Chapter 5
The Struggle
“This is our class.” He hands me my books and introduces me to the teacher before taking his seat.
“Welcome to Wenham, Ms. Pierce,” Mr. Wilson, a short, proud, middle-aged man says. “Okay, everyone; take your seats.”
“Thank you,” I mumble as I proceed to the only open seat left, beside Nathanial, and politely smile at him. I notice him shooing away anyone else who tried to take the seat next to him.
I can’t believe I’ll have to sit next to him for the entire year. My feelings toward this boy are so conflicting. I want to be near him, but for all the wrong reasons, which makes me want to stay as far away from him as possible. I guess the choice is out of my hands now. He smells so good–deliciously appealing. I will have to figure this out before the inevitable happens and I can no longer resist the temptation.
He smiles back. “This is great, and now we can get to know each other better.”
“Yeah great you are the first person I have met, aside from Ms. Hunt.” I try hard to sound entirely sarcastic, but fate is working against me. I am just going to have to remain calm and remove these thoughts from my head. I will have to ignore his incredible scent, how he appeals to my every desire. I’m so confused, wanting to know him and wanting him to know me, the real me. How’s he making me feel this way? I’ve always been so good at keeping my distance. I’ve worked very hard to maintain the life I live, and I can’t throw it away over one silly boy! I think to myself. I need to stay away from him and keep my distance before I go down faster than the Titanic and take my family with me.
Mr. Wilson stands in front of the class to address us. “Welcome back, everyone. It is nice to see all of you again, along with a new face that has moved to our town. Sophia, can you tell us a little something about yourself? We have all known one another for years now, and it is a pleasure to have someone new in our midst.”
I feel twenty-five pairs of eyes staring at me, awaiting my response. “Um, okay. My name is Sophia Pierce, and my family and I just moved here from Banff, Alberta, Canada. I live with my parents, three siblings, and my aunt and uncle. I enjoy learning about the history of the towns we move to, and...um, well, I guess that’s about it.” In the background I hear some of the girls whispering about Nathanial’s attentive demeanor toward me. From the information I can collect, Nathanial is well liked, popular, and the object of many girls’ affections, though he never seems to return the affection. He is more concerned about getting good grades, football, and the scholarship he is hoping to land to help pay for college. From the whispers I caught they can’t help but wonder, what makes the new girl so special?
“Thank you, Sophia. Now, class, let’s watch a short film on Stalin, a prominent figure in Soviet history. He ranks as one of the world’s worst dictators.”
Mr. Wilson starts the movie, grabs his coffee mug, and exits the room. Most of the class visits quietly, talking about their summers, but my thoughts were elsewhere.
I’ve never met anyone so kind before. He’s so helpful and polite. Nathanial McCord is a true gentleman and a pleasure to be around. I glance over at his notebook as the movie is playing. He is taking detailed notes, thorough and neat. I can tell he is a good student and eager to help me, the fragile new girl in town. (That’s funny. “Fragile” is possibly the worst adjective to describe anyone in my family.)
Nathanial notices me reading his notes. “So how long has your family been in town?”
I can’t distance myself from him when I get lost in those amazing sapphire eyes. The best I can do is to try to keep my answers basic, while I contemplate the best way to resist him. “We got here last week.”
“Have you been able to check out the town? We have some great history here.”
“We’ve been busy unpacking, but I’ve been reading up on the town history a little.”
“If you ever need a tour guide, I’d be happy to show you around.”
“That’s so kind of you. I think I just need to make it through today first. Everyone seems a little...well, intrigued with my family’s presence here. I’m not sure if I can handle much more attention.” I have a habit of blabbing a little too much when I get nervous.
The bell rings, and the sound reminds me of a banshee’s scream. I’ll have to get used to the sound clanging away between classes, because the noise is hard on my ultra-sensitive hearing. Class went by fast, thank God. Now I have an escape! I will be in my next class soon enough, and then can get my bearings. I survived first period, and what’s more important the class survived me.
“Hey, look, Sophia! We have photo shop together next,” Nathanial says, crushing my escape plan with his enthusiasm.
