ONE

Annalise

I never agreed to move to this small city but my uncle has made it clear to me that I would suffer the heavier consequences if I don't agree to his conditions. I have been the greatest contributor to his headache the past years and perhaps he got tired of dealing with me that he decided to send me here to this small town: the Great Oaks.

Honestly, I never really did anything wrong. I was just at the wrong place and at the wrong time when trouble happens and I was always there to get all the blame somehow. I got tired of reasoning out to my uncle. Who would believe me, anyway?

So now, here I am in this almost forgotten city. I couldn't do anything when he decided I would be sent here. Maybe he thinks that the fewer people there are, the less likely it would be for me to cause trouble. He just didn't want to say that he doesn't want to deal with anything about me anymore.

I am fine being away from him and that sinful city. But to be thrown in this place is almost worse. Almost. I found that at the back of the house where I am staying is a lake. It had a dock and a small boat that I could use and it was the only good thing I could find in this place. So far.

I looked at my bedside table and saw that it was time for me to get up. I am supposed to go to school today. My uncle has enrolled me in this local university and he also chose the major I should take. Talk about being controlling. The house where I am staying is owned by him and he left me with a housemaid to clean the house. Her name's Rita and her only job was to clean the house except for my room. My uncle made sure that I do those things myself.

Rita must have finished cleaning as I didn't hear any noise downstairs. When I was done fixing myself, I went down. I didn't have time for a proper breakfast so I just grabbed the bread I saw by the table. I was about to go out when I saw Rita now cleaning the gardens.

"Annalise," she called which immediately made me stop in my tracks. I have never heard her say my name. In fact, this was the first time she called me ever since I started living here a week ago.

I gave her a questioning look and she walked closer to me. I didn't really get to get to know her but in my guess, she must be in her mid-fifties. And seeing as she always stays in the house, I bet she doesn't have any family either.

"What is it?" I asked her the moment she was in front of me.

Slowly, she took out something from her pocket. A bracelet.

"Wear this," she said as she handed me the jewelry. It was adorned with transparent pearls. When I looked closer, I realized there was something inside the pearls. 

"What's this for?" I asked.

She swallowed hard before she looked around. When she made sure no one was around us, she leaned closer, and then she whispered, "For protection."

Rita did not wait for me to say something about it and she went back to tending the gardens, her back on me.  I looked at the bracelet. There's nothing strange about it. So I just shrugged and stuffed it inside my pocket. Weird.

I did hear that this place is kind of superstitious and the bracelet was probably Rita's way of teaching me the beliefs they had in this place. I don't really care much but there's also no harm in taking Rita's bracelet. I will just think of it as her way of showing she cares. At least someone cares about me in this place.

The school was only a ten-minute walk from my house. My first class starts in thirty minutes but I don't have any plans of getting there on time. As much as possible, I want to cause enough trouble in this place so my uncle would send me to another. At least something livelier than this one.

"Watch out!"

I was almost knocked off my feet when some guy on his skateboard passed in front of me. Muttering a series of curses, I looked at the guy who was speeding off as if nothing happened. But then he looked back and gave me a smile before he yelled, "Sorry!"

I did not respond. The guy had already gotten away and he did not seem keen on waiting to hear if I forgave him or not. So I continued walking and for the next few minutes, I was already on the school grounds.

I nodded approvingly the moment I saw it. At least it was kind of crowded. Swarms of students are coming in and it felt like I was transported to another dimension. While the rest of the city is dull, the school was bright. Maybe it's the new paint. Or maybe the freshly watered plants. Or the newly mowed lawn. The place was bustling and I liked it.

I looked ahead and the structure of the building greeted me. In front of it were huge golden letters that says: Great Oaks University. Here comes a new hell for me written in gold.

The school looked decent enough. I guess all schools look the same—the clean hallways, lockers, and of course the students standing by the hallway, gossiping about things they had done and did not do over the course of summer.

My first class is chemistry and I went straight to where my classroom is supposed to be. I don't know anyone in this city and I don't want to pretend that I like it here. Some students looked at me and I wasn't surprised. I'm the new kid. I might be the new subject of bullying if they have that here but if there is, they would soon find out I am not a suitable bully victim.

The chemistry class won't start for another ten minutes and I don't have anywhere to go so I went straight there.

