Andrianna entered her classroom. A sheen of sweat coated her palms with nervousness as her eyes darted around the room. Taking in the faces of everyone that was already seated before the assembly had even started. A form of discipline masked their expressionless faces.
Andrianna could not tell what they were thinking. She was not even sure if they were curious about her, the new midterm arrival. They simply just sat there, undisturbed by her standing there at the entrance of their classroom. They did not make a sound. Which she thought was odd for in her pervious school unless the teacher was strict there was nothing to stop them from chattering away.
An unsettling dread took its grip on her gut. She was not sure how she would fit in with these adult like children. She heard a soft hiss whisper in her ear. Nothing more just a hiss, like that of a serpent. Warning her like the thunder had that night.
"Miss. Redfield, I presume."
Andrianna did not say a word simply nodded in agreement.
"Well this is your first day so after class today you will have to come with me to the tailor downstairs so he may take your measurements for the uniform, which you will wear every day to school."
Andrianna nodded again. Rubbing her hands against her skirt to dry off the sweat.
"You can take your place on the second bench, here…" The teacher pointed out.
Andrianna finally looked up to take in the woman's face. Andrianna thought that her teacher would be considered attractive by many. Were this her old school all the grades would have been informed about her beauty and each student would be trying to flirt with her.
If her accent had not been a giveaway before her features certainly did. She was definitely Greek. She had light bronze skin and prominent cheekbones. Her eyes were a beautiful shade of brown. Like twin chocolate pools. This was coupled raven black hair that curled in waves. It was pulled back into a bun that was held together with a pencil. Andrianna assumed she would fit right into the category of what her older friend, Wyatt would have termed as a 'sexy teacher' or 'hubba hubba' for short. Which basically just a grunting sound he would have made.
She walked to the desk the teacher had pointed and quietly slid in.
"Now, because Andrianna is new I am going to throw the instructions for the mass decorum for her."
Andrianna again expected a series of annoyed grunts from the students but was sadly surprised to have heard a single word of response.
"We make two lines every time we exit the classroom. The first line goes through the front door which is used by the girls and the back for the boys. Please do not run the corridors or make noise like silly little children from a public school."
Andrianna noted a sense of superiority coming off of both the teacher and the students as she spoke. Andrianna felt put down because of it.
"You come from respected families so act like it. Uniforms are to be worn properly, but you may add your style to your uniform as long as it looks like something a respectable woman or man would wear. Hang you hats and coats at the two stands placed for the specific reason and do so in an orderly fashion. Please do not drop everything like a wayward child. You are to be present in the classroom 15 minutes before the assembly or mass whatever you wish to call it and be seated in your seat exactly as you are now. Talking amongst your peers is permitted only during the time of breaks. From which you should be back inside on time. The door will be closed on the second bell if you are not inside the classroom and seated by then you may not enter the classroom and stand outside for that period if not until the end of next break. That's about it for now."
The children simply nodded as the bell rang starting to stand in their respective lines.
After three periods recess finally arrived, much like everything else, the children exited in an orderly fashion without any noise or commotion or even loud talking. The only thing they did do was curiously look at her before they left. Too polite to stare and too rude to welcome.
Finally, when the class was almost empty a pair of children walked to her. One was a girl with cherry blossom hair and dark brown eyes. Andrianna wondered if the color of her hair was natural but feared the question would not be received well. The girl was lean and had a very recognizable face. Andrianna could not place where she had seen these features but was sure she had seen. She must be the child of some television celebrity or a personality that frequented the big screen was what Andrianna concluded. The boy on the hand had understated kind of handsomeness. He was tall and nicely built for his age. Andrianna was sure he would grow into a very handsome young man that women would fall all over. His dark black hair was rebellious and seemed to stick out in every direction possible despite the boy's hands constantly brushing through them to fix it. But, it wasn't his face that really caught her attention, it was the eyes that did. They were warm and yet they instilled fear in Andrianna's mind. She could not explain the feeling of recognition upon looking into them. The imagination of cruelty instead of the softness they truly held.
Sweat broke on her forehead, as she began to breathless. Her heart pumped at an impossibly fast rate, beating to the point where she heard the loud thumping in her ears. She wondered if they could hear it too. Black spots began to dance in front of her eyes and only one thing flashed in that subconscious haze of panic.
The man with the devil eyes.
She bit down on her lower lip, drawing it in. Letting her teeth gnaw at it as hard as possible, replacing her fear with pain. The metallic tang of her blood filled her tongue as she heard her laughter.
The deafening unmistakable sound of the woman in black enjoying Andrianna's state of fear.
Andrianna pushed through the deep seated feeling of dread and the empty pity of hopelessness that was taking over her and gripped at the hand the blossom haired girl had offered in friendship. She had not heard what she had said but simply nodded in acknowledgement before announcing.
"I am sorry… I am not feeling alright."
With that she rushed out of the classroom and into the washroom stall. Banging the door shut behind her. She finally stopped pushing. Letting the fear out, she pressed her lips to forehand, latching her teeth into her skin. She screamed.
The loud muffled by her skin. She screamed over and over again. Tears dripped down her cheeks before bile rose in her throat. Her throat hoarse she turned to face the toilet pot as the contents of her stomach emptied out mixed with her blood.
"Are you alright in there?"
Andrianna recognized the voice of the cherry blossom girl coming from outside the stall. Andrianna did not say anything. She simply continued to hold back her hair and puke until she fainted inside.