Instincts ✔️ [COMPLETED]

Chapter 1

Rain pours down the window, enormous black clouds gathering above the melancholy town I call home. I put my face against the window, letting the cold glass cool my hot forehead.

Bored, I turn to face an alleyway just right in front of my house. I live in the corner of a street that no one knew of, or even cared about. Dark, long stretches of shadows loomed in the alleyway. If I'm not crazy, I'm sure I see a flash of bright white thunder that lit up the alleyway, and there, in the corner, someone stood.

He had a long, black cloak, and yellow eyes; sharp, narrow, cat-like eyes. Black gloves and light-brown hair also accompanied the strange person.

Startled, I step back, and look wildly around the room. My blood pulses, adrenaline coursing through my veins. My eyes dart back and forth, scanning the dark, empty alleyway. I think I see him smirk. Another bright, white light flashed harshly, and the living room suddenly lit up. The clouds darkened and sent a heavy mass of rain down. After the flash, my memory blurred and rain kept on trickling down the window.

The mysterious light-brown-haired person is gone.

~ ~ ~

I groan as Tiffy scratched my scarf hanging by my chair. The soft, well-worn velvet scarf now lay shredded at the claws of my cat. Her claws quickly sheathed, she raises her haunches, and scampers across my room, heading to cower under the safety of my bed.

I grab the tattered scarf in my hands and walk slowly to my mother, who eyes the velvet cloth sadly.

"Oh, no. Tiffy shredded this one too?" she asks, already knowing the answer.

"Yes. In fact, she scratched at the fabric so it is loose enough to make reusing the cloth easier.," I say, handing it to her.

In my family, we reuse old things. We aren't super rich like the higher-classed families living their sweet lives in mansions. We are poor. My mom will probably be reusing the old, shredded scarf to make a new hat or shirt.

Suddenly, my mom places her hand on my shoulder and guides me to our old, springy couch. She sits down, resulting in the couch making a squeaky groan. She pulls a loose strand of hair behind her ear and looks at me in the eyes.

My mom is very pretty, with dark-brown hair that coils around in loops. She has green eyes, with a small nose and full lips. We all have red cheeks and dimples at each corner of our mouths in my family. I have long hair even darker than my mom's with blue eyes and a long, lean body.

"I have an announcement. You know Brookdale High School, right?"

"Yes, the one I used to go to that got destroyed because one of the high-classes wanted to build a VIP pool?"

"Well, I applied you to Alkrok High School!" she screams with delight while I stare with my mouth wide open.

I put my hand on my arm and pinch it. You know, just to make sure this was actually happening. There it was, the sharp sting. This was actually happening! Alkrok High was a private school, and you had to be accepted in order to join.

"My very own Kate Rayson could be going to a legendary school!" my mother squeals with delight. She hugs me, so tight that the air in my lungs comes out, all at once.

"Thank you! Thank you so much," I cry, tears rolling down my pale cheeks.

"The acceptance letter will come next week, and by then, we'll know if you'll join or not," my mom whispers, her long, elegant fingers pulling my hair into a neat braid. I lay it against my neck, feeling the soft bumps of the braid.

"I really hope I get accepted," I say, turning to my mom.

"Me too!" she says as she pulls me into a tight hug.