Chapter 4
I pulled my blanket up glaring at the couch as I struggled to get some sleep wondering how people slept on couches, ever. "Get up already! Isabell!" Elizabeth was shouting dragging me out of bed.
"What is it?" I muttered at the her it was so early I wasn't even sure if my name truly was Isabell or not.
"It's time for school, and you better not embarrass me!" she shouted before I was even out of bed. I glanced up at her my eyelids feeling heavy as I tried to pull the blanket back over my head. "Get up, here's your uniform." Elizabeth shouted throwing my uniform in my face.
I went to the bathroom, got dressed, and brushed my hair. "Done..." I muttered to myself walking back to the door for my shoes as Elizabeth looked at me from coloring her lips.
"What is that?" she asked appalled.
"My everyday look." I replied casually.
"No, no, no! Just no! Look at this!" My cousin ran over pulling on my hair glancing around at it. Most people complimented how soft and shiny it was and instead here was my cousin screaming and pulling on it for some unbeknownst reason.
"Please stop..." I muttered trying to pull her away.
"It's a shame you should style it." She muttered beginning to singe it with the curling iron without even asking permission. "Sit still." she demanded loudly as I tried to pull away knowing that this place would probably be the end of me. I sighed as she curled my hair, did my makeup, and whatever she felt like while messing with my face.
"Please stop..." I muttered as she went to reach for the mascara. "That makes my eyelashes heavy, it'll get it everywhere" I muttered grabbing her wrist as she sighed.
"Well, there is no point in arguing with that you already have long eyelashes." she sighed wondering away as she beckoned me to follow. "You are either to stay far away from everyone in the whole school...isolate yourself I don't care or you are to stay at the back of my friends, and I mean the back five steps behind Betsy." Elizabeth sighed as I glanced away, poor Betsy. She would probably think I was her stalker from now on.
Within moments we were standing at the top of a pathway full of concrete stairs. "It's getting easier to breathe now that I've been in the city for a day or two." I thought to myself glad I could finally move around without worrying about collapsing in the streets.
"I'll go get our bus tickets, stay right here!" Elizabeth shouted at me running down the three flights of stairs that were at my left as I glancing over the railing at what the city had to offer me.
"Hey...didn't I see this human with one of em' the other day?" A voice behind me muttered, pulling at my arm as I glanced back to see who it was. The other glanced over at me under their hood.
"It's doubtful because of the lack of her city smell, but she smells like forest and flowers...it's more than likely.." the hooded figure smiled as I turned around glancing at the two.
"You must have me confused for someone else...I just moved here." I smiled brushing the first guy off as he stepped away.
"Ah...all well only one way to check." the hooded figure smiled suddenly stretching out their arm and shoving me over the three-floor high railing my hand slipping as I tried to grab them to pull them up or bring them down with me.
"Wait!" I shouted as wind rushed past me knocking me around as I let my hands cover my head, my heart racing, knowing full well that if I hit the ground at this rate it would be the end of me. "I don't want to, I don't want to die yet!" I thought to myself hiding my tears behind my fists as I fell. It wasn't fair. It felt like my world was crumbling, I was placed in a foreign place, my family was in debt, I was under a threat, and by a single stranger's mistake I was going to die. I glanced up at the sky knowing I was as good as dead. Joy and terror came from the view.
I drew in my breath wondering what my final memory would be of this world. Would it be me remembering something? "Hang on." A voice shouted as an object felt as if it collided against me, flipping, and then slamming to the ground again.
"Hey, you alright?" A voice asked towards me as I glanced up at the glowing eyes anger rippling through them. Confusion flowed through my being, if this person caught me his legs would definitely be broken.
"I'm alright." I whispered.
"What happened?" He asked, my eyes darted towards the top of the stairwell where the two strangers had disappeared from. "I thought someone pushed me." I whispered confusion must've colored my face as he scrutinized the balcony. "How'd you...I was at the top-?"
"You weren't as high as you thought you were. Stay here, I'll go check." He said setting me down on the sidewalk before darting off again.
I wondered if it was safe for the stranger, "Should I wait for him?" I thought to myself glancing at my uniform and then remembering what the stranger's looked like: mine was red while his uniform was almost purple. He did promise to come right back.
"Isabell! Isabell! What are you doing down here?" Elizabeth demanded storming out of nowhere as I glanced at her unsure what to think.
"Should I tell her? No, she'll only take that from me too." My mind buzzed as I glanced up at her. "I-I...wanted to see the train tracks from a closer distance." I lied as she rolled her eyes.
"You've got plenty of trains back home...let's go..weirdo..." she sighed whispering the last part pulling me along so I couldn't go back to tell the man of where I went.
"Next time we meet, I'll make you tell me your name." I whispered, it was the same stranger that led me to what we believed would be a safe place. He had said that our school would probably be the same or at least nearby as my cousin wrapped her hand around my arm to the point her freshly manicured nails were cutting into my arm. "That hurts..." I muttered.
"Well hurry up, then. It'll be embarrassing if you're late on the first day." She snapped back as I stumbled along towards where she was going only to arrive at the school soon.
She muttered the tapping of her heels clicking in a monotonous beat. I followed the storming mad princess into her classroom, her exterior changing as other people began to appear. She waved smiling into the room before revealing me standing behind her, as if she was proud of the cousin she had just met, "Ahh, our new student...everyone let's welcome her." the teacher smiled as I entered the room patting down my skirt.
"Hello." the class smiled together glancing me over quickly. I knew they were all examining and scrutinizing me quickly seeing what judgements they could get.
I smiled, giving them each a small wave as I searched for an empty desk, praying the teacher would let me sit there any second from then, "Hi, my name is Isabell...I'll be staying with you for a while."
