Growing up as a child, I had always heard of the God-for-saken place called Hell. The fiery, torturous hole, over a thousand miles into the earth. My mom used to tell me that’s where demons origin from. The ones that take you to the depths of the earth when you die. I never believed in demons, let alone Hell. Little did I know, that Hell wasn’t some fiction story, and that Hell actually didn’t have fire and scary dragons soaring across the sky. Hell is a place on Earth, and that those little demons live in your head.
***
I pulled my long-sleeve sweater over my cold hands. I let out a small, shaky breath, and watched as it turned into mist and disappeared into the crisp, cold air. Fall is my favourite season, for several reasons. The fashion, the colors, the leaves, the weather wasn’t too hot, or too cold, Halloween, and the Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks. But, least of all: School. I was going into High School, at a new school. I could feel my anxiety churning in my stomach, and my mind racing to the worst possibilities. What if they hate me? What if they think I’m weird? Will I have any friends? Will the boys like me?
My mind was racing a marathon as I quickly walked on the sidewalk. I was new to the city, a small city inside Canada. I originated from Halifax, but flew to Alberta for a new life. I could see the school coming into distance as I walked closer. The large, brick building with concrete exterior. The windows lined with the wall, and already I was able to tell I wouldn’t like it there. The school was kind of sad looking, with its dingy, worn out walls. I let out a sigh as I joined in a large crowd of people filing into the school. There was chatter everywhere, and so many unfamiliar faces. I kept my head low and didn’t make eye contact with anyone. We were all guided into the gymnasium, where we were sorted by grade. We were all given our schedule, and told to head to our first class.
Entering my first class was intimidating. Very, very intimidating. Our Chemistry teacher, Mr. Goodburr, was a hefty, old man with a large bald spot on his head. I, for one, didn’t find it particularly attractive. He gave a brief lecture about classes, expectations, and getting things done on time. He seems to be a jolly man, though. With his booming voice that takes hold of everyone’s attention, it was hard to zone out. I glanced around the room to get a better view of the other freshmen in my class. I noticed a platinum blonde on the other end of the room, her face read of pure boredom. On the table next to me, was a pretty brunette girl. Her bright brown eyes were distinctive, and small freckles dotted her cheeks.
I think she caught me looking at her, since she glanced my direction. My eyes widened in embarrassment, but when she flashed me a warm smile, I felt the panic ebb away into relief. Before I knew it, the class was over, and the bell rang obnoxiously. The students all stood up, and strode out into the hallway. I hesitated. There was a sea of people, random chit chat, and the smell of people that I didn’t exactly appreciate.
The brunette girl had stayed behind, too. She casually stood beside me, and also observed the human river.
“Not your thing, eh?” She asked me. Her voice was slightly high pitched. I let out a sigh. “Not exactly” I replied. But soon enough, the crowd started to space out, with most people in their class. A few stragglers stayed behind. I casted a glance towards Mr. Goodburr, and he barely glanced up at us. If he knew we were there, he didn’t care. I felt a little confused, as none of the kids entered the classroom. Maybe
“Come on, let’s go. What’s your next class?”
I stopped briefly to check my schedule. Math. My favourite.
“Math” I replied with an eyeroll. “What about you?” I set my gaze onto her. Her eyes brightened with excitement. “Really? Me too!” She sang cheerfully, before sticking out one of her hands.
“My names Emilia! But you can call me Mia” Her grin widened as I put my hand in hers.
“And my name is Annabelle, but you can call me Ana” I replied, blinking fondly. Mia bit her lip playfully before releasing from me. The two of us left Mr. Goodburr’s room, and out into the almost-deserted hallway. “Hey Mia, can I see your schedule please?” I asked, looking onto her binder. “Yeah for sure” She paused for a moment to pull out a pile of papers. She fingered through them briefly before taking out a page and handing it to me. I studied her classes, before looking at mine. A gasp escaped my mouth.
“No way!” I whispered. Mia cocked her head at me curiously. “Hm? What is it?” My mouth widened into a smile as I showed her my own schedule. Mia yipped happily, and grabbed my hands. Our books fell out of our hands, but neither of us cared.
“We have the same classes together!” Mia cheered. I happily jumped with her.
“Girls! Where are you two supposed to be?” A harsh, manly voice snapped behind us. We guiltily looked at the direction of the voice, to see the vice principal, Mr. Dwent. He strode towards us quickly.
“This is your first day and you two are already lollygagging? Get a move on it!” He raised the papers in his hand in a signal to move. Mia and I exchanged shocked glances, before picking up our stuff and skipping away together, giggling like children.
