Rachel showed Quinn around the battered house. She showed her every single room there was, and Quinn lapped everything up, taking as many pictures as she could. The tour ended when they were stood at the top of the main staircase.
"This is my favourite part about the house," Quinn told Rachel as she gestured downwards at the steps. "Doesn't it just remind you of old movies? Minus the dirt and grime?" She looked at Rachel who now had a very fixed look on her face as she almost glared at the staircase.
Quinn waited for Rachel to reply, maybe let on as to why she was harbouring such a cold, unforgiving look on her face, but she never got one. Instead, Rachel turned towards her with a flawless smile.
"So are you starting at McKinley High Quinn?"
"Yeah, tomorrow. Do you go there? It'd be nice to know someone on my first day," Quinn asked hopefully.
Rachel shook her head and Quinn felt a small whelp of disappointment pang in her stomach. "No. I used to but, not anymore," Rachel told her, the flawless smile fading fast.
"What happened?" Quinn asked, overly intrigued and regretted being so nosey as soon as the words had left her lips.
Rachel smiled sadly at her, trying hard not to betray anything other than that. "It's a long story. Let's just say, I didn't fit in anymore." Quinn nodded sympathetically, still wildly curious but didn't wish to intrude on the girl's life, and after all, she'd just met her.
Quinn took some more pictures as Rachel headed down the staircase. She was sure she managed to capture a brilliant one of Rachel half way down the stairs, just turning around to look at her. Rachel met Quinn's hazel eyes, and Quinn noticed a slight crease form on Rachel's brow.
"You know pictures don't really take all that well in here? The light," Rachel waved her arms around the air, "is pretty bad."
Quinn laughed a little. "They might be okay, I mean, this camera is amazing. It can make even the dullest of things burst with life."
Rachel smirked, "Is that so?"
"I'll show you some of my other pictures some time, if you want to see them that is," Quinn said, not wanting to force anything upon the brunette.
However, Rachel grinned, "I'd love to. Do you have any from where you moved from? I've never been out of Lima."
Quinn nodded and immediately started to rattle off places she had both lived in and visited, telling Rachel about all the great shots she'd gotten from them. Whilst she was talking, Quinn nearly missed the pained expression on Rachel's face and wondered if she was saying too much.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to talk you ear off. Photography is just a passion of mine," she apologised.
"No, I was enjoying listening to you. I can only imagine what some of these places are like! I just wish I could see them for myself, not from a picture."
"Can't you? Even if it's not now, you could go travelling later or something?" Quinn lightly suggested, but it seemed that Rachel avoided the question.
"Why did you move around so much?" Rachel asked, cocking her head as she searched Quinn's eyes. Now it was her turn to avoid Rachel's question. She had no intention telling her about how she could interact with the dead. She'd just met her, and the last thing she wanted was to scare this girl off.
"Oh, um… my dad. His work means we have to travel a lot, it kinda sucks but I think we're stuck here for a while," Quinn lied, not as smoothly as she'd hoped but she prayed that Rachel bought it and didn't ask any more questions about it.
"Ah," was all that Rachel said as she tore her intent stare away from Quinn who looked at the floor uncomfortably.
"Well, I'd better be going. I'm guessing the moving van has dropped all our stuff off. I haven't even seen my new room yet," Quinn spoke, breaking the still silence between the two girls.
"Are you coming back tomorrow?" Rachel asked, shocking Quinn.
"Will you be here?"
"Yes."
"Then, I'll bring my old photographs to show you," Quinn beamed at a smiling Rachel.
"I can't wait. Oh and Quinn?" Rachel said, just as Quinn was about to leave. "Good luck tomorrow." Quinn nodded and smiled a thank you before leaving. Wondering why she would need luck. Was it really so bad?
Quinn gulped nervously as she fiddled with the cross that was hanging from her neck. The cold metallic touch always seemed to calm her down and reassure her.
By the time Quinn returned to her new house, the sun was already starting to fade and in the distance she could see the warm glow of an early sunset. Lima was no California but it was pretty great so far. Quinn just hoped that the new school wouldn't ruin it.
There was no moving van or boxes outside so she guessed that everything had been shifted into the house. She opened the front door and was greeted by the sight of dozens of brown boxes and bags all piled on top of each other.
"Quinn? Is that you honey?" Judy Fabray called from the living room.
"Yeah mom, it's me."