The teacher smiled nodding at me, "Okay then Isabell, your seat is near the window...towards the back...but not the furthest back that seats already taken...you can take any other seat that's empty in that row." the teacher smiled. "Also, I know it's your first day but keep it down when talking...because we all know they'll try to whisper to you." the teacher shook their head smiling softly as I nodded, a blush coloring my cheeks as everyone had their attention solely set upon me.
"Okay class time to start." the teacher smiled as the students sunk back into their cliques quickly before the door opened, the class hushed looking towards whoever was rushing in the door.
"I'm sorry...I got caught up in traffic." The redheaded-rescuer opened the door seeming in complete calm as he turned to the teacher who simply nodded towards him. The teen smiled then headed down the first row, circled the back, and sat directly behind me. I glanced up from my doodles hearing the seat click and books being moved around for the class. Elizabeth halfway across the room making a sound to get my attention probably with a note held up already saying 'if you talk to him I'll kill ya.'
I gulped waiting for the bell to ring feeling as if I was ignoring him. I knew I had to thank him. Somehow. I had to do a lot of things for him already and I had only just arrived. I glanced towards the window where his reflection was displayed a smile forming on my face. I could look and glance at him all I liked and no one would ever know, especially Elizabeth who was probably about to explode from all the noise she was making. "Elizabeth be quiet! I'm sure you can irritate your cousin later." the teacher didn't even glanced towards the class while knowing what was going on. The class outburst in laughter to increase her embarrassment. I grinded my teeth, hand tightening around my pencil knowing what I was in for later.
The bell rung as I glanced quickly between his reflection and Elizabeth's sharpening eye daggers. "Come with me." My cousin demanded her nails slamming into my arm once again as she dragged me around the school her voice screeching in my ears. "What do you think you were doing?!" Elizabeth shouted towards me as I glanced away.
"Following the teacher's instructions, how was I supposed to know a pretty redhead would sit behind me?" I asked squinting as I tried to escape.
"Fine don't pay attention to him!" Elizabeth shouted.
"Wait, am I not supposed to pay attention to any guy in the school?" I shouted hoping she didn't reveal his name. I really didn't want to find out his name this way, I wanted him to be the one to tell me so badly. Even though I already had my suspicions. "Whatever, it's time for lunch." Elizabeth muttered storming towards the cafeteria without telling me the way, she disappeared, leaving me behind in the empty hallway.
"I'll just use a map.." I glanced at the hallways littered in lockers my hope fading as I glanced upon locked classrooms. "I'm lost..." I whispered sighing as I begun walking in the direction of Elizabeth's disappearance.
"Do you need help?" A voice whispered as I glanced back towards my rescuer the water bottle in hand.
I glanced away a blush covering my face as I glanced away. "If you're asking, I am not going to tell you that I am lost." I muttered crossing my arms as I glanced at the floor.
"Alright, then I'll walk myself to the cafeteria." he sighed as I stayed a couple paces behind him. "If you're going to stay that distance away, you mine-as-well come closer." he smiled i knew he was glancing at me. "I can't..." I whispered hoping he wouldn't hear me as my mind screamed ask for his name.
"This way." he smiled reaching back and grabbing my hand as I tried to go down the wrong hallway.
"Your name." I muttered glancing up at him as he smiled down at me.
"Shuichi Minamino." There was a sly look in his eyes, it made me almost off of his lips as he glanced at the doors to the cafeteria. He glanced towards me, I glanced towards the floor, "Is there a reason for you avoiding my gaze?" Shuichi asked before opening the door his hand switching from about to push the door open to holding it shut.
"I really don't want to talk about it." I whispered glancing away, no way could I tell a stranger that I was under threat by my cousin over my stuffed teddybear. We were sixteen. Most people would've gone 'who still has a teddy bear at sixteen?' I sighed knowing the truth I really did want to tell someone have someone save me, but I didn't want to be embarrassed.
"Do you know something you're not supposed to?" He asked glancing at me as I glanced away. His eyes were scrutinizing me looking for answers to any questions that could've possibly formed within forty-eight hours.
"It's not exactly that." He would never figure it out, it was my first day here. There was no one I could've known so there's no way he'll figure out that I'm being threatened. "You should go in first...I'll wait a couple minutes..." I muttered as he scanned me over looking for my lunch that Elizabeth pushed me out the door without.
"Aren't you going to eat? Lunch will be over in a couple minutes." he sighed back the smile never leaving his face.
"I should wait...you go first..." I muttered my face becoming more colored by the second.
"Where's your lunch?" he asked as I felt myself become completely red.
"I'm buying." I stuttered.
"Then you go first, I packed...as you can see from my water." he smiled holding up the bottle I had squished in panic earlier. Was he teasing me? I glanced away unsure if he was, unsure how to reply.
"Go on in, I'll give you enough time to get all the way a crossed the cafeteria to buy your food." he smiled, slowly going into the shadows as he glanced at his phone with a dark look on his face. "Should I ask him what's wrong?" I glanced at the dark look on his face, a shiver ran through me straight to my toes, I glanced back at the doors hurrying to push them open.
If someone could change their atmosphere that fast it's best I listen to them. Walking over towards the food line I knew already what was there, prior to a brief explanation from the teacher along with getting handed an identification card. I handed the lunch lady my card waiting for her to scan me up as she smiled at the new face, scanned me up. I wondered if my new friend would be an enlightenment to have or if he would be something that would endanger me. This entire city seemed as if it were trying to endanger my life. I watched as he glided a crossed the cafeteria some of his friends going to talk to him, his atmosphere reforming from dangerous back to safe and approachable.