“I just don't under-fricken-stand,” I growled, thrusting the dart into the air. It landed right on the bullseye with a small twang. Apart from a small sigh, Brian – my personal stalker - didn't show any reluctance to repeat the words he’d already monotoned to me twice today.
“Princess Anatora-”
“Just Tora.” I cut him off. He straightened his tuxedo and continued, unfazed.
“Your father, King Daniel, has requested – as you know – for you stay inside the castle's grounds at all times. Being your personal bodyguard, it is my job to ensure that you follow your father’s orders and are safe twenty-four hours a day. This place,” He turned his head to survey the room. “Is certainly not inside the castle, and is definitely not safe. So I have to ask you, Princess, to please follow me back to the castle in an orderly manner.”
I glared at the muscular man heatedly, thinking over his words in attempt to find a loophole. Sure, this inn wasn’t inside the castle, but it was still on my dad’s land – that should count for something. And there wasn’t really anything dangerous about the place… a couple of harmless, drunken men were sagged over the bar’s countertop, one or two rats scuttling around the floor, fighting for stale crumbs of bread or peanuts. The tables were slightly rotten, and not one of them stood straight on its own, but overall the place wasn’t too bad. They’d even decorated the unlit fireplace with a rotted moose head, just to spice things up.
“I’m socialising. If I’m ever going to get married,” I spat out the words with disgust. “I’m going to have to learn kindness and sociability.” It was a pathetic lie and Brian didn’t even waver. He’d heard majority of my excuses before, even the new ones didn’t take him by surprise. Nothing ever seemed to take Brian by surprise.
Just to prove my point, I turned around and waved cheerily at a fat, bristly woman seated in a corner. She glared at me and took a shot from her glass. I narrowed my eyes.
I knew what would happen if I didn’t agree to ‘return to the castle’ with Brian; I’d get slung over his shoulder and carried back, kicking and screaming. The village people didn’t even turn to watch us when that happened anymore; it was just another day to them. I wasn’t a dignified princess, far from it, but everyone already knew. They didn’t care either; I was probably somewhat refreshing to them – a rich person who didn’t walk around with a pole instead of a spine.
“Fine, I’ll go back, but only if I can talk to her for a minute.” I looked pointedly at the bristly woman, then at Brian. He watched me for a minute, deliberating, then gave a short nod. I grinned triumphantly, sliding into a seat next to the woman.
“Hi. My name is Tora Tawlney, and I’m the King’s daughter. I have two older brothers, Sam and Michael, and an older sister, Elaina.” The woman stared down into her glass absently, not paying me any attention. I continued anyway.
“After my dad remarried Petal and Rose became my two half sisters – they’re seven. You probably know all of this, but you’re drunk off your rocket so I thought I should repeat it for you, just to refresh your memory. My mum committed suicide when she found out my dad had been cheating on her. I was only three and don’t remember anything about her. All of my other siblings were raised by her, but me – I’m the odd one out.”
“I’ve made running away a hobby. I’m the only one in my family to have been assigned a personal stalker,” I gestured a hand at Brian. “My step mother hates me, my father is ready to have me decapitated, and none of my siblings talk to me except Sam. I’ve never been allowed friends and since I was ten my father has been setting me up with suitors from every corner of the country. You’re probably wondering why I am telling you this…” I looked directly into her idle, foggy eyes. “I’m telling you because I know you have a daughter. I’ve seen you around before. I just want you to tell your daughter not to dream of becoming a princess when she grows up, because it’s not all rainbows and unicorns and happy, dancing smiley faces. A ballerina – that’s a more promising path. Tell her to be something like that.”
The woman stared at me drunkenly, then snorted, “Princess,” and scraped her chair back, staggering out of the inn with a fierce determination. I smirked and watched after her until Brian walked over and stood by my side.
“Princess Anat-”
“Yes Brian, we can go now.” I rolled my eyes, slowly pushing my chair back as well. “I’m getting kinda hungry anyway…”


