Chapter Two
Faint sunshine illuminated my closed eyelids, forcing me to turn my back to the window and slowly return to a conscious state of mind. No dreams, no turning, no tossing. Surprisingly I slept peacefully tonight. Groaning, I stretched my arms in the small bed and buried my face in the pillow, letting the whole of my muscles relax. I swang my legs out of the sheets, sat up and turned on my laptop before dragging myself to the kitchen to fill up my growling stomach.
Mom was reading on the couch and doing what she does best: moving on. To her nothing out of the ordinary happened last night, and today is just another regular Saturday!
"Morning honey." She tried to be cheerful. I sent her a death glare she didn't catch and bent over to look at the contents of the fridge.
I assumed dad heard me since he popped out of their room with a hammer in his hand. I was hoping he would smash it on my head but he just frowned. "Did you sleep with your dress on, Emma?"
Mom looked up to watch me, quickly disapproving of my lazy state. "Wipe all that old make-up off your face, lady."
I nodded silently and tried my best to not to glance directly at anyone's face. I didn't want them to know how miserable I was feeling so I just picked up my cereal once I got it ready and left. After getting across the hall, I turned to see if they were following me, but I just saw exchanging concerned glances. Well, my dad looked concerned, mom simply looked mildly confused. At least for now they were giving me some space and allowing me to take their decision at my own pace.
I knew dad understood me better than mom, we have always been closer. Not only in levels of shared interests; there's an unspoken current of friendship and loyalty between us. He tends to back me up almost always although he is generally quieter in doing so. Naturally the ridiculous idea to announce our move in a public place belonged to my mom, I didn't even need to ask to be sure. The secrecy, the suspense; it was all her work.
I returned to my bedroom and plopped down on the chair, pleased to see everything loaded. I went on a google search and looked up 'Hemlock Grove', hoping to get some information as I guzzled down my breakfast. The first useful content I found was on the town's steel mill that closed down ages ago and the Godfrey Institute for Biomedical Technologies. The institute seems to be a pretty big deal regionally and I didn't need to search deep to find some articles accusing the corporation of conducting bizarre cross species experiments. Jesus what were my parents getting ourselves into? I wouldn't be surprised to see flying zebras roaming on the sidewalks of Hemlock Grove. Let it be known it's a completely normal thing around there.
Shaking my head in disapproval, I clicked on some of the images, analyzing the results with an anxious feeling in the pit of my stomach. I'll grudgingly admit it looked like a cozy town. The type of town where retired people go to spend the rest of their lives around nature and quietness. Or young couples go to feel like they need a place to "rediscover themselves" far from the big cities.
Hemlock Grove High School looked very Gothic, clean and large. School is definitely my biggest concern at the moment. Not school school, but the fact that I'll be forced to meet new people. I also ended up searching for dad's new company, Hemlock Insurance. It had an updated website and a good reputation online, at least there weren't any worries regarding that chunk.
In the afternoon dad was already moving some of the furniture around the apartment and came by my room to ask for extra assistance. I heard male voices, I knew he called some of our neighbors, so I didn't understand how I could contribute in that testosterone-overloaded environment. But that's where it all began, with dismantling a simple old bed frame. Next thing I knew, three weeks later, the apartment was empty and ready for new inhabitants.
x x x
Saying goodbye to my classmates was surprisingly the easiest part of this process. Of course I felt sad, but not in the stunned and heartbroken way I imagined these situations usually go down. I didn't have a specific close friend in school and I kept pretty much to myself. I never really clicked with anyone on a deeper level and to be completely honest I didn't mind it one bit; I was perfectly fine being alone with my antisocial tendencies. Still it felt strange to think I was probably never going to see those people again.
During the past three weeks I was distant from my parents, even from myself, like this situation was happening to someone else and I was simply observing. Activities such as listening to morbid songs and staring blankly at walls quickly grew into my habits unnoticed. No one, maybe except my dad sometimes, noticed how unsatisfied I was feeling, or if they did, they didn't say a thing.
I realized I was always trying to blame someone. Dad, mom, even Carl for the talk that triggered all of these permanent changes. The truth was I had absolutely no one to blame. Unexpected things are bound to happen because we're in a world where change is guaranteed- Okay, no. - It's Carl's fault. I've never wished anyone dead or anything, but yesterday, when dad was on the phone with him, I soooo wanted him to be found alive.
