CHAPTER I
Angelica
I had never liked the rain. Every time it rained I found myself sitting by the window, longing for the warmth of the sun on my back, the bright light illuminating the crystal wind chimes hanging just outside my window. But of course, today of all days, it was raining as my mom drove me up the road to Bellows Preparatory School. We pulled up into the large circular drive, and mom turned to face me.
" Angie, dear, I want you to stay out of trouble, okay? You know why you're here. Your bag is in the trunk." Mom smiled, turning back to the dashboard and searching for the button that would pop the trunk. When she found it, she gave a gleeful squeak and pressed it, a dull thud coming from the latch. I went around the back of the car and lugged my large purple suitcase out of the trunk and around to my mom's window.
The window rolled down and I walked up. "I love you," I said, giving her a peck on the cheek. Mom smiled.
"Love you too, dear." And with that, she started the engine and drive off.
As I stood in front of the palace- like school, I thought about that day. The day I had been kicked out of my old school.
It had been early February, nearly the end of the first semester of my year as a sophomore at Linney High in Lauren, Idaho. I had stayed after school after school to finish up my editorial duties for the school newspaper. I was just locking up when, from behind the lockers, came Jessica Garland, The school jerk. " Hey, pizza, face! Why don't you come with me? My friends want to talk to you."
The way she said "talk" implied that her groupies probably wanted to get back at me for the cafeteria incident earlier that day, so I politely turned her down. She took a step forward so she could whisper in my ear.
"look, we just wanna talk to you, okay? Come on, just for a few." she grabbed my arm, her manicured nails digging into my flesh.
"I... said... NO!" I screamed, a terrible sound that scared even me. All of a sudden, the hand that had been gripping my arm just moments before had caught on fire. It spread quickly across her chest, and by the time everyone got there, her body was almost entirely engulfed in flames. When they questioned her later, she said I had done it. Of course, they believed her, and I was expelled from school. I searched for an explanation, hoping and praying that it really hadn't been me. I came up short, obviously.
And that is how I ended up standing here, shivering in the cold, the rain plastering my dark red hair to my head. My honey colored eyes surveyed the situation, taking in every inch of my surroundings. Finally I sighed and walked through the huge oak doors and into my new life at BPS.