Everything Starts

CH: 8, MYSTERIOUS STRANGER

When I woke up I found Wesley's note. He always liked to leave me little things from time to time. This one read:

You seemed like you needed rest so we didn't want to wake you. Hope you slept well, see you later.

I looked at the clock and realized I was late for breakfast. Thankfully no one has classes on Fridays. I quickly got ready, grabbed a bag of crisps and my bag, and ran out the door. I was all but running down the hall when an arm grabbed me and pulled me into a closeby classroom.

In front of me stood a tall blonde-haired boy. He was taller than Welsey and his eyes looked weird. They were blue and... red? I had never seen that vibrant red in a pair of eyes before. The stunning color circled his pupil and faded into a bright blue color. I could tell he was muscular because I could see the outline of his arms through the collared shirt that looked incredibly soft that he was wearing. He looked otherworldly. As if he needed to blend in so he wore a 'normal' shirt and gray sweatpants to attempt to look the part. It didn't work. There was still something about him... his beauty made him stick out like a sore, beautiful, thumb.

"What the hell!"

"Alora calm down!"

"Who are you? How do you know my name?"

"I'm Adrian. I can't tell you that yet."

"What do you mean you can't tell me yet? You do realize how creepy this is right? Some random guy just pulled me into an empty classroom and somehow knows my name."

"I get you're confused and probably frightened but I can explain almost everything, but first-"

We hear footsteps coming close to the classroom.

"I have to go."

"No, wait!"

"I'm sorry but you'll see me again soon," when he finishes speaking he winks and disappears.

Right after a short, white-haired teacher with glasses walked into the room.

"Miss, what pray tell are you doing in my classroom?"

"Oh, I'm sorry." I struggled to think of an excuse but finally came up with one. "My mom called me and I couldn't hear in the hallway so–"

"So you thought you'd just hide out in my classroom?"

"Yes. I'm sorry."

"Well, you really should be going."

"Yes, ma'am sorry again."

I left the room as quickly as I could. I found my friends as they were walking out of the cafeteria and decided not to tell them about my mysterious encounter.

"Hey sorry, I'm late."

"It's okay. You seemed exhausted last night," Wesley said.

"I was."

"Maybe we should do something tonight?" suggested Willa.

"Like what?" asked Zena.

"Hey there's this cool pub not too far from here," explained George.

"Really? Are we allowed in pubs?" I questioned.

"Yeah, the legal drinking age in France is different than in America," explained Zena.

"Oh yeah, I forgot."

"You can drink wine and beer at sixteen and the hard stuff at eighteen," Wesley continued.

"Oh okay. So what should we do in the meantime?" I asked.

"Well I don't know about you guys but I need to go to the library so I can finish some schoolwork," said Ethan.

"Yeah, same. Why don't we head to the library and figure something else out after that if we need to?" suggested Fay.

We all agreed and made our way to the library. I had finished my schoolwork for the week so I just sat there and read my book, occasionally sneaking glances at Wesley only to find him already looking at me.

"Oh did any of you guys manage to find anything on Project Snowdrop?" I asked.

"Not really. I mean there were a few conspiracy theories but nothing promising," Ethan replied.

"Oh okay."

Once everyone finished their work we finalized our plans for the pub. As we were leaving I bumped into a familiar face.

"Lucy?" I said.

"Oh- hi, Alora," she replied.

"So do you mind if I ask you a question?"

"Not at all. Go for it."

"Do you know anything about Project Snowdrop?"

Her face went white.

"I've never heard of it," she replied and walked away.

She walked up to a middle-aged woman and seemed to tell her something causing them to look back at me.

"Once again, that was weird," Ethan said.

"I agree," I replied, turning to walk out the door. "So what's the plan for tonight?"

"Well, I was thinking that we could all go to our dorms, get ready, and meet back here in around half an hour. Is that okay with everyone?" asked Zena.

"That's cool with me. We can take my car if we need to," I offered.

The group agreed so the girls headed toward Hollowgate and the boys toward Rockcrest. When I made it back to my dorm I shot Mom and Henry a text and started getting ready. I decided on a baby pink and glitter set. The top was long-sleeved with a square neckline. The skirt was a fitted mini-shirt with a small slit on the side. It was one of my favorite going-out outfits from New York. For the rest of my look, I just did simple eye makeup with a bold red lip and put my hair into a claw clip. Finally, I chose my favorite little purse, put a few things in it, and left my dorm.

I made my way to Zena's dorm room so I could wait with her until she, Willa, and Fay were ready. I was about to start knocking however she opened the door before I got the chance.

"Alora!"

"Hi. I was hoping I could wait with you until the girls are done?"

"Yeah, of course. Are you okay?"

"Yes. Why do you ask?"

"Well, a lot has been going on."

"Yes, but nothing we cannot handle."

"Good point. Also, I'm really glad you gave us all a second chance. I'm sorry I know that was out of the blue but these past few weeks have made me realize just how much I missed you."

"I missed you guys too."

There was a set of knocks at the door.

"That must be Willa and Fay," Zena assumed as she walked toward the door.

Zena grabbed her purse and we made our way to the courtyard.

We were the first group to the meeting spot so I was once again able to enjoy the crisp nighttime air. The stars seemed extra bright that night, and the breeze smelled like rain. I was enjoying the breeze so much that I almost missed the footsteps coming up behind me.