『 ? ﾝﾚﾊ?'? ?.?.?. 』
Blackwell Academy was filled with secrets; mostly dark secrets that laundered evil, horrible, shitty people's hopes and dreams. Not even the hopeful made it out alive of Blackwell without some type of battle scars, or tears running down their face. I wish I considered the consequences before returning to this hell hole that was Arcadia Bay without my family, and without my dignity. I don't blame them though. I, Maxine Caulfield, came here on my own terms whether I liked them or not.
My eyes fell onto the table in front of me, lips curled ever so slightly as Mark Jefferson continued on with his lecture. I listened... Most of the time, or maybe I'm lying. I often dozed off, thinking about anything else other than photography, even though I loved the hobby. Someday, I wanted to be an actual artist and put something into this world. I don't know if I ever would, since Blackwell just loves to pull people down.
A breath left my lips as my eyes darted over to Victoria Chase to my left, who gave me a smug smile and refused to give me another second of her time. I didn't know what the fuck was her issue anymore; all she did was bully people and make them feel like shit, like Kate Marsh. That poor girl... She looked like she wanted to cry at any second now, her eyes fixated on the floor. She had it so rough here; if only I could do something.
Suddenly, the door to the classroom creaked open and revealed a girl, holding her books in her arms. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a small bun against the back of her head, a dark purple sweater with a cream collar and a black skirt, with leggings underneath. Her green eyes reflect the light from above, and her painted lips drew into a faint, nervous smile as Mr. Jefferson stated,
"Late again, Ms. Gray?"
"I'm so sorry Mr. Jefferson," the girl answered in a calm and collected voice, gently pulling her camera from out of her bag while balancing the large amount of books in her right hand. "I couldn't pass up this magnificent shot!" Lifting up the camera, she showed him something and he breathed out an irritated sigh.
"We'll talk after class. Please take your seat," Mr. Jefferson responded, not seeming amused with her excuse, but the girl - Clara Gray - didn't appear to be worried. I focused on her, sensing a weird aura about her that I couldn't put my finger on. I didn't want to spend much time thinking about it though, as Clara looked like she was a normal girl trying to make it as a photographer.
After a while of talking and class discussion (gross!), Mr. Jefferson explained that on top of the "Everyday Hero's" contest, we'd be having a little mini project for those that refused to enter a photograph in. I usually didn't mind those, except for the fact that the project turned out to be a class presentation. Lame. I already felt hesitant on entering the contest, and now I had to worry about this mini project. Fantastic.
The shrill bell eventually rang out throughout the school, symbolizing it was time to leave. I waited for a moment at my seat for everyone to leave, hoping to catch Mr. Jefferson alone to discuss the contest, but my plan was foiled as Victoria trotted over to him with a brilliant grin on her face. Of course. Huffing out a sigh, I yanked my book bag over my shoulder and brought out my earbuds, but before I managed to shove them in my ear, a shadow fell on top of me.
"Hey! Uh, you're Max Caulfield, right?" an energetic voice rang out, one that belonged to none other than Clara Gray. She looked at me with a smile, one I couldn't tell if it was forced or genuine, but I returned one regardless.
"Yeah, that's me... And you're Clara Gray?" I continued on, hoping to keep the friendly behavior between us. "It's nice to meet you."
"Totally, I dig your style!" Clara complimented me, gesturing to my camera as well. "Cool camera, I bet you take amazing shots with it."
"This old thing? Yeah, it's been with me for a while. My trusted sidekick," I joked, laughing slightly as I got a giggle out of her.
"I bet. I prefer old cameras like that over the new ones. They have a certain look and feel that I just adore, if you know what I mean?" she mentioned. Wow, she didn't seem so bad! Maybe we could be friends?
"Absolutely. I agree with you," I replied, giving her a nod.
"Well, I should run. It's nice to meet you Max!" she bid farewell, giving me a quick wave before moving out of the classroom and left me to face Victoria and Mr. Jefferson alone. Perhaps she forgot about what Mr. Jefferson said about meeting her after class? No offense towards Clara, but she looked the type to be a total airhead. Nevertheless, I gulped back my fear and stepped forward, hoping to God Victoria wouldn't pull her shit on me. I didn't need it today; something felt so off, like the universe wasn't aligned...
And little did I know, things were about to get even crazier at Blackwell.
Much, much, much crazier.