I know I must be very careful. How am I going to protect him from me, when he renders me downright incapable of hiding the truth? My day is not starting out very good. Let’s hope it gets better before it gets worse...a lot worse. I really need to get a grip on this. I feel like my head is about to explode, and I can just imagine what I must look like to everyone since I tend to over think things, and I am sure it shows. Nathanial seems to be a great guy, and I can’t do anything about being in the same classes. I decide I just have to tolerate it and move on.
We partner together in photo shop. I’m just not capable of staying away from him, no matter how hard I try. I need more, I want more, and I want him. How can this be? I have never encountered anyone like him before. I begin to think that maybe moving to Wenham is not going to be as great as I had hoped. There is something different about Nathanial, and I am going to figure it out.
The teacher sends the class to wander the campus and take pictures using digital cameras. As I look around the exquisite grounds, I notice Nathanial snapping some candid shots of me, and I let out a smirk. “Careful. You don’t want to break the camera on the first day.”
“No camera breaking here. I’m more concerned about a heart breaker,” he says, laughing.
We start talking a little more, and he asks all the usual questions. “So you’re from Canada? What brings you to Wenham? What does your family do? Do you miss your boyfriend?”
“Wow. What is this, some kind of inquisition? Ask as much as you can in one breath, not allowing me to over think my answers?” I joke.
“Sorry. Just curious.”
“No problem.” I begin to answer using my well-practiced lines. “We moved from Canada. Banff, Alberta; to be exact, because there are too many tourists there and the commute was too far. My father is a lawyer, my uncle and his wife are both doctors, and mother is a homemaker. My brother, two sisters, and I are all students. There’s no boyfriend to miss. Besides, who would want to date me anyways?” Considering it is such a poor choice, a downright bad idea, I thought to myself. I can tell my final comment threw him off a little.
He whispers under his breath, thinking I won’t hear. “Who wouldn’t want to?”
I’m shocked by his comment, but I can’t reveal that I heard him. I pretend to scour the campus for something to photograph. I can’t let his whispered compliment get to me, and I have to stick to the game plan: finish out the last two years of high school, make sure Danika behaves, move somewhere else, go to college, and fight for what we believe in. I can’t allow him–or anyone else, for that matter–to change the plan. It has worked for my family until now, and there is no use fixing something that isn’t broken. Continuing with the task at hand, photography, I try to forget what he said and peruse the area for the perfect snapshot. I get in a few good shots of Nathanial just as one of his football buddies tries to sneak up behind us.
“Gotcha!” the football friend shouts. “Now I have proof you like the ladies,” he jokes as he snaps a picture of Nathanial and me and runs off laughing.
“Don’t mind Ben. He’s just teasing me. I usually concentrate on my studies more than I do the ladies. The boys all think I need a girl in my life to keep me balanced, but I just never had any interest...at least not u
ntil now,” he admits sheepishly. “I’ve never found a girl who interested me quite as much as you. Sophia, I know we just met, but I think you are amazing, interesting, and intriguing. I believe there is more to you than you let on, and I want to know what you are hiding,” he says, clearly laying his intentions out on the table for me to process.
Analyzing the situation that has popped up so unexpectedly, I begin to wonder, how am I going to get myself out of this mess? I can’t resist him. I can’t get enough of him, and I can tell he feels the same. But I’m sure he’ll get over it soon. I am just the new girl, a mystery. When he does forget about me, it will be easier for me to forget about him.
I’m glad when second period is over. I print off a picture of Nathanial for myself, and I tuck it in my bag. I’m completely enamored by him, and I wonder what it is about him that is so intoxicating. It scares me. I fear not only for him, but also for myself around him. I know I can’t allow a boy I have only known for two hours to affect me like this. It feels as though I have known him forever, as if we belong together. If I become too close to him, everything could come out, and my darkest secrets will be revealed. I mustn’t allow that to happen. Someone may get hurt. He could get hurt. I have to find a way to keep my distance from him, to find a way to resist the irresistible. That’s my new task, and I challenge myself to succeed. I’ve had enough for one day.
Immortal Embrace Page 5