4. The beginning

EVELYN

 

I stood in front of the school Principal's office, in silence, unbelievably terrified of walking in. As I had learnt from Aunt Joanna, Declan, my high school crush, was the Principal in the only school my son could go to. It was beyond just provoking, it was unacceptable. However, I had no choice but to accept it. As much as I told myself moving away right now would make things more convenient, it was high time I faced my demons. It was high time I faced my past. 

 

I remained immobile just in front of his office, I couldn't bring myself to knock. The school bursar had told me to see the Principal before Lucas could be registered. While Woodhidge wasn't your ordinary school and acceptance rate was literally a hundred percent, there were still things that had to be done before a new student would be admitted. I knew this, but that wasn't the reason I was hesitant to walk in. I couldn't imagine how I would feel seeing him. 

 

”Oh, are you here to see Principal Dennings? He would join you in a minute, kindly have a seat at his desk." A slender blonde woman said as she flashed her porcelain teeth, opened the door I was standing before, and walked away. 

 

As I sat lazily at the desk in the office, I immediately got that feeling I always when I was summoned to the Principal's office as a kid. Just like Aunt Joanna's home, it all kind of felt familiar to me. I hadn't stepped in this school for almost two decades yet it seemed so familiar to me. This led to me believing my eyes were playing tricks on me. Or I guess certain things never really left someone. 

 

My eyes immediately caught his name engraved on a purple plastic tag, and seeing the name ‘Declan Dennings' made memories flush through my mind. I immediately began to recall our time together, to recall those days when I felt he was meant for me and always felt I was the luckiest girl in the world to have him. Oh, those ignorant days. Those days laying in his arms, and having him kiss me softly and passionately. Those days.

 

He walked in and sat before me. He beamed a bright smile and it touched every bit of my being. I don't know why it really shook me that he still looked twenty-six, he was a vampire after all. He was, well, different from every guy I had ever seen. He was incredibly good-looking, perhaps, not in the conventional sense, but that only meant he always stood out. His indescribable green eyes contrasted especially with his light toned face, and his very trimmed hair made him look like something unreal, something reserved for the creative minds of the best of artists. 

 

His deep green eyes were so deep and expressive that it seemed one could get lost if one stared too long—and why won't anyone stare? His face was beautifully shaped with a jawline that God clearly constructed in the best of His moods. His face had a sort of faraway feature that words just couldn't do justice to. His smile which always seemed seductive had a way of reaching up to his eyes, wrinkling them and at times, revealing that enticing arrogance of his. His voice was calm and relaxing, and for some reason, I felt like shuting him up with my lips on his. It was so ridiculous that I would still be so attracted to him like nothing had happened. Like all those years I relentlessly thought of him meant nothing. 

 

Above all, was Declan's stature and frame. My goodness, just seeing Declan shirtless could make any woman's system go haywire. He was not exceptionally muscular with just about 8 pack abs or 16cm biceps. Perhaps it was just the way he carried himself, his charisma, his whole attitude has always been attractive to me. Like him or hate him, Declan Denning was a very charming man. 

 

He spent about thirty minutes telling me all I had to do to get Lucas started in the school, and it wasn't much really. It was funny how we spoke as of we didn't know each other, as if all those days of lying unclad together had been washed away by the long years. He listened to me as I spoke and it almost seemed like he was suppressing a smile. As I spoke, I did my best to avoid making the whole atmosphere awkward, cause for some reason, I couldn't look at his face. It wasn't me being shy, it was just the feeling I got whenever I got close to him.

 

"Okay, then, I guess, he will start when the term begins." I said, getting on my feet and stretching forth my hand for a handshake. 

 

"It was a pleasure seeing you, and I hope to see your son soon."

 

“I guess you would, see you soon."

 

Declan cleared his throat. “What about your husband? Huh?”

 

While his question was reasonably appropriate, considering I was someone he was very close to in the past. Well, knowing that didn't make me feel any better. Just him asking me about my husband annoyed me way too much than expected and made me quite uncomfortable. 

 

"I'm not married...it's a long boring story."

 

"I can deal with long and boring."

 

"Nice meeting you." I said as I moved out of his office into hallway. 

 

If only he knew how much I 'hated' him, if only he knew the pains he had caused me. If only he knew how deep he had cut a family he didn't even know. 

 

 

TILDA

 

 

I was sitting astride my bicycle thinking of starting school and all the stress that came with it. The only thing that made me smile was that it was going to be senior year, at least that meant high school was about to come to an end. And if I was being sincere, it would be me saying goodbye to schooling in general because this was going to be it for me. None of my future plans had anything to do with going to college. 

 

“Thinking about school?” Annie, my best friend, asked as she shook my bicycle jokingly. 

 

“Why bother ask? You are a goddamn mindreader, you guys are nosy in nature.”

 

We began to talk about starting school, and then, as usual, she took that as an opportunity to tell me of the guys she had a ’thing' for and they were, well, many. However, just like every other girl you will ever see, there was one she really, really, really admired. You would never fail to hear her talk about George. George was this, George was that, she had mentioned the name so damn much that I had begun to hate it.

 

Without a doubt, George was one of the most handsome boys I had ever seen. He was good-looking but not in the ‘usual’ way. He had very dark eyes that always seem to peep into my soul. I am not going to say I like him because I really don't ever say I like anyone...but he is quite ‘likable'. I guess.

 

 

Just then, like something planned, George, came out of nowhere, walked toward where Annie and I sat, and it got even weirder as he spoke. He was speaking words, and for some reason, it felt like music to my ears.