"This dorm is quite cozy," Elaise complimented as she finished putting her own books away and they sat in the living room. "I could get used to this place."
"Me too," Raven admitted. "Those boys were really nice. I'm so glad we had their help, or we never would have made it up here."
"They probably only helped because Jason felt bad," Elaise laughed. "The look on your face when you crashed into him was priceless!"
"Shut up!" Raven grumbled. "I couldn't see around the books…"
"Admit it though," Elaise smirked. "They were cute."
Raven rolled her eyes. "Trust you to say that." Of course Elaise would put her two cents in about them. Raven silently admitted that yes, Jason was quite a looker, but he was just being friendly.
Elaise let her mouth hang open and she held her hands out. "What? There's nothing wrong with complimenting their good looks."
"Yes, but with the way they look, they definitely have girlfriends so don't even bother trying to go there," the blonde warned her friend.
Elaise sighed dramatically. "Fine! I shall not touch the sexy boys."
They both burst into laughter and a knock came at the door. Raven got up to answer it and she smiled when she saw two men carrying their bags. The men brought them in, dragging Elaise's trunk, and gently placed them on the floor.
"Where would you like them?" one asked kindly.
"We can take them from here," Raven insisted. "Thank you very much."
He nodded and handed her two folders. "Here are your schedules. We hope you enjoy your time here at White Grass Academy."
They left without another word and shut the door. Raven blinked but gave Elaise her folder, opening her own and looking through it. "I have P.E after lunch."
"Me too!" Elaise smiled and they compared their timetables. The only classes they shared were Science and Physical Education, but it was good enough for Raven.
"I wonder where we have to go for P.E," Raven pointed out and Elaise shrugged.
A map of the school was attached behind the timetables and Raven looked over it, but the more she tried to figure it out, the more her mind tried to scream in terror and run away. She wasn't able to make sense of the floor plan and prayed that she wouldn't get lost!
She gave up and the girls grabbed their bags, taking them to their rooms to unpack. Raven opened her wardrobe and neatly folded all of her clothes into the drawers. The wardrobe was full by the time her clothes were unpacked. She put her photo album, as well as a few other picture frames, on her desk. She placed her pillow and blanket on the bed, putting Rover on the pillow. Grabbing her toiletries, she took them all to her personal bathroom and unpacked them all, putting them in the top drawer and leaving her hairbrush on the basin. She put her make-up in the second drawer and went back to her room. She pulled out some reading books and empty writing books that she had brought and stacked them on the bookshelf, putting her pencil case on the desk. She grabbed her shoes, the last of her packed necessaries, and put them to the side of the room. She looked up and almost jumped with fright when she saw someone in front of her. It took her several moments before she realized she was looking at a full length mirror and she calmed her racing heart. She left her room again and went into the kitchen, opening the fridge and seeing bottles of water and some healthy snacks.
As soon as Elaise was finished with her things, the bell for lunch rang. They decided to leave the dorm and scope out the school. At first, they were overwhelmed by the amount of students that flooded the halls, but they easily weaved in and out of the crowds until they found their way outside.
The landscape was amazing and Raven smiled when she saw just how green the grass was on the oval. She frowned when she saw the forest beside it and Elaise quickly nudged her and whispered in her ear. "There's your hero." Raven looked up and saw Jason at the basketball courts, playing a game of basketball with a group of other boys that Raven hadn't yet seen.
"Well, if Jason is there…" Raven muttered, glancing around. "Where's your boyfriend?"
"Hey!" Elaise grumbled. "He's not my boyfriend."
"Whatever you say," Raven smiled and they moved on.
The buildings were so tall compared to the church. Elaise insisted they went inside and Raven reluctantly agreed. Her interest sparked when she saw how colorful it was. The windows were covered with a color-stained glass that formed pictures of Jesus, God and even Moses and Noah with his ark. The light shone in through the windows and Raven tried counting the rows of seats that led up the aisle to the alter at the front. A priest was there, saying a blessing to a student who was kneeling in front of him.
"Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Make allowance for each other's faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others," the priest quoted and Raven remembered Elaise trying to tell her something similar to that verse.
"Thank you so much, Father," the boy chimed and ran out of the church with a smile on his face.
The priest bowed his head as the boy left and noticed the girls when Elaise approached. "Colossians, three-twelve of thirteen," the brunette spoke up.
"Quite right!" he bowed his head again. "I sense you are a strong believer in the Lord."
"Very much so," Elaise grinned.
The priest frowned when he looked at Raven, who hung back and leaned against a row of seats to wait for her friend. "I also sense that your friend has a lack of faith."
Raven turned her eyes to the ground and Elaise nodded. "Yes, but she is very respectful of religion."
"Tell me, child," the man spoke quietly to Raven. "Why do you not believe in Him?"