"Me and your father are just sorting some of the furniture out, all your boxes are already in your room if you want to go up? It's the first on the right," Judy informed her.
Quinn didn't really want to help in the living room as she figured that her dad was just sat down, watching her mother do everything for him and if Quinn went in, she just knew that the responsibility would fall on her.
"Yeah okay, I'll go check it out now," Quinn shouted as she trotted upstairs, taking two at a time. She came to a stop in front of her door. It was painted white but the metallic paint on the handle had been worn, revealing a new brassy colour beneath it. She opened the door to reveal a spacious room inside.
Her bed was beside a large window that looked out onto the path she had just walked from. She could even make out some of the features of the abandoned house from here. Her room also had a skylight which flooded the room with brightness. She also noticed, aside from all her furniture, every bit of her stuff was in a box or black bag, lodged in the corner of her new room. She didn't have any complaint about her new room. It had wooden floor and white walls which she knew she'd end up covering with pictures from her camera. The only things she thought might be a little troublesome were the two large beams that protruded from the wall, all the way along the slanted ceiling. She'd probably end up banging her head a few times.
About two hours later, Quinn had successfully unpacked every single box and bag. She'd put all her clothes away in her wardrobe and she'd found places for everything else. She stood in the middle of the room and looked around, feeling a wave of satisfaction wash over her as she rested her hands on her hips. It'd long gone dark outside and even though she had put curtains on her window, she didn't have anything to block the skylights. Though, when she looked up and out of it, she doubted she ever would. The sky was a navy colour with ripples of a slightly lighter blue surging through it. Hundreds of stars seemed to dot the dark blanket and sparkle furiously. She'd never seen anything like that in California. Quinn scrabbled for her camera and immediately took a picture, smiling to herself as another great shot was added to her collection.
Her parents had bought her a digital, Nikon SLR. Though Quinn had secretly wanted a film camera at the time, she soon learnt that the amount of money it'd cost her to develop pictures and buy film would be ridiculous. Whereas, she could simply upload her photo's to her laptop and press print.
She opened the lid of her laptop and shoved the camera lead into the USB port, waiting for the little icon to pop up. Her photo folder opened up and she began scrolling through all the pictures she had taken earlier that day. She paused more than half way down, staring confused at one picture in particular. It was the picture of Rachel on the stairs.
She opened it for a bigger view, wiping her forehead in confusion. The rest of the picture was fine, but Rachel's face had been replaced with a large splodge of light, as though it had just been over exposed in that one area. Quinn frowned, as she remembered Rachel's warning about the house not always permitting decent pictures…even though the rest of them were fine.
Quinn closed the picture in frustration at her ruined shot. She was sure that the picture was going to look incredible. Instead, she sighed and turned her attention towards the rest of the pictures which were all alright. She printed a few off and along with some of her old ones, stuck them all over her white walls.
Quinn later had dinner, showered and got ready for bed. Feeling exhausted with the move. She got under the covers and lay back against the comforting pillow, folding her arms behind her blonde head as she stared out of the skylight. She still couldn't understand why it was just that one photograph that was exposed. After a while, she gave up thinking about it, her eyelids suddenly felt heavy and her eyes starting to sting a little. She glanced at the glittering stars one last time before rolling over and letting herself fall into a deep, welcomed sleep in preparation for her first day as a senior at McKinley high.
Quinn woke up from a deep, dreamless sleep as the alarm on her phone beeped loudly. She was tempted to put it on snooze but resisted the temptation. She hauled herself up right, swinging her legs over the side of the bed.
She knew her mother would be up and would have also made breakfast, but her father would be long gone and already at work. The air was cold and took away any heat that her blanket had previously given her. She shuffled over to the wardrobe, rubbing her arms for warmth and pulled out a grey sweatshirt.
As soon as she stepped outside of her room, she could smell the delicious smell of sizzling bacon. So good so far, Quinn thought to herself as she sloped downstairs and into the kitchen.
Her mother was humming to herself but stopped when Quinn entered the kitchen and took a seat at the table. "Good morning honey, did you sleep well?"
Quinn nodded and yawned. She'd slept incredibly well. "Do you need a hand mom?" She asked, already knowing the answer.
"No thank you Quinn, I've just about finished…here," she handed Quinn a plate with a bacon sandwich that was cut equally into quarters. Quinn put the plate on the table and hugged her mother as she said thank you. "You better hurry up and eat that. You still need to get ready. Your cars not been brought over yet, do you want me to drive you to school?"
