Chapter 1

I shield my face from a bright light interfering with my eyesight. Once my eyes have adjusted to the bright rays I notice that the sun is coming from an opening in the canvas tent I am in, the type nomadic people would use.

I look down and notice that I have warm, coffee coloured skin, with strands of long, straight raven-coloured hair hanging down over my smaller than usual frame...since when do I have a fake tan and have dyed my hair black?

I am lying in a bed of sorts on the floor with a rough cotton blanket and a pillow of rolled up material. I roll over drowsily, noticing small feathers and beads had been braided into my hair. Something isn’t quite right...it feels as if this is a dream and yet it is so real....I even feel the pain of my nails biting into my palm as I try to calm my quickly escalating breathing patterns.

Rule number one when you think you’re going crazy: Don’t freak out. Lying next to me I notice a young girl a bit older than me who looks to be about 20 years old, with similar skin and hair to me. Her locks are decorated with far more beads and exotic bird feathers and the clothes she wears have a rich colour I somehow know is only worn by those of a high status.

The girl isn’t unremarkably beautiful, although she has a quiet peace about her as she sleeps deeply. Where the flip am I? 

Suddenly, a man parts the opening of the tent we are in, stepping through uninvited. He has a short black beard, and dark eyes which seem hardened and unkind. He wears extravagant clothing...the kind I remember my history teacher Mrs Simons showing my class pictures of last school term. What had we been discussing?  I struggle to jog my memory. Oh yeah...famous figures of the 16th Century.

He seems familiar; and I feel like I recognize him. He sort of looks like one of the guys Mrs Simons had flicked through on her power-point. Henry? Herman? No...Hernando. That’s it, Hernando Cortés.

The girl next to me quickly opens her eyes, but slowly props herself up on her elbows whilst looking at the man.

“Marina...Malinalli....you need to get up now. The war council wishes to discuss the defences of Tenochtitlan and our strategy once more with you before we attack tomorrow,” The Cortés look-a-like said, looking straight past me as if I was of no importance to him. The man is speaking Spanish, that much I know...but how the hell am I understanding it if I have never learned to speak it? Second question... why in the world am I wearing a butt-ugly dress made of badly processed cotton and some animal skins?  

“I’ll....um....be right there,” The girl responds, bowing her head slightly towards the man. The man nodded at her, before leaving the tent. The girl turns towards me, her exceptionally dark brown eyes serious and forlorn as she says “Today is the day we finally rid this land from the rule of the Aztecs...oh how wonderful it will be and how sweet the revenge shall taste upon my lips. The slaughterers of my brother will experience as a deep a loss as what I have felt since the day they took him from me during the city attack. When we became slaves to Cortés and his men, I did not see the blessing in disguise but I shall finally have my peace after this day. Thank you for your friendship and for remaining a trustworthy sufferer alongside me all these years, Ichika. I don’t know what I would have done without you. Should my usefulness end after I give Cortés the information he seeks and he does away with me, I wish for you to know that of all people you were one of the few I held in high regard.”

Whoa....as stirring a speech as that was, why had she just called me Ichika when I know for a fact my name is Elena? Sounds like the name of some horrid disease....and what does she mean 'get rid of the Aztecs'? Ok....absolutely friggen wonderful, I’m definitely going crazy.

I look at her, stunned into silence. I’m just about to open my mouth to ask her what drugs she and everyone else seem to be on but before I do she pushes herself off the floor of the tent and walks out through the tent entrance.

I get up to follow her, but before I even take a few steps my knees feel like jelly and my vision goes blurry. Out of control I fall to floor, my vision going dark before my head even hits the ground.

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A sound pierces the darkness, and my eyes form thin slits as I open them slowly to see the stone grey-coloured wall of my bedroom, and not that of a tent. I look around further to see other bits of familiar furniture, like my cupboard and white desk which holds my open science book and a half drunk cup of coffee.

 

I turn over in my cocoon of a duvet to gaze at the source of  the shrill noise: my alarm clock telling me its 6:00 AM and that I need to get my a*s up and out of bed before I’m late for school. A huge sigh escapes my lips as I run my hands over my face, stopping to rub my temples. “Ok subconscious, I get the picture...no more late night coffee binges to stay awake and study if I want to prevent myself from having dreams about Mrs Simons history lectures.”

 

I hauled myself out of bed and changed into a pair of dark denim jeans, a soft green top, my rumpled grey knit sweater and some boots before surveying myself in the mirror.

 

“Hmm....not too bad a train wreck for the first day back at school after midterm break.”

 

I quickly draw a line of eyeliner and place mascara on each of my pale green eyes before running my fingers though my unruly mass of long, copper-coloured curls. I would have liked to straighten it, but there’s definitely no time for that now.

 

I pick my bag up off the floor, grabbing my science book off the desk and stuffing it in before running into the kitchen and taking a seat at the table. My dad sits at the head of the table, finishing off some last minute emails before his early morning meeting today while my mom walks up to me with a plate of blueberry flapjacks and whipped cream.

