Monica had known from the moment she arrived in Maize that something was off. It seemed impossible for a whole town to be boring, but that’s what it was. It was grey, depressing and bland. Coming from New York, the place was far to quiet for her tastes. Everyone seemed to be in a perpetual whisper.
Monica guessed that was why her grandparents decided to live there.
She had arrived to Maize as an eight year old, and had been welcomed into the school by everyone.
If there were anything you could say about Maize, it would be that it was an extremely friendly town. She found a friend quickly, and everything was a breeze.
Except for the fact that her mother was dead.
Her face haunted her dreams. It remained with perfect clarity. Monica just wished she would go away.
Now sixteen, the night terrors had faded to once every so often, and she had gotten on with her life.
She stood in front of her school, sighing inwardly. Summer had been and gone. It had been humid and irritating, but at least it wasn’t school. Not that Monica found school to be difficult, it was that school was humid and irritating and boring.
She pulled her bag over her shoulders and went to find her friend, Stephanie. The school was a spread out place, with classrooms here and there. There was one main building in the centre were assemblies where held.
Monica found Stephanie leaning against its wall checking her phone. She was a sweet-faced girl with big eyes and a small face. Her blonde hair was tied in tight knot, but her unruly blonde hair was already escaping. Monica was grateful for her tame, red hair.
“Hey Mons.” Stephanie said, not looking up.
“Hey.” Monica said, dumping her back and slumping down next to her. “How was camping?”
Stephanie clicked her tongue and turned off her phone. She gave Monica an annoyed glance.
“Horrifying. Absolutely unbearable.” She said, “The tent smelled like piss, no Internet and it was just uncomfortable.”
“No good looking guys?”
“None.” She huffed.
“Aw, that sucks.” Monica said.
“I don’t understand the appeal of camping.” She said, “We have houses. Nice, safe raccoon proof houses. Why on Earth would I want to sleep on the ground, in the hot in a small enclosed space with two other people?”
“Calm down.” Monica said, “You’re ranting.”
Stephanie sighed and crossed her arms.
“I despise camping.”
“Who would have guessed?”
The bell rang, signaling the start of the day.
Monica had a pleasant day, finishing up with ancient history, her favourite. They talked about the Roman Empire, most specifically its centre: Rome.
“In Roman mythology two twin boys were born, named Romulus and Remus. As babies they were left to die in the river Tiber.” Mr. Clarence said, using elaborate handsgestures “They were carried down the river and found by a lupa, a female wolf who gave them milk and acted as their mother before they were found by a shepherd.”
Monica scrawled down notes, happily listening to Mr. Clarence talk about Romulus and Remus.
When she looked up she noticed the boy sitting next to her was looking around nervously and tapping his pen. She leaned over and asked in a quiet voice:
