Heart Hunter

5

Ivy

My steps echo on the hallway floors. I feel my backpack jump up and down with every step I take.

My father would have never allowed me to enter a school like this. I have never been to school like this. All my life I've been homeschooled.

The unfamiliar swirl of noise and chatter is surrounding me as i walk the vast hallways. Lockers are slamming and laughter is erupting from every corner. I clutch my backpack tighter, feeling the rough fabric on my finger.

I hear a girl scoff and yell. Then, I spot her.

She's standing alone by a locker, looking rather annoyed. Her arms are crossed tightly around her chest, her brows furrowed in frustration.

I take a peek at the locker. The metallic door is hanging open. She slams her hands on the locker and yanks it closed, hard. She takes a step back, and the locker pops open right back.

'Ugh! Come on!' She mutters, giving the locker another desperate slam. Her voice is a bright spark in the cacophony around me. She lets out an exaggerated scoff, rolling her eyes.

I take a deep breath before starting to walk again. I move forward, towards her.

I have to start somewhere. Make it believable, Ivy.

'Need a hand?' I mutter. The girl flips her head around fast. She crossed her arms and let out another annoyed scoff, this time more playful. 'Uh, yeah. Apparently this locker has a mind of its own an it hates me. I'm about to declare war on it.'

I chuckled, stepping closer. 'Let me give it a shot.' My hand reached for the locker and I slowly examined the lock before giving it a gentle pull. 'You just got to find the right technique.'

With that, I shifted my weight, aligning my shoulder against the metal locker door. I gave it a decisive push while I also pulled on the handle.

With a satisfying click, the door finally closes.

The girl shifted her gaze from the locker to me, as her jaw fell in disbelief. 'How the hell did you do that?'

'Call it a talent.'

We laughed for a few more minutes until she decided to introduce herself.

'I'm Nora.'

'I'm Ivy. I'm new to this school. Its very nice to meet you.'

Nora looked at me with newfound respect and amusement. 'Were you a student at the school that... exploded?'

A playful grin spread on my face, but I quickly removed it before she could notice. 'Yeah. Me and other 15 students.'

She took a deep breath. 'I'm really sorry about what happened with your other school. Its really a tragedy.'

I waved my hand dismissively infront of us, trying to brush off the fakest heavy emotion. 'Thanks, but it wasn't all that bad. I mean, I still have nighmares, but it's what brought me here.'

Nora nodded and her expression changed. 'This school really is a horror movie without the plot, right?' She laughed, the sound bright and genuine, and I felt a warmth spreading in my chest. She opened her mouth, and was about to say something, but someone interrupted her.

'Nora!' A guy yelled.

I glanced over her shoulder, only to find my brother stading next to a tall blonde guy. They were taking slow steps to us. Nora turned around.

I could sense and see how every girl was looking in their direction.

I understand though, I would stare too. The guy standing next to my brother is hot.

He looked like he owned the school. His visible confidence and casual demeanor had an air of coolness that was hard to ignore. Bright blue eyes gleamed as he scanned the hallway, winking in every girls' direction before settling on us. I felt a strange mix of jealousy and admiration as he approached Nora with her arms still crossed.

'Your sitting alone next class.' He said casually. 'What? You know if you skip biology one more time-'

'Relax. I ain't skipping.' The guy threw an arm over Nathan's shoulder. 'I found a new mate.'

Nora just stared. Nathan too. They didn't share one word to eachother and just drilled holes into eachother's eyes.

As I was standing behind Nora, the guy tilted his head to look at me. 'And who do we have here?'

That snapped the lovebirds back to reality. They both cleared their throats and looked at me. But I could see Nathan still staring at Nora when she wasn't looking.

'I also found a new mate.' Nora said, her smirk unwavering.

'You look alike. Alot.' The guy said as his smirk slowly slipped away. His finger pointed, from Nathan back to me.

'We're twins, smartass.' I said, making the mystery guy smile. 'Damn.' he replied, leaning back against the adjoining locker as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

He was about to ask me something else, but the bell rang. It echoed throught the hallway, breaking our moment.

Nora quickly took my arm, pulling me away from the boys. She led the way as I was falling into my own steps behind her.

When we reached the classroom, she pulled me again and stood infront of me as she had a serious face.

'Let me tell you something. I recommend not having any business with Axel.' She said.

'Axel?' I echoed, pretending to take this seriously.

'The blond guy you just talked to. Don't get to attached. He only wants to fuck you.'

My eyebrows scrunched in confusion. 'I wasn't even planning to have any business with him.'

'Okay. Now that we're out of that...' She took a quick pause before continuing. 'Who's that other guy?'

My jaw dropped to the floor.

'Thats my twin brother. His name is Nathan. He's an ass.'

'Well, you really look alike.' I said as we shared a laugh.

'By the way, thanks for saving me from that locker.' Nora added, her voice low enough so just I could hear. 'I think we're going to be friends, Ivy.'

My heart swelled, and for the first time in what felt like ages, a real smile spread across my face. 'I'd like that.'