Chapter 1 Girl With The Smile of a Killer

Sitting through trig class with my pen balanced between my lips and nose is a great distraction from the boring topic of triangles and formulas. I hate being in school because they sometimes force you to learn a subject that would not be useful to you in the future. What if I want to become a dancer? An artist? A rock star? Would I still solve for the missing side of the triangle commonly known as X?

My name is Gabriella Bryce.

 I hate math. 

I don't have friends - I am not sure if that is something that I should be proud of.

Well, it's not like I don't try to approach my classmates or try to interact. It’s just that I have a weird smile. 

No, it's not the type of smile that involves weird and rotten teeth - I have perfectly white and straight teeth.

You see, my smile is fatal and dangerous. Just one look at these weapons and even the ferocious growl of a mountain lion would seem harmless. If this were a comic, I would call this attack: The Killer Smile.

Now that would be awesome. I won’t exactly mind it if it doesn't turn me into a friendless loner.

In my old school, this sort of smile was feared by all. They spread rumors about me killing someone - which is not true!

I could not stand it there. I was always that one person who everyone was afraid of. The one everyone would slam themselves onto their lockers just so steer clear from my path. 

The sister of Annabelle, the creepy doll, is here! Run for your life because she has a fork in her hand! If only I could stab them and take them out of their misery.

I hate it. I hate my old school. That was why I was so relieved when my father got a job in Oldridge Town, which forced us to move from our old home and into a new life. It was only this year, my senior year, that I transferred to this school, Gridon High, which was way better than my old one.

I made a commitment to myself when I transferred to this school that I would not smile. I didn't want everyone to see my terrible smile, but it also didn't work out good. I had a few people speak to me at first, but as time passed and they didn't see me grin, they assumed I was a snob and began to ignore me as well.

I don't appear to be a snob. Possessing mud-brown hair, pale blue eyes, and high cheekbones, I have a decent face.

Pretty but snobby. That's what I hear the females said to me once in the bathroom while I was taking a shit.

And they say that it's a comfort room, but I could not find comfort at all!

The bell rang, signaling our lunch break. I was more than happy as I grabbed my textbook and shoved them into my bag. I made my way to the cafeteria, passing the hallway and rows of lockers to get there.

I ordered myself a plate of spaghetti and went to sit beside an emo girl named Julie. Julie is the usual type of emo girl. Black hair and black eyes. Wears thick eyeliner, blacktop, black leather pants with matching leather boots, and many piercings. Ever since I was called a snob, I had been sitting with her in the cafeteria. We're not really friends, though. We just sit at one table and mind our own business as we eat. Occasionally we would catch each other's eyes and would nod as if saying 'what's up?', then we would be back to minding our own business. It's like we're lunch buddies or something.

I looked up from my plate of spaghetti and towards Julie. I haven't tried talking to her, like starting a conversation. The last time that we said a word to each other was when I asked if I could sit with her at lunch.

And trust me, it was only four words: Can I sit here?

Then came her reply: Okay.

Maybe if I can find us a suitable topic then perhaps we might get closer? But what kind of topic?

I studied her for a while. She was reading a book entitled 'How to be a witch: A Spellbook for beginners. With spiral and skull designs screaming death. I gulped.

Calm down, Gabriella. Just because she's reading a book on how to be a witch doesn't mean that she'll become one. Who knows? Maybe she's just reading that out of boredom, and maybe she likes Shakespeare and John Green novels?

"Um...." I started. "Do you....like books?" I asked. Okay. Here it goes—first step.

"I don't," Julie answered shortly and took a bite out of her apple without looking at me.

"Oookay," I said awkwardly. "Then what are you reading?" I asked again.

This time, Julie did look at me. "A book about witches. These hold the secret to sorcery and magic. Did you know that you can make a love potion out of three ingredients? Ginger, dried frog, and horse testicles. Grind them up with a mortar and pestle until they get a powdery mixture and place them into your target’s food. They will pass out, and you have to make sure that you will be the first person that they'll see." She said it all with a straight face and without even blinking!

I had a mouthful of spaghetti in my mouth when she blurted out these things. The pasta started to taste weird as I pictured the dried frog and horse testicles. I opened my mouth and used my tongue to push the pasta and let it drop back to my plate as I wiped my mouth clean.

There goes my appetite. "Um....are you sure that it’s a love potion and not poison?" I laughed nervously and pushed my plate aside. Trust me, laughing without smiling is a weird thing to do.

Julie frowned and read her book once again before looking back at me. "Nope. It's a love potion."