Raven felt a twitch in her body and she had to force away the horrible memories that threatened her. "I don't mean to be rude, but if He did exist… Why is it that all the innocent people are the ones who die? All the drunk drivers in the accidents… they walk away with their lives while the innocents are killed. Why do all the deadly diseases in the world exist? Murder? Child abuse? Why does He let 'His children' suffer if he really cared?" And most of all, Raven thought bitterly. Why didn't He help me when I needed it?
"That is not a question I can answer," the man sighed. "It is a question that only the Lord can answer. Why is it that I sense you have had a troubled past? Is that why you do not believe?"
Raven bit her lip and shook her head roughly. "Elaise, I'm gonna go for a walk. You can stay here if you'd like."
"Okay," Elaise nodded and flashed her a sympathetic smile. "Take it easy, and don't get lost."
Raven walked out of the church, leaving Elaise to her churchliness. She looked up at the school again and was kind of glad to be here. If it really was so safe, then she would never have to worry about being found. Then she would never have to relive all that trauma…
"Well, look what we have here!" an arm suddenly swung around her shoulder and she was pulled into someone's side. "Fresh meat. How'd you get dumped in a place like this, kiddo?"
Raven blinked and looked up to see a boy with dark hair and mischievous, bloodshot blue eyes. "I chose to come here," she answered.
The boy snorted and directed her over to where the rest of his friends were sitting on a bench. "Look what I sniffed out, boys! A new girl."
"Hey," they all greeted her with smiles and she forced herself to smile in return. She could barely suppress the uncomfortable shiver that crawled up her spine when the boy beside her pulled her closer.
"Would you mind telling me something?" he frowned, his strong arm tensing around her. "Why do you have the slight scent of mistletoe?"
Raven was confused. "Mistletoe has a smell?" She had no idea. She knew Elaise had made a mistletoe 'scented' perfume, but it didn't have even the slightest of smells.
The boy wrinkled his nose with distaste. "Yes, and it's a little gross."
"And you're a little creepy," Raven admitted and tried to step away from h
im but he wouldn't let her. "Do you have super senses?"
"No," he answered quickly. "I'm Jake, by the way. What's your name?"
"Raven," she replied and at least tried to straighten up as the boy's heavy arm pushed her down. He suddenly jerked and pulled his arm away from her and she raised her eyebrows, watching him rub his arm. "Something wrong?"
"Sorry," Jake muttered and looked at her necklace, narrowing his eyes. "Your chain… pinched me."
Raven bit her lip to hold back a rude comment. "And it hurt you that badly?" she said instead. A tough-looking guy like him, and a small pinch hurt him? He was not only pushy, but he was a bit of a wimp.
"No," he murmured. "Listen, me and my friends are having a party at my dorm tonight. Room two-oh-five. You wanna come?"
"She's not interested," Raven heard the silky voice before she could reply and she looked up as Jason appeared beside her. "Jake, why is it always the new girls? Leave her alone; the last thing she wants is to fuck you."
"Hey, Jason," Jake greeted him and took a step back. "I was only being friendly. I caught her scent and had to introduce myself."
"You wanted more than that, surely," Jason scoffed. "Raven, come with me. This guy isn't the best company."
"Why can't she stay?" Jake asked, holding his arms out with a frown on his face.
Raven gulped and told herself she would rather follow Jason. "No offense, but you're creepy," she muttered to Jake and her hero led her away. "Thanks for saving me… again. What's his deal? Is he some kind of druggo?"
"You could say that," Jason nodded and Raven smiled. "Where's your friend?"
"Sharing words with the scary priest," she rolled her eyes. "I couldn't stay there. I thought he was going to drown me in holy water for not being a believer."
Jason laughed at that and she listened to the sweet chime. His girlfriend had to think of herself as a very lucky girl. "You're a funny kid. But you're going to need to learn who to hang around and who to avoid."
"Avoid Jake and all friends of his. Check," Raven nodded. "Don't need to tell me twice. Is that all?"
"When they talk about… scents," his voice was almost too quiet for Raven to hear. "Just ignore all of that. It's just a strange way the people talk around here. It's nothing to worry about."
The blonde girl soaked it all in and shook her head to clear it. These people were extremely weird, and she hoped she didn't start talking like them. Better yet, she thought, she hoped Elaise didn't start chasing them around with crucifixes and silver, thinking they were demons.
"What class do you have after lunch?" Jason asked, snapping Raven out of her thoughts.
"P.E," she told him. "Same with Elaise."
"Great!" the tall boy smiled and Raven felt her skin tingling at the sight of his gorgeous smile. "You'll be with Der and I."
Raven chewed her lip. "The weirdo isn't in the class, is he?"
"No, you're safe."
Raven giggled and she noticed the boy smile. He glanced down at her but she ducked her head and drew her lips over her teeth to hide them. Jason led her over to the basketball courts where she had last seen him. His friends were still playing their game, dribbling the ball across the court and shooting hoops. They moved with great speed and skill, Raven couldn't help but feel jealous.