My exhaustion almost caused me to fall asleep in the backseat of the car so I jerked myself awake and increased the volume of my music. This was going to be an eight hour drive if we got lucky and I wanted to see as much as I could of the places we would be sliding through. Unfortunately, I don't know exactly when I fell asleep but I only regained consciousness when we stopped to eat lunch. I was already feeling thoroughly exhausted and tense and we hadn't even exited the first service station yet.
On a brighter note, the sun was setting when we arrived to Hemlock Grove, creating a pleasant hierarchy of orange and pink colors above the horizon. I was almost angry at myself for appreciating the landscape. Hemlock Grove bad. Chicago good.
As we passed all the small buildings and shops, I registered that there seemed to be a serious contrast between the poor and the rich in the alignment of the streets. The Godfrey tower I saw online weeks ago was intriguing and caught my eye. A skyscraper in the distance, standing out not only because of its height and luxurious architecture, but also because of its thousands of windows that seemed to be looking down on the town's inhabitants.
When we reached our neighborhood and I got out of the car it was hard to walk because my legs were numb and it felt like a thousand bees had stung my ass. Hesitantly, I looked up to face the house in front of me, following the little walkway that led up to the front door of my new home. The best way to describe it would be to call it a predictable rustic house located in the suburbs, in close proximity to nature and everything good and bad that comes with it. The walkway was lined with bushes and colorful white flowers on each side, it was like a sight out of a kids cartoon.
My parents were here a week ago to sign the final papers and I only saw pictures, but from the outside I could already tell it was much larger than I mentally calculated. Much larger and roomier than our apartment back in Chicago. Tall ceilings, a spacious entrance hall with winding stairs, a fireplace, a dining room, a small yard included in the back. Feeling a little curious, I went up the stairs and peaked into each room. At the end of the hall was a bathroom and the division we decided was going to be transformed into my room. The walls a color of a deep brown with a lame touch of sprinkling white. Twice the size of my old room.
My window was facing the forest as well as what appeared to be a cemetery in the distance. I didn't know how to feel about that and stood at the sill, lost in my thoughts watching the birds interacting for a moment, until mom sneaked up behind me to announce we needed to get started downstairs. I followed her and while the moving van workers labored, our new neighbors walked over to greet us and welcome us to the neighborhood. Surprise, surprise: a retired couple particularly interested in knowing why we moved from Chicago to a small town. I wasn't paying attention but I think they suggested dinner at their house once we got things installed.
Two hours of sweaty back and forth movements later, everyone eventually left and that's when I wondered how long it was going to take us to unpack and truly start settling in. Our entrance hall was stuffed with boxes to the ceiling and I could barely spot my parents in the middle of the card boards. Thankfully we had labeled all the boxes carefully so it was just a matter of finding the right ones.
"So, what do you think so far?" Dad asked while I silently gathered my boxes in a pile.
I placed my hands on my hips and took another look around. "It's okay I guess." I admitted reluctantly. "At least people won't be stepping on our ceiling anymore." That was probably the only thing I hated about living in an apartment. No sense of privacy.
"See? That won't be a problem here." Mom sounded out of breath from moving around.
"You're right, it won't, but other problems will eventually emerge. We'll have triple the spiders, centipedes, ants, don't even get me started on the amount of rats th-"
"Emma!" Mom yelled. I knew she was terrified of rats but still I couldn't help but laugh. Her reaction was priceless. Dad concealed his chuckle with his hand and was dangerously close to getting caught.
Mom cocked her head to the side with a satisfied nod. "Finally, she smiles! At my expense, but she smiles!"
I put my index finger up. "Don't forget I'm not pleased with any of this."
Mom smiled mischievously and just as she was about to climb up the stairs winked at me. I huffed and looked up at one of the naked windows, noticing the moon was in its waning crescent form; the street lamps were doing a poor job of overshadowing the inky black sky. Surprisingly, I felt a sensation of relaxation wash over me and my breathing settled to a composed rhythm.