*

*

*


I was sitting on the edge of my itchy, feather-down mattress, flicking the laced hem of my dress when the King called for me. Or rather, he got a servant to call a servant, to send a messenger to come and tell me that the King wanted me in his study. And then I told him to get stuffed. Literally.
So now I was waiting impatiently – having nothing else to do in this horrible, perfume thick room - for someone to come and give me a lecture before dragging me to my father and leaving me to get shouted at. I was tempted to disobey the ‘laws of a lady’ and wait outside in the corridor, sitting on the cold marble floor rather then the claustrophobic atmosphere of my pink bedroom.
My room had been the same ever since I could remember – and I’d hated it ever since I could remember. The bed was lace trimmed, the walls a revolting salmon pink swirled with the pattern of purple cherry blossoms. There wasn't a speck of dirt on the oak desk. Any type of stationary item, toy or book was either pink or purple, and everything smelt like lavender.
The second my stepmother moved in, she redesigned the entire castle’s worth of feminine rooms, maids included. Elaina was lucky enough to have been married before then… she never had to endure the irritation of having a purple feather brushing her in the face while she tried to write a letter to someone.
“Princess Anatora.” A voice called my name from the door. I tore my eyes away from my desk and turned to observe the tall, friendly looking man who had stepped into my room. It was Luke, the King’s butler.
Luke had always been nice to me. His eyes were a warm, rich brown and he had a crinkled, bald head, giving him a permanently happy look. He was wearing a smooth, black tuxedo, like all of the men in the castle did. Women over 18 were forced into long, ankle-length dresses that swirled around their feet as they walked – I still had two years of freedom left. I still had to wear dresses, yes, but they could be knee length, so I wasn’t complaining.
“Tora,” Luke tried again, and I raised my head to look up at him. He was holding back a smile, it wasn’t hard to for me to tell, but unless you’d known him for years like I had, all you’d be able to see would be his calm face, blank yet serious.
“Your father is very upset about you leaving the premises earlier. He is tired of you disobeying his rules. This time, however, he isn’t going to give you another lecture, as he is under the impression that you need to grow up and be more responsible.” His eyes danced with laughter as he relayed the King’s message to me. “So, upon that order, I have requested for three suitors to visit you today.”
The smile fell off my face. “Three? Luke, you can’t seriously leave me with three suitors? They’re all jerks, one is bad enough!”
“Sorry, Princess, but these are your father’s orders and I have to obey.” He sent me an apologetic look. “You’ll be okay, just stay strong,” He lent in, lowering his voice. “I’ll bring you some chocolate pudding after, okay?”
I gave him a sad, pouted smile. “Thanks Luke… see you in a while…”

It only took five minutes after Luke had left for the first of the revolting men came in. I almost puked when he flashed me a cheesy grin and winked.



*

*

*


“Anatora.” My father boomed, standing majestically in the doorway.
“Mm?” I hummed, not looking away from my (purple) book. I wasn’t really interested in hearing his speech; I already knew what it was going to be about. Everything my father said was a speech – whether it was in his nature or because he was King, I didn’t know. Even I could admit that my father was a scary man. He was tall, muscular, powerful and harsh. Children were frightened of him. They ran to their mums for shelter, only their mums were scared of him. And the men? They were terrified of him too. Practically everyone was scared of him, including me.
My mum stood up to him when she was around, but she now she was gone, so that was a lost cause. I tried my best to stay calm and collected when he was around, but he probably saw right through it. With a small swish of my eyes I took in his angry face, along with the rest of his towering body.
He was wearing a long, blood red robe, thick and velvety with black tinges around the edge. His wiry blonde hair was combed back in a slick, cap-like style and his dark eyes sparkled menacingly. He was at least 6”4”, if not higher, and look nothing like me.
“Is what I hear true?” He asked, unmoving. I blinked up at him shyly, playing it innocent.
“Well I guess that depends on what you heard, doesn't it?” I replied, gently closing the book and sitting up on the edge of my bed. My room was big, the door at least ten metres away from my bed. I had no trouble hearing his loud, echoing voice, however, and his large features were impossible to miss. I bit back a smile as one of his night black eyes twitched slightly.
“Is it true that you slapped, kneed and dislocated various body parts of one of your suitors?” His voice was rising. Behind him, Luke gave me the thumbs up and winked. I bit my lip, holding back a giggle. “Anatora, this is not a laughing matter!” The King shouted, and I flinched at the volume of his voice.
“It’s true that I committed those offences, sir.” I ignored the beetroot shade of my father’s face, continuing on. “But it was only because that particular suitor was a complete ass, not to mention that all he wanted to do was-”
“That suitor was a prince, Anatora!”
“So what? I don’t give a crap.” I dropped the innocent act as quickly as I had picked it up. “He was a stinking idiot who wanted to look up my dress! He could’ve been rich or poor, a royal or a peasant – he wanted one thing, and I was not about to give it to him.” I retaliated, just as loud. A vein throbbed at the corner of the King’s forehead.
“You are out of control, Anatora!”
“It’s Tora…” I mumbled quietly.
“I have tried over and over to set you reasonable rules, yet you always seem to disobey me. You disrespect your position as a princess, you disrespect me as your father, you disrespect your family’s heritage and are constantly running away. I have tried to treat you as a mature adult, I have given you suitors of every kind. You stepmother even goes to the effort of redecorating your room and what do you do? You complain and break things and act like a little child. You have an entire castle to roam around, however you insist on running down into the nearest village to wreak havoc. You are a disgrace to our family and no matter what I do, you always will be.” His face had started turning purple, it didn’t seem like he’d taken a single breath throughout his entire speech. My eyes, stinging with tears, held his bulging ones as he stared at me with hatred and disgust. I didn’t care that he was mad at me for breaking the rules, I didn’t care that I was upsetting my stepmother. But calling me a disgrace to the family… that was what hurt.
“Disown me then. If I’m that horrible, send me off to work in a farmhouse with peasants, because you know what?” I pushed off my bed and stood opposite him firmly, hands balled into fists by my side. “Working with peasants would be a haven compared to this.” I waved my arm around at the room. The King gave me a snide smile.
“No, I won’t send you off to work with peasants. It would be obvious to the townspeople if I did so, and they would lose respect for me. You would enjoy it too much as well; if I were to send you off, it would be as a punishment, not as a reward. No, your stepmother and I have been talking. Luke,” He stuck out a hand, in which Luke placed a red piece of paper.
“Anatora, you are out of control. You were like this when you were little, after your mother died, and what did I do then?”
My jaw clenched tight, my balled fists aching with pain. “You sent me to boarding school.”
The King smiled. “Exactly. And what am I going to do now, do you think?” He watched me with amused, hateful eyes. My eyes narrowed, face heating up in anger.
“I think you know what I mean, Anatora. You need to be packed by tomorrow morning.” He threw the piece of paper forward and it floated onto the ground, sliding in front of me. “Have fun.”
The door slammed shut after him and I was alone, still standing rigidly in front of my bed. The paper was upside down, but I could read it none the less.


