Lea Moore [Sequel to Raine Walker] (ON-HOLD)

Chapter One

       

         I stand before the large building, plastered with banners about prom. Wide-eyed, I'm literally frozen before a giant crowd of cheerleaders, dressed in high skirts and low cut shirts. I blink a few times, wondering if I'm imagining stereotypical cheer-whores. Nope. They're still there.

        The naked and frozen trees before the large, four story brick building makes this all a little more intimidating to the eye. This place looks a lot more bigger than my previous high school. By the looks of the crowd of people standing outside or herding into the building, there's a lot of people with a lot of cliques. I adjust my backpack upon my left shoulder, sighing to see my breath visible in the cold air. I shiver, imagining that those cheer-whores must be cold.

        I decide that it's time to begin the remainder of my high school career now, so I head up the stone steps towards the front doors of the building. Other people herd inside as well as I do, shivering as they enter the toasty building. I glance around at the blue lockers, seeing peopled huddled around each other, staring at their cell phones. 

        Typical.

        I glance around, trying to decipher where the hell the principal's office is located. It's like a maze, and whichever hallway you take, you are led into another irrelevant direction. As I descend farther down the hall, I feel overwhelmed by the amount of people turning their glances to me. It's like I'm a mouse - everyone is a hungry cat seeking prey. Oh, such a great metaphor.

        I glance slightly at some people looking at me, leaning to a friend to whisper something in their ear. I cringe, knowing exactly what the whispering was about. They recognized me. Not like we've met before, though. Only through a television screen.

        My face was plastered all over the news, especially after Lacey was caught and convicted of her crime. I remember sitting in front of the television one afternoon, Scott pulling me close to him as the verdict was revealed. Adam sat on the adjacent couch, watching the headline scroll across the screen. 

        "Lacey Walker will be sentenced to sixty years in the woman's psychiatric institution for treatment," the anchorman stated. I specifically remember the chills coursing its way down my spine as the words were spoken. She was mentally insane...

        I remember glancing away from the TV, directly to Scott. His eyes were on mine and only mine. Scott's chocolate brown eyes drew me in, making me feel a lot more relieved that he's here for me. He simply pulls me closer to him, letting me lean my head on his shoulder as we cuddled on the couch.

        Walking through the hallways, I knew that I wasn't such an invisible person anymore. Everyone practically knew who I was. I was the girl whose mother was insane and kidnapped her when she was only five. I swallow the knot of anxiety forming in my throat, rushing a little quicker to where I suspected the principal's office to be. I told myself that there was a part of me that didn't care that I was recognized, but I'm not used to this type of attention, whatsoever.

         To my luck, the principal's office was directly before my eyes at the end of the hall. All eyes were still on me. I grit my teeth as I open the office door, catching the glance of the receptionist. She glances at me - a grin on her face at first. That was until she recognized who I was. I stand there, hearing the door click shut behind me. I awkwardly glance beside me, trying to figure out where the principal's office was. I glance back at the stunned receptionist with voluminous grey hair.

        "Hi, I'm looking for Mrs. Harris," I state shyly at the receptionist.

        "Oh, yes. I see. You can have a seat right there. She's currently out at the moment. She should be in any second," she says, quickly and fluently. I bite my lip, heading towards the line of chairs. I glance up at the wall above the chairs, seeing school awards for being #1 in academics. I glance at old shots of the large school building, missing sections here and there due to recent construction.

        I take a seat, rubbing my sweaty palms on my skinny jeans. I think about how I wanted this. I wanted to come back to school to start off in the right direction for the future. Then, there's the new pit in my stomach that is regretting that decision. It's the first day back! C'mon! Get a grip. This is life. 

        I watch at the receptionist glares at me. She's studying me, probably recalling the countless TV reports about me and my delusional kidnapper. It makes me think about when this will blow over. I wonder when I won't be recognized for my past. I wonder if I'll ever be invisible again.

        Do I want to be invisible again?

        Well, I certainly didn't have a problem with it. I was okay with being unseen to the eye. I could do whatever and think whatever without being judged for my decisions.

        Now, it's all changed.

        I'm noticed, but not in a way that I would like.

        But I can't do anything to change that....