Through the Gate

Chapter One - The Girl in the White Dress

Liam shoved his hands deep into his jacket pockets. Autumn was here, not that he cared, and his father was still in New York City on business. He felt the leaves crunch under his feet as he walked along the walkway towards the school's gate. A warm wind whipped up causing a flurry of leaves to cross his path. He walked through it and caught a whiff of his own signature cologne, Polo Black, in the gusts' blow back. An ex-girlfriend had bought it for him on his last birthday and it became a "thing" he did. As a creature of habit, Liam just kept wearing it. It was nice enough, he supposed, not that it mattered.

Students milled just inside the school gates, some taking shelter under trees, others lying out in the sun. That's the thing he hated about autumn, it couldn't decide to be hot or cold. It was somehow both.

Liam glanced up at St. George Preparatory Academy. The four story brick building towered above as if telling the students how much respect its inanimate magnificence deserved. Someone didn't care much about that as there was fresh graffiti on the fourth story window. How it got there was no mystery. Some enterprising troublemaker had surely rigged a climbing harness up and rappelled from the roof. It was an odd symbol though, an old and withered tree with writing encircling it in a language with which he was unfamiliar. Maybe it was the graffitist's mark? It wasn't important.

He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, "Liam speaking."

"We need the report on the laptop in two weeks." Liam proceeded to rattle off the statistics he had gathered. When he had finished, he asked if they needed anything else. "Yes, find three responsible students to use the product as a trial until the end of the week. If they can write up a one page review, due a week from Friday, they can keep it at the end of the trial."

"Demographics?"

"Two girls, one boy, older than sixteen."

"Did you need anything else, lunch hour is almost over."

The voice on the other end said no, so Liam hung up. It was typical that his father couldn't even ask him himself, what a joke. Liam shook his head and shoved his phone back in his pocket. He held his face up to the sun for a moment, just relishing the warmth on his skin, before he decided that he'd find the trial members later, maybe after school.

Liam made his way to his English lesson and settled in near the window. He tended not to pay much attention in his classes, so he tuned his classmates out as the teacher began to lecture. What was her name? Miss Silva? She was competent enough; he supposed, after all, if she weren't, she never would have been hired. She was in her late twenties with wavy shoulder length brown hair and gentle green eyes. When Liam could be bothered to actually pay attention, he found her to be bright and genuine. She was one of the few teachers who understood that the heir apparent to a behemoth like de Clare Technologies had more important things to deal with in life than essays and exams.

Beside him, a new girl, Gweneth was chattering away to anyone who would listen. The only reason her name stuck, was because she kept repeating it and reintroducing herself to everyone around. She was a loud and opinionated girl with red-blonde hair and wide brown eyes. Liam would have preferred that she were a bit quieter, but he didn't really mind her. That didn't mean he liked her either. As she gossiped away with two of the Academy's resident "royalty," one of the scholarship cases called out for her to shut up.

"Whatever Walker, you're just jealous because no one likes you." She snapped back at him.

Before it could get out of hand, Miss Silva gave them both after-school detentions. Gweneth raised her hand and began to complain to Miss Silva while Walker just sat silently. Miss Silva waved Gweneth off, and reminded the class of an assignment due on Wednesday. She asked if everyone was ready for the presentations. There were grumbles and a few confirmations of remembrance, one in particular sang out in a sweet voice.

"Yes Miss Silva." The Japanese Princess herself, Serena Tottori said smiling.

"Nope," One of the football heroes yelled out, popping the "p" and garnering a laugh from his throng of admirers.

Liam raised his hand. "I wasn't aware of this."

"Ah, Mr. de Clare, you were absent when I gave that out last Friday. I believe it was a Student Council meeting?" She asked and he nodded. "Serena, do you have your notes from that lecture?"

Serena flipped her binder open and handed Liam several pages of notes. They were impeccably written and structured. It looked like one of his own business reports. She pointed out particularly important areas of reference and Miss Silva told him that he had an extention until Friday.

"I'll be ready for the presentation on Wednesday." Liam said, sliding the notes into his own binder. Serena looked impressed and Miss Silva told him not to rush. He never needed extensions though, and he wasn't about to start taking them now. He spoke matter-of-factly, "a deadline is a deadline."

Miss Silva smiled and again addressed the entire class. "Anyone without a valid excuse who is not able to present on Wednesday will receive a week's detention; Morgan Anderson that means you. If you cannot do your homework at home, then you will do it with me after school; regardless of any other commitments."

She singled out the jock from earlier and he blanched. She called Gweneth up and handed her a stack of papers. "Gweneth has your graded assignments from last week; pick them up on your way out. Anyone who scored below seventy percent may attend after-school tutoring in the library Tuesdays and Thursdays until six."

Gweneth stood by the door as the bell rang and the class began to file out. Liam was one of the last to leave. He glanced back at Walker who was still sitting at his desk, just staring out the window. Liam followed his gaze to see a young girl in a white dress sitting on one of the high branches of a tree in the courtyard. Her black sandaled feet swung back and forth rhythmically. She looked up and seemed to catch Walker's eye, then turned to look at Liam and proceeded to jump off the tree bough.

Liam panicked and rushed to the window. That branch was far too high to jump from, what was she thinking!

"What in the-?" Walker exclaimed as he pushed his chair from the desk and closed the gap to the window.

Liam looked down to the grassy area beneath the tree. There was nothing there. No girl and not a trace of her anywhere in the courtyard.

He and Walker shared a look but neither said anything to the other.

-

Author's Note- Liam de Clare is pictured in this chapter, played by Lucky Blue Smith.

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