Sitting on the train that morning I wondered what the day had in store for me; My brother and I had just moved to Sweet Amoris to live with my Aunt and Uncle and it was my first day at my new college. I glanced around at the men and women suited and booted for the daily grind and silently wished my dad good luck at his new job, half way across the world, at the same time I also hoped that my first day would go just as well.
Emerging into the bright sunshine I automatically shaded my eyes against the glare before rooting around in my bag for my sunglasses. Better get the map out too, I thought to myself as I located it. Even though I had been to visit my aunt every year since I was twelve, I still couldn’t get my bearings in Sweet Amoris and it took me a while to find both the high college and my own location on the map. By the time I did I knew I was going to be late.
The final bell was ringing when I finally pushed my way through the doors of Sweet Amoris and the corridors were rapidly clearing as the students made their way to their classes.
Fantastic! It’s my first day and I’m late. What is it mum always says? Start how you mean to go on? Well I’m definitely off to a fine start, if I was a rebel.
I sighed and looked around for someone to point me in the direction of the head master’s office and saw a red-haired guy leaning up against a set of lockers eyeing me, a slight smirk on his face. I tilted my head and raised an eyebrow enquiringly at him and he crooked a finger beckoningly at me which caused a frisson of emotion to go through me; he was seriously cute in a juvenile detention kind of way and I shrugged thinking, what the hell, and went over to see what he wanted.
“Lost?” He asked, looking concerned.
“Er, yeah.” I replied, about to ask which way it was to the head master’s office.
“Too bad, I’m not.” He gave me a wry grin and pushed himself away from the lockers, turning to head down the corridor and calling out over his shoulder, “Nice hair by the way."
I frowned and automatically brought a hand up to touch my long locks; admittedly the colour was a bit off the wall, but it had been a dare my best friend Marisol had set me and since I hadn’t wanted her to call me chicken, I had done it. Now I looked at the deep green strands of hair that slipped through my fingers and wondered what had possessed me to do it. I sighed; today was not going well, and it wasn’t going to get better if all I did was stand in the hallway talking to the college jerk. As if he could talk anyway! His hair was bright red for pity’s sake! Not that it detracted from his good looks, and in fact the colour only enhanced the smoky grey eyes that had levelled me with a steady assessing stare that had made shivers run up and down my spine.
Jerk!
I yanked my bag more securely over my shoulder and huffed my way down the corridor before spotting a sign on a door that said: Student Council Office. Sounds from within told me that someone was inside, so I knocked as I turned the handle, poking my head cautiously around the door.
“Can I help you?” I pleasant sounding voice asked and I looked over to see that the face matched the voice; a generous smile and warm golden brown eyes gazed in my direction and I entered the room fully.
“I hope so.” I began hesitantly “The last person I asked wasn’t that helpful. I’m looking for the principal’s office. I’m new.” I added unnecessarily as the boy turned slightly to one side and began rifling through some papers that were piled up on the desk.
“Ephie?” He asked, turning back to face me, “That’s an odd name.” He eyed my hair and gave me a tentative smile, “But I guess you’re not like other girls that are enrolled here.
“Oh no,” I said quickly grabbing hold of my hair and throwing it over my shoulder, which only succeeded in bringing more attention to its unusual colour rather than less. “I’m just like everyone else. It’s just my friend, well my best friend really, she dared me that I wouldn’t put a box of hair dye on my hair that she found sitting in the back of a cupboard…” I trailed off as he raised his eyebrows at me as if to ask why I would be that stupid. “We didn’t know it’d go green.” I said in a small voice as he seemed to stifle a smile.
“I’m the student body president, Nathaniel. Before you go to the head mistress you need to finish filling in your enrolment form and get a photo taken down at the office for your college ID.”
I nodded seriously and Nathaniel handed me my form back and I saw with dismay that he had underlined my name and put a question mark next to it. No way am I filling in my full name. I will never hear the end of it and it’s not even as though I can deflect attention onto my brother this time.
“Er Nathaniel? Why is there a question mark next to my name?" Please don’t tell me to put my full name down, please don’t tell me to put my full name down, please don’t tell -
“Oh you need to fill in your full name –“
“NO!” Both of us jumped as I realised I had shouted at him. I took a deep breath as Nathaniel took a step back and gave me a look that made me wonder if he thought I was crazy. “I’m sorry, it’s just my parents are completely mental and they gave me the stupidest name in the whole world. Next to my brother that is, but he’s gone away to Uni so…” I trailed off again as Nathaniel gave me a thoughtful look.
“You stick up for each other?” He asked me, and I thought of my brother Vere and the jeering of the bullies that turned into sniffles and tears when he showed them what he thought of their name calling.
I grinned, “Yeah, we stick up for each other. Him more than me, after all he’s older, wiser, bigger, stronger and many other adjectives in between. I don’t tell him that though, he’d get a big head.” I paused, “A bigger head” I amended. “So I just have to get an ID right?”
Nathaniel nodded, so I thanked him and, after getting the directions I needed in the first place, headed for the office thinking to myself that I’d probably talked too much but at least I hadn’t been rebuffed like I had with that snotty red head.