By the end of the night, my anger was slightly declining and all that remained were half empty boxes.
x x x
I plugged up my phone into the outlet in the bathroom so I could hear my music while I was in the shower. Yesterday was the third and last day we had to settle things down. We had been so busy setting up the rest of the furniture that we didn't have the opportunity to explore the town yet, not that there's much to explore anyway. There were still some boxes to unpack, nothing major or crucial for the moment.
Mom took care of my transfer to Hemlock Grove High School and I was officially starting today. She even gave me permission to take our car to school since the traffic here is practically nonexistent. Once I finished my shower, I brushed my teeth and fine hair briskly and within moments I was descending the stairs to the kitchen which turned into a blur of activity. After dad left with Carl I finished my breakfast entirely, savoring every bite of my toast in hopes of making the knots in my stomach untangle or at least shrink. I noticed mom staring so I gave her a forced smile as I placed the dishes in the sink.
"You have everything? You sure you don't want me to go with you? I can walk back." Mom yawned.
"It's fine. You don't need to do that, mom." I swallowed dryly as I picked up the car keys from the dining room table and moved towards the door. "I should go, I wouldn't want to miss my first day." I pressed my lips in frustration. "See you later."
"Good luck!" Mom said happily before I shut the door behind me with a loud thump. How long was it going to take for her to see there's nothing joyful about my situation?
I got inside the car and started the engine, placing the GPS app in front of me before backing out of the driveway. Essentially it's not a car, the more accurate description would be a twenty-year-old chunk of metal that occasionally runs. How it survived an eight-hour drive is beyond human comprehension. I turned on the radio to distract myself, but the voices of the local radio station were unintelligible, and their speech was delayed and confusing; I ended up smacking it violently and turning it off.
Once I got to school the parking lot was full. There appeared to be no empty spaces, though one classic red car circled the area in a hopeless search. I was about to give up and find a distant spot when the improbable happened: an empty space on the left side of the parking lot appeared in my line of sight, closer to the school, spacious, and with a tree in the corner providing the perfect amount of shade.
Unfortunately, the driver of the classic car had the same idea as me and started to slowly maneuver his way through the area. Beside him I proceeded cautiously, avoiding running over students and teachers on the very first day as I sped up and eventually passed him. While I was stabilizing the vehicle in, my attention was directed to the annoying sound of a car honking. I looked up and was almost blinded by the bright red, the sun bouncing off the strong color in my rear-view mirror. I saw that the driver was gesturing for me to roll down my window, so I did but slowly and hesitantly. What could he possibly want? We were both looking for a spot and I just happened to get there first.
A pale guy poked his head out of the window, the expression on his face giving no indication whether he was mad or not. My lips parted involuntarily when I saw him, I didn't expect to see someone so… interesting looking. Now I like to credit myself for not being a vain person, but this guy was on a whole other level of beautiful. His facial features were very sharp and defined, almost perfectly symmetrical, and the dark circles under his light eyes complemented his gaze in an obscure yet incredibly attractive nature. Thankfully I remembered to close my mouth on a firm hold as he suddenly looked at me warily and exuded a negative aura. What the hell does he want?
"What do you think you're doing?" His voice was impatient, causing me to stare.
"What does it look like I'm doing?" I shouted since there was a lot of incoherent buzz around us.
"You can't park there. It's reserved for handicapped people." He announced it as if it was common knowledge.
I was sure there was no sign, but I looked around and double-checked anyway. "Really? But there's no sign, and I didn't see a warning on the floor."
He sighed with mild annoyance, focusing his attention on his rear-view mirror as he slid a hand through his shiny dark blonde hair. "Yeah, some kids stole the sign last week. Pricks. The school hasn't fixed it yet, don't know what they're waiting for." He shrugged before glancing at me again. "I have a broken leg, I fell down a whole flight of stairs this summer. Tragic stuff, look I don't want to gross you out with the details. Legally this spot belongs to me." He was polite yet not friendly, almost robotic.
My eyes popped open at the image. "You have a permit?" Although he sounded convincing I couldn't be sure this guy was telling me the truth. It would be pretty messed up to lie about being handicapped just to get a parking spot. Obviously, it didn't cross my mind that someone could actually do that.
