The Origin of Darkness Chapter 1

First Draft of my new novel. Please ignore grammar/spelling/typo/punctuation.

Chapter One

 

 

 

Everyone was staring at her. She could feel it.

            Annabelle Farley bit her lip, and tugged on a strand of pale blonde hair.

            Of course, she knew no one was really staring at her. It just felt that way. It had felt like that ever since her first day back at Pine Ridge High School. By now, of course, she was nothing more than old news. People had stopped talking her about yearlong absence in freshman year. At least… they stopped talking about it to her face.

Maybe they had finally accepted her cover story.

            Not likely.

            Annabelle glanced at the clock.

            Only five more minutes until lunch break, she reminded herself. Five more minutes and you can get out of here.

            Anna locked her eyes on the blackboard, where Mr. Bradley was writing out the homework assignments. If she just focused on this… maybe she wouldn’t worry so much.

            What was she worrying about, anyway? Back at the hospital, all of the counselors said the same thing:

            Things could go back to normal.

            She just had to ‘keep her head up’.            

            The shrill sound of the lunch bell dragged Annabelle from her thoughts. Breathing a sigh of relief, she stooped down to collect her things, only to feel a sharp tap on her shoulder.

            “Hey.”

            Annabelle turned around to see a short, redheaded girl she’d never met before. She stared up at Anna behind thick-framed glasses and smiled.

            “You’re Annabelle Farley, right?”

            Anna nodded.

            “So…” the girl began. “Where were you last year?”

            Annabelle paused, biting her lip. This was her nervous habit. “I… umm�"“

            “�" Hello, hello, hello,” someone shouted, suddenly. “Annabelle is a little busy right now, and I’m guessing that the questions you’re about to ask were none of your business. So…”

            Annabelle spun around. It was Dakota�" her best friend�" who has spoken. Annabelle closed her eyes. Relieved.

            “Oh… Ummm…” the strange girl stuttered. “Sorry,” she muttered, before running off.

            Dakota grabbed hold of Annabelle’s shoulder, sharply and dragged her out of the classroom.

            “What are you thinking?” she snapped. “Don’t you remember what I told you?”

            Annabelle gulped. She should have just answered the girl’s stupid questions before Dakota could barge in. Now she was in for it.

            “No one is ever going to leave you alone if you don’t start standing up for yourself,” Dakota said, for the millionth time. “They’re just going to keep asking you the same, stupid questions over and over again!”

            Annabelle sighed. “I don’t really mind,” she lied. “I have a good cover story. I just tell everyone who asks that I spent last year traveling abroad. People eat it up.”

            “Yeah. I’m sure they do,” Dakota rolled her eyes. “But do you seriously think that they buy it? No one from Wounded Knee is going to get to travel abroad, Anna. Especially someone like you. No one buys your little act. You should hear the rumors that are going around school.”

            Annabelle grabbed a lunch tray, shaking her head. “I really don’t want to know about them, Dakota. My counselors said that I can’t focus on rumors. It isn’t fair to myself.”

            Dakota rolled her eyes. “Your counselors don’t go to Pine Ridge High School. They have no idea what you’re going through.”

            Annabelle didn’t argue. There was no point.

            Grabbing a scoop of frozen corn and a biscuit Annabelle took a seat across from Dakota at their usual table.

            Annabelle glanced around the cafeteria, nervously. She knew almost everyone here, aside from the few freshman who tended to avoid everyone. The school was the smallest in the county. It was hard to ignore people, here.

            Annabelle could remember a time, when she had more than one friend. She remembered sitting at a bigger lunch table with tons of kids she considered ‘friends’. She remembered talking with them. She remembered laughing with them.

            But that was… before.

            I have Dakota now. She stuck by me, Annabelle thought. She’s all I need for now.

            Annabelle picked at her corn and listened to the persistent giggling at the table beside her. At first she was afraid they were laughing at her, though she wasn’t really sure why. Her counselor’s said that she was ‘insecure’ and that she would feared rejection.

That was probably why all this happened in the first place…

             Annabelle shook her head, quickly. She couldn’t think about that. She couldn’t think about the why’s and where’s that described this last year. She didn’t think about it. She didn’t talk about it. That was her motto for Sophmore year. That was all she needed.

            The giggling stopped a moment later, and Annabelle raised her head from where it lay, resting in her hand, to glance around the cafeteria.

            The entire cafeteria was turned her way, and for a second, Annabelle panicked. Maybe they really were laughing at her. What has she done wrong? Did she have food on her face? Was her hair wrong? Her clothes?

            But even Dakota was laughing, now.

            Annabelle turned her head.

            What she saw, made her want to scream.

            There, beside the table was a girl Annabelle knew to be a Junior. She was standing up on the table, her fists clenched and her eyes narrow. By her side, was a boy, nearly a head taller than her. The same expression was on his face. They both seemed to radiate anger, as if it were seeping from there skin.

            And Annabelle knew why.

            There�" standing right in front of them�" was The Darkness.

            And they could see it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

           

           

Reviews

[nemmm]

DUNDUNdun..............

[Book-Goggles]

I'm obviously confused but this sounds really interesting! I can't wait to read more!