Salem

✨Chapter 3✨

If you ask me what the worst part of the day is on the first day of school I would say break, which the bell has just rung for. I don't count on Rowan and Alivia inviting me to sit with them, but when they do I have a half mind to refuse just to explore, but of course, Alivia convinces me that sitting alone was probably worse than losing a few brains cells sitting with Rowan and her.

We walk to the end of the field and sit. We don't talk for a while, Rowan reading through some Korean notes and Alivia checking what lunch she had.

"Scarlet Stacy Stanhope! You can't just do that to people!" I turn around to see Scarlet and another stocky, blonde girl walking towards us.

"I didn't mean to! His face was just kinda...there?!" Scarlet retorts with a giggle as the other girl starts to laugh disbelievingly.

Rowan and Alivia scoot over so that Scarlet and the other girl can sit.

"Ellie! Everyone, this is Ellie. She's new to our school, just got here today!"
"Ellie, this is Annie, and this is-"

"Scar, she knows us," Alivia interjects.
"Rowan and I are in the same class as her."

Scarlet unpacks her lunch, looking dejected at being interrupted.

"Well, I should tell you guys," We all look up to see Annie smiling brightly at Scarlet. "Scar nearly killed Percy, just now."

Scarlet lifts her hands up in exasperation.

"I didn't nearly kill him!"

"Sure, your arm just happened to swing across and hit him in the face full force."

"Okay, that part might not have been an accident, but I still didn't want to kill the boy!"

Just as she says this a boy with curly ash brown hair and a bright purple bruise on his cheek walks up to the group.

"Hey guys, I feel like something's changed that I don't know about..." He looks around the group with a playfully bemused expression on his face.

"Oh! Percy, this is Ellie, she's new to the school." Scarlet jumps up and pushes me forward.

"Ah," Percy smiles happily at me, the corners of his eyes crinkling slightly and sticks his hand out for me to shake.
"Lovely to meet you."

I simply smile tightly and sit back down, Percy sitting next to me, on the other side plonked Scarlet, making the most unladylike sound as she sat.

"Hey," Scarlet turned to me, pulling out a packet of chips from her bag.
"Have you got lunch?"

I shake my head. "No, I was in a bit of a rush this morning..." I say, not mentioning that fact that it was Moony who had dropped one of my moonstones and nearly broken it (oh, the irony - I know) resulting in a huge fight between Mom and myself about whether or not we should keep her. I'm not too worried though, before I left I saw Mom petting Moony. She quickly stopped when she saw me though.

"Here, have some." Scarlet says as she throws a pack of chips to me.

"Uh, thanks..." I smile awkwardly.

I look up to see a slim, tall girl walking toward us. She smiles and sits down by us.

"Hi, I'm Stella," She says with a wave of her hand.

I reply quietly, "Ellie." And wave shortly.

The group continues chatting with each other, all seeming to fit perfectly like a puzzle. They all compliment each other in different ways.

It's...nice...

Just before the bell to end break rings another girl walks up to us. She smiles awkwardly and adjusts the giant glasses on her face, baring many similarities to my own.

"Oh, there's Char," Stella points her out to me.

As she reaches us though, the break bell rings, startling her and causing her to drop the books she was carrying.

Percy, being the closest, picks up the books and hands them to her.

She mutters a quick thanks, hands one of the books to Rowan and scurries off.

Something seems to have excited her and she walks with more of bounce in her step.

As she turns around I see it. Her face contorts into one that reminds me of a serial killer, her smile looks wonky and skew but it's there.

The unmistakable smile of madness, but as soon as I'm about to say something about it, Alivia taps me on the shoulder and suggests we start getting to class.

I guess I must have just been imagining it...

Yes!!! Another chapter out, I am sooooo sorry for the long chapter publishing gaps but block tests have just started☹️

Anyway hope you enjoy
~CS out!