ladies guided me to the nurses station while proceeding to hand me a new set of clothes. I looked down to see it was sweats with the school logo on them. I held down my disgust. Nodding with a small smile, I quickly headed toward the bathroom to change. They figured I would be late for my class, so they were kind enough to write a pass for me. Switching from wet clothes to the new ones, I probably looked a little homeless. Dark brown locks now damp from the water, chocolate eyes devoid of any emotion, and pale skin that looked as though it had never seen a sun in ages. That was me: Margaret Skotous. A seventeen-year-old who didn't have any friends or family that gave a shit about her. My life was depressing, I could admit that. There wasn't anyone who cared about me, not in the slightest, but yet it still hurt knowing that no one will ever even try. Suddenly, striking blue eyes flash across my sight like lightning. I shake my head vigorously. What the hell? Why was I thinking about that man from earlier? I grabbed my wet clothes and proceeded to exit the bathroom. When I finally make it to my math class, I hand the teacher the note and sit down in my seat.

I could hear the girls sitting beside me gossiping about a new teacher. I didn't really care about what they usually talked about, but it was rare for our district to get one. Where I lived, it was known as "the barren wastelands". It wasn't normal for a small town like ours to get a new teacher, or even a new store for that matter. News such as that spread like wildfire, and if left unnoticed, people might start thinking there were aliens here. Sounds like the guy drew the short end of the stick when deciding where to go. This place was a dump if you asked me. Perfect for small town junkies, but as far as goal wise, the worst place to be. The town was too small to have big dreams, which is why most people move or stay local with the family business. Once free time began, I suddenly heard someone tap on my desk. I looked over to find a new girl sitting there next to me. I hadn't even noticed she was there when I came in since I was late. Her bright green eyes stared into me and her chestnut colored hair in a lazy pony slid down her slender face. She reached her hand out in front of me.