"Hey, Jason! Who's your new friend?" one of the boys asked as they noticed Jason's return.
"This is Raven," he introduced her and the blonde noticed all eyes trained on her. Awkwardness creeped up on her and she suddenly wished she had of stayed with Elaise and the priest. "She got in this morning. It's alright, kiddo, these guys are okay to be around."
"Nice to meet you," some of them bowed their heads in respectful gestures and Raven shook hands with them all, feeling like a midget in comparison to them.
"Do you play?" Jason asked as he skillfully swiped the basketball out of the hands of his friend.
Raven shook her head, glancing around and expecting Jason's girlfriend to come running over and yelling at the blonde for being so close to her man. Raven had to expect any girl to be protective of a guy as gorgeous as Jason. "Sport was never my strong point."
"Raven!" a heavy weight landed on Raven's back and arms wrapped around her neck. "Are you going to play basketball?! Can I play?"
"Yes, Elaise," Jason laughed when he saw Raven's annoyed expression. She wasn't fond of Elaise's crazy behavior after her trips to the church. "If you can match up to the boys, then feel free to join in."
"Sure, I can!" the brunet jumped off Raven's back and lunged to steal the ball from Jason. He grinned and lifted his arm to put it out of her reach. Elaise paused for a moment before jabbing him in the ribs. He quickly jerked out of the way and she jumped, snatching the ball and running away with it.
"You're supposed to dribble the ball!" Jason hollered to her as she held it tightly in her arms, refusing to let it go.
"She's always like this after church," Raven told him, hoping he was okay. "I think it's kind of scary."
"No kidding," he muttered, rubbing his ribs. "What does she think I am? A dog?"
"She's also superstitious," Raven smiled. "You should see her room. Every day I think she's going to chase someone around with holy water and condemn them to Hell."
"You have a very strange friend," Jason raised an eyebrow and turned to look at Elaise who was dodging in and out of the boys, running with the ball still in her arms. She jumped up when she reached the hoop and threw the ball. It hit the backboard and fell through the hoop, but she didn't stop herself in time to catch it. Another boy picked it up and she tried to steal it back, but they threw the ball back and forth to play 'keep away'.
"Tell me about it," Raven sighed but the bell rang and the boys stopped teasing the poor brunette. She snatched the ball back and stormed over to Raven and Jason, a smile on her face.
"I got it!" she held the ball up in Jason's face, almost smacking it into his nose. Raven frowned, hoping Elaise wasn't going to scare away one of the only friends they had.
"I can see that," he said and used one finger to push it out of his view. "But you're going to need that energy for P.E."
Elaise looked pleased and the girls followed Jason away from the boys. The green-eyed boy took the ball from Elaise and returned it to the sports shed, leading them over to the meeting point on the oval. Der was already there with a few other students, waiting for the teacher. Raven gasped when she saw the girls. They were all tall, well-built and absolutely beautiful! She glanced at Elaise and the brunette was already gaping at them, jealousy written all over her face.
"What's your problem?" Jason asked them.
"Have you seen those girls?" Raven grumbled at him.
"We used to be the hottest in our school," Elaise frowned and Raven nudged her roughly with her elbow. "Now I fear we've just been thrown straight to the bottom…"
"I was already there to begin with," Raven muttered and Elaise scowled at her.
Jason rolled with eyes. "Women… Can never understand them."
"And you never will," Elaise jabbed his ribs again and ran forward to say hello to Der. Jason growled and put a hand over his ribs, glaring at Raven's friend.
They joined the others and it wasn't long before the teacher arrived. One of the girls approached Raven and Elaise with a sweet smile. "Hello," she greeted them. "You're the new girls, huh? I have to say, it's good to see some natural, pretty faces."
Raven ducked her head but Elaise looked as though she couldn't believe what she had just heard. "Pretty? That's nothing compared to-"
"Trust me," the girl giggled and leaned in to whisper to them. "They're all cake-faces. I'm Eliza, by the way."
The two girls introduced themselves and Raven looked up, having to hold back a shriek when she noticed Eliza's eyes. They were a stunning gold that seemed to shine brighter than any sunray! That kind of eye color was… well, it was impossible. But her long black hair decorated them well, and Eliza didn't even seem to notice Raven's stare.
"
Okay, class," the teacher spoke up and the students gathered around him. "Because we have a pair of newbies, we're going to take it easy today. We don't want to intimidate them."
Elaise obviously took offense to that and Raven shook her head, hiding her face with her hands. "Hey!" Elaise grumbled. "We can handle anything you guys can do! Bring it!"
"Elaise, shut up!" Raven hissed at her. Elaise might be happy to run around like a crazy person, but Raven wasn't fit enough to do whatever it was that made the other female students look so strong.
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