"I do, I have a handicap license plate in the back." He stared at me shortly. "So, are you moving or...?"
Against my better judgment, I decided to trust him. "I'm sorry then, I couldn't possibly know, I'm new here." I explained quietly as I shifted uncomfortably in my seat and rolled up my window. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed a few girls watching me with confusion from afar; less than five minutes here and I was probably already labeled as the new weirdo who tried to claim the parking spot reserved for people with disabilities.
"No shit." I thought I heard him respond but it was so muffled I couldn't be sure. I'm not one to judge a person based on first impressions, but this guy had no reason to be one sigh away from lashing out his fists. It was an innocent mistake on my part.
A building with a small parking lot lay straight ahead of the school, so I gave him my spot and left my car there instead. I was taking the key out of the ignition and trying to spot him in the middle of the little groups when I came to the conclusion that he was already gone. If he had a broken leg he sure as hell moved it fast and I immediately began to doubt everything he told me.
I slung my backpack over my shoulder and feeling a little suspicious, I decided to inspect his car. I crossed the street and quickly headed to the school's parking lot, directly walking around to the back of his Jaguar to make sure he possessed the permit or at least a symbolic placard that would prove his current physical condition. Tragically I couldn't stop my hands from curling into fists when I neared the car plate.
"Son of a..."
There was no permit, and there was no way this guy was handicapped since I could now see three empty accessible spots in a side of the parking lot I didn't explore, spots that were even closer to the school! Crap! How could I be so dumb? How could I be so naive?! I shook my head in disbelief, I couldn't believe someone went out of their way to do this. His intention wasn't to humiliate me since no one was really paying attention, with the exception of three girls in the distance who looked genuinely confused, so he must've lied exclusively to get the space!
Fuming but stuffing my frustration inside, I stepped away from the vehicle and took a deep breath. Ignore it, Emma. This is not important right now. I reminded myself though it was practically impossible to keep this infuriating matter out of my mind. What an idiot I was! I hesitantly abandoned the parking lot and I was trying to look over people's heads to see the entrance of the school when I registered some curious heads turning in my direction. Shyness crept over while I kept my composure, holding my head high. It certainly didn't help that I'm not great with crowds and I get slightly claustrophobic entering unfamiliar places.
As I walked into the hall I scanned the doors around me to search for a sign that would direct me to the administrative offices. Finally, I looked at the door of a classroom across from me and found the small area. I managed to get everything signed up fast, and by the time the serious man, whose name plate said Mr. Harris, asked me to sign the last forms, the bell had already rung.
"Your Biology classes are delayed at the moment, your teacher won't come in until after the next weekend." Mr. Harris informed me after typing on his keyboard at sloth speed. "Which means you have two holes in your timetable this week."
I nodded. "Okay. Is there a special reason for that?"
"If there is I haven't been informed. You can find your way out, Mrs. Brooks?" He asked in a dismissive tone, clearly just wanting to get rid of me.
I sighed quietly. "Sure. Thanks."
English came first. Without breathing I walked into the classroom cautiously while the teacher cleared her throat and looked at me head to toe. Maybe I was imagining things, but everyone I encountered in Hemlock Grove so far seemed to be in a bad mood or a complete asshole.
"Hi, this is my first day, I'm supposed to give you these." I said politely as I held up the respective papers. The teacher glanced at me, nodding her head and taking the forms in her hands. As she was going through the pages, I could hear the whole class talking in murmurs and analyzing me standing there so I froze anxiously and stared back at them.
My eyes scanned the different faces and soon enough my attention landed on a particular pale one. I thought my eyes tricked me at first but no. That fraud was sitting in the back! I held in a gasp and sent him in a venomous glare that had no effect whatsoever, he looked away too quickly, unimpressed. He was also a senior which meant he was probably in most of my classes which meant I was forced to deal with him almost every day from now on. Please lightning strike me dead.
The teacher, who I now knew was called Mrs. Pisarro, briefly introduced me to the class and guided me to choose a seat. There were only two and I made the impulsive decision of sitting in the front row. I hate sitting in the front mainly because the teacher tends to easily catch up on how lost I get. And I get lost a lot. I'm an overall average student, however it's hard for me to concentrate with the teacher, or anyone really, observing so closely.
