Peek A Boo

Chapter 1 - Veiled Disguises

A sudden gust of wind blew down the London road, ruffling the coats of people walking. The chilly November air was colder than normal, and many people said that rain was coming. A young boy wrapped his leather jacket tighter around his body. His exposed skin erupted in goosebumps as he continued his walk to school.

Zayn Malik kept his gaze low. He kept his hands in his pockets to keep them warm, his dark skinny jeans provided a weak defense against the wind. He let out a huff of annoyance. He lifted his head up slightly, eyeing the stone building coming up. He wanted nothing more to just run back home and lock himself in his room. At least in there nobody could bother him. He scratched at the sudden itch on his tattoo-laden arm, his thoughts going back to his mom finding his arm covered in a half-sleeve. She wasn't the happiest person, but she didn't say anything negative about it.

He turned into the school yard, the metal gate surrounding the causing the wind to whistle eerily as it passed through it's bars. He ignored the whispers of his fellow school-mates. Zayn was all too aware of what they talked about. He walked up to the giant wooden doors that led to the inside, pushing them open with an effort. He was instantly greeting by a breeze of warm air.

Eldrich Acadamy was an elite school, and some of London's most prestigious members of society sent their children here. Zayn's own father was a successful lawyer, and that aided his campaign to become part of the City Council. Yaser Malik was a powerful man, and his obsession with public appearance forced Zayn to this school. He had put up a fight, but his father always got what he wanted.

Zayn walked through the main hallway, watching as the cement floor turned to linoleum. The city had renovated this school from an abandoned church, refurbishing it to help give their city a school fit for London's image. The classrooms used to be prayer rooms where priests and nuns would teach scripture. The large cafeteria was the main meeting hall for all church services. The legacy of the building was great, until a nun was found raped and murdered. Some people said that the priests and nuns raped the children, selling them into sex slavery. It wasn't ever proven, but many students and faculty claim that the school is haunted.

He turned down another hallway, stopping in front of a flight of stairs. He gripped the hand rail tightly, trying to muster the strength to brave the day. After months of abuse, the bullying was starting to get to him. He never understood why people here didn't like him. There was only one person here who talked to him like he mattered, but Zayn couldn't even call that boy a friend yet.

Zayn sighed and started up the stairs. He clutched the shoulder straps of his backpack, the weight of his school books giving him back pain. He stared at the stairs as he went up. A ghost of smile played on his lips as he saw the intricate graffiti marks on the front of each step. He'd be lying if he said he hadn't added to them when he avoided class.

He walked into his first class of the day, sliding into his desk. He set his backpack on the desktop and pulled out last night's homework. English and Literature had never been his greatest subject, but he was very proud of the work he did. Mrs. Rommel decided to teach the class a unit on poetry, assigning the class to write a haiku. While writing anything ended up in a low grade for Zayn, poetry and art were his expertise. While Zayn was excited about his poem, he was also nervous about his teacher reading it. He chose a topic that wasn't the happiest, but it held a truth about Zayn and the school.

The bell rang, it's high pitched whine warning students to get to class on time. Students walked in the room in clusters, the stragglers out of breath from running up the stairs. Mrs. Rommel shut the door, following her policy that if you really wanted to learn you'd be on time. She stood at her podium in the front of the class, marking attendance on his seating chart. People around Zayn were talking about the football game tonight, and even about the homework assignment. They weren't as excited about the latter.