Call the Witch

Chapter 1 Bad Reputation

"People tell me that you run around and that you're no good
You got a bad reputation
I don't care what all the people say, you know they talk too much
It's a fascination"

Kiss

It was raining, like almost all year, according to what they said. I was travelling slow with my precious second-hand petrol blue Suzuki Marauder VZ800 in my first day at secondary school. My father, my brother and I had moved from Canada to Ireland that summer, just three weeks ago.

I arrived in time and started to search for the classroom of my first subject. I headed for the corridor, but didn't find what I was looking for. I saw a girl with her back turned, looking through the window. Not seeing anyone else, something unusual keeping in mind the hubbub that always characterizes the beginning of the school year, I got close to her.

"Excuse me, do you know where is the classroom of...?"

She turned around... and left me speechless. As strange as it sounds, her beauty was terrifying. Her skin was deadly pale, her hair plum-dark, her eyelashes so long and her eyes, of deep green, mysterious. Mermaids must have eyes like that. Maybe she'd been a generous hand with kohl, but the skirt to the mid-thigh fits her so well. She was wearing black mittens that didn't look like regulations.

"What classroom? You had chosen the wrong corridor, here is only the library." She informed me.

"Ah, yes, sorry. I've just arrived and I can't find the classroom of French."

"You have to climb one floor."

Although she wouldn't mind helping me, I felt a wall around her.

"Thanks." I held out my hand and I flashed her my most winning smile. "Evan Green."

She looked at my extended hand like she didn't know what to do with it. She didn't shake it and I kept it in the pocket, embarrassed.

"Fáinne1 Strange."

"Pleased to meet you. I hope to meet you in class."

"Sure..." She whispered.

"See you later."

She agreed and I left, happy because the school year just started and I had already met a pretty girl. And besides I knew her name. How simple I was. Suffice to say that she has captivated me.

I searched for her in every class that I attended, but I didn't see her till the last one. She was sitting alone at the end of the classroom, so I took advantage of that and I sat next to her. She looked at me like she didn't understand what I was doing. When the class was over I politely said goodbye and went home.

"How about your first day of class?" My father asked me when I arrived.

"I have met a beautiful girl."

"I see that I invest my money in a good way." He joked.

"Wow, yes that's true. Thank you very much for have chosen a mixed secondary school."

"I'm just regretting that. And you know what your princess' name is?"

"-Fáinne Strange."

"So... flashy. Artistic. Like somebody of the Addams Family or something like that."

I agreed while I prepared a sandwich.

The following day I started to make friends with my classmates. We were talking about hockey and I was thinking to join to the hurling team. In Canada I was known in the Youth Hockey League.