 

She kisses me on the head and places the plate in front of me before saying “morning darling, excited for your last term in Grade 11?” I roll my eyes and dig right into breakfast before replying “Yeah, having a science test set for the first day back makes it all the more exciting” She chuckled at my heavy use of sarcasm, before humming to herself as she shuffled off to her room to get ready for work.

 

I have a few minutes before my dad would be ready to drive me to school, so I took some time to search on my laptop for any link between Cortés and the name Malinalli. I was pretty shocked when the World Wide Web happened to enlighten me on the fact that she was one of the main reasons he had been able to conquer a pretty powerful civilization of the ancient world. Her ability to speak both Spanish and Mayan had helped him make his way into the Aztec Capital Tenochtitlan and then destroy it...just a teeny tiny detail Mrs Simons forgot to mention during her presentation.

 

Ok, cool, so now I’m dreaming about dead people....totally what I want to hear when I’m trying to convince myself I’m NOT going completely nuts. I hear my dad hooting from the driveway, so I close my laptop and run out the house to jump into the back seat. I vow to try and ignore this new development...at least until I come back home.

 

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The drive to school takes a while...the traffic is pretty backed-up due to all the students in Port Greylet travelling back to school today.

My town is tiny in comparison to New York or Tokyo, but it isn't the sort of place which you could blink whilst driving through and miss altogether. Tourists usually flock here during summer, and a lot of money can be made working at any ice-cream store down at the beachfront. I know this from experience, seeing as this term I have only 4 weeks left of weekend shifts at Scoops, a popular ice cream place right on the beach before I can finally quit. When that's done, I can spend all the money I have saved up to buy the scooter I want and with it my freedom.

My phone buzzes, and I reach into my bag to pull it out and read the message I know will be from my best friend Anna.

 "Omygosh when are you getting here? Some new guy is walking into the office to register and may I just add that he is an F.I.N.E addition to the Greylet High's male student body! Seriously...he makes the 8/10's we rated here look like 4/10's in comparison!"

 Oh, typical Anna...first day back and she already has her head in the clouds over some guy.

"Be there soon as soon I can, about 5 minutes away...try not drool too noticeably and gawk at the poor dude in a not very charming manner until I get there" I typed back to her, hitting the send button as we take the side road leading towards my school. 

My dad pulls off to the side into a school parking bay a few minutes later, and I kiss him lightly on the cheek before reaching for the handle and opening the car door.

"Good luck for science Elena, and enjoy your day," I close the door before peering through the open window.

"Thanks Dad, see you at 2:30." I turn around and begin walking towards the school building, when my phone buzzes again. I step through the school door, and walk down the passage towards my locker as I pull my phone out for the second time. "Incoming!!" it reads. 

I barely have enough time to register what the message means before Anna comes hurling at me from behind a corner and encases me in one of her infamous hugs.

The look of surprise on my face morphs into a fit of giggles as I hug her back...I had missed her so much while she was away during the break. My best friend looks like she has just stepped out of a Greek wall mural, with her long legs and flawless skin. Her hazel eyes and sweeping wall of perfectly straightened ebony hair are all I can see as she squeezes me tightly, telling me without words that she had missed me just as much as I had missed her.

She looks ravishing as per usual with a strappy red top, chestnut leather jacket and black pleated skirt with stockings and knee-high boots. She pulls back slightly, assessing me from head to toe.

"Damn girl, how did you manage to get even hotter while I was gone?" She winks at me, and I give her my usual glare which she knows is never serious. She puts her arm around my shoulders as she walks with me towards my locker.

Once we reach it, she leans against the locker next to mine while clutching some of her books to her chest. I busy myself packing books for my first few lessons, while she continues to catch me up on the newest arrival.

"He's just to DIE for Lena, a total jaw-dropping example of a perfect human being....I swear I would have thought he was some fine art statue if he hadn't been wearing normal clothes and moving around. Rumours are flying around about him. Lisa from English told me his parents are British millionaires who own a house in every continent on the map, while Bridgette swears she'll give me the full story in Maths of how he killed someone from the mafia and is hiding out here until things cool down!"

I just listen with half an ear, knowing fully that most girls in my school could twist anything into an over-exaggerated juicy form of gossip if given half the chance. Anna, as much as I love her, also has the tendency to find something at least slightly attractive about a guy, so it's fully understandable that I have my doubts about this new person.

 Just then the bell rings so I finish packing my bag before turning to Anna and giving her a final hug.

"See you at lunchtime Anna, and don't forget to bring your Maths textbook so I can catch you up on the algebra you missed for leaving a day early" She smiles before sticking out her tongue and spinning around to make her way towards her home base class, her small boot heels clicking on the floor tiles as she walks.

I pick up my now significantly heavier bag off the floor then head in direction of Mr Stalinks classroom.

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 run through the doorway just as the second bell rings. Mr Stalink looks up at me over the rim of the glasses perched on his nose and gives me one of those ‘you’re in trouble and you know it’ grins. Stalink is a good teacher with crazy Einstein hair most of the time, but disregard for punctuality by any student is enough to put him in one of his sarcastic and grouchy moods.

