* .RING* Ugh! Stupid alarm clocks! I immediately turned it off and laid back in bed. I looked at the clock and saw it was 7:30. It's so early and the sun was barely up. I sat up and yawned, stretching my arms and legs before getting out of bed. As you can tell, I'm not a morning person. I hate waking up early. I have to since the school is like ten minutes away from my house. And the worst part is...I have to walk. Alone.

"VIOLET SWEETIE! COME DOWN!" my mother called me loudly. I groaned before putting on my rubber ducky slippers and headed downstairs. Halfway done, I can hear my mom sizzling something on the stove and the smell of waffles.

"Violet, you coming yet? Breakfast is ready!" my mother shouted.

"Yeah yeah I'm he-

I stopped my sentence short when I saw someone I never seen before. It was a young girl with medium length wavy brown hair, wearing a short sleeved white dress and black dress shoes. She turned around and faced me with a smile on her face. She was so pretty. She looked so young. She had pretty blue eyes that was filled with warmth.

"Hi, my name is Faith, John's adopted sister. It's nice to meet you Violet," she said with a soft voice. She extended out her hand for me to shake. With no hesistation, I immediately shook her soft hand before taking my hand away. Her hand was cold which was strange since the morning was a bit warm.

"Oh hello! I wasn't expecting you at all," I said to her. She giggled before examining me.

"I can tell. I apologize for coming here at the last minute. I thought we could walk to school together and get to know each other," she apologized.

"Oh yeah sure! That's actually really cool!"

"Eat your breakfast first and then get dressed," my mom told me before pouring Dad a glass of juice. I nodded before grabbing my plate with two waffles, some eggs, and bacon and sitting next to Faith. My mom poured Faith and I another glasses of orange juice before joining us at the table with her plate.

"So um Faith, how do you like it here in Hope County?" Dad asked her.

"Oh I think this place is absolutely wonderful! It's full of love, good people, and of course, The Father," she replied to him. I chuckled.

"The father? Who's that?" I asked her.

"The greatest man who ever lived. The man who brought me here to Hope County. He gives me and everyone else here hope. A reason to be living and enjoying life. And living with the way of the lord," Faith explained. My father and I exchanged glances. Well, she's definitely the religious type.

"Well I'm glad Violet has a new, bright young friend now in Hope County. I was scared she was going to be alone," my mother told her.

"Oh no, in this town, we are a family. You are never alone here," said Faith before she rested her hand on my shoulder. I looked at her and her eyes. She seemed so sweet but...the more I looked at her eyes, I could feel shivers going down my spine. She took her hand away before finishing her food. Five minutes passed and I was done eating. I excused myself from the table so I could get ready for school. I brushed my teeth and put my makeup on before putting on my black skirt, a long sleeved red crop top, and black flats. I grabbed my black and dark purple backpack over one shoulder before rushing downstairs where Faith and my parents were still talking.

"It would really be a honor if you guys came to Sunday service to see the Father in action," Faith told them," You would really enjoy it!"

"Oh, I don't kno-

"We would love to!" my mother interrupted my father," We can come this Sunday."

Faith's face lit up in awe when she heard my Mom say that. I groaned quietly before putting on a fake smile as I headed downstairs.

"Ready Faith?" I asked her. She nodded before grabbing her backpack and putting it on her shoulders. I gave my Mom and Dad a kiss on the cheek before heading out the door with Faith.

"Have a good day you two!" My mom shouted at both of us. Faith and I waved them goodbye before we started walking. As we was walking, Faith was humming a song with a smile on her face. It looked like nothing could break her spirits. She seemed so...happy.

"So um Faith...is there anything I should know about this school?"

"Well, the teachers are pretty nice, the food is decent, and there is absolutely no drugs and alcohol! You can get in a lot of trouble if you are caught with either of those things," Faith told me.

"Gotcha! No drugs and alcohol," I said before rolling my eyes the other way. Guess I'll be drinking in my house only when I turn 18.