Wiport Boarding Academy
For the Highest of Achievers


*

*

*



Fudge, it was worse then I remembered.

I hurried down another dark corridor, attempting to keep up with the scrawny receptionist who was stalking ahead, leading me to the Head Mistress's office. Portraits of ex-principles layered the walls, all of them staring seriously ahead, backs painfully straight.
The black haired receptionist turned to shoot me a sharp look, before stopping and pointing a bony arm towards a thick, brown door.
“In there.” Her voice was sharp and steely, matching her angular face perfectly.
“Thanks…” I nodded at her, pushing the heavy wood. She smirked.
“It’s a pull door, not a push,” Her snide voice held bitter amusement, red glasses slipping down her nose slightly as she looked at me with her eyebrows raised.
“Again, thanks…” I muttered, yanking the door towards me and slipping inside, away from the arrogant, skeleton-like women.
I turned around slowly, taking in all of the details of the office with a deep breath. It looked just the way I had remembered it; dark, sleek and empty. There were no lamps or candles, only a large window, casting the room with dull, grey light. Two bookcases were pressed against the wall to my right, containing thick, dusty novels, while a sideboard piled up with documents sat on my left. There was no carpet, just wooden floorboards. There were no pictures either, the plain white walls echoing emptiness. I continued to stare until my eyes landed on a large, antique desk placed at the other end of the room, where she - the principle – sat, glaring at me stiffly with her hands folded together in a vice-like grip. She held my gaze for what felt like forever, until finally barking some instructions.
“Sit down, girl.” Her lips pressed together into a thin line. With a flick of her nailed claws, she motioned stiffly at the nearest seat. I made my way over quickly, gripping the arm of the nearest chair and lowering myself into it.
“What is your name?” She demanded, lifting her head higher, as if to get a better look at me. Her dirty blonde hair was pulled into a taught bun, sharp shoulders covered in a black suit, the first I had seen on a woman in a long time.
“Uh, my name’s Tora... Princess T-”
“Tora. Just Tora.” She interrupted me. “I did not ask you for your status, only your name. While you are at Wiport Academy you are simply another student who will obey the rules and pay attention.”
My eyes snapped away from the decoratively curved armrest, hands clasping back together in my lap.
“Do you understand?” She barked.
“Yes, Miss.” I nodded reluctantly. Her eyes narrowed contently, a cruel smirk playing on her lips.
“Good. I expect you to be in class, on time, tomorrow morning. You’re roommate will be notified and shall escort you there.”
She stood up, and following her lead, I did too.
“You’re dismissed.”


