They Came In Hoodies

Chapter 1: That's Devotion

Stella's POV

Look out for the <>!

In the silence of the nearly empty school classroom, I sat down. This was the first time I was coming back since going to Churchwell. I was just lucky the break started as soon as I returned, allowing me to sort out my thoughts without worrying about school. Christmas had blown and New Year's celebrations were over in an instant. Now I was here, back in school, where everything was the same, but I wasn't.

"So, how was your Christmas break?" Alice asked as she sat down beside me.

I looked over at her and shrugged as I thought about spending the break in with my dad and Bec. She invited me to go to a few parties, but I told her no and this time I didn't cave to her pouting. After going to Churchwell and experiencing the things I did, fitting in didn't seem so important anymore. Besides, in a few months, we would all be graduating, and I would go back to LA for college. "Not that exciting. How about you?"

"Not that exciting," she frowned as she pulled out her books. "But anything is better than this place."

I nodded as I looked out the window to see snow falling down. My shoulder ached beneath my heavy sweater, making me move it in a circular motion to ease the discomfort. A black scar still lay on my shoulder, providing a constant reminder of what happened through the gate in Churchwell. Occasionally, the ache was enough to make me frown, but I hoped it would improve.

"So, did I see you skiing with your dad a few days ago?"

The memory of skiing ran into my mind like a sprinter in a race. Dad noticed I had been distant, and he wanted to bond with me. He was afraid that he did something wrong just when we were getting so close, but the thing was he did nothing wrong at all. It was just because of my own thoughts. How could I come back and return to normal when I was in a battle? Gray was still in that place, and I could only imagine the chaos he was experiencing. He was on my mind often as I spent many nights just staring at the ceiling hoping he was ok.

"That was me."

"The snow was amazing that day, right?"

My attention towards Alice drifted to Gray's empty seat. I had a feeling that it would remain empty for the rest of the year. There was such a small possibility that Gray would return, especially when he felt a drive to stay in Churchwell. The devotion he felt to that place was infuriating. Just because he was from there didn't mean he needed to sell his soul to stay. He deserved happiness and Churchwell didn't make him happy; I was sure of it.

What Gray had to go through there wasn't right. He shouldn't have been asked to stay when he was just as young as I was. What we both experienced there was something that no one should ever have to. Even though it had been a few weeks since I left Churchwell, those memories still haunted me at night. The scar across my shoulder was one of the few reminders that it actually happened there.

"Yeah, great snow," I repeated, although was only half paying attention to what she was saying.

There was silence as more students walked into the classroom with heavy faces, as if not wanting to be here as Alice continued to talk about non important things. Her voice slowly turned into a distant hum until one word made me attention. "I heard that Gray is traveling, out of the country or something. They said he will do the rest of his school online," Alice said, as if reading my mind.

Suddenly, she became more interesting. My attention turned back to her, wanting to know all the details. "Who told you that?"

"I heard it from someone in the office this morning. He's keeping up with his studies online, or maybe someone was mailing things to him? I didn't understand it fully."