Ariella's biggest desire in life has always been such a simple one. She wants to be 'normal.' Unfortunately, that one simple wish has never been within her grasp. Coming from a long line of witches is bad enough, but she's even more different than t...
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Thankfully, I'm able to find my classroom without any trouble, and I enter to find only the teacher waiting inside. I guess I'm still a few minutes early. The man seated behind the desk glances towards the doorway when I enter, and his eyes noticeably widen for a second. Clearing his throat, he composes himself quickly.
"You new?" He asks in a gruff voice.
"Yes, sir. It's my first day," I respond quietly.
"I'm Coach Bartlett. I'm only covering this class until the new History teacher starts in a few days. It's open seating. So, just sit wherever you want."
Nodding absently, I pick a desk in the back for now. At least back here, it'll be more challenging for the other students to stare at the new girl.
As the class begins to fill up, I hear the whispers about the new girl, but I keep my head turned down towards my desk and tune them out. Sometimes, my enhanced hearing is inconvenient. Most people don't have to hear what others are whispering about them, but I can hear every hushed word in the room if I choose to. For now, I have no desire to listen to what they're saying. In a desperate effort to distract my mind from their words, I begin to recite song lyrics and chords in my mind, almost able to hear the music as I do.
"Hi, I'm Hazel," a cheerful voice says next to me, bringing the music in my head to an abrupt halt.
Turning towards the voice, I see a very pretty girl sitting at the desk next to mine, looking directly at me. She has pretty caramel-colored skin, and her straight black hair hangs down her back. Her shining brown eyes stare into my own, and a friendly smile stretches across her face.
I hesitate for a moment but ultimately decide that I can't just ignore everyone if I ever hope to actually make friends. Needing to learn how to interact with people, I have to start somewhere.
"I'm Ari," I say, forcing my lips into a semblance of a smile.
I'm aware that the students around us listen to every word we say despite their poor attempts to appear not to.
"What brought you to our little town? No one ever moves here, and you're our third new student this year. That's definitely a record," Hazel says in a bubbly, excited voice.
She's probably referring to River and Julian, but I choose not to mention our relation. I'd rather not just ask for trouble with River by spreading that bit of information.
"I moved here with my family," I answer vaguely.
"Where did you move from?" She asks without missing a beat.
Unsure of what I'm supposed to say, I chew on my lower lip nervously. I hadn't thought to ask if we're telling people the truth or some made-up story.
"North Carolina," I finally respond, choosing to stick to the truth as much as possible.