*

*

*


“Hi!”
I jumped up and dropped the red dress that was clutched in my hands, spinning around in my blue nightgown to see who had just entered the room. A short, blonde-haired girl was jumping up and down in front of the door, freckled face beaming with excitement.
I was in my new room; a light, wooden place that sang out with character. The walls were brown and blue, surrounding two double beds pressed up against to the left, an inbuilt wardrobe next to the door and a set of oak drawers to the right. Aquamarine blankets lay across the beds with fluffy white pillows sitting comfortably on top of them, looking fresh and clean.
The girl waved at me cheerfully, running over to pick my crumpled dress up off the floor.
“My name's Ashley, but you can call me Ash. We're roommates!” She handed me the dress with a huge smile.
“Oh, okay then. Hi.” I smiled back hesitantly at her, taking the dress back into my hands.
“Hello! I don’t know your name.” She took the dress out of my grip and turned around to place it on the bed neatly.
“Oh, um, my name's Tora. I arrived about an hour ago.”
“Wow, where are you from?” She beamed happily, sitting down on her bed.
“Locksley,” I said slowly. She wasn’t acting like she knew who I was at all, probably thanks to the principal. ‘Status doesn’t matter here at Wiport Academy. No one needs to tell anyone who they are outside of school.’ That’s what she’d told me anyway… it didn’t bother me at all.
Ashley was staring at me with wide eyes.
“You lived in the same place as the King?”
“Yeah, I've seen him a few times…” I gave her a small smile.
“Really? Is he nice? What’s he like?”
I laughed in response. “He’s tough and always acts all sour, but he treats the country nicely, so… he’s alright.”
We both laughed, and I sat down on the other bed, crossing my legs.
“What about his kids… have you met Prince Sam? I used to have a crush on him when I was little, he came to my village once.” She giggled. My eyes widened, face turning red.
Ashley raised an eyebrow with a smile. “What, do you have a crush on him?”
“Ew, no! It’s just that… I knew him when I was little so he’s like an older brother to me.”
“You hung out with Prince Sam?” She squealed. “That is so cool!”
I laughed, considering it. “I guess so.”
Ashley bounced up and down happily on her mattress, ready to change the subject already.
“So, are you looking forward school?”
“The school part… not really. But it’ll be good to meet new people, my dad never really let me have any real friends…” I admitted with a blush. “He thought work was a better focus.”
“Wow, that would suck, I can’t imagine not having any friends… don’t worry, you’re hanging with my group tomorrow! Now let’s get our be-a-uty sleep!” She laughed, annunciating each letter. I grinned, flopping down on my bed. Maybe boarding school would be better then I remembered… and I did make one friend last time. Who knows, I might make even more this time round…



Beep…

My head turned to the side.

Beep…

Someone started shaking my shoulders.

Beep…

A cold draft blew across the tip of my toes.

Beep…

“Oh, would you please shut up!” I groaned, throwing an arm over my head.
“Tora!” Ashley shook me again. With a final beep, the clock stopped.
“What?” I grumbled, rubbing my eyes.
“You need to get up, we're gonna be late.” She turned on a light and I winced at the sudden brightness. Her distant face was blurry, but I could see her hair was already pulled back and she had a dress on, ready to go.
“Now? What time is it?”
“Six thirty.”
“Six thirty? Are you serious?” I sat upright, ignoring the coolness of the air that rushed around me. My eyes had completely adjusted now and I could see my uniform and shoes lying on top of the drawers patiently.
“Yep, six thirty. Period one starts at quarter past seven, so we need to hurry if you want breakfast.” She pulled a ribbon through her hair tie, securing it to the back of her ponytail.
“Ugh,” I swung my legs over the edge of the bed, rubbing my face sleepily. Ashley picked up my dress and threw it at me, waving for me to get ready as she pulled on a shoe.
“Ash… could you turn around, please?” I clutched the dress with a timid smile.
“Just be quick,” She laughed, turning around to buckle up her t-bars. I shrugged off my nightgown, slipping the chequered red dress over my head, letting it fall down to my knees, leaving my slim, white legs bare.
“You can turn around now,” I told Ashley, fiddling with the hem. She spun back towards me and grinned.
“You look awesome, now you just need to chuck your hair up, slip on your shoes, brush your teeth and we’re ready to go.”
“Wow, okay.” I nodded, then spun around and bolted into the bathroom, grabbing a hair tie and my shoes on the way.