Quinn thought about the offer. She'd prefer to walk and maybe snap some shots on the way but she had no idea where the school was so she thought it was best to accept. "Yeah, thanks mom," she smiled as she finished the last quarter of her sandwich.
She rushed upstairs and began her morning routine. She eventually decided to wear converse and jeans with a British Punk band t-shirt. She shuffled a cardigan over the top, just in case she got cold.
"Quinn? Hurry up; you're going to be late!" Her mother shouted from downstairs. Quinn grabbed her cross necklace off of her dresser and put it around her neck. She never went anywhere without it. Ever since her grandmother had told her it would bring her look she had worn it wherever she went. That point was only strengthened when she'd died and come back. She thought it was probably a bit childish to believe in fairy tales like that but she drew comfort from it.
"I'm on my way down," she replied to her mother.
The car ride was pleasant enough. It was mainly Judy telling her daughter all about her fabulous ideas on designing the house, except Quinn's room that was. She told her daughter she could do whatever she wanted with it… within reason. She then asked Quinn about where she went yesterday.
"Just around town, looking at the shops and stuff, but a lot of them were closed with it being Sunday." She hated lying to her mother but she knew that she'd only get a lecture if she told Judy that she'd been taking pictures in a house that could fall down any time now.
Her mother parked up on the curb and Quinn kissed her on the cheek before hopping out. "I'll walk back home later mom," Quinn told her, knowing she'd detour to the house on her way home.
"Okay hon, if you change your mind, let me know. Have a great day sweetie!" With that, Judy pulled away and began on her ten minute drive home.
Quinn turned around the face her new school. Kids were pouring into the door and a lot of them were hanging about on the steps out front. Quinn took a deep breath, trying to settle the rising heart beat in her chest.
She followed the signs to reception and was greeted by a bored looking, middle aged woman. Quinn cleared her throat and the receptionist looked up at her with all interest lacking from her face.
"Um, I'm Quinn Fabray; I'm new today so I don't-"
"Just take a seat outside the principal's office," she interrupted and waved a hand to a room behind her that harboured a few chairs. "I'll tell him you're here," she mumbled, returning to her papers and computer.
"Thanks," Quinn muttered sarcastically. She hoped that the students weren't as rude as her.
Ten minutes later, Quinn was still sat outside the principal's office and she'd started to wonder if she'd be here all day. She was pretty sure that first period had already started which meant she'd have to awkwardly walk in an interrupt a class whilst everyone stared at her. Great. As though she'd be yelling her thoughts out loud, the principles door opened and she was greeted by a short little Indian man.
"Good morning Miss Fabray, please come in and take a seat," he smiled quickly at her before returning to his desk. Quinn shut the door behind her and sat in the seat in front of his frayed desk. "My name is principle Figgins; I welcome you to McKinley High. I'm sure you'll find your experience here enjoyable and if you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask," he told Quinn in a generic voice. She figured it was his standard welcoming speech to newbies. Still, she nodded and smiled. "Here are you papers, all the information about your classes and where everything is, is on there."
"Thank you," Quinn said politely as she took her papers.
"Do you have any questions?"
"No, that's everything I think I need," Quinn said, gesturing towards her papers.
"Well, first period has started so you should head to your first class. Have a nice day Miss Fabray," he called after Quinn as she exited the room.
She started to walk at a snail pace through the corridors as she examined the papers. According to these, her first class was English Language in room 18 with Ms Davison. She picked up the pace as she scurried through the hallway, checking the number on each door.
Finally, she was stood outside of her designated room. From outside, she could hear her new teacher already in full swing of teaching and she sighed heavily, knowing she was about to mess that.
She knocked twice on the door before opening and stepping inside the generic class room. Teacher and students turned to face her and she could feel her cheeks heat up with embarrassment.
Ms Davison walked over to her, offering a welcoming smile. "You must be Quinn Fabray, I was wondering when you would turn up," she joked. "You can take a seat over there," she told Quinn, gesturing to a couple empty desks at the back.
Quinn nodded in thanks and was relieved that her teacher hadn't made her go through the embarrassment of introducing herself to everyone. Though, as she walked to her chosen desk, she could still feel eyes follow her across the room.
"So as I was saying, there are all different ways that new words have entered the English language, borrowings, technology…" Ms Davison got back on track from when Quinn interrupted.
