Echoes of The Elements

A New beginning

Chapter: A New Beginning

Katrina stood at the edge of the parking lot, clutching the strap of her worn backpack. The old school building loomed before her, its brick façade weathered by years of harsh Michigan winters. The small, cracked windows seemed to stare back at her, as if the place had a personality of its own-silent, waiting. She took a deep breath, the crisp morning air biting at her skin, and stepped forward.

Her first day at another new school.

She'd been in small towns before, but something about this one felt different. The entire place had an aura, a stillness that lingered in the air, broken only by the faint rustling of the trees lining the edge of the school grounds. It was as if the town was watching her, waiting to see if she would fit in, or if it would swallow her whole like so many before.

The doors creaked open as she stepped inside, greeted by the hum of fluorescent lights that flickered above. The smell of old books and disinfectant hung in the air, and the narrow hallway stretched before her like a maze, with faded lockers on either side. She could already feel eyes on her. Not overtly, but in that small-town way. Everyone noticed the newcomer. They whispered but pretended not to care.

Great, she thought, Just what I needed-another spotlight.

Her footsteps echoed, sounding louder than she wanted them to be. She passed a few groups of students clustered near their lockers, all talking, laughing-belonging. Katrina's chest tightened. She had been through this before, in other places, other schools. That inevitable feeling of being an outsider, hovering just on the edge of everyone else's world.

It wasn't just the newness of the town or the stares from strangers that made her feel so out of place. She had felt this way for as long as she could remember, like a puzzle piece forced into the wrong box. Each town, each school, was the same story on repeat. She would never belong. Not really. Not when there was so much of herself she couldn't explain-even to herself.

A girl with a messy bun of blonde hair looked up as Katrina walked past. Her gaze lingered a second too long. Then, she leaned over to whisper something to the girl beside her. Katrina felt the prickle of judgment but kept her gaze forward, refusing to give them the satisfaction of a reaction. She was used to it. New schools always came with that moment-where she was seen, judged, and labeled before she'd even opened her mouth.

She finally found her locker, the number matching the one scrawled on the crumpled piece of paper in her hand. The metal was cold to the touch, and as she tried to open it, the lock stuck. She tugged at it again, harder this time, feeling a spike of irritation rising within her. Her heart pounded faster, her skin prickling, and she had to take a deep breath to calm herself. The last thing she needed was to lose control.

Just then, a shadow fell over her. She turned and found a tall boy leaning against the locker next to hers, arms crossed, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. He had dark, wavy hair that fell just past his eyebrows, and his eyes-strikingly blue-seemed to take in every detail of her with one sweeping glance.

"First day?" he asked, his voice casual but with an edge of curiosity.

Katrina swallowed, nodding slightly. "Yeah. That obvious?"

The boy grinned, a lopsided smile that seemed more amused than welcoming. "You'll get used to it," he said, pushing off the locker. "Everyone's just... curious. New blood in town and all that."

His words hung in the air longer than they should have, making Katrina feel a strange pull, something unsettling and oddly familiar. But before she could respond, he was already walking away. He disappeared into the crowd of students heading to their classrooms.