My Peculiar Love

CHAPTER 1: MY PECULIAR PAST

BAILEY’S POV

          The moment I realized that I might not die of old age or any natural cause of death like most normal people usually get when they wake up one day and learned that they had acquire white hairs and lose teeth, I decided to leave our house and do what seems to be one of the riskiest move ever for my age and my situation, not because I have to, but because I like to seek answers.

            My name is Bailey Shanne Margot. I am 18 and I wish I am just a normal girl. 10 years ago, I woke up in the middle of the woods in my grandparents’ place in Evansille in a pool of blood. My parents found me alone while drifting in and out of consciousness. They didn’t panicked, like every normal people wouldn’t do when they saw a person in a pool of blood. They simply brought me to the hospital and left. Doctors said that I have no sign of any internal or external trauma, which is strange.

            I was 9 when I started noticing the effect of this curse. This has to be a curse. There’s no possible scientific explanation with this. When the psychiatrist was evaluating me, I am staring blankly to the walls of her clinic, thinking about what had happened to me and how my parents didn’t care about me at all, how they didn’t once visit me in the hospital because they are so busy running the family business. The stinging sensation that I suddenly felt in my lower abdomen snapped me back to reality. The next thing I knew, my hospital gown was now soaked in blood.

            When Dr. Park, my psychiatrist at the time, saw the sudden red liquid building up in my gown, she knew that it was blood. I was rushed back to the hospital and they tried calling my parents several times but they didn’t respond. They said they were busy, as usual. The doctors put me to sleep and stitch up the lesion in my lower abdomen that I didn’t knew where it came from but is pretty deep. I woke up feeling tired and hopeless that I started to cry. I decided to kill myself then. Luckily, there was a flower vase made up of glass in my bedside table that can be easily broken down to get some shards, which is exactly what I did. I was harsh when I tried to kill myself. I stabbed my chest 3 times but I was numb. I didn’t feel any pain. I was sure it was hard enough to cause some deep and fatal damage. But the moment I looked at the area, there was no damage. I sliced my wrist next but a wound didn’t appear too. What was going on? I questioned my existence from that time on up until now.

            Obviously, I didn’t die. I went on with my life and I came to realize that the only matter that will ever cause me to have injuries is emotional pain. Whenever I am sad, unwell, or hurt by the words I hear from someone, I get wounded. And depending on the severity of its impact on me, a range of shallow scratches to scar-causing lesions throughout my body develops. And it appears on random parts. I tried to look for a pattern from where it was appearing at least, but there was none. My family didn’t know about this and I never told them. Is this a magic? a curse? a touch by God? I don’t know yet and I keep trying to figure it out for the past 10 years.

            I decided to move out of our house when I reached 18 and live independently. Of course, my ever cold parents agreed. They filled my bank account with some cash, good enough for me to start a new life. I found an apartment in Malvar street, near the Lexington Academy, my dream school. When I learned that this place was a steal, I signed in the contract and moved in immediately.

            Last month I took the admission exam to Lexington Academy and thank God I passed it. I am so excited to start my life in this school that I quickly bought school uniform and tons of school supplies which I will never use. I wanted to seek answers to my situation but I decided to enjoy school first because after all, I was just a teenager and I got admitted to my dream school.

            It’s currently 8’oclock in the morning in the busy and small city of San Gabriel. School starts at 10. I woke up from the sound of the ever-so-noisy alarm clock which I bought yesterday. I reached to scratch Crafty with my right hand who is wagging his tail on the lower area of my circular and messy bed as I slowly open my eyes and wipe some dried saliva with the back of my left hand from the corner of my lower lip, not realizing how my red lipstick from last night had transferred and smudged to the back of my hand. Wait a minute, am I still wearing my clothes from yesterday? Right. I forgot to wash my face again.

            “Morning, Rafraf.” I uttered in a cracky voice while I scratch his legs down his tail as he growled before biting me.

            “OUCH! RAFFY!” I screamed. What the hell?

            How dare he bite me? Why is this dog so cranky in the morning? I’m going to teach this ugly pug a lesson. I hate you Crafty. With a great force, I dragged his body up my bed and was about to start pinching his ears when I saw him stare up at me while moving his forehead. Is this what they call puppy eyes? Is he saying sorry? Is he pleading for my forgiveness? Because if he does, oh Crafty it is working. Suddenly, I feel sorry for my little fluffy baby for forcefully pulling him up.