"Your parents are really nice people. It must be nice to have good parents," said Faith.

"Yeah, they're okay," I said,"By the way, John never told me you were adopted."

"Yeah, I was adopted a couple of years ago. Let's just say...where I came from...they didn't treat me nicely. But when I met the Father, he took me in and made me part of his family. And ever since then, I've been truly happy." She sighed happily, placing a hand on her heart.

"This Father guy must be really popular around here."

"Oh yes he is. That's why I encourage you and your family to come to sunday service. Trust me Violet...you're going to enjoy it," she said as she stared at me. I grinned awkwardly at her before we continued walking. I saw the school a mile away and buttloads of people, talking to each other. Some dressed like regular high schoolers while others dressed like they went to school at a church. I was kinda looking forward to seeing John before I went to class. Seeing his cute face, hearing his sexy voice, and smelling that good cologne on him. Class. I still needed help finding my first class.

"Hey Faith, do you know where 's class is?" I asked her.

"Oh sure, I'll show you," she said before walking. I followed behind her. The school was a two story school with a American flag pole in the front. The landscape looked really nice and the environment looked clean. Cleaner than my old high school where there was garbage everywhere and graffiti on the walls. My first class was upstairs in a small classroom that had ten desks in the room. The one thing that stood out in the classroom was a big picture with a man wearing a brown suit with his hair in a small bun. He wore glasses and had a short, brown beard. Under him, it said "The Father, Joseph Seed". Seed. Wait...does this mean...

"Is everything okay Violet?" Faith asked me. I snapped out my thoughts.

"Is...is John the brother of...Joseph?"

"He is. He's the younger brother after Jacob Seed. John actually helps the Father with baptisms at the local church," Faith replied to me. I couldn't stop staring at the picture. The way he was looking at me made goosebumps pop up on my arms. I felt like something was crawling on my skin. I shook my head before facing Violet.

"Where's your class at?" I asked her, trying to get my mind off the picture.

"It's downstairs at ' class. Wanna walk with me?"

"Sure," I said before following her downstairs. Soon we walked outside and headed down the stairs. As we were walking, I could hear whispers and feel stares on me. I slowly peeked behind me to see two people staring at me with narrowed eyes. I immediately looked forward again. Okay...this place is starting to creep me out. We found Faith's class and she walked inside, waving to me goodbye before finding her seat. I took out my phone and turned around. It was 8:28. Two minutes until school started. The schoolyard was halfway empty. I started heading to the stairs, looking at my phone. That's when I bumped into someone and dropped my phone while the guy dropped something in a bag. We both knelt down to pick up our things before looking at each other. I gasped. It was John. John had a surprised look on his face before grinning.

"Well well well. If it isn't Violet," he said. I blushed awkwardly and smiled at him.

"Hey John! What are you doing here? Are you a teacher?"

"Oh no. Faith again forgot her lunch and I was just bringing it to her. Did you two get along well?"

"Oh yes, she is a very sweet girl. She's very helpful too."

"I'm glad," he said before examining me up and down. He whistled at me, making me blush more.

"My my my Violet. You look really good today," he said. I giggled.

"You look good yourself," I said to him. He chuckled. We stared at each other for a moment before we both heard the school bell ring. I gasped.

"Oh dammit! I'm late for class! I'm sorry John, I gotta go," I said quickly.

"Here I'll walk you," he offered before we both jogged upstairs. Once we reached my classroom, we both stopped outside the door. He smiled at me and I rubbed my arm as I grinned at him.

"Well...I guess I'll see you soon?" he asked me.

"Oh yes. I can't wait to see you again," I said to him.

"Me too. Well...see you later," he said. He opened up the door for me and let me walk inside. I could feel him watching me the whole time, probably checking me out. I giggled just thinking about it before I took my seat in the back. John closed the door slowly to the classroom, leaving me in a room with eight other students. I sighed quietly. Can it be the end of the school day yet?