“Ah, Miss Elena Kristal...nice of you too join us. Do kindly take a seat as I was in the midst of doing roll-call when you decided to grace us with your presence.” I feel my face go red as I look down to ground and hastily make my way towards a seat in the middle of the class.

I drop my bag on the floor and slide into the desk, still keeping my head down and avoiding eye contact with other students. There will definitely be those who feel like worsening the embarrassment by openly staring at Stalink's first victim of the term.

I finally look up when I think my cheeks have ceased being the colour of tomatoes, and that’s when I hear the sound of brisk walking down the corridor. A tall, male figure enters the classroom, and the air is suddenly filled with an intangible feeling of quiet power and underlying strength, like when the sky is dark and grey before a storm and you can feel the electricity tainting the air and thunder rumbles like an awakening giant.

My heart suddenly starts beating erratically, and a sharp pain occurs at the back of my head like someone has used a nail gun on my skull. I clutch at my forehead and bite my tongue to prevent a scream from escaping past my throat. I lay my head on the desk, closing my eyes and breathing in deeply through my nose which helps dull the pain until it is just a mere throb.

“Oh not again! I highly recommend you all buy a watch before the day is out!” Stalink raves, his hair almost standing on end like that of a harassed cat’s.

I open my eyes again only to find him staring at me. Mr Stalink is going on at him for being late but seems to be calming to an attitude of not caring or simply giving up as the boy remains silent. Stalink may have been talking to him but he only looked at me...as if I was the only person in the room.

I couldn’t help but stare back and try and hide the fact that I am grinding my teeth from another severe throb erupting out of my head. His eyes are turquoise, the very centre of them fading into a bronze colour around his pupils as he stares unblinkingly at me. His skin is tanned as if he has spent the summer in the sun and his dirty blonde and hazelnut-coloured hair is short but a little long at the front, ever so slightly falling into his eyes. His shoulders are broad, and the white t-shirt he wears doesn’t do a good job of hiding the tight muscle underneath. He has one hand in the pocket of his beige chinos and the other holding a slip of paper as he stands with the stance of a predator who knows he is the top of the food chain.

The look he gives me for a split second is pure poison, the type that could put someone 6 feet underground pushing up daisies. It quickly disappears and his mouth forms a mischievous grin as he says, “I apologize once again for the interruption sir, but I was just coming back from registering this morning and it took me a while to find the class....my name is Aidan, and I’m new here as you’ve probably guessed. I’ll find myself a seat”.

Mr Stalink sighs before waving him off with his hand and continuing with the roll-call which had been interrupted for a second time. Aidan walks down the row of desks in his dark grey and brown Vans sneakers....and of course chooses to sit in the seat right next to mine. Happy. Days. For me.  

I close my eyes again and only just managed to not moan in exasperation before rubbing my shut eyes with the heel of my hands. The throbbing is still there, but it is only just noticeable. I feel him brooding next to me for the whole of the double English lesson, and I don’t hear a word of what Stalink says about some Shakespearean sonnets and plays we will do over the next few weeks. The only thing I can focus on is the feeling of his eyes boring into me, as if I am some frog being bisected by him for a biology project.

I try glancing over to him once or twice, only to be met by an icy wall and the total frustration of finding him not even looking at me. I can’t quite out my finger on it, but it’s almost as if I can feel a certain energy or vibe coming off him....kind of like if you could feel colour this would be a mixture of red, orange and russet. He feels like a raging fire trying to reach out through the fireplace and singe my minds figurative fingertips when I keep feeling for those colours and vibes over and over again. Each time I do it feels like I am hitting a brick wall which is burning me at the same time.

What is wrong with me? First I have a whacky dream last night and now I’m trying to feel colours or stretch my mind like little hands? Get a grip Elena! I lay my head on my desk and am finally saved by the bell. I pack away all my English things and by the time I stand to leave most of the class have already left. Its only Aidan and I, but he’s already a step ahead of me as I walk towards the door.

Just as he’s about to step through he turns around and looks me straight in the eyes as he flashes me the type of smile you would imagine on a shark as it’s about to devour a fish. “I’ll see you tonight then”, he says to me before leaving the classroom while I stand there gaping like the fish I know myself to be.

Did that really just happen?  I don’t know what that was about, but I’m starting to get the feeling that what happened last night or the strange happenings of today can’t be blamed on too many cups of coffee.

I abruptly shut my mouth and shake my head before walking off (in the opposite direction he went in thankfully) towards the lunch room. All I need is food, water, and Anna telling me that imagining cute but incredibly scary boys talking to you like prey they need to hunt down is all a part of the denial process of coming back to school. 

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Reviews

[Laura Lynn]

this is really fine writing, thanks for posting it here! a nice bit of light and yet not-so-light reading,

[MK]

Thank you very much for your comment, it's really appreciated and enjoyed. :)