Chapter Three

Adelina groaned at the sound of the incessant ringing of her alarm. She hit the “Off” button on the top and slowly rose, peeling herself from the bed and slowly stripping yesterdays clothes off. She walked to the dresser that was spilling articles of clothing through its open drawer and pulled out a pair of jeans and t-shirt from the disarray.

The snores coming from her father's bedroom were her only goodbye as she scooped up her bag and glowered at the stairs before she departed, a slight lingering hope smashed.

"Yeah, love you too, Dad." She mused sarcastically and banged the front door open, slamming it behind her. I hope that wakes you up! She thought in distaste and jogged down the sidewalk, slowing to a walk after a few moments as she headed for school.

It was a horrible place to be on such a sunny day, it echoed beauty through Fairhaven, Massachusetts. It shined through the windows of the classic buildings and its rays bounced off of the trees that breathed fresh oxygen to the inhabitants. She pushed through the doors of the school and froze.

What is that? She thought, her eyes widening and her eyebrows furrowing in confusion as the worst smell she had ever experienced passed through her. Something foul...something dead. She looked around for the source, her eyes scanning the crowds to find the source, yet no one seemed to notice this putrid odor but her.

She covered her nose with the front of her shirt as nonchalantly as she could manage and rushed to her locker, trying to escape the scent...

---

"No, thank you," Lucian said and held his fake smile as he turned from the principal's office, listening to the door click behind him. He could hear her sigh contently and suppressed a shiver of disgust. That ostentatious woman put him right off, her frighteningly elongated nails, altered smile, and hair that was almost as tall as his six-foot-two frame all made him wish to tear his own eyes out, she had no idea what would become of her had she had what she wanted.

He walked quickly through the halls, weaving in and out of groups of students and people at their lockers, just wanting to make it to the classroom. So far, the day had begun on a less than fun note. He had to go about the business of hunting for a suit in the early morning, a man getting into his Mercedes, a good Samaritan in the situation, also 'donating' the use of his laptop to fake credentials, along with printer access in his upstairs room.

He wouldn't miss the suit or the computer where he was now, and Lucian couldn't help but take some of his amenities so they were not to waste without an owner. What kind of man would he be if he hadn't?

Thank you, Mister Business Man. Lucian chuckled to himself as he loosened the tie around his neck and ducked through the classroom door of room 315. He was now Luke Johnson, an extremely qualified college graduate, and now placed as a 'permanent sub', with promise of being hired after 180 days of employment. Not that he would need that much time, by the end of the month, he would have gotten what he came for, and he would be gone.

He couldn't help but smile as he stared upon the epitome of Senior History. Sure, teaching lies to students wasn't his idea of a good time, but soon enough, it would be over. The classroom was barren as he looked upon it, save for a metal desk at the front of the room, a blackboard littered with posters and papers, and row upon row of small desks that were imbedded with pencil lines and marker strokes. Upon the metal desk was a computer, humming lightly as it sat idle.

The walls were off-white and covered with painted bricks. There were posters of maps on the walls and bumper stickers littering the top of the ceiling that advertised the first amendment and supporting locally owned businesses.

At some point, he would see her. Whether or not she would enter his classroom remained to be seen, but as he heard someone slog towards the classroom quickly, murmuring 'excuse me's as they passed sent a thrill down his spine. He sat on the metal desk, watching the door for the sign of the scent he'd never forget...