Sunrise (EVOL Series #1)

CHAPTER 1 - LATE

Adalia Flynn’s boots trudged through the icy snow, crushing it into tiny fragments of white. She was freezing, and hugged herself in an attempt to keep warm. The wind blew a cold kiss into Adalia’s face as she struggled to march through the biting chilliness of the air. Adalia had long, deep purple hair and headphones lay in her small ears, blasting out music. Her eyes were large and a soft, light-brown colour. Her nose was sharp and pixie-like. Adalia’s lips were thin, but they had a rich, pink tint to them. She wore a brown, fashionable leather jacket with a pair of skinny denim jeans. Her gloves were black and patchy, with holes exposing her light skin to the harshness of the elements.

Looking up, Adalia could now see her school in the not-so-far distance. It lay like an ugly dark blot in her sight, blocking the view and possible warmth of the sun. She began to jog, trying to hurry inside the toasty warmth the building would hopefully provide. The glass doors soon lay in front, and Adalia quickly grasped the handle to yank it open. Her face and body was hit by the suspected warm draft, and Adalia eagerly went inside. Looking around, Adalia attempted to spot any signs of the receptionist, Mrs Kilington. She didn't appear to be around. Pictures of happy, beaming children hung on the plain walls, adorned by the banner that declared “WELCOME TO SEEDWALL SECONDARY SCHOOL!” Adalia quickly sneaked through the hallway, making her way to the wooden doors at the end. Maybe I could make my way to English without begin spotted, she thought to herself.

"And what time do you call this?" rang out a whiny voice in an annoyingly American accent. Adalia internally groaned, then put on her best award-winning smile and turned around, ready to face the receptionist’s wrath. Mrs Kilington’s short brown hair contrasted the badly-applied redness of her cheeks. Her plump body was squeezing its way out of the emerald jacket that she wore. Adalia struggled to keep herself from breaking into fits of loud laughter.

"I'm really sorry that I'm late Miss, but the snow..."Adalia said, trying to put on her most charming voice whilst smiling apologetically.

"No excuses. Everybody else has managed to make their way in to school on time. I fail to see why you are an exception. Detention at break." Mrs Kilington said, loathing clearly emanating from her face.

"Okay," Adalia responded, not wanting to be around her bitter mood any longer. She calmly walked off towards the doors and turned towards her English Literature classroom, peering through the glass in the door.

Everyone was already sat down, listening to the teacher. Could this day get any worse? Adalia contemplated. She gently opened the door and seventeen pairs of eyes gazed at her snow-covered figure. Realizing who it was at the door, many of these eyes looked back down. The teacher, Mr Taylor, quickly spoke.

"Ah, Adalia, I'm glad you could join us." Unlike Mrs Kilington, his tone was sincere and friendly. He was also much younger than the former, appearing to have only recently graduated. He had a kind face and brown hair.

"Sorry sir, the snow--"

"It's alright, I understand completely. If you could just take a seat, please." He motioned at the seat towards the back row, next to a boy with black hair. Adalia grabbed her shoulder bag tightly and walked towards the boy, pulling up the grey stool. She opened her bag and took out her battered copy of Dracula, the book that they were studying. Trying to regain her composure, Adalia looked straight towards Mr Taylor, listening carefully to every word he had to say. Her hands went to her dark purple hair and she shook out the tiny flakes of snow that lay there. They fell delicately to the table and melted like a whisper.

"Aren't you going to say hello?" the boy next to Adalia said. She turned to look at him. His hair was jet black, curly and outrageously messy. His eyes were startlingly blue under thin eyebrows and freckles were prominent across his cheeks. His nose was small and angular, pointed slightly down. A black piercing hung from his ear, mirroring the one on his lip. The grey v-neck he wore, though normal, seemed oddly unique on him. Everything about this boy appeared to scream that he didn't want to fit in, from the obvious piercings to the noncommittal of doing his hair.