Doctor Strange: The Eternal Flame *DISCONTINUED*

Chapter 8

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AUTHOR'S NOTE:

WOWZA! Took a while for me to get this written. Life has been pretty busy lately! Hopefully, you guys enjoy this next chapter. I really hope it was worth the wait! <3

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Samrah swung her legs to the rhythm of her heart which was beating erratically. She couldn't help the feeling of dread pooling in her gut but she couldn't just walk back to the Sanctum. Not after Stephen had told her specifically to go to school. Before he fainted.

She was worried about him, he looked exhausted and near ready to die. She should be at the Sanctum, helping him heal or something. Samrah felt really bad about it. Especially since she would be going to school for the first time alone... She wished she had friends to go with her. Life would be so much easier if she had friends by her side. She had Ashton but Ashton was homeschooled and two years older than her. Samrah would have to go out in the open and introduce herself to hundreds of kids and hope some of them or any of them were compatible.

Her new backpack thumped against her spine and her zippers jingled. Her hands were covered with mittens because the air had a certain bite to it. A fluffy scarf was wrapped around her neck and covered her mouth. The scarf was damp against her lips from her water vapor-air. She shivered against the cold that drifted in through her sleeves. She'd always hated winter, mostly because of the cold. Samrah and the cold were not the greatest friends. Even when the wintertime bathed the world in a sheet of sparkling snow, she still didn't like it. Even though she loved the look of snow. The feel of snow? That was a whole different story.

She mumbled into her scarf and beat her hands against her thighs to get them warm. She wished Stephen hadn't insisted on her walking. It was completely unnecessary and pretty impractical. Maybe if she told him how cold it was outside, he would reconsider his decision. Or... Maybe not. Samrah was already almost to the school but the freezing air had already taken its toll on her body. What she wouldn't give for a heated jacket. Maybe those existed, maybe they didn't. Either way, she wanted it badly. This jacket wasn't warm enough on its own.

When Samrah reached the main entrance of the school she stopped to read the welcome sign. Her eyes widened in terror and shrunk inside of herself. Stephen had sent to a school for smart people?! She'd never even been to school before! Was he that egotistic as to send her to a place that would most likely drown her in academics? She frowned deeply and shoved her assumptions aside. Whatever her guardian was thinking, he obviously had a plan. He wouldn't send her here if he didn't have a good reason.

Samrah took a deep breath and joined the stream of students entering the school building. She hesitated for a single moment before gulping down her fear and pushing the glass doors open.

Samrah sighed as she accepted the warmth that the building brought. It was a very very very big difference from the unforgiving chill of winter. She slipped her mittens off and put them in her pockets along with her hands. She let out a single puff of breath before looking down at the floor and fighting through the crowd. Samrah said a few 'sorry' and 'pardon me's before she popped out of the sea of teenagers and headed to where the front office was. She was supposed to meet with the principal to get her schedule and to have a tour. Samrah hoped the principal was giving the tour and not a student. She still wasn't quite ready for social interaction. Even though she had been practicing in the mirror all morning.

Samrah turned the doorknob and shuffled into the front office. There were some students bustling around but none of them noticed her, which was a relief. She sidestepped up to the front desk and waited for the woman to be done talking on the phone. The woman glanced down at Samrah kindly and smiled.