Revamped!

[I don't know if I've mentioned this yet but every character in the main group will have an arc named after them]. [2020: Also known as my attempt at puns].

Winter's Melting: Part Four

It's 6 AM and Cinder groans as she puts her pillows over her ears to drown the sound of her blaring alarm clock. Eventually, Cinder succumbs to the sound as she slumps out of bed and turns off her irritating alarm. Cinder pauses, basking in the silence of her early morning before forcing herself to get up and face her first day at her new school. She yawns and stretches her back and limbs, hearing some relieving cracks before heading out of her bedroom.

Cinder sees Levana standing over the vanity in the bathroom. The door is slightly open and Cinder can't help but take a peek inside. She sees Levana already dressed in one of her designer pantsuits and heels, applying her usual makeup. They say that having too much sugar isn't good so early in the morning but Levana always has a habit of caking her face with loads of overly-priced cosmetics. Levana catches Cinder's eyes looking at her through the mirror and Cinder is too tired to pretend that she wasn't watching.

"Your school uniform is downstairs on the dining room table," Levana tells her.

Cinder nods as she shuffles down the stars. On the dining room table, she sees it all laid out for her, crisp without one single wrinkle in sight: a dark navy polo with a silver crescent moon on the chest (Lunar Academy's logo), grey and dark purple plaid and pleated skirt, grey and navy argyle knee-high socks, and black dress shoes. Cinder can honestly say that's the ugliest outfit she's ever seen.

Cinder notices that there's only one set of uniform on the table.

"What about Winter?" Cinder asks Levana, making her voice louder so her aunt could hear her from downstairs.

Levana scoffs loudly. "Winter isn't mentally stable in this house. I can't bring myself to imagine her at school."

Can't argue that. Cinder takes her uniform from the table and starts running up the stairs back to her bedroom. If Levana didn't scoff before replying, Cinder would've assumed that Levana was being sympathetic towards Winter. Then again, Levana having a heart is a conspiracy theory so she wouldn't expect Levana to be kind.

Cinder enters her room and sees her laptop flashing with new messages. They probably didn't sync onto her phone. She clicks on it and sees that it's from Iko about last night.

Homegirl Iko: You didn't get back to me last night :(

Homegirl Iko: I need to know if Commonwealth has cute boys because if so then I'll start packing my bags.

Homegirl Iko: Don't tell me Levana killed you.

Homegirl Iko: Please tell me that you're alive.

Homegirl Iko: CINDER!

Cinder blinks, realizing that she didn't get back to Iko after the drama from last night involving Levana and Winter. All she remembers is eating burgers with Winter and falling asleep after Winter went back to her room.

Cinder throws her uniform on her bed, getting it all wrinkled as she goes to lean over her desk chair to reply, smirking at the messages.

Cinder: Wicked Aunt didn't kill me, shockingly.

Minutes later, the typing signal appears.

Homegirl Iko: YOU LIVE!

Homegirl Iko: CINDER LIVES!

Homegirl Iko: NOW INFORM ME ON BOYS!

Homegirl Iko: Only the cute ones, though.

Cinder rolls her eyes, laughing a little as she types her answer.

Cinder: I met a boy who's only my friend.

Cinder: boy-space-FRIEND.

Cinder: Do you get that Iko?

Cinder: boy-SPACE-FRIEND.

Homegirl Iko: Don't lie, girl, I know you'll be kissing him in no time. ;)

Cinder: Not this one, believe me.

Homegirl Iko: Whatever you say.

Cinder snickers, making a pledge to herself that she will never ever be romantically involved with Thorne. He's a boy who seemed more into himself than her, despite his obvious attraction towards hot girls. Cinder knows that she and Thorne will be friends. Nothing more, nothing less.

As she changes out of her pajamas and into her uniform, she hears her phone vibrate with a text message. She finishes putting on her shirt and looks at her phone, seeing a message from Thorne or as he put his contact name on her phone as Captain Thorne. Cinder makes a note to change that later.

Captain Thorne: Cinder, I'm giving you a ride to school.

Cinder: After seeing how you maneuver a bike, I fear to see how you drive a car.

Cinder: And I'm changing your contact name.

Captain Thorne: Too bad, I'm already at your house.

Captain Thorne: And my contact name for you is Crewmate Cinder so Captain Thorne is fitting.

-o-

After parking his car on the curb, just outside the mansion, Thorne steps out and closes the door behind him. His school uniform is almost the same as Cinder's with the only real difference is that instead of the pleated skirt, the boys get grey pleated pants. Still, it's tacky. He walks up the driveway and stops himself from knocking. He uses his reflection in the window to fix his hair and straighten his uniform, making sure he looks good for his own sake since Cinder will never be interested in him. Once he finds himself to be handsome enough (which doesn't take long since he already considers himself to be gorgeous), he knocks firmly on the door.

