Immortal Fire - Book One

“Hey, I’m Cassie. You are the new girl Aria, right? It is good to finally meet you. Everyone’s talking about you.” Everyone is talking about me? Already...? Oh shit…

“Nice to meet you too; um, why is everyone talking about me?” I asked having to know why.

“You’re kidding, right? New girl in a school that never has new students and Hayden spoke to you.”

Hayden? What the hell did Cassie mean by he spoke to me?

“Oh yeah, but it was just like two words. What’s the big deal of that?”

“He never speaks to anyone. Like, never! Most of us were starting to wonder if he was mute. Would have been horrible considering how he looks if you ask me. But then again, looking like that, you wouldn’t need a voice at all if you get what I mean.” She whispered, pointing her eyes to the back of the classroom.

Turning in my chair and looking in the direction that she had, I stifled a gasp. Sitting at the back of the class and staring right at me, was Hayden Levi.

He had earphones in and had a sketchbook lain before him. He turned his blue eyes back to his sketch and away from me. I could not help but feel a sense of hurtful rejection. Pulling myself back to the moment, I felt more confused than anything else. Why did I feel rejected? Did I want him to look at me? The more Hayden came into the picture. The more rattled and tangled I got. What the fuck is going on?

“So, what made you come to Parma if you don’t mind me asking?” Cassie asked while looking at me waiting on my response.

“My parents move a lot. It seems to be their mission in life. I probably won’t be here longer than the semester…” At the realization, I felt the longing pull to stay in one place and be able to live my life the way I wanted to for once. Squashing the impossible thought away and sneaking a glance at the mysterious Hayden, I turned back to the folder that Amy had given me.

Cassie and I chatted whilst doing our work. It was nice to already have made a friend and feel more comfortable. She was telling me about everyone and everything that happened here in Parma.

There was going to be a social bonfire tonight for the senior students on campus. I really did not want to go but Cassie would not let up on begging me to come, so I eventually agreed to go just to get her off my back. I wanted to get home and check my drawings.

“So, what are you going to wear to the bonfire?” Cassie asked, turning to face me whilst I continued to do my sketch of a landscape that formed in my mind of rolling hills, streams, and flower-strewn meadows.

“I was guessing just my jeans and a sweater…” was my bland response.

“WHAT! Oh no, that is not going to work. The bonfire is the perfect chance to make your entrance to the rest of our grade, and besides the dress code is ‘Edgy’. Do not get me wrong, edgy does not sound like a dress code, but you will understand when you see it. It is amazing how everyone looks. Do you want to rather come and get ready at my place, or I come to yours? I can help you decide what to wear...”

‘Edgy’? Was she out of her mind? All I had that was edgy was my pair of leather boots that came to just above my knees. And I had never worn them as they were a gift from my crazy aunt that I saw once a year…

“I don’t own anything edgy, except for maybe a pair of boots from my aunt. Maybe I should rather just stay at home…”

“Oh, hell no; don’t worry about it. You can just come over to my place and we can find you something to wear. Just make sure that you bring those boots of yours. You are not going to pull out of going. I won’t allow you to.” Cassie said with a sly giggle.

Not being able to hide my amusement, I agreed to her terms with a laugh. Who knew; maybe tonight would be fun. I needed to feel close to someone and Cassie seemed like the perfect friend to bring me out of my slump. The remainder of the class went faster than I thought it would.

As we worked and spoke, I could not help but start to feel excitement over the upcoming event.

“I’ll text you with my address. Come over in about an hour. This evening is going to be awesome!” she said as we said our goodbyes after class and she headed in the opposite direction I was going, towards my car as class was over.

Watching her go, I spun on my heels and was about to leave when I saw Hayden again. He was coming out of the classroom, bag over one shoulder and head down. He must have felt me watching him for he brought his head up and our eyes locked.

A smile formed on the corner of his mouth as he started down the hall again, through the doors, and out of the building. My thoughts immediately returned to my drawings at home.

As soon as I got home, I was going to go over them again and see if I was imagining things or if there was something about Hayden Levi that I needed to find out. Heading towards the exit, a smile spread across my face. This afternoon was going to be fun, one way or another.