I had this overwhelming urge to chew him out for what he did but all I could do was glance over my shoulder occasionally. He never met my eye and looked very focused on whatever it was he was writing or drawing on his notebook. I could feel my brain losing focus to every little thing happening around me, so when the bell finally rang I practically sighed in relief and gathered my stuff quickly, preparing to position myself to talk to him.
He was clearly in a hurry to go somewhere so I gave him a firm tap on his shoulder to get his attention once we reached the hall. I didn't expect him to be so tall since he spent the class hunched over on his table, but I wasn't going to let his height or his distinctive face distract me.
"Excuse me?" I spoke calmly. A ridiculously pleasant smell of expensive cologne invaded my nostrils as he turned to face me. He wore a sophisticated black Milanese blazer and blue jeans; despite the intense infuriation, I had to admit this guy had a pretty good sense of style.
His green eyes were confident when they landed on my face. "Yes?"
"So I checked your permit or should I say lack thereof. What the hell was that?! You can't tell me you wanted my spot that desperately." I crossed my arms over my chest and tried to maintain eye contact. I have always hated drama and confrontations, I avoid them like the plague, but in this case it was inevitable.
He almost smiled before he caught himself and his emotionless expression returned. Oh so he was enjoying this? "Do you think this is funny?" My voice was calm, not projecting in the slightest how I truly felt inside. I could feel the anger steaming under my skin and my heart pumping fast.
He tilted his head quickly. "No, not at all Miss."
I stared at him. "Then?"
"Then what?"
"Then why did you do it?" My patience was reaching a new dimension.
He patted the side of his nose. "My car was repainted recently, I can't let it out in the sun for too long."
I didn't say anything, waiting for him to elaborate.
"Your spot had a generous amount of shade and I said what I had to say to make sure it was mine." He explained simply as if that didn't sound borderline sociopathic. "It was nothing personal. Obviously. I wouldn't treat an incomer with nothing less than my predetermined respect. You were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time." His lips were confidently compressed.
"So you tricked me and lied about being handicapped just to get a good parking spot with a little more shade than the others, much like any normal person would do in that situation." I declared sarcastically with a hint of disgust. "Couldn't you have been honest and simply ask me for the spot instead? Have you considered that I might've said yes?"
"I don't like to beg. Why are you getting so worked up about this? You did fine. You found somewhere else to park, didn't you?" It was clear he wasn't giving much importance to my position, it seemed like in his head what he did to me wasn't a big deal which added a layer of stupid to this interaction.
I lost it. "I'm not getting worked up about anything, I'm actually speaking very calmly considering the situation. And… what?!-that's not the point! I didn't know yo-" I stopped, slowly took a step back and closed my eyes in frustration for ruining my composure. How he managed to piss me off to such a degree was beyond my grasp. I shouldn't have allowed him to have this effect on me.
This time he couldn't help it and smiled openly, his even white teeth intensifying the redness of his mouth. "Like I mentioned before it was nothing personal. I feel like this is dragging on and for the most part you got out what you needed to say. Now if you excuse me I was on my way to smoke a cigarette. Sort of an emergency." He spoke slowly without breaking eye contact, probably expecting another explosive reaction on my part. His superior mannerism was fascinating in the worst sense of the word.
I shook my head, perplexed that someone with such a deep lack of empathy and self awareness exists. "Fuck you." I wasn't going to waste my energy talking to this pompous jerk anymore. He didn't feel bad about what he did, and he certainly wasn't going to apologize. There was no reason to keep subjecting myself to this useless exchange of altercations. He didn't react and I left, not bothering to look behind me though I could sense his lingering stare in the back of my skull as I walked. What in the actual hell?! What a freaking loose canon!
I was so concentrated looking down at the floor, processing his words, that I didn't even register that I was about to bump into a girl. Ungraciously I managed to move away just in time, but that didn't stop her from shaking her head at me and shooting me a mortifying glare. I squeezed the palm of my hand and transferred all my force there in a miserable attempt to relax me, a mechanism I regularly use to calm myself down. Just keep walking just keep walking just keep walking, I mentally repeated to myself until I found an undisturbed place.