*

*

*

“Hey cool, this place has cornflakes.” I picked up a familiar box and shook some into my white bowl. Ashley laughed, passing me the milk and picking up her own bowl.
“Yep, they have most of the good cereals here, except things like Coco Pops or Fruit Loops. Don’t want anyone getting too energetic,” She shrugged, scooping some oats into her bowl. “Come on, I’ll introduce you to my friends. You can sit with us.”
“Oh… uh, okay,” I nodded. She took my free hand and began to pull me through the crowd of the canteen, glancing back at me every once in a while to make sure I was okay. Some people turned to look at me curiously as we walked past their table, others continued along with their conversations as if I wasn’t new at all.
We’d almost reached the back of the noisy, white cafeteria, when Ashley started waving cheerily at a group of people sitting around a table, scooping food into their mouths and talking. By the time we had reached the table, the chatter had slowed to a stop, all of them turning to look at me instead. Ashley grinned and pulled me forward.
“Guys, this is Tora, my new roommate. Tora, these are my friends,” She waved her arm out at them. “But no one likes awkward introductions, so I’ll let them introduce themselves.” She sat down with a smile, landing in a vacant chair next to a dark haired girl. “You can sit down too.”
I looked around the table quickly, a blush spreading across my cheeks.
“Um, there's no seats left...” I mumbled, sinking a cornflake with my spoon. One of the boys, blonde haired and green eyed, turned around in his chair to pull an empty seat away from the table next to us, swinging it around to where I was.
“There you go, problem solved.” He smiled, meadow green eyes animated. “I’m Josh, nice to meet you.”
“Thanks, you too…” I attempted to smile normally as I sank down into the chair, placing my bowl on the table. Josh grinned and picked up his toast again, munching on it loudly. No one else spoke, spoons clinking against bowls being the only sound heard from our table, aside from Josh’s crunching. It only took a few minutes for Ashley to sigh noisily and put her spoon down.
“Okay, well seeing as no one else seems to want to introduce themselves, I’ll do it instead. Tora, this is Katie,” She waved her hand at a girl with reddish brown hair and deep blue eyes. The girl waved a slim, pale hand at me, her small mouth pulling up into a smile.
“Hi,” She moved a piece of hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear. Her voice surprised me; it was clear, but had a slight rasp, as if something was caught at the very back of her throat.
“Hey,’ I smiled back at her, trying not to reveal my curiosity. Josh smirked into his toast, obviously sensing my surprise. Ashley was smiling too, watching Katie patiently.
“I have a voice impairment,” Katie looked at me, amused.
“Oh,” I nodded. “That’s kinda cool… makes you more unique.”
Katie smiled, picking up her bowl again and spooning some more cereal into her mouth.
“Katie normally talks a heap, but only when it’s really quiet because it’s easier for her to whisper,” Ashley explained. “Anyway, you already met Josh, who is a total legend; world’s best guy friend, in my opinion. Then there is Angel, who prefers Angie. And I highly suggest you call her whatever she wants, because she can get pretty violent. And then, last but not least, there is Tom.” She pointed to each of them in turn.
Angel had an absolutely stunning appearance, with gossamer brown, shoulder length curls, large, chocolate coloured eyes and tanned skin. Tom, sitting on my left, had long, black hair with a fringe covering the top half of his blue eyes.
He looked up at me as I studied him, a half smile on his lips. “Hey.”
“Hi,” I semi-nodded awkwardly, turning back to my bowl and spooning some food into my mouth.
“So yeah, that’s the gang! Feel free to talk to any of them, I promise they won’t bite.” Ashley smiled at me reassuringly and I couldn’t help but grin back.
I liked her friends, no matter how awkward it was meeting them. They seemed nice and in all honesty, they made me feel warm.



*

*

*


“Maths… maths…” I shoved a hand into my shoulder bag, digging around for my crumpled schedule. I knew it was in there, but after fishing through everything at least five times, I finally stopped, dumping my bag on the ground. I crouched down next to it, pulling out my books and slamming them on top of each other, one by one.
“Where are you… stupid schedule…” I growled, feeling around the sleek bottom of the bag. Nothing was there.
“You right there?”
I looked up sharply, annoyed. Tom stood over me with his eyebrows raised, a smile playing on his lips. There was hardly anybody left in the corridor now, only a few teachers hurrying into their classes, late.
“I’m fine, thanks.” I sighed, twisting back around and accidentally knocking over the stack of books with my elbow. They spilled across the floor.
My face grew hot with irritation and I pouted, staring at them. Tom snorted a laugh, biting his bottom lip to hold it in as he took my arm and pulled me up from the floor.
“Come on, I can help you get to your class.” He bent down and began picking up my books.
“Thanks…” I mumbled, still slightly red. I pulled my bag up from the ground and held it open as he slipped my books back in carefully.
“Do you remember who your math teacher is?” He took the bag from me and slung it over his shoulder. I frowned briefly, before hurrying to catch up with him; he was already ten metres ahead. If Tom wasn’t Ashley’s favourite guy friend, then Josh must be from Heaven.

