ROOK'S GIRL.

CHAPTER ONE.

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CHAPTER ONE.

12/70

HARRY.

There are days I wake up hating more things than I could count. And today just happens to be one of those days. Where life seems to be bigger than me. Than the many hopes I have gathered throughout my whole life. Than the teachings my father had taught me. And my own mother seems to have it out for me. My own school. My friend's- if they ever were to begin with. The town. My landlord....

Basically it's not exactly the perfect year. When has it been since dad died? How could he be so cruel? We can barely accord to eat. We're surviving on charity. From Dad's friends and well wishers. The funds they raised from the funeral and his savings we're all squandered by none other than my mother. And I had to lie that I used it to buy drugs. What I didn't expect is for her to use me as a way to look saintly in front of people. But hey. We don't pick parents... We just get them. And now, we are about to be homeless. A lone tear escapes me. " I feel tired dad. I don't know what to do," I say hoping he listens from up there.

I hate this town. Every brick. Every rule. Every no that had been drilled into my skull since I could walk. And today? I hated it all. Then it hit me. I wipe my tears and run to my room and grab the nearest trousers, top and shirt. Change from my uniform then head to Noah's. The Graven Hollow mines is where Jonathan frequents. If I can get him to rethink this eviction thing then I could just have one less problem . The Graven Hollow mines weren't for girls. There were exactly five women working there. And all of them hated me. Or more specifically my mother, she's a handful when she's drunk or in a bad mood. And she ended up insulting them. And I tried to apologize in her stead but they just had to get on my nerves.

I can be impulsive without meaning to. Though I'm also level headed. Or at least I like to think I am. If not I would have more enemies than Jesus himself. But then I still have enemies; In school, I don't know who had enough time in the world to decide I was the prettiest girl in school. And well that didn't sit well with people. And to make it worse , Max Blue– football prodigy and most handsome boy in school just had to ask me out Infront of everyone. They entire school has hated me since. And well that one incident when I pointed out that the queen bee was responsible for leaking exam. So my social life is... Terrible. And well in town? It was easier to be Sergeant Raymond James Douglas' daughter, my father, than to be my mother's daughter. Just the fact we are related I'm the target of frustration. Pin it on her kid. The classic coward move.

I had bigger problems now. Like the stolen ID in my hand and the forged check in. I'll be smart if I do this quickly. Because I'm quite popular, thanks to mom. And these mines weren't for seventeen year old ones with chipped nail polish and bigger temper than most men. But it was too late to be a coward now.

“Act naturally," I mumble to myself, yanking the cap lower over my brow. I can't have people recognizing me. The coal stained ID badge swinging from my neck. He will kill me for this. I'd wiped his spare uniform. The air was already thick, smoke,ash and the weight of secrets nobody wanted to name. I walk fast, jaw clenched, boots stamping the rusted rails, the echoes in my fury bouncing off the rock walls.

And then– Crack.

My foot slips. Gravity being the b*tch it is, my whole body pitches forward like the universe was playing a joke on me. I hit the ground hard. Palms scrap , knees bruised. I wince slightly. Refusing to give into the pain. Harry 1- 0 universe.

I couldn't get up right away. I scream into the dust not because I was hurt. Because I was frustrated.

I roll over, groaning, brushing grime off my denim pants. And grey shirt. And pause mid- brush, a pair of eyes already staring at me. Against me, my heart leaps. I have seen a lot handsome guys but, they've never made me look at them. Just like he did now. He's not from here, judging from both looks and appearance. He's too polished... A Fesbury born can't pull that off. Even if they acted. His gaze is intense, almost unnerving, dark... Too sharp, I don't need to be told twice not to look too long. He looks like a hunter. A hot one- geez, I don't even know the guy.

I straighten myself. Holding my head high. Then I notice it, the cigar between his fingers. In a mine? I narrow my eyes at him. I'm no miner but I know one of the ' DON'T ' and cigarettes are one of them. ' Does this guy have a death wish?'

I walk slower and stop Infront of him.

" You know..." He starts slow, voice husky, and my mind goes places," That was a really dramatic entrance . A little extra for someone trying to sneak in."

Sh*t.

I blink. " Excuse me?" I play dumb clinging to my ID or more specifically - Noah's ID. He gestures with his cigarettes like it was smoke royal scepter. " You screamed like a banshee . And you're in my way." I clench my teeth together and slowly drawing closer deliberately. " And you're smoking in an active mine shaft. Not reckless at all. Mr president," I deadpan, we're face to face. And I can't help but admire his features. God he's beautiful. And he's someone I should stir clear off. Especially when he smirks. The mole under his right eye lifts as he smirks. And I swallow. He looks like a psychopath that's found his new plaything. " One Spark-" he cuts me off. " And we all get free cremation. Efficient if you ask me." He takes another drag and my scowl deepens.

" We're all going to die some day flowers," he quips staring at the flowers still stick on my hair. " It doesn't mean you should go around smoking in mines..." I look at him, for something. It's only fair for me to give him a name like he did me. " Dark soul..." Honestly I am not good at this. There's a slight chuckle from him. " D*mn. What I'd do to look at myself in your eyes," he sighs but my eyes are still on his cigarette. " But enough about me. I'm curious little thief, why are you here? Lost your way to the gift shop?" " I'm not a thief," I say holding the badge, hiding in my palm when his gaze drops on it. " The badge states otherwise." Gee nosy much? How did he even see it. " It doesn't prove anything," I persists nails digging into the badge. " Then worse. You're lost." " This is my town you're about to blow up. I have every right-" " To babysit me? Run home flowers," he states flickering the ash close to my boots. And I stare at him in shock. Did he -?

" It's not a habit. Just something I do when I have dark thoughts. Flowers. " He leans closer, then whispers, " After all I am dark soul." " I'm sure," I narrow my eyes at him in disbelief. " Must be your entire personality then." I shoulder past him, hard enough that the he stumbles a little, not that he looks offended. If anything, he looks amused. He calls after, " That's quite a mouth you've got on you flowers." I don't stop walking. Before looking back, " Yeah? Wait till you hear what else I've got. Wait? You won't, " I shout putting a middle finger in the air.

My heart pounds in my ears louder than the creak of steel above me. Stupid. Reckless. Foolish. But I wasn't that all that I had left? I walk deeper into the mines, teeth clenched so tight I thought they could crack.

My cheek burns. Not from the fall but from the way he looked at me. Like I was something he couldn't figure out.

Arrogant jerk! Pretty jerk. But still a jerk. I knew boys like him wore confidence like a crown. They thought silence made them mysterious instead of dangerous. He probably had girls chasing him around in every room he walked into, the kind that smoked in places that could explode just for fun. But something about his eyes didn't match his smile... They didn't match the smirk. For one heartbeat- just one, I swore I saw emptiness. Like whatever was supposed to be behind them had long been burned out. I shake it off I didn't care. If I got caught here I could end up in jail. And lose my shot at stopping that eviction. And if that happens then I'd lose what little was left of my mother too.

And I couldn't let that happen.