My Personal Hell, D. Richardson [ebook reader browser txt] 📗

Ailith

The first day of school. It has been almost two years since I’ve walked down the halls of a school. So really was like the very first day for me. But worse. I wasn’t five and a boy was just another kid. No I was a teenager and about to walk into a building just bursting with hormones. Catty girls and boys that almost literally only had one thing on their mind.

It’s been two weeks since the hearing and in that time I’ve been exploring my new stronger senses. It turns out that werewolves can smell a human’s hormones. If they’re sad, angry, jealous, happy, or even attracted to someone I can smell it. Some scents are more pleasant than others, but it really just sucked all the way around. Luckily a werewolf can’t smell another werewolf, so at home it was back to plain old guessing, and it was bliss. Too many smells at once can give you a headache.

I looked at my schedule and sighed. I had gotten lucky though. I had finished all of the mandatory freshman and sophomore classes before my father pulled me out of school. So I got to choose my classes based on what credit category I wanted to focus on. Except for one hour. It would normally be a free period, but I had, had a long conversation with Drake several nights before. I wanted to learn an instrument, more specifically I wanted to learn to play the violin. It was my favorite sound with the rare exception of a particularly talented voice. But that class didn’t have a teacher listed next to it, all it had was where I was supposed to go.

But my first hour was algebra two and I was running late, so I took a deep breath and walked in the front door. Finding my way to class was easy, I still remembered the tour from several weeks earlier. And as I suspected I was late. After a very embarrassing moment of the teacher fumbling a little with my name, and a short admonishment about being on time, she let me sit down.

There was only one empty seat but yet again I got lucky. It was in the back corner next to a window, behind everyone. I realized not too long ago that I have a serious issue with crowds. I couldn’t stand anyone being behind me and if I was forced to stay in a crowded area I had to be close to an exit. As exits go a window wasn’t exactly optimum but it would do in a pinch.

There was another awkward moment when the teacher was trying to get me a text book. She kind of struck me as a bit clumsy and socially awkward, but then she got back to her lecture and all of it kind of melted away. Math was her element even if people weren’t.

About five minutes into the lecture I felt someone staring at me. I looked to the left and spotted him almost immediately. It was almost impossible not to, he was sitting right next to me. I hadn’t really even paid attention to who I was sitting next to, I just wanted to get away from the front of the room.

He reminded me of Asher and Sadler. The same dark look with his features except he had a strong Romanian nose and his dark hair was cut short instead of kept long. His eyes were a deep shade of brown and filled with curiosity. Another difference between him and the two men was that they tended to wear dark clothes but weren’t considered ’gothic’. This boy couldn’t be considered anything but Goth.

His t-shirt was covered in one large skull. And he sported red and black cargo pants with combat boots. Still he reminded me of someone else, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on who.

I managed to get through my next two classes without any embarrassing incidents. And then I got to my fourth class. I had tried to just pick up where I had left off. Which meant choir. Every school handled their music department differently. But most of them usually had it set up so that it was a class to take to get an easy credit.

From what I was told by the other students I lived with, this was one of those classes. Or at least in theory it is. I also heard that the choir director did her best to actually make you improve yourself and put effort into the music.

No, what I was nervous about was that it had been about two years since I had actually sang. It was punishable by the whip at the Other’s house. And it had been so long that I didn’t sing around Drake and Becca’s house. I was willing to bet that I was rusty. So yet again I had to take a deep breath before opening the door.

I had to give it to them, they did a really good job in sound proofing the room. All I could hear on the outside of the room was silence. But as soon as I stepped in there was noise everywhere.

There had to be at least thirty students in there. All of them were separated into different groups doing their own thing. Not far from the door was a group of girls singing ‘Royals’ by Lorde. And they were amazing. On the other side of the room there were about six people, all messing around with the typical instruments. And in between all of them were various groups just sitting and talking.

The director sat at the front of the room watching all of them goof off. She didn’t seem upset, but amused. Even somewhat entertained. She was younger than I expected. Maybe in her late twenties. She had hair the color of straw, and from where I was standing her eyes looked to be a mix between brown and green. Then she looked right at me and called the class to a halt.

After everyone was seated she gestured me forward. Holding her hand out for my piece of paper that she was supposed to sign. I felt the eyes of everyone in the room. And smelled the arousal of several of the human guys. It was a sickly sweet smell that made me want to vomit when there were so many of them.

