I walked quickly to where Mom was; she just needed to put in one more suitcase.
"Did you hear that?" I asked, feeling a knot in my stomach.
Mom frowned.
"What?" she asked, walking to the front door.
Being inside the house isn't a bad idea. I followed her and closed the door behind me, making sure nothing was left outside.
"A howl..." I murmured softly.
My mom turned to look at me with her frown deepening. Apparently, she didn't hear it.
"A howl? I didn't hear anything," she replied.
Could I have imagined it?
No way, it sounded very real.
"I heard it... Mom," I called out to her. She turned to look at me. "There are wolves here."
She looked at me for a few seconds before bursting into laughter.
"Please, Carolina, I didn't mean it literally when we were in the car. There are no wolves here, maybe what you heard was a... dog," she said, climbing the stairs. "Get ready for tomorrow, you have school."
Damn it. Something tells me tomorrow will be a very long day. Mom and I had left our things in the rooms; tomorrow afternoon, I would have to organize them. This week would be very busy for us. The inside of the house wasn't bad at all. It had a large brown sofa and two small ones; in the center was a small table with nothing on it. There was a somewhat large television, and when you looked at it, you could also see the lake through the window next to it.
***
The next morning, I didn't want to get up, but I did reluctantly. Mom had called a mechanic very early to check the car we had left in the middle of nowhere; fortunately, he did, and now it was as good as new.
I was finishing breakfast, left the plate in the sink, and went up to my room to brush my teeth. I grabbed my backpack and went downstairs. Mom was waiting for me in the car; today was her first day at work.
I went outside, and the forest smell was strong. The only sounds around here were the chirping of birds and the occasional animal. That's when I remembered the howl I heard, and yes, it was real.
"Carolina, you'll be late!" Mom hurried me.
I snapped out of my thoughts and got into the passenger seat. My new school awaited me. Mom started the car; we had to drive a few kilometers.
We were halfway there when the same cars from yesterday emerged from the detour I had seen. Mom slowed down a bit to let them go ahead.
"One of them might be your classmate," she whispered, accelerating.
I just hope not.
After a while, we arrived at the town center, and people were starting to open their stores. Mom stopped in front of the huge building called school. I admit I was a little nervous.
The cars that were in front of us parked in the school lot. But they hadn't gotten out yet.
"See you later..." I said, getting out of the car and closing the door.
"Make lots of friends!" she exclaimed behind me.
For God's sake, I'm not in elementary school. I gave her a warning look; she just smiled and left.
Students were starting to arrive, and the luxury cars were right on time. Before entering the main door, I observed the guy getting out of the car that had been behind us yesterday. He was wearing black jeans, a white T-shirt, and his hair was messy. God, I had come to a modeling agency. That guy was perfect.
His gaze met mine. It was deep, captivating. He had a black jacket in his hand and, without taking his eyes off me, started putting it on. I looked away so he wouldn't think I was admiring his beauty. I bet he's the typical popular guy here. I entered the school. My heart was racing. What I didn't miss was the strange feeling I had when we looked at each other.
I forgot about what happened and went to find the office. I needed to get my schedule. I turned down a hallway, and there it was. I knocked on the door.
"Come in," a voice said from the other side.
I opened the door to find a woman in her forties, wearing glasses and with her hair in a tight bun.
"Good morning, I'm new. I'm here for my schedule."
She looked up.
"Yes, they said you'd be coming today," she said, searching through a folder and handing me the papers.
I quickly took them.
"Good luck on your first day," she smiled and then returned to her work.
"Well... thanks," I stammered. I left the office while reading my schedule. I had Spanish first and then History. Boring classes.
The hallways were full of students, all chatting animatedly with their friends. I don't know if I'll make any friends here. I looked for the guy from the car but couldn't find him.
I went up the stairs to the second floor and looked for my classroom.
5B. 5B. 5B. Found it. There were no students yet, which I appreciated. I sat in the last chair in a corner by a large window overlooking the parking lot. Then I saw him. He was there with his friends, leaning on his car. There were girls around them. He had one by his side.
What did I expect? They must be the most popular in this school, and probably the biggest womanizers, I imagine. But he seemed distracted. Thinking about something else.
"Hi..." someone said behind me.
I turned around immediately, putting my hand to my chest. She had scared me.
"You scared me," I told the girl who sat next to me.
"Sorry..." she whispered. "You're new, right?" she asked.
"No, I've studied here all my life, but apparently, I'm invisible because no one had seen me until today," I replied sarcastically.
She laughed.
"I like your sarcasm. By the way, I'm Anne," she introduced herself.
Anne was slender, with brown hair, and very pretty. I think she and I will get along very well. I know because I have the gift of knowing who are good people and who aren't. And Anne was shy and sincere. Although I could also sense some fear in her. Insecurity.
"Carolina," I smiled.
The bell rang, announcing the start of classes. Students started arriving, some frowning at me, others smiling, and some not even glancing my way.
***
It was time to go to the cafeteria. Anne and I were on our way when a girl pushed Anne, making her stumble.
"Hey, watch where you're going," I snapped.
The girl turned to me, as I expected, one of those damn plastics who thought they were superior to others. How I hate them. She was wearing fine pink shorts and a white shirt tucked in, her jacket matching the shorts, and her blonde hair was loose. Her hair was long and straight, her demeanor obviously one of grandeur, and she had that typical smile that made others feel inferior. I didn't miss her pearl necklace.
"Excuse me?" she crossed her arms.
I smiled.
"We excuse you, just don't do it again. Bye."
As we turned, we found three more girls blocking our way. One was tall and dark-skinned, the other had black hair and was a bit shorter, and the last girl was a bit older and seemed to be the most grounded in the group. She was red-haired and about my height.
"Carolina, you shouldn't have said anything. These girls are dangerous," Anne whispered softly. Poor thing, she was scared.
But I'm not. I'm not afraid of them. The hallways were deserted because everyone was in the cafeteria.
I turned to the main plastic.
"Can't handle me alone, so you have to call your bodyguards?" I asked.
She opened her mouth in surprise. Apparently, she didn't expect that reaction.
"I haven't seen you around here before, so I guess you're new," she approached a little.
I raised an eyebrow and clapped.
"You're so smart..." I mocked.
The girl got even angrier.
"I see no one has told you. Here, I rule... and my boyfriend, of course. We're the most respected, and you... you'll learn to respect us."
She raised her hand and slapped me on the cheek, making my head turn.
I looked at her with boiling blood. She would pay for this.
I raised my hand and slapped her on the cheek too. Damn, it hurt. She couldn't take it and lunged at me, making us both fall to the ground.