As expected, the classroom was empty. But I was proven wrong the moment I got inside when someone was apparently already there. He was wearing a leather jacket and I couldn't help but make a mental note about how hot and inconvenient would that be. But then again, I really don't have a say in other people's fashion sense.

He looked like he doesn't care about anything in his surroundings but when I sat on my chosen seat it must have disturbed him because he turned to look at me. And heaven on earth—he didn't look as what I expected him to look like. He was…conventionally good-looking. The kind you see on social media showing off their well-sculpted bodies and charming smiles. Except that this one was frowning.

I gave him a questioning look and he offered me a blank stare as though he was expecting something interesting when he turned to me only to be disappointed. He gave me a look before he faced the front again. I wanted to be offended. Why did he look disappointed? Do I look disappointing?

From the brief moment that I saw his face, I could say that he is probably one of the most good-looking people I know. His skin is a beautiful tan that seems to shine under the warm light coming from the window. His face was hard and I thought my hand would look good tracing his defined jaw but his hazel eyes looked as though it was piercing me alive--I shook the thought away. There is no way that I would be attracted to any people in this damned town. It might be a bit petty but I have made a promise to myself not to like anything about this place. Even if it's a handsome frowning man.

Silence filled the whole room. Not that I mind but the kind of silence was suffocating. I could almost taste the tension at the tip of my tongue. I looked at the man in front and he was looking in front. Whether he was reading or staring blankly in front of him, I don’t know and I shouldn’t care.

So the silence took over for the whole ten minutes. I spent my time reading a book until it was time when students started to come in. It didn't escape my eyes how the students looked at me curiously. I get that I am new and they haven't seen me before but can't they be at least more subtle in staring at me?

Thankfully, they didn't go as far as to approach me and just left me alone. When the professor came, it was when they went silent.

"Don't expect this class to be easy. Last year, only five students passed this class out of thirty," she said the moment she placed her things down on the table.

That's one way to encourage your students.

I don't really get why they would start at something like that. To challenge us? Well, looking at these students, they don’t seem to be up to the challenge.

Then a brilliant idea went inside my head. I could fail all my classes and the school will have to kick me out and I will be forced to leave this place. But the idea did not linger much when I realized what my uncle had made specifically clear when he sent me to this town. That if I somehow get involved in another trouble, I wouldn’t like the consequences. I don’t plan on finding out what consequences they would be.

"You will be partnered with one of your classmates for the rest of the semester. Lecture and laboratory activities shall be done by pair." Our professor's hawk eyes stared at us one by one. By pair. Seriously?

She started to pair the students until she reached the bottom of her list.

"Sit with your partners," said our professor. Everyone started moving. I remained seated. I don't know who my partner is. But then someone came near my table and I looked at him. 

It's the handsome guy I saw earlier. Don't tell me he's my partner?

"Are you Annalise Vergara?" he asked. I swallowed hard.

"Yes, I am," I answered. Why am I getting nervous around this man?

He did not say anything and just pulled a seat and sat next to me. And that answered my question. He is indeed my partner.

I looked around and everyone was quiet. Some of them are secretly looking our way—at my partner. I don't have any idea what is going on but I could see they aren't looking at the guy with admiration in their eyes. It was fear...?

"You will be the ones who will help each other out for the rest of the semester. Changing your partners is not allowed. Is that understood?"

No one answered and she took it as a yes before she left the room. Just like that, the class was dismissed. But before I could even walk away, someone grabbed my hand. I looked at the guy who was seated beside me.

I didn't hear what his name was so I stared at him and said, "What?"

The silence inside the room was even more deafening and I saw all of them were looking in our direction. What is with this man? Is he a popular bully or something?

"I don't intend to fail this class," he said and his eyes narrowed in my direction. "I hope you don't intend to fail too."

And then he dropped my hand and walked out of the room leaving me dumbfounded. Just earlier I was planning to fail the class but when he said he doesn't want to fail it makes me think that he is subtly threatening me. Was he threatening me? 

I gritted my teeth. I couldn't believe I was speechless while he was talking to me. Get a hold of yourself, Annalise! He may be handsome but you can't be out here drooling and getting speechless at some guy.

I let out a harsh breath and looked at the other students who were looking my way. "What?" I asked. They all looked away and started to go out of the room.

I don't know who that man is but there is one thing I certainly know about myself: I don't take orders from people. So I decided I am going to fail this class and see what he does about it.