*

*

*

I did end up getting to maths class… or a maths class, anyway. Tom led me to the nearest room; Maths Lab 11. It only took a few minutes and a couple of long stares before the teacher, Mr. Peterson, realised I was in the wrong class. Turns out I was supposed to be in Maths Lab 49, a room two stories above Lab 11. It didn’t take me long to hurry out the door, face tinged red, with my bag clutched to my side. Mr. Peterson told me to go up two flights of stairs, turn left, and keeping walking until I found a door with 49 written on it.
So far I’d gone up one set of stairs and couldn’t seem to find the other.
I swivelled around again, doing a full revolution before landing back where I’d started. The corridor I was standing in a hall that stretched far, both to my right and left. There was only one moving thing that I could see and that was a faulty, flickering light, flashing every few seconds. There were no people, no signs and no doors. I blew out an exasperated breath, turning to the left and pacing down the hallway. My footsteps echoed loudly, but it didn’t really matter; there was no one here to disturb. The corridor was long, seemingly endless, but I kept walking. It took about five minutes before I realised that the space around me was gradually getting darker. My eyes narrowed slightly, but I kept going, still on the search to find someone, or something. The clean white walls were cast with shadows now, and I could hear my heart thumping in my chest.
A door slammed shut – somewhere- and I spun around, stomach flipping with fear.
I was starting to scare myself; everything I did was loud and obvious. My breaths were short and sharp, palms slightly sweaty. My throat was dry, as were my lips. And I still couldn’t see anyone. Where was I? There should’ve been another staircase, it wasn’t my fault I was lost.
“Hey.” Someone greeted, close to my ear. I screamed, spinning around yet again in attempt to see who had spoken. This time, the source of the noise hadn’t disappeared.
A boy, probably around seventeen, stood in front of me with his hands stuck in his pockets, a smirk written on his face. The males’ school uniform was a simple white shirt, black tie and dress pants. Half of this boy’s shirt was hanging out of his belt and his tie was loosened half way down his chest. I stared at him, wide eyed, before my heart calmed down and I decided to yell.
“You idiot, you just scared the crap out of me! There’s no one else in this corridor and then you just suddenly appear – what are you trying to do, give me a heart attack? Stupid asshole.” I glared at him furiously, cheeks flushed. I knew I was overreacting, but I’d been having a mini panic attack on my own, I didn’t need some random stranger sneaking up on me too.
The boy raised his dark eyebrows, smirk widening.
“Sorry, Little Miss Prissy, you looked lost so I came to help… and to get out of class. You’re new, right?” He watched me amusedly with his dark, brown eyes, shaking a piece of chestnut hair from his face. I continued to glare, unfazed.
“Yes, I’m new. And I don’t need your help - Jerk.” I sent him a withering look before turning on my heel and striding down the corridor, right back the way I had come. Forget maths, I’d just wait in my room for the next period – didn’t need to have any more heart attacks before lunch.


*

*

*


“The Stained Ages… what happened…?” Mr. Rulik asked the back wall, leaning against the front of his desk. I was slumped over my books, head resting in my arms as I tried to stay awake. Mr. Rulik was a short, lean Italian man, not with an accent, but with a thick beard.
A couple of people shrugged in response to his question, a few 'I don't know' murmurs putting a familiar frown back onto his sweaty face. He liked frowning, it was the first thing he did to me when I walked into the classroom – frown. Some teachers had laugh lines, some teachers had age lines - Mr. Rulik had frown lines.
He clapped his hands noisily, jerking a few people out of their slumbers.
“Come on people! The Stained Ages. We all know about them. What were the Stained Ages...?” He looked around, staring at each student individually. I avoided his gaze, like everyone else.
“Look, I know you’re tired, but so am I. I know you know about the Stained Ages already, but you’ve still got more to learn. If no one answers my question you’re all going to get an after school detention.”
A moan sounded around the room, but still no one put up their hand. Mr. Rulik widened his eyes, eyebrows impossibly high, before turning around and making his way to the back of his desk, pulling out a wad of paper.
“Okay then, don’t tell me I didn’t warn you.” He glared at us all once more, before picking up a pen and starting to scribble names down. With a sigh, I interrupted before he could finish writing the first slip.
“The Stained Ages were a time when humans were civilised and free. They had money, leaders, peace and free will. Girls could wear shorts, boys could swear, no one got into trouble. Then in 2089 an island in the Pacific Ocean dropped a nuclear bomb on England, causing devastation and havoc.” I tried not to look down at the book I was reading from, hoping he couldn’t tell this was all just text. He’d stopped writing, at least, so I continued.
“They continued to bomb various countries, invading them when they were at their weakest. Soon everyone was under their power. They called themselves the Resistentia and spoke only Old Latin. They made everyone live in what they thought was the right way, with Kings, Queens, long dresses and old beliefs. No one has ever succeeded in fighting back, so now we are living on a modern world, stuck in ancient times.” I held Mr. Rulik’s gaze for a second more, before looking down at my desk, avoiding the eyes of my classmates.
Mr. Rulik smiled and nodded enthusiastically, dropping the pen and scrunching up his piece of paper.
“Tammy, here, just saved you all fr-”
“My name is Tora…” I muttered, just loud enough for him to hear. He looked across at me for a second, deciding to ignore my correction.
“- from a very boring afternoon's worth of gum scraping. You should be grateful.” He sat on the edge of his desk and picked up the textbook.
I received a few nods and smiles, but nothing big, remaining unnoticed for the rest of the class.