Quinn looked around and saw some people frantically scribbling notes down so she retrieved a notepad and pen from her bag and began to write notes. For the rest of the lesson that's how it went, boring but smooth, even though no one tried to talk to her.
As the bell rang, she checked on her time table again. Next she had a ten minute morning break; followed by psychology, stats, lunch break then biology and fine art to end her day. Fun. All Quinn really wanted to do was hunt for cool things to take pictures of.
Quinn swiftly left the class room in search of her locker. As she was walking along, she felt something collide with her shoulder, sending her crashing to the hard floor. She let out a surprised yelp and looked up to see what she'd walked into.
Her eyes met with a peroxide blonde's who was dressed in a cheerleading outfit with 'Cheerios' printed across it. The blonde looked around at her fellow cheerleaders then back down at Quinn and smirked at her.
"You really should watch where you're going new girl, you might hurt yourself," she said with fake sympathy. The other cheerleaders laughed and Quinn mumbled an apology as she shoved herself to her feet. "What was that? I didn't quite catch it," she said to Quinn who was gritting her teeth.
"I said sorry," Quinn said, gaze averted towards the floor.
"Whatever," the cheerleader said, flipping her long hair over her shoulder. "Just stay out of my way." With that, the girl and her group walked past Quinn, all of them giving her the same smarmy expression. Quinn congratulated herself on her friend making skills and skulked off to her locker.
The next two lessons were pretty much the same as the first. She went in, the teacher told her what to do, she'd receive her books then she'd sit alone at a desk and copy notes for an hour. Quinn knew school was boring but she had high hopes of making friends. She didn't have any back in California. People stayed clear because they thought she was crazy for talking to air, but here in Lima, no one knew about that part of her life so she figured she'd have no trouble with getting a group of friends. She didn't even have one. Her mind skipped back to yesterday, the house and Rachel. Quinn smiled. Oh yeah, she did.
When lunch break started, Quinn found herself sitting at a table alone in the cafeteria. She picked at the less than appealing lunch food and wondered when the hell this day would be over. Someone cleared their throat to the right of her and she looked up to see a pretty red headed girl staring down at her. She was dressed in the same uniform as the girls from that morning. Quinn gulped and felt her stomach churn. She really wasn't in the mood for another bitchy encounter.
"Hi," the girl said in a pleasant voice as she smiled at Quinn.
"H-hello," Quinn replied, starting to become slightly confused. Was this the build up to a prank?
"Can I sit with you?" The girl asked, looking at the seat across from Quinn.
"Yeah sure," Quinn said sceptically as she pushed the chair out with her foot. The girl smiled a thank you and sat down.
"My name's Amy, you're Quinn right?" Quinn nodded, still on guard. "I saw you this morning, I realised you're new. I also saw what those other Cheerios did to you and I want to apologise on behalf of them. Holly, the blonde one is the head cheerleader and she goes around treating people like dirt because she has her loyal pack of hyenas to back her up," Amy told Quinn who couldn't help but laugh at the comparison.
"I'm fine really. I get it a lot," Quinn told Amy, lowering her voice as she realised the cafeteria had died down. She looked around, people were staring at her, the way they used to stare at her in California. Quinn's face heated, she knew it was too good to be true! Holly was obviously planning something and she sent Amy here to ignite it. Quinn sighed. "Look, whatever you're here to do to me, just get it over with, fast okay?"
Amy looked confused and even a little hurt. Quinn felt guilty for a slight second before she remembered Amy was only being fake. "Quinn, I don't know what you mean. I'm not here to do anything to you; I just wanted to ask you something."
There is was. The moment which hit Quinn like a tonne of bricks. This girl really hadn't intended to humiliate her, but as Quinn looked around she saw that everyone was looking in her direction. Some were snickering; some were looking at her in complete disgust whilst others were laughing loudly with their friends, making no attempt to hide their amusement whatsoever. Quinn hated herself more than anything in that moment. She should have realised that Amy was a ghost! She was so desperate for interaction and clouded with scepticism that she didn't notice the way Amy's shoes made no sound against the floor or how she made no noise when she sat down.
"Oh Quinn, I really didn't mean to- I'm so sorry!" Amy apologised as she tried to comfort Quinn by touching her shoulder but her hand passed right through. Quinn's eyes were blurry with tears. She grabbed her bag and ran from the cafeteria, wishing to be anywhere but here in that moment. She'd officially destroyed her reputation before she even started properly and now everyone would know her as the 'crazy chick'.