            “Don’t bite me again okay?” I whispered as I let him go as if he understood what I meant and won’t repeat biting me tomorrow morning.

            I looked at my thumb to see what Crafty had done to me. And as usual, there is no trace of blood and wound. All I see is a deep hollow dent where his right fang has landed. Wow, if I am the type that gets easily wounded, this is evidence that I will surely die from rabies. Lucky me, I guess.

            I decided to stand up and get ready for the day. I usually start by fixing my maroon circle bed in the corner of this spacious room. After stepping into my small bathroom to take a quick shower, I placed my towel in a hook found at the back of the white bathroom door. I gently put on shampoo followed by conditioner on my hair while humming to my favourite Stephen Bishop’s It Might Be You. After placing a generous amount of body wash to my scrub, I wash my back, chest, and abdomen tracing my scars located in the upper arm, collarbone, nape, spinal area, inner thighs and lower stomach.

            Wow, I have so many scars that are not visible in plain sight. Thank God, it’s coverable by clothes. I am not ashamed of it probably because no one has ever seen it before except for me. No one will ever need to.

            Following my short shower contemplation, I sat on my bed and place a face mirror in front of me which I usually hang on the nails that I hammered on the front door because I’m too lazy to look at my vanity area in the far side of the room. It’s already 8:30 and I haven’t had my breakfast yet. I need to be in the school at 9:30. There’s still enough time for me to do my eyebrows, put on some light make up, and do my hair.

            As I was about to blow dry my shoulder-length dark brown hair, I reached for my first aid kit inside my bedside drawer to look for a band-aid. Found it. I placed the band-aid to the area of my thumb which was bit by Crafty earlier. I usually do this whenever my body encounters some incident that might result of scratch or minor wounds which I will never have, just because this usually makes me feel more human. Because to be honest, eventhough I can feel what a wound is like form a natural accident, I always wondered how it will look like on my skin.

            I was planning to do some pancakes for breakfast when my phone suddenly vibrates and Crafty and I both stared at each other, startled.

            “Don’t worry Rafraf, it’s just my phone.” I said to him with a sigh of relief.

            It was Sam. She is calling me.

            “Sup, Sam?” I said as I held my phone in between my left ear and shoulder while grabbing 2 pieces of Fitbar for breakfast. Great. Even a normal breakfast isn’t possible for me.

            “Tony and I broke up.” She stated with an unstable voice. Oh no, this girl is going to cry any minute now.

            “What? Why?” I replied, shockingly.

            Sam is my best and only friend aka the only person who knows about my condition. She’s been with me ever since the dawn of time and I would die for this woman. She’s already going to Lexington Academy so she will be my guide for this day. Knowing that her now ex-boyfriend had cheated on her, enraged me so much.

            “What a douche! Wait hold on, I’ll just leave Raffy his meal.” I said as she explained how she caught the “love of her life” texting another woman during their date. I put on the call to loudspeaker and poured Crafty’s bowl with dog treats good enough for until I am away for the day.

            “What is wrong with me, Bailey? Am I ugly?” Now she’s crying.

            “Of course not! Are you crazy? It’s not your fault that he took you for granted.” I explained eagerly as I put on my white longsleeve blouse and navy blue vest.

            “Besides, he’s the one at loss here, not you.” I added as I wear my high-wasted skirt which extends just above my knee. I put on my socks and wore my black shoes with a 3-inch heels.

            Sam and I kept talking as I stare in the mirror to see my final look before going on with my first day. I then grabbed my bag and hugged Crafty before proceeding to walk my way to Lexington Academy. Here we go. I’m quite nervous.

            It’s currently the month of August here in San Gabriel and it’s starting to get cold. Lexington Academy is a 10 minute walk from my apartment so I took my time talking to Sam on the phone while walking. What a beautiful morning.

            “You sure you’re not lost?” She teased.

            I laughed and say “Me? Lost? Girl, you know I’ve been dreaming to go to that school ever since I saw it on tv. I know how to go there even with my eyes closed.”

            “Fine, Bailey. You’ll see me at the front gate.” I can imagine her smiling and rolling her eyes at the same time while talking.

            “Oh my goshhhh Sam! I’m here already. Where are you?” I exclaimed.