My classes for the rest of the day were ridiculous, to be honest. I had Yoga, with our teacher, Mrs. Wilcoff, telling us to; breathe, one, two, three, exhale, one, two, three. Squeeze your toes, one, two three, blow a raspberry, one, two, three.
Then I had a Female Self Defence class, which had been cancelled, so I ended up getting lost again on the way to the study hall – luckily Ashley found me before anyone else.
Latin was easy, I’d been learning it since I was little, and so I was up to date with everyone else – which was a first.
Before long it was Social Studies and I was a loner, no one I knew having arrived yet. I was sitting at the back of the class, gazing out the window when someone bumped into my desk and knocked all of my books onto the ground.
“Hey, do you mind?” I said angrily, stepping out of my desk to pick up the fallen books. The boy smirked and moved to stand within a foot of me, blocking my way.
I shot him an irritated look, dodging around his big build, scooping up my books and slamming them down on the desk. The boy stood there like a muppet, unmoving, with a giant grin on his face. Once I had finished cleaning up the mess he’d made and sat down again, he decided to introduce himself.
“My name’s Dylan, but you can call me whatever you want.” He flashed me a friendly grin, but his cloudy blue eyes told me otherwise.
“Well, Dylan, try to be more careful next time - I don't appreciate people throwing my stuff about.” I shot him a withering smile and turned around in my seat so that I wasn’t facing him anymore. I opened a textbook and started to read it casually. Dylan scoffed.
“Playing hard to get are we…? You know, I really don't like that.” He took a step closer. “You don’t seem like the type of girl I like… but for some reason, I just wanna get to know you…”
I gagged at his disgusting smile.
“Dude, back off. I don’t care how interested in me you are, you repulse me. Get lost. ” I snapped at him, pushing out of my seat. Dylan was still a lot taller then me, but it felt better to be standing up and yelling rather then sitting down.
“I repulse you?” He snarled, hand clenching into a fist. “Say that again and I’ll do more then repul-”
“-Talk to her like that again and I’ll punch you so hard you won’t be able to talk for the rest of your life, creep.” Someone interrupted, their hand sliding its way around my waist protectively. I jumped slightly, but didn’t move, turning my head subtly to see who it was.
Tom was standing next to me, glaring at Dylan with a menacing look. Tom was at least 5”9” and had two inches on Dylan, width and length. You could see the outlines of Tom’s muscles, where as Dylan was thin, with lean, wiry biceps that didn’t really exist. Though I was frozen, uncomfortable in Tom’s grip, I felt somewhat safer then I had before. Why I had to come to class early, I didn’t know, but I wasn’t going to do it again.
“Dylan, go creep out someone else, okay? If you leave now there won’t be a problem.” Tom told the creeper calmly, still holding onto me with one loose hand. You wouldn’t be able to tell from looking, but his palm was barely touching me. I was uncomfortable anyway.
Dylan looked Tom up and down for a second, before twitching his nose and smirking.
“Sure, have fun with your girlfriend, Tom.” He turned around with a snicker and slunk back to another desk.
“I’m not his girlfriend!” I yelled after him, pulling away from Tom. “Thanks, though. That guy was seriously annoying me.” I sent Tom a small smile, then sat down in my desk with a sigh.
“No worries, he used to stalk Angie too. He’s all bark, no bite though, don’t worry about it.”


*

*

*


“Ash, I seriously don't want to eat this...what is it again?” I sighed, pushing the bowl she had subtly nudged my way back across the table. It was filled with what looked like baked vomit and no, I was not going to eat it.
“It's tuna bake, Tora! All that's in it is corn and tuna and… pasta... and, umm, some kind of sauce... and.… a type of… cheese?”
I shook my head in denial. Angel, who had been listening into our discussion, shrugged and scooped in another mouthful cheerfully. I shuddered, leaning back against my chair, away from the table.
Tom was sitting on my left, poking at his meal hesitantly, a grossed out expression on his face. Josh, Ashley and Angel, however, were chewing away happily, not seeming to care that it looked liked the cook had punched a sheep in the stomach and chucked the contents in the oven.
With a decisive noise, I stood up, causing everyone to turn their heads my way.
“I'm going to my room. See you later, Ash. See you guys tomorrow.” I smiled and turned to walk away quickly, weaving my way between tables. A few people turned to stare and I avoided eye contact with them all; after my encounter with Dylan, I couldn't really afford trust anyone but my new friends.
By the time I'd reached the front of the dining room the following eyes had dropped off, so I plunked my bowl down with the few other dirty dishes and headed out towards the door.
Dinner had only just started, almost everyone was still eating, and so I was going to be alone for my trip to the dorms.
Good.
It was creepy and slightly annoying that I’d had two encounters with creeps today – Dylan and that ass who had scared me in the corridor. I'd only ever had one true guy friend, when I was about ten – he was my first and only friend too. I’d been looking out for him all day, but hadn’t seen or heard anything, so I guess he’d moved.
I shoved the door of my room open, slipping out of my dress as I went. What a first day… at least I had some friends now… and hopefully no real enemies.


