Chapter 1

Chapter 1

I walk into school and the hallway is even more crowded than usual. My boisterous school mates all seem to be whispering excitedly to the other making it seem like I'm the only one not in on some inside joke. 

Where are my manners? My name is Cora Kinsley and I'm a high school senior at Crestview Academy. I live with my parents and two siblings; an older brother and a younger one.

 Yep. I'm the middle child. 

Aaanyway. I make my way over to my locker to get the books I'll need for homeroom when I feel someone pull my bag from behind me, until my back is flush against them. 

"Good morning Cora!" A deep but cheerful voice greets me. 

"Would that if it were, Tony. And let go of my bag please."

"No can do!" Tony replied, his voice still cheerful. 

I sigh. Seriously, how can anyone be so cheerful on a Monday morning? And I tell him so.

Although out of sight, I imagine Tony's grinning.  "Well, the thought of seeing you fuels me with energy, you know. That and a lot of coffee."

I slap his hand away from my bag and move towards my locker. Antonio- Tony for short is pretty much my best friend. Not that we exchanged the titles of best friends or anything like that, but he's my oldest childhood friend and there's no one currently holding the spot so..

I take the books I need out of my locker, stuffing them into my bag before closing it. I make my way through the hallway but for some reason, Tony trails behind me like a lost puppy. 

I turn around to face him. "What?"

Now that I'm facing him, I take him in for the first time today. His curly brown hair is messy (as always), and he's wearing a blue varsity jacket paired with black pants and all star sneakers. 

It really annoys me how tall he's gotten. When we were kids, I was a full inch taller than him, and now he's got four more on me. 

Tony cocks his head to the side. "What?"

"You're following me because..?"

He grins at me. "Because I want to, silly!"

Yeah..I'm pretty sure this guy stopped growing at twelve. 

I roll my eyes and attempt to turn away, but he grabs my shoulder, halting my movement. When I faced him, I could see his grin had faded and he was wearing an almost sympathetic look on his face. 

"Besides," Tony started, "You're feeling lonely, right? Now that Corey's not around anymore."

I stare at him, shocked. "How did you-"

His grin returns, though not as wide as before. "It's kinda obvious, isn't it?"

I shrug him off. "I told you I'm fine."

That's a lie. I'm not fine. 

"Well, you know, it's okay to feel sad about these things sometimes. That's what makes us human. But I'm sure if you say you're fine, you are," Tony said, shooting me a thumbs up. 

Huh. Sometimes I forget that he can be pretty intuitive too. 

Corey's my twin brother. He was born five minutes before me, so by his calculations, that makes me his younger sister. Without a doubt, he's our parent's favorite. Who can blame them? He has an easy charm and remains humble and kind despite being a prodigy. 

And because he's a prodigy, he got into university early, but decided he wanted to finish senior year before leaving for college. Corey remained a grade above me, even though he could've as well graduated three years ago, because he wanted us to at least be in the same school together at the same time. Even after I told him I was fine and I didn't want to hold him back.  

You could say despite being twins, I lived in my brother's shadow. I never really minded though, he's my brother and I love him, but at the same, being (technically) the middle child, our parents acknowledge my existence on a good day, I'm pretty much invisible to the rest of my family. Being in the house without the only person who ever noticed you gone is just…

I can't wait to graduate high school.

I clear my throat, anxious to change the topic. "So, what's going on in school today? Everyone seems excited about something."

Tony looked surprised. "Wait, are you saying you didn't hear the rumors?"

"If I knew what was happening today, would I be asking you?" I ask slowly, like I'm explaining why two plus two equals four to a five year old. 

At least he had the grace to look flustered, albeit slightly. "Yeah, apparently some hot shot rich kid is coming to school today." 

I raise my eyebrow. "We're right in the middle of the semester, I don't think the school's admitting new students."

Tony looked at me like I was the dumb one. "He's rich. He could just donate to the school and they'd take him in." 

I hate to admit but he had a point. I can't believe that's what everyone's excited about. 

Just then the bell rings, and chit chatting is over. 

"That's the bell. I'll catch you later Cora!" Tony said, heading towards the east side of the hallway. 

I have no doubt he will. I make my way over to homeroom, but I'm not concentrating on my surroundings, so lost in my thoughts and memories, I almost miss the roll call. 

"Cora Kinsley," Mr Barnes, the homeroom teacher, calls out louder for what seems to be the third time. 

"P-Present!" I squeak. 

The whole class burst into laughter at that, and I laughed nervously along with them. 

After homeroom, I head towards my first period class; Biology, berating myself for not paying attention during roll call when I hear the loud speaker static before the principal's voice booms out. 

"Cora Kinsley, please report to the principal's office."

Uh-oh. That can't be good. 

 

It's actually not my first time getting called to the principal's office. Not for getting into trouble or anything like that, but I used to be the student council/government vice president back in sophomore year. 

And because of that, I try to use my former influence to wring information out of the principal's secretary but unfortunately I have none of my brother's charm. Before I knew it, I was whisked into the principal's office. 

On the way here, I had planned how I'd walk in with my head high, all dignified and demanding to know what wrong I was being accused of. Because you don't get called to the principal's office without being in some kind of trouble, right?

 But instead, I eloquently blurt: 

"Am I in trouble?"

Principal Mathews chuckled at my outburst. "No, Cora. You're not in trouble. I called you here because I have a special task for you."

I felt so relieved when the principal said I wasn't in trouble, I almost missed the second part. 

"Task..sir?"

Principal Mathews nodded. "Yes. As you may have heard, we have a new student amongst us. I'm entrusting him in your care, if you'd have him."

I definitely do not want to be stuck with some prissy rich kid. "Are you sure about this sir? I mean there are better people more suited to this task than me, aren't there?"

"That may be true. I called you here because I recognise and value your discretion. But if you're not up to it and want to give up, I'm sure we'll find another person for the task."

Dammit. Principal Mathews knows just what to say. I'm a lot of things but I'm not a quitter. 

"Fine…sir. I'll do it."

"Excellent. It's not much now, but I need you to put Mr Thorsen through school for at least a month. You know first hand how hard navigating through the school can be..."

As the principal was talking, the swivel chair opposite of Principal Mathews turned. And in it sat possibly the most handsome guy I've ever seen.