"Well, do you have someone you like that you want to try to use it?" Don't give up, Gabriella. This is a step to friendship! The things I do to get a friend.

"No." She answered.

"Really? Then why are you sharing it?"

"Because I thought that you might have someone that you like. I am more interested in reading the pages about curses."

"Ohhh..." I started to reach for my bottle of milk, suddenly feeling thirsty.

"Would you like to read them too? Is there someone you want to curse?"

"Nope. No one." I shook my head and let out a shaky laugh.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"Fine." She shrugged. "Suit yourself."

I was just in the middle of drinking my milk when Julie started talking again. "Did you know that a dog's pee mixed with a cat's eye is better at keeping your bones strong instead of milk? With proper setting and incantations, it works like magic." I choked on my drink and sprayed milk all over our table as I coughed violently in the cafeteria.

Note to self: Don't try to have a conversation with Julie, especially when you’re eating. It will not turn out well.

As the bell rang signaling the end of lunch, I told Julie goodbye and hurriedly made my way to my next class: Physics, where we study Newton's law. 

I should probably be listening to Professor Barns as he teaches us the principles. He might give us a pop quiz later, but I wasn't really in the mood for listening.

Don't get me wrong, I am a good student and would usually get a B+ in this subject. It's just that I prefer to study alone and read a book by myself. 

I learn better that way.

But just in case, I pulled out my notebook and started to copy the formulas that he had written on the board.

School finally ended, and I was free to go home, but I took a detour and headed for the library instead, where I worked on my homework. It was the only place where I could work quietly. After dinner, dad would always sit in the living room and watch sports channels to their maximum volume, while mom would be up and doing Pilates, and my brother...well he isn't living with us anymore ever since he got a job in New York as a doctor.

Besides, there are far too many distractions in my room that I can't seem to focus on the work at hand.

I pulled my hair up into a hair ponytail to keep it away from my face. I pulled out my textbook and the works given to us. I started with trigonometry first. I was almost tearing up when I saw the number of items that I have to solve.

This is undoubtedly going to fry my brain. Blast them teachers for giving us such tortures!

I finished one subject in an hour and a half. I could feel my head pulsing at the headache that it left. If the library wasn't air-conditioned, I bet I would be sweating right now. 

Who needs to go to the gym when you have math?

I folded the finished product and carefully placed it in my bag as I started with my physics homework next, but I felt my eyelids growing heavy as I read through the first problem.

•••

"Miss, miss, wake up. We are about to close the library." Someone shook me awake, and I looked up to see Mrs. Cauldron, the school's librarian. She's a woman in her 50's with dark hair that was starting to turn gray. She was thin, making her features look sharper. Her glasses hung from her nose as she looked down at me with an eyebrow raised and one hand to her boney hips.

I sat up quickly and noted that the sky was starting to darken outside. "Oh my gosh!" I exclaimed and started to gather my books and papers. "I am so sorry." I apologized as I ran a hand to my lips, making sure that I was not drooling. Thank God I wasn't.

Mrs. Cauldron eyed me with scrutiny. "May I see your student ID?"

"What?"

"Your ID. May I see it?" She repeated. She opened her palm to me as she waited for me to hand over my ID.

Hesitantly, I took it out of my bag and handed it over to her open palm. She raised it in the dim light and fixed her glasses to get a better reading. "Gabrielle Bryce. A senior." She read as she cast down those pitch-black eyes on me. "You know better than to sleep in the library, don't you?"

"Yes. Yes, and I am really sorry about that." I started to get up and took my bag from the table. "It won't happen again, Mrs. Cauldron," I promised as I stood there and waited for her to give me back my ID.

I don't know what will happen at that moment because the librarian seemed to look displeased with me. She eyed me one last time before she handed me back my ID. "Alright, but I don't want to see you sleeping in the library again." She said.

"I won't. Thank you." I stuffed my ID back into my bag and pulled out my cellphone to check the time.

It was already 6:23 PM. I'm supposed to be home by 5:30 PM. Mom is going to kill me.

I cursed silently as I waved at the librarian. "I-I've got to go." I pocketed my phone and was about to leave when the librarian called out to me.

"Be careful." She said. "A girl like you walking around at night is not safe. Avoid dark places and make sure that you won't entertain any strangers. " She warned me. I looked back at her. There was a hard look in her eyes that made me shiver.

I stood there waiting for her to say something more when I realized that she was only waiting for my reply. I tightened my hold on my bag and gave her a curt nod. "I will. Thank you, Mrs. Cauldron!" I licked my dry lips nervously and exited the library.