Chapter 1
The rain lashed hard on the windows at Wind Dale High. Tianna Beth Winters stared out the window of her language arts class room, watching the sea gulls wheel around the football field which was slowly turning into a mud hole. She grinned
sardonically, from her fifth period class, she would have a perfect view of the PE class trying to play football. No one would guess that this small, punk-goth sophomore was possibly the best computer/math whiz in the school. With blue-gray eyes, hip length brown hair, and a petite
nose, she could have been beautiful if she tried. However, her long bangs fell into her eyes, hiding whatever emotion she showed, and her outfits consisted of black shirts, black jeans, and black combat boots. When asked, she would explain that she refrained from the white face paint because it was to hard to get out of her hair. Brilliant, Gothic, short tempered and a brown belt. Needless to say, people avoided her in the halls.
The ringing of the bell jerked Tia back into reality. She smirked as the last minute stragglers came charging into the classroom. Comforted that the teacher had yet to arrive, the kids sat down, earning ugly looks from the nerds. Ignoring the chatter of the other students, Tia took out her homework (due next class period, of course) and got started.
Five minutes into the declension of French nouns, the door swung open, admitting a short, skinny, hawk-nosed, woman; one of the school's regular substitutes. Tia went back to work on her French grammar.
"Good morning class, I am Mrs. Hues. Your teacher was unable to make it today, but has left a list of assignments for you to do. You have to finish your grammar assignment and turn it in, and then read The Fellowship of the Ring. Those who do not follow instructions will join the detention program following school." Nobody moved. "Get started!"
Tia sighed along with the rest of the class as she reached into her backpack for her copy of the book. Since it was a present from her parents a year back, it was in a lot better shape than that of many of her classmates. The leather bound cover marked it as old, as did the pages which were yellowed with age. Pulling it from her backpack, she swore under her breath; a corner of the cover's jacket caught on the zipper of her backpack. Swearing quietly, she continued to yank on the book. Finally freeing it, she sat up to see the substitute standing over her.
* * *
Tia had never been so furious. The sensible part of herself reminded her that in part, it had been her fault. She did not have to antagonize the sub, she could have sat through the tirade of how it was wrong to swear (even though the sub did it several times in the lecture) or the accusations of doing French homework in class, but no, she had to roll her eyes. She hadn't even realized she had done so. But the sub noticed, and exploded. So now, sitting in the front of the room, her French homework shredded and in the trash, and nothing better to look forward to after school than detention, Tia once again turned to the cover of her book. Folding the corner of the cover so it would be easier to fix, a small, folded up sheet of paper slipped out. Stuffing it in her pocket for later, Tianna Winters proceeded to read her book.
The rain lashed hard on the windows at Wind Dale High. Tianna Beth Winters stared out the window of her language arts class room, watching the sea gulls wheel around the football field which was slowly turning into a mud hole. She grinned
sardonically, from her fifth period class, she would have a perfect view of the PE class trying to play football. No one would guess that this small, punk-goth sophomore was possibly the best computer/math whiz in the school. With blue-gray eyes, hip length brown hair, and a petite
nose, she could have been beautiful if she tried. However, her long bangs fell into her eyes, hiding whatever emotion she showed, and her outfits consisted of black shirts, black jeans, and black combat boots. When asked, she would explain that she refrained from the white face paint because it was to hard to get out of her hair. Brilliant, Gothic, short tempered and a brown belt. Needless to say, people avoided her in the halls.
The ringing of the bell jerked Tia back into reality. She smirked as the last minute stragglers came charging into the classroom. Comforted that the teacher had yet to arrive, the kids sat down, earning ugly looks from the nerds. Ignoring the chatter of the other students, Tia took out her homework (due next class period, of course) and got started.
Five minutes into the declension of French nouns, the door swung open, admitting a short, skinny, hawk-nosed, woman; one of the school's regular substitutes. Tia went back to work on her French grammar.
"Good morning class, I am Mrs. Hues. Your teacher was unable to make it today, but has left a list of assignments for you to do. You have to finish your grammar assignment and turn it in, and then read The Fellowship of the Ring. Those who do not follow instructions will join the detention program following school." Nobody moved. "Get started!"
Tia sighed along with the rest of the class as she reached into her backpack for her copy of the book. Since it was a present from her parents a year back, it was in a lot better shape than that of many of her classmates. The leather bound cover marked it as old, as did the pages which were yellowed with age. Pulling it from her backpack, she swore under her breath; a corner of the cover's jacket caught on the zipper of her backpack. Swearing quietly, she continued to yank on the book. Finally freeing it, she sat up to see the substitute standing over her.
* * *
Tia had never been so furious. The sensible part of herself reminded her that in part, it had been her fault. She did not have to antagonize the sub, she could have sat through the tirade of how it was wrong to swear (even though the sub did it several times in the lecture) or the accusations of doing French homework in class, but no, she had to roll her eyes. She hadn't even realized she had done so. But the sub noticed, and exploded. So now, sitting in the front of the room, her French homework shredded and in the trash, and nothing better to look forward to after school than detention, Tia once again turned to the cover of her book. Folding the corner of the cover so it would be easier to fix, a small, folded up sheet of paper slipped out. Stuffing it in her pocket for later, Tianna Winters proceeded to read her book.