*

*

*

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.
“Ashley, would you turn off that stupid clock please!” I moaned, grabbing my pillow and swinging it wildly towards the sound. It took a few more swings before I finally hit something with a clank, and the beeping stopped. I sat up with a sigh, rubbing my face sleepily.
“Ash…” I turned to face my roomie’s bed. It was empty, already put together neatly with a small note sitting in the centre. I stared at the note blandly for a second, before heaving off the bed and slouching over to read it.

Hey Miss I-Hate-Tuna-Bake,
You were snoring when I came in last night so I couldn’t tell you then, I’m on kitchen duty this morning – fun for me (note the sarcasm). Tom and Angie are on duty too and nothing can wake Josh up, so hopefully you can find your way to the dining hall, ON TIME, by yourself? Sorry to have to desert you like this – at least you get bacon and eggs for breakfast! Don’t get lost, okay?

SEE YOU IN THE DINING HALL!

LOVE, ASHLEYYYYYYY!

I smiled sleepily, putting the note back onto her bed. I’d be fine in finding the dining hall; it was getting there in time that was the problem. I glanced over at the clock – now lying on the floor – and almost swore; it was five to seven. Hastily throwing on my dress and shoes, I grabbed a hair tie and launched myself out the door, hurrying down the empty corridor and running my hands through my hair, clamping the tie between my teeth.
“Gotta go left…” I mumbled, rounding a corner and flicking my hair into a ponytail. “Then keep going until you meet the library…” I grasped the ponytail in one hand and took my hair tie in the other. I had just tied everything together when I glanced up and crashed into someone’s back before I could stop my legs.
“Agh, sorry!” I apologised rapidly, bouncing back from the boy’s hard back. He turned around, startled, and then widened his eyes.
“Tora?” He laughed. I blinked up at him, taking in his features… emerald green eyes, honey golden hair that always looked perfectly messy… creamy-white skin and that giant grin.
“Wait… Noah?” I croaked, staring at him obliviously. His grin widened as he ran a hand through his hair, tossing it into an even messier state. My mouth spread into a smile.
“Hey there, Princess.”
“Oh my gosh, it’s actually you!” I squealed, throwing myself at him for a bear hug. He started laughing, not moved by the force of my weight at all. I pulled back, examining him with a wicked grin.
“You’re so much taller and bigger and… taller.” I laughed at my own stupidity, leaning against the wall with a huff. “I can’t believe you’re still here, it’s been six years!”
“Yep, six years without my Princess. I heard you were back, but I could never find you.” Noah leaned against the wall next to me, folding his arms.
“I couldn’t find you either, I didn’t know whether you were still here or not.”
“Still here, still bored.”
I laughed at his monotone, mainly because his eyes were shining, the exact opposite of bored.
“And you missed me for the entire time I was gone?”
“Sure did, I only made sixty or so other friends.” He flashed some white teeth at me. “You heading to breakfast?”
I nodded. “My roommate was on duty, so I’m a loner.”
“Can I show you something instead…? There’s food there, so you don’t have to worry about getting hungry. I can guarantee that you’ll love it. Promise.” He pushed off the wall and took one of my hands with his large, warm one. I pulled back slightly, not moving.
“Noah… I’d love to, but I’m supposed to be meeting my roommate in the dining hall. Maybe after school ends?”
“After school? Yeah, I guess we can do that… but I wish you would come now instead. I can carry you.” He flashed me another grin. “I’m stronger then you are now, I can piggyback you instead of you piggybacking me.”
I laughed, but took my hand out of his. “I believe you, I think I’d die trying to piggyback you. But I’m running really late, how about we meet after our classes?”
“Okay, if that’s what you want. Where do you w-”
“Is he bothering you?”
Both Noah and my head’s snapped up. I swore. It was that ass who had scared me in the corridor yesterday, the one who I had yelled at and stormed off on. He was in the middle of the corridor, arms folded, watching us with a serious face.
“What are you, a stalker?” I mumbled, already annoyed. The boy stepped forward; Noah stepped in front of me.
“Has he been bothering you, Tora?” The boy’s voice rang through the corridor. I pushed Noah to the side slightly so I could see.
“Who are you to ask? And how do you know my name?” I snapped at him. The boy snickered.