Well, the first few classes were… how should I put this? Interesting.
Okay, scratch that—let me be real.
The police found a frickin' dead body in the woods. And here I was, sleeping like a baby last night, meanwhile someone was getting murdered.
And the worst part? It wasn't even a whole body—it was just half of one.
That crap is straight out of a horror movie.
As I'm freaking out about it, the other students are talking about it like it's no big deal.
Like it's completely normal!
"Stop tapping your foot. It's distracting," Aurora said, glancing up as she tried to focus on her work.
"Well, sorry I'm a bit freaked out that someone was murdered," he snapped.
"Don't murders happen all the time where you're from?" she asked.
"Shoot," he muttered under his breath. She had a point.
L.A. was known for its gun violence.
He sighed. Right. Calm down. The police will find the killer… hopefully.
Aurora turned back, her focus returning back to scribbling down a page for today's "life story" assignment. The problem was, she couldn't think of a single story that wouldn't raise eyebrows.
She couldn't exactly write about being born during World War II—yeah, that'd go over well.
So instead, she made something up.
A story about being adopted into a loving home in Virginia.
Well… half true, at least.
For Iván, the panic started to fade. He realized he was just overreacting and took a deep breath, refocusing on the assignment.
Maybe I'll write about my first time going to a soccer game… the one I watched with my dad.
He hesitated.
No… I'll write about something else.
Mrs. Hayslip did mention he could write about any moment—any story from his life.
Maybe his trip to Mexico would be a better choice.
Not long after the bell rang, he gathered his things and headed out. Aurora right behind him.
He couldn't believe it—he'd actually made a friend right off the bat.
Though there's something different about her, I just can't put my finger on it.
Like when I asked her about not blinking, she immediately started blinking, like she had suddenly remembered how to blink.
And then there was her pale skin—he'd never seen anyone that pale before. But she looked beautiful.
Probably the most beautiful girl in the whole school, at least in my opinion.
His stomach growled.
"Well, looks like I'm starving," he said, rubbing his belly.
"So, you wanna grab a bite to eat?" he asked.
"Sure," Aurora replied with a nod.
lost in thought she followed him in the direction of the scent of food.
Glancing at him, the boy she had sworn to her mother she'd watch over.
Didn't seem anything special—except for that lingering scent.
What is he?
There were plenty of supernatural creatures she could name, but only a few that could pass so easily as humans.
Is he a witch?
Before Aurora could think any further, a redhead in the middle of a conversation with a dark-haired girl glanced her way.
"Speaking of that—hey, silver-haired girl, what's your name?"
Aurora wanted to ignore her. But drawing unnecessary attention wasn't a good idea. So, she responded flatly, "My name is Aurora. Pleased to meet you."
No smile. She doesn't smile, nor would she force herself to.
The redhead curled a lock of her hair around her finger, eyeing Aurora. "You're cute. You're invited to my party this weekend."
She reached out her hand, motioning for something—though Aurora had no idea what.
Iván noticed the awkwardness and leaned in, whispering, "I think she wants your phone… to swap numbers."
"My phone?" Aurora blinked. "Oh—my apologies. I don't have one."
The redhead raised an eyebrow. The guy next to her chimed in, "Your parents don't let you have one?"
The brunette girl leaned in too, clearly curious.
"If I need one, I can request it," Aurora said simply.
The redhead laughed. "You're odd—but I like you."
"I'm Lydia. This is Jackson, my boyfriend," she added, gesturing to the guy beside her, "and this lovely girl—oh, right, what's your name again?"
"Allison," she answered with a friendly smile.
The conversation carried on.
"So… is he your boyfriend?" Lydia asked, casting a curious glance at Iván.
"No," Aurora replied.
"Oh, friends then. I guess you can bring a plus one," Lydia said with a hint of displeasure.
Wow… Iván was stunned—his first high school party invite.
Though I could tell she wasn't exactly thrilled about inviting a guy like me,
joke's on her—I'm Hispanic.
My mom would kill me if I went to a party.
A short distance away, Aurora noticed two boys looking in her direction.
She shot them a sharp glare, and they immediately panicked—pretending they hadn't been talking about them at all.
"Aurora, tell me—are you from another country?" Lydia asked.
"Why are you asking her that?" Allison cut in, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, she's very pale, so I was just guessing," Lydia replied with a shrug.
"You're not wrong," Aurora said calmly. "I'm originally from France, but I was adopted and spent most of my life in Virginia."
Iván opened his mouth to speak, but his stomach beat him to it—growling loudly in protest.
Silence followed.
He rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed.
"Sorry… I'm just a bit hungry," he mumbled.
"I'm gonna go grab something to eat."
With that, he walked away from the painfully awkward moment—they had completely ignored him.
They didn't even ask his name… just whether he was her boyfriend.
Walking toward the cafeteria,he suddenly noticed the same two boys from earlier watching him.
"Don't look so down—you'll get used to it," Stiles called out as Iván walked past.
Aurora quickly excused herself. "Thank you for the invite, but I must go now."
Without another word—or even a backward glance—she turned and walked away.
Following toward Iván, but not before casting a brief glance at Scott as she passed him, a flicker of recognition in her eyes.
She hadn't forgotten—he might be a problem.
"Dude, did you see that chick? She was glaring at you so hard I swear I could feel my butt clench," Stiles said, eyes wide.
Scott, however, couldn't shake the thought: Does she know what's happening to me
Aurora eventually caught up to Iván.
"Aurora, you don't have to feel sorry for me," he said with a weak smile. "It's okay—you don't have to force yourself to hang out with a loser."
Interesting… she thought, quietly observing the way others glanced in their direction. The school seemed to operate on some kind of social hierarchy. If I choose not to associate with the popular crowd, I'll be looked down on… But why? I'm new here too.
"I don't really care about teenagers and their obsession with social status," Aurora said flatly. "But I do have a question—why are they treating me differently?"
Iván rubbed the back of his neck, his cheeks turning red. "Well… probably because of your beauty."
"I see," she replied, completely unfazed.
She glanced over her shoulder at a redhead clinging to her boyfriend, then looked back at Iván. Iván seemed more decent by comparison. Maybe it was the way he dressed.
Then Iván's stomach growled. "Um, I guess let's go grab a bite to eat before the bell rings."
By the time lunch ended, Iván was on the verge of a full-blown mental breakdown.
"How the hell is soccer not popular here?!"
"You must be new to Beacon Hills," said a kid with blonde hair, walking up to him.
"And you are?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh—right, name. I'm Rowan. Rowan Constantine," he said with a grin, offering a casual wave. "How you doing?"