“Ah, yes, Miss Blackbourn. We’ve been waiting for you,” she smiled to take any sting from her words and I smiled back.

“I’m sorry, I got a little lost.”

“It happens. So are you soprano or alto?”

“Um, my last teacher put me in soprano,” I answered awkwardly. My last choir director actually put me right next to the guys on the soprano side. She said it was because I had a better control of my pitch and could go high or low.

“Alright, why don’t you sit over there next to Jacob.” It wasn’t a question so I turned around to try to figure out who Jacob was. Turned out the guy who gave me the half wave pointing me to my seat was the goth guy from my first class.

I sat down, dropped my bag on the floor next to my chair and waited for the new wave of hormones to pass. I really didn’t know why that kept popping up. There were so many skinny, aropostle wearing, bottle blondes in the room. I almost choked on the excess fumes from their last dye job. All I was wearing was one of my long sleeved black shirts, jeans, and some knee high flat boots that Lori had bought me while I was locked up.

My hair was in it’s usual braid and I looked just as uninteresting as always. I must have flinched from the oncoming scents because Jacob leaned over to whisper to me.

“Don’t worry, you get used to it.” I looked at him sharply and then realized that the only scent I caught from him was his own natural smell. He must have been a wolf. So I answered.

“That both relieves and terrifies me.” He chuckled lightly, offering me his hand.

“Jake.” I took his hand slowly. It was the first contact I’d had with someone other than my adopted family since I left the Others. And even then it was more just Lori, Katie, and the occasional touch from Asher. He hadn’t done more than hold my hand after the trial. Mostly for emotional support.

“Ailith.” He looked like he wanted to say more, but the teacher called for everyone’s attention.

The hour passed quickly, except for when I realized that Asher’s ex girlfriend, Christine sat a couple of rows behind me. Other than a few unintelligent jokes at my expense the class passed fairly quickly. With the same old music sheets that were on the contest lists. I even knew a couple of them. I had forgotten how frustrating the mandatory music was. But I was grateful to be able to sing them again.

After choir was lunch, and then it was for my first violin lesson. I got lost again. I had no idea where this room was, and I had to actually stop by the office to ask for directions. Turned out that it was a room just off the music room. The door leading inside was actually in the music room. When I finally got there I prepared myself for a sharp admonishment from the teacher for being so late.

I opened the door quietly, hoping to maybe skip the disciplinary part of the class. The room was small, fitting only some shelves, a grand piano, a chair and a sheet music podium. The lights were dim, making it seem more personal and focused. There was one window on the far wall with dark drapes, only allowing so much light into the room. It looked like it used to be a large closet.

“Your late!” a snap came from behind me, on the side of the door I hadn’t investigated yet. I spun only to see a broad back as the man was bent over messing with something.

Sadler

Another brand new student, apparently this one hadn’t even touched the instrument. A sigh of frustration escaped me as I realized she was five minutes late. I didn’t know her name yet, I’d only been told that my fifth hour had been filled. So when she walked in, I didn’t bother turning to look. I only snapped at her due to the frustration of the day to day routine that I had come to expect. But her scent hit me right before her voice did.

“Yeah, I’m sorry, I got lost.” I’d forgotten how soft her voice was. I spun, needing to see for myself, half hoping that I was imagining things.

But there she stood, her head barely clearing my shoulder. Her dark eyes were still rimmed with silver, her hair still in that long braid. She wore a simple long sleeved black shirt that went straight from shoulder to shoulder. Her jeans fit her perfectly as they hugged her waist and hips leading down her legs, where they were hidden underneath knee high flat boots.

Her elegant hand gripped the strap to her bag as the other one slipped slightly into her front pocket. She looked just as she had a month ago, the last time I saw her. And she didn’t even realize who I was, she was looking everywhere but at me. It didn’t look like she had gotten the hang of distinguishing individual scents yet.

“It’s alright, I understand.” As soon as I used my ordinary tone her eyes snapped to me. A small movement played at the corners of her lips, as though she wanted to smile. A look of uncertainty crossed her features, but was gone before I could address it.

“I forgot you worked here,” she said with a small uneasy chuckle.

“Ouch,” I mumbled and a gleam of amusement appeared in her eyes. “Well, now that you’ve been reminded how