When Bunny Knocks on the Door

Chapter 1

Taylor turned over a page of the calendar; today was Wednesday.

Mom had called her for breakfast downstairs. She probably made French toast, which was her favorite. The soft smell of cinnamon had touched her nose; it couldn't be wrong. She sighed and crumpled the torn calendar page into a ball. She unconsciously brushed her blond hair with one hand while picking up her backpack. Just about to twist the doorknob, she accidentally saw herself in the closet mirror. She was startled for two seconds; then reached out one hand to touch the cold mirror. She blinked; the girl in the mirror also blinked. Black circles seem to have worsened, she thought.

"Taylor! You're going to be late for school!"

She returned back to earth. "I'm coming!" She answered loudly, jumping down the stairs.

She sat in her seat. In front of her was a piece of French toast with strawberry jam and a boiled egg next to it. Austin was almost finished, drinking the last drop of milk in the cup. He had just begun high school in the fall. Mom and dad wanted him to go to the same high school as her. She glanced at her brother. The 14-year-old boy was almost as tall as her, and he was strong, which was good since her parents said he could protect her. I don't need him to protect me, she thought, cracking the eggshell angrily. She peeled the egg white into small pieces, staring at the round yolk in the dish distractedly. She heard her mom calling from the kitchen: "The yolk is good for you, Taylor. Look how slim you are."

She pouted. Pushing Austin with her elbow, she whispered, "Eat the yolk for me?" Austin looked at his sister helplessly, but still put the yolk into his bowl after all.

"You are the best," she grinned, poking at her brother's cheek.

"Ready, kids?" Dad put down the newspaper, looking at his watch. "Time to go." She and Austin hurried to put the dishes in the sink, grabbed their backpacks and hugged their mom goodbye. She took her cello while Austin carried his trumpet and rushed to the garage.

School was not far from home, about a ten minute drive. The school gate was bustling with kids walking in, laughing and chattering. She and Austin waved goodbye and went to their classes. She opened her locker and put the books in. A rich smell of nutella drifted out from the locker on the left side; Selena probably brought a sandwich again as a recess snack. That girl, slightly shorter than her, was as energetic as a calf with healthy tan skin, always wandering around with all kinds of snacks. Mom wanted her to be like Selena. She was already a high schooler and but still as slender as a bean sprout. She had been a picky eater ever since she was a child. She refused to eat anything she didn't like. She had a touch of stubbornness in her composition.

Selena crept up from behind, slammed on Taylor's shoulder and stunned her. "What?" She glanced at her best friend.

"Just trying to wake you up! I saw you standing there in a daze," Selena replied smugly. "The bell is ringing, let's go!"

She nodded, ready to take out her folders and notebooks from her locker. She blinked again, turned around and asked sheepishly, "What's the first class?"

"You forgot? Computer science, today is Wednesday!"

Oh, how could she forget, today was Wednesday.

She sighed, remembering the frustration this morning like a ball of tangled algae when she threw the torn page of calendar into the bin. Selena saw it, but she pretended she didn't, just grabbed Taylor's arm and ran straight to class.

The classroom was almost full. Everyone was seizing the moment to chat before the teacher arrived. She and Selina slipped into two seats in last row by the window. She calmed her breath and pressed on the power button, trying to get the sound of the computer to cover her heartbeat. The noisy surrounding suddenly faded away like a tide. No one dared to speak; the sound of heels hitting the floor was all that could be heard in the classroom.

Her heart seems to be jumping out of her chest. She buried her head lower.

That's Miss Kloss, the most fearful teacher in the school. The Miss Kloss whose green eyes could pierce through your soul. The Miss Kloss who could make your computer science score lower the average grade of all of your courses.

"Turn the book to page seventy-nine. Today we are going to learn how to use Photoshop for image processing." She heard that commanding voice from the platform. Taking a deep breath and opened the textbook, she still inevitably wrinkled her face in a scowl. Science was never her strong point. Those strange letter symbols always scattered all over her mind and could never arrange into an orderly formula. She had the urge to sprawl on the desk, but she forced herself to sit up, pulling out a pencil and some paper to take notes from the blackboard. She only hoped she could figure out today's new information by herself after school. Although she was not the top student in class, she was the kind of obedient kid who always finished all their work.

"Tay...Taylor!" Selena whispered, tapping on her toes. She raised her head in confusion. "I think I saw the Devil glancing at you. Have you done anything wrong?"

"Wha...what can I do?" She swallowed nervously. "Computer science is the class I work hardest on, all because I'm afraid that she'll pick on me."

"That makes sense," Selena nodded thoughtfully. "I don't know why, she seems to be particularly interested in you. See, wherever we sit in the classroom, her eyes always glue to your seat."

"Nonsense," Taylor tried to suppress her anxiety. "She treats the whole class the same. Last time Cara forgot her homework, she made her write five papers..." Selena suddenly clamped her hand over her mouth. "Shh! She's looking over here again."

The girls hurried to focus on the various images appearing on the screen, in an attempt to get through the remaining half an hour.

Accompanied by the ringing of bell was that cold voice, "You are dismissed." Although Miss Kloss's class was so compact that you could hardly breathe, it never went over time. She seemed to understand the importance of the ten-minute recess for the students.

Selena was really eating a nutella sandwich while shouting wide-eyed: "I told you, this is definitely not the first time. Remember the presentation last week? She was only taking notes as other kids presented. But when it came to your turn, her eyes didn't leave you for the whole time! I swear that intense gaze could burn a hole into you! Do you hear me, Tay?"

"I...I do!" She absentmindedly nodded in a hurry. Of course she knew. She didn't even dare to raise her head, for fear of looking into that pair of dreadful predator eyes. She had to concentrate on the script in her hand, trying hard to keep her voice from trembling. She still stuttered. She could not help it; her legs were too weak to hold her up. She didn't know her grade yet. She hoped it was not too bad. She had been preparing for this for a long time.

"There is definitely something fishy about this, if you ask me," Selena finally finished the last piece of her sandwich, wiping her mouth with her hand. "I just don't understand...you aren't that kind of straight-A student. There's no reason why the Devil should pay special attention to you."

"Hey! I worked hard." She pouted. Selena just giggled and took her arm. "Come on, let's go to the next class."

They were studying Hamlet in English class. She was frightened when they read Frankenstein last month. Selena laughed at her about her cowardliness. Their English teacher was a male teacher who had just turned thirty. Selena started fangirling every time she saw him walking into the classroom. She had not mocked about that yet! Taylor huffed, opened her bag and took out Hamlet. She saw a slight bend in the lower corner of the cover and quickly unfolded it. 

In Act III, Scene I, the King and Polonius intended to spy on Hamlet's confrontation with Ophelia; however, they were discovered. Working himself into a rage, Hamlet denounced Ophelia, women, and humankind in general. The teacher asked Ed and Martha to perform this scene on stage. Ed's intonation of "To be or not to be" was so exaggerated that the classroom was filled with laughter, whereas Martha's lament for her beloved's departure was so moving that Taylor couldn't help shedding tears.

Selena rubbed her eyes and sighed, "Poor Ophelia. I wish to God my love story won't have so many ups and downs." She rested her head in her hands and quickly put her sorrow behind her. "He must be tall and handsome, oh, and also humorous. He will bring me all kinds of surprises. I don't like people who are too serious." She poked at her friend sitting beside her, "What about you, Taylor? How's your future Prince Charming?"