He waits on his toes for a few seconds until the door opens. Expecting to see Cinder, he flashes her his signature cocky grin but finds himself fixing his posture when he sees a girl with dark skin, loud ringlet curls, and bandages on one cheek at the other side of the door. Her face is a poker face with no emotions present. If Thorne didn't find her so goddamn attractive, he would be blowing her away with his wit and charm, but no words come out of his mouth. Those hazel eyes of hers are hypnotic.

"Are you lost?" The girl asks him.

"Uh, nope," Thorne replies, suddenly regaining his stellar confidence back. "I'm here for Cinder."

He hears Cinder charging down the stairs with a backpack flying over one shoulder. Cinder side-steps the girl at the door and looks at her when she's standing beside Thorne.

"I'm heading to school," Cinder tells her. "I'll see you when I get home."

The girl nods. "Have fun."

Cinder nods back as she closes the door, leaving her and Thorne standing awkwardly at the doorway. Cinder takes the lead to Thorne's car and he jogs behind to catch up.

"Who was that beauty?" Thorne asks.

"My step-cousin Winter," Cinder replies. "Why?"

"I don't trust her."

"You just met her and didn't even say ten words to each other."

"I don't trust people who are hotter than me."

Cinder narrows her eyes at him before getting in his car. "But you trust me?"

Thorne smirks. "Don't be offended by the fact that we're equally pretty - which is already high on the spectrum."

Cinder rolls her eyes as she gets in the passenger's seat. Thorne laughs to himself as he gets in the car and starts driving them to school.

"Can I ask what happened to Winter's face?" Thorne questions. "You know, with the bandages?"

"Oh, yeah, that's fine," Cinder replies. "She fell and got trampled."

"Did she fall on a wild cat?"

"She wishes."

Thorne nods as he focuses back on the road. Little did he notice Cinder fidgeting with her fingers as she was saying that. He feels as if he unintentionally pried too much.

"By the way," Cinder says, "Winter already has a boyfriend."

Thorne curses which makes Cinder smile.

-o-

Thorne parks his car in the school parking lot. He rushes out of his car to be a gentleman and open the door for Cinder but she was already out. Just like at The Rampion, Cinder was looking at the school with amazement in her eyes. The building looked like an enormous castle with pristine limestone walls and mystic-looking fences all around. Not one piece of litter was in sight which was a shock considering the number of students Cinder's seeing alone. The students seemed to be in the thousands, all wearing identical uniforms.

"Oh my god," Cinder mutters in shock. "What do I do?"

She looks at Thorne who's laughing loudly.

"I'm the worst person to ask," Thorne says, "but I'll take you to the main office and they'll take care of you."

At the main office, Cinder is greeted by the secretaries in a cheery and peppy manner that makes Cinder feel incredibly awkward. Thorne patiently sits in the reception area, watching and enjoying Cinder mentally wanting to run out of this forced joy. He could've left her here but what kind of friend would he be if he missed out on this? The secretary pass Cinder her school timetable and makes eye contact with Thorne. Thorne mentally curses to himself, thinking that he should've just ditched Cinder, but he just had to be a good friend.

"Carswell Thorne," the secretary calls. He stands up, watching Cinder's eyes bulge open at the sound of his first name (which he never told her for personal reasons). "I take it that you will escort Cinder to her first class which starts in ten minutes."

"Definitely," Thorne replies.

"Oh, and Cinder, when will your cousin, Winter Hayle-Blackburn be joining us?"

Cinder shrugs. "The move got to her. She's still jet-lagged."

The secretary nods and wishes them a good day. Cinder and Thorne both leave the office. Just one step out the door has Cinder laughing so hard that she has to bend over and hold her cramping side. Thorne crosses his arms and glares at her with narrow eyes since he knows exactly what she's laughing at. Cinder stands back up straight and catches her breath before facing Thorne again.

"Carswell?" Cinder questions although she knows the answer. "Your name is seriously Carswell?"

Thorne sighs. "It's a stupid name if you ask me. I see it as a bastardization of my family's noble lineage."

"I find it funny."

"Says the one with the name Cinder."

Cinder opens her mouth to argue back but stops herself. "Point taken."

Thorne leads Cinder through the crowded hallways and drops her off at her classroom. Since he doesn't share this class with her, he leaves her, saying for her to meet him at his car after school. Cinder nods and says bye to Thorne as the bell rings. Cinder walks in the classroom and is immediately flushed with unfamiliar faces who immediately know she's new. She takes a seat in the first empty seat she sees and sits down in it. The girl sitting in front of her spins around, her vibrant red curls spiralling.

"How do you know Thorne?" She asks.

"You mean Carswell?" Cinder questions just so she could say that name again.

The redhead smirks. "I was your waitress at The Rampion last night."

Cinder's mouth opens in realization, remembering the curls. She was the waitress who Thorne playfully flirted with and she threatened to kill him. Scarlet Benoit.

"You're not dating him, are you?" Scarlet asks with a sour taste in her mouth.

"Stars, no!" Cinder exclaims too quickly. "I would never date a Carswell."

Scarlet laughs with a small snort in it. "I can tell you and I will be amazing friends."