            I stared at the front gate of Lexington Academy which was next level huge. The two big buildings which are readily seen from outside are built in a manner that they face each other. This place was so beautiful.

            “Baileyyy!” I heard Sam’s voice.

            I turned to look her way and as soon as I saw her, I hugged her immediately.

            We then went inside and I was in much more awe. There is a huge fountain in the middle of the campus. Students are extremely quiet and disciplined. On the left side of the entrance there is a study center wherein wooden benches and tables are found. This is amazing. There are a lot of buildings and I didn’t know where to go. Thankfully, Sam is with me during my first day to guide me through.

            Fate is being extra kind to me today because I learned that she’s my classmate too. What could go wrong, right? We walked up the stairs of Dr. Jones building to reach the third floor where our classroom would be. When we arrived, not much students are there and it’s already 10:10.

            “Hey, isn’t our class supposed to start at 10? I curiously asked Sam.

            “10 means 10:30, darling.” She said as she took the chair beside me.

            Students are slowly filling up the room with a maximum of 30 capacity. Our classroom is spacious. There are frames hanging up the white walls at the back, indoor plants, and computers.

            Suddenly, a woman probably in her late 20’s entered the classroom. She is wearing a white high-wasited pencil cut skirt, black heels, and a blush long-sleeve blouse. This must be our teacher. Since she gently placed her books and pen in the teacher’s table.

            “Okay, good morning everyone. I’m Ms. Cynthia Spikes, your Biology instructor.” She smiled and spoke in a calm and soothing voice.

            Everyone greeted her and now it’s our turn to introduce ourselves. Alphabetically, we went to the front of our classroom. I couldn’t memorize my classmates name at all. Before I knew it, it was Sam’s turn. I patted her back to cheer her up.

            “Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. I am Samantha Jane Maxwell, 18 yea—“ she got interrupted when another girl at the back of the class spoke loud enough for everyone to turn their heads and listen to her.

            “Isn’t you the daughter of Edward Maxwell, the fraud?” She raised her eyebrows.

            Everyone started to murmur and I saw Sam look down and cross her arms. She opened her mouth to say something but she closed it quickly as if she’s having second thoughts saying what she feels.

            “Why won’t you speak? Cat got your tongue?” This girl has a long, straight black hair. She is also slim and she has a pointy nose and sharp jaw lines. She has the audacity to bully Sam too.

            Sam ignored her and continued with her introduction, now she has an empty stare but she managed to keep herself together.

            “I am originally from Evansville but we moved here 4 years ago and I—“ Again, she got interrupted by the witch.

            “We don’t care about that, tell us why your father walked away from Linear Co. with millions in his hands? Is that the reason why you could afford to study here?” She added. This girl is getting to my nerves.

            “Yeah tell us” About 5 people agreed with her, dying to hear Sam’s answer.

            Suddenly, I felt a pain in my left knee. I turned to look and saw a bruise developing. I knew this would happen because I feel sorry for Sam, I couldn’t stand people bullying my bestfriend. Therefore, I decided to butt in.

            “Excuse me, what is your name?” I told the lady who started to bully Sam.

            She looked at me, still arms crossed. She smirked and observed me from my head down to my feet and back up.

            “Mia.” She still has the smirk.

            “Mia, nice to meet you. Your name sounds like the famous pornstar I know.” I reciprocated her smirk and everyone in the classroom laughed, including Sam who’s still in front of the class.

            Mia’s face suddenly dropped and her eyebrows are now crossed and as she was about to reply, Ms. Spikes shouted and it made us all quiet. She told us to stop and sent Sam back to her seat. Sam and I winked at each other and the lecture begins. I am so proud of myself.

            We finished our classes for today at 3 in the afternoon. Sam and I decided to go to the cafeteria for a light snack. When we arrived, not much students are to be seen wandering around. The cafeteria is amazingly clean and huge. The tiles are spotless as well as the walls and tables.

            We sat at the rectangular marble table near the window. And I take a look at my knee. It was not huge so I think people won’t notice it from afar, except for Sam.

            “Hey, thank you for today.” She said.

            “Oh it’s nothing that girl was being so mean to you, I couldn’t stand it.” I replied.

            “But you could’ve been hurt. Thankfully, you didn’t bleed.” She said worriedly.

            “I wouldn’t get hurt by anything she was about to say, don’t worry, you know I’m not that sensitive.” I bumped his shoulder with mine.

