Icarus (Book 1 of the Reincarnate Series)

Chapter 2

"Danny...? Are you okay?" questioned Rae, pulling Danielle back into bustling crowd amidst the school hall. The black haired fiend had vanished within the mass, leaving her with traces of a strange scent and throbbing temples.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a headache." she replied, pressing her forefinger to her temple. "He just bumped into me."

"Jerk." Rae replied, approaching her friend. She glanced at Danielle's face, expression concerned. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Danielle smiled, playing off the incident as though it were nothing which, in her mind, it was. Teenagers were rude. "Come on, let's get to class."

The bell rang just as Danielle entered her English 4 class, now by herself. Rae had the period off, and she used that time to take a cat nap in the study hall. Rae had allowed free time into her senior schedule, but Danielle had filled hers to the brim with classes. She was in the run to graduate with good grades. She was no sterling scholar, but she was striving for her best. Her sights were fixated on attending University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Her mother didn't approve of her degree choice, but she had her heart set on obtaining a Bachelor's in Journalism. She had already looked into the programs offered, and discovered a study abroad opportunity in Italy that would look great for her academic career. And what better way to explore the history of Weres, than in their place of origin? She was saving for both tuition and the cost of the semester trip, which is why she worked herself as much as possible; but she hadn't told her parents. They were extremely averse to her venturing too far from home.

What better way to get away from them, then to be on the opposite side of the world? She thought unhappily.

Despite her intent to do well academically, her mind wandered as Ms. Lawrence droned on about thesis statements and the requirements of propositional writings. Danielle tapped the edge of her somewhat blank notebook with her pencil, staring out the window near her desk. The October weather outside was now dreary and wet, somehow tickling the sour mood she had experienced this morning. Even now, she couldn't understand why she had been off kilter, but it was seriously dampening her day. The weather was reflecting her inner annoyances, it seemed.

The entrance door to the classroom creaked open and Danielle, as well as the other students, looked up, because it was easier to stare at a distraction instead of focusing on the PowerPoint putting them to sleep. Danielle's annoyance flared up within her chest, her heart racing as a black haired and pale figure entered the room. Ms. Lawrence paused and blinked at the boy awkwardly sticking his head into the classroom.

"Is this English 4?" he questioned, brow arched with inquisition. It was the same person who had bumped into her in the hallway. Danielle averted her eyes back to her notes, uninterested.

"Yes," replied Ms. Lawrence, the old woman straightening her bifocals on her straight nose. Despite her old looks, Danielle thought she might have been pretty in her younger years. Her eyes were catlike, and the brightest blue she had ever seen. "Are you the new student? Mr. uh..." she glanced at the attendance roll clasped to a clipboard. "Mr. Samuels?"

He smiled, teeth reflecting the dim daylight filtering into the room. "Yes, that's me."

"Well," replied Ms. Lawrence with a smile. "Welcome. Take a seat right over there."

For Danielle, she almost sighed with relief as he sat clear across the other part of the room, a seat closest to the door. He didn't pay attention to her, either because he hadn't noticed her or he was purposely avoiding acknowledging her. Danielle hoped it stayed that way. His encounter with her in the hall, followed by him looking at her as he sauntered away, had irritated her.