            “But I got a little bruise though, from what she said to you.” I added

            “Really?! Where?” she asked surprisingly and I pointed to my left knee.

            Because of guilt, she then proceeded to buy a bottle of cold drink to help me with the bruise by cold compress. While she was away, I tried exploring the foods in cafeteria so I decided to scan the different spots, until I got into the corndog stall. I was about to buy two when an old lady, probably the owner of the stall suddenly yelled at me.

            “Young lady! Didn’t you see there was a line? Why are you lacking with manners? I guess your parents didn’t raise you well.” She screamed aggressively and loud enough to be heard by many people.

            Why is she bringing up my parents, god damn. I just didn’t see the line for Pete’s sake.

            “I know, right?” I heard a familiar voice from behind me and I turned to see it was the girl from my class walking sophisticatedly towards my direction and lo and behold, it was Mia.

            “You’re so right about her not having manners, Ma’am.” She was looking at me but was talking to the old lady.

            “Her parents totally didn’t raise her well.” She added while wearing that familiar smirk again.

            I am finding the right words to counter attack her with the same verbal aggressiveness that she gave me when suddenly I felt an itching and burning sensation in my left thumb. It is a scratch and it is bleeding a little bit. I crossed my arms to cover it so that she wouldn’t notice.

            As I was about to speak, the expression on her face suddenly changed from being intimidating to having some sort of puppy eyes as she moved her gaze from me to my far back.

            People started to whisper and have the similar facial expression as hers. Is she blushing? I’m sure she is. What is going on?

            I turned to follow the direction of her gaze and the moment I did, I saw a man wearing the school uniform walking towards our direction. He is tall and expressionless. He seems to be focused on one direction. This man has a sleek black hair, a pointy nose and dark brown eyes. He also has a well-defined jawline and chin. People are staring at him. He is walking gracefully.

            When he arrived at the stall we were in, he talked to the old lady who yelled at me earlier.

            “Don’t you think it’s unethical to put a student into shame by yelling at her and judging her by how she was brought up by her parents you never even met?” He said coldly, eyes piercing to the lady.

            The old lady then apologized quickly to me and Mia on the other side, looked down on the ground briefly and approached the man who just spoke to the lady.

            “Hi, Fern.” She wore a shy smile and tuck her hair behind her ears. Really? Is this the same person who’s just like an alpha lion earlier?

            The man ignored her and went straight up to me. My heart is racing like crazy and why are my knees suddenly being wobbly? What is wrong with me?

            Now he is about just 12 inches away from me and I took a step back. He stared at me and people’s whispering intensifies. I can feel some of them taking out their phones to take pictures of the scene. This is so embarrassing. Where is Sam? Sam, please save me.

            “Are you okay?” He asked me in a monotone voice and expressionless face.

            “Y-yes, I’m fine. Thank you.” I told him without looking at his eyes. Something about his eyes is making me feel uneasy.

            “Good.” He replied as he pat me in the back and walk away. People stopped whispering as he walked down the aisle of the cafeteria to the exit door. We all stared at him and the place suddenly fell quiet.

            Mia let out an angry sigh and walked away too. Now people are only staring at me.

            “Bailey! There you are.” said Sam who ran towards my direction.

            “Here put this on your bruise, hurry and let’s go.” She gave me a cold coke in can and reached for my hand. We made a run for our things in the table towards the exit door for I don’t know why.

            When we are already out of the cafeteria, she held both my shoulders so tight.

            “HEY! DID YOU KNOW WHO YOU JUST TALKED TO?” Her eyes are wide open and she is panting so hard.

            I freed myself from her tight grip and straighten up my vest. Sam, calm down.

            “Hey calm down. Who was that guy?” I asked.

            “Bailey Shanne Margot! That was Fe—“ she got interrupted because she saw the horror on my face.

            I stood there looking at my thumb. My eyes were fixed on it and  I realized that my mouth is now hanging open too. I started to sweat because of what I am seeing. My heart quickly began to race again and I didn’t know what to do. I am suddenly scared. What the hell is this?

            The scratch in my thumb is gone.

            I went to look at my knee and saw that the bruise I had from earlier is gone as well. I turned to look at Sam and I realized that she understood clearly what I saw because she is seeing it too. Both of us are shockingly quiet. We stared at each other and then finally, she said

            “This is the first time that happened, right?”

            I nod nervously.