Chapter 1
1697 Words
Selene hated Mondays. But then again, who in the world likes Mondays?
Mondays are depressing. Like a reality check. "Get back to your crappy lives" is the vibe Mondays give off. At least that's what Selene thought.
"Selene!! Get that fine ass of yours down here right now"
Ugh. What a girl would give for the world to just pause.
As usual, she was running late.
Her alarm had gone off at 6:30 AM like it was supposed to. She vaguely remembered smacking it off and muttering something about “five more minutes.” Then, suddenly, it was 7:15 AM.
Maybe I should just sleep in, call in sick today, she thought. Emily wouldn't....
"Shoot."
She flung herself out of bed, grabbing whatever clothes were closest—jeans, hoodie, sneakers, done. Her hair was a mess, but brushing it was a luxury she didn’t have time for. She ran a hand through the tangled strands, hoping it passed for “effortlessly messy” instead of just messy messy.
Emily would kill her if she didn't show up today.
Downstairs, the kitchen was a battlefield.
Her twin brothers, Max and Oliver, were locked in a silent war over the last pancake, both staring at it like they were waiting for the other to blink. Her mom was at the sink, already dressed for work, sipping coffee with the exhausted-but-functioning look that all adults seemed to have.
“Selene,” she said without turning around. “You’re late again.”
“Morning to you too,” Selene muttered, grabbing a piece of toast.
Her mother sighed. “This is the third time in a row.”
“I was up late studying.”
Max snorted. “You were on the phone with Emily.”
Selene kicked him under the table. He yelped. Their mom narrowed her eyes.
“Selene.”
“She called me about the assignment,” Selene said quickly. Not a total lie. Emily had called. The assignment had been mentioned. So had TV shows, annoying teachers, and the latest drama at school.
Her mother gave her the look—the one that said I don’t believe you, but I’m too tired to argue.
“Just try to be responsible,” she said, taking another sip of coffee. “And hurry up, or you’ll miss the bus.”
Selene shoved the toast in her mouth and grabbed her bag. “See you later!”
“Don’t—”
The door shut behind her before she could hear the rest.
The bus stop was a block away. Selene ran.
The street was already busy, filled with the usual morning chaos—cars honking, people rushing to work, someone arguing with a parking meter.
The bus was already at the stop. The doors were open. The driver looked exactly five seconds from leaving.
Selene pushed herself harder. Four seconds. Three.
“Wait!” she gasped, practically throwing herself onto the first step.
The driver, an older man with gray stubble, gave her a flat look. “Cutting it close again, Veyne.”
She flashed him her best innocent smile. “You wouldn’t leave me behind, right?”
He snorted. “Sit down before I change my mind.”
Selene stumbled to an empty seat by the window, pressing her forehead against the glass as she caught her breath.
Outside, the town blurred past—the same streets, the same buildings, the same people going about their same routines.
For a second, she thought about how normal everything was.
She had no idea how much that would change.
By the time Selene got to school, the hallways were packed with half-awake zombies.
People leaned against lockers, yawning into their hands. The coffee addicts clung to their travel mugs like lifelines. The overachievers were already flipping through textbooks like they hadn’t just spent the entire weekend studying.
Selene weaved through the crowd, heading for her locker.
“Morning, disaster,” a voice said behind her.
She turned to see Emily grinning at her, arms crossed, the very picture of well-rested and put-together. Unlike Selene, Emily actually woke up on time, styled her hair, and planned her outfits. Today, she was in a green sweater that somehow made her look like she belonged on a magazine cover.
Selene scowled. “Don’t call me that.”
Emily smirked. “If you stopped waking up at the last possible second, I wouldn’t have to.”
Selene opened her locker and grabbed her books. “You could’ve texted me. Warned me.”
“I did,” Emily said. “Three times.”
Selene checked her phone. She had, in fact, been spammed with texts.
Emily: Are you up?
Emily: Selene.
Emily: YOU ARE GOING TO BE LATE.
“…I appreciate your concern,” Selene said, shoving her phone back into her pocket.
Emily rolled her eyes. “Come on, before Mr. Howard gives us another lecture.”
Mr. Howard, their first-period teacher, had zero tolerance for lateness. Last time they were late, he had stopped class entirely just to give them a five-minute speech about responsibility.
They made it just as the bell rang.
Selene slid into her seat, dropping her books onto the desk with a little too much force. Mr. Howard gave her a pointed look.
“Nice of you to join us, Miss Veyne.”
Selene forced a smile. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
Emily snickered beside her.
Class started.
Selene tried to focus, but her thoughts kept drifting. Not that you could blame her. Mr. Howard was like a broken camcorder. Always droning on and on about the same thing throughout his class.
She turned to look out the window and caught a flash. Something had just flitted by but it was so fast all she caught was a dark shadow.
Right after that, she saw a furry head pop up on the window sill.
"Meow"
It was beautiful. It had beauty fur that looked like the midnight sky and these dazzling red eyes.
She'd never seen a cat with red eyes. Let alone one so beautiful.
And then it was gone. Selena was intrigued. Not enough to risk detention by chasing after it though.
Most likely some rich kid's special cat breed.
With that, she tossed it to the back of her mind.
.......
Selene had never hated science class. Until now.
She sat at her usual desk, tapping her pen against the edge of her notebook as Mr. Davis, their chemistry teacher, droned on about molecular structures like it was the most thrilling thing in the world.
She wasn’t really listening.
Instead, she was watching the clock, willing the minute hand to move faster. Only thirty minutes left.
Then, Mr. Davis said the words that ruined everything:
“Alright, class. Pair up for the lab experiment.”
Selene let out a slow breath. Please, please let Emily be free.
She turned to her best friend, but Emily had already locked eyes with someone else.
Betrayal.
Selene barely had time to glare before someone slid into the seat beside her.
“Guess we’re partners.”
She looked up—and immediately groaned.
Liam Carter.
The one person in this class she actively tried to avoid.
Liam was the type of guy who never shut up. He had a permanent smirk on his face, like he found the entire world amusing. Selene had nothing against him personally, but they had very different work ethics. She liked getting things done. Liam liked making sure she got things done while he contributed as little as possible.
“We are not doing this again,” she said flatly.
Liam raised an eyebrow. “Doing what?”
“You pretending to help while I do all the work.”
“That’s not true,” he said, leaning back in his chair. “I hold the beakers.”
Selene pinched the bridge of her nose. “God, give me patience.”
Liam grinned. “C’mon, Veyne. We make a great team.”
She rolled her eyes but didn’t argue. The faster they finished, the faster she could leave.
---
Mr. Davis clapped his hands. “Alright, start by measuring your reactants. Be precise.”
Selene exhaled. Fine. If she had to work with Liam, she might as well take control.
She pulled the instructions closer. “Okay, we need exactly ten milliliters of this solution. I’ll pour—”
Liam had already grabbed the dropper.
He squeezed.
Way too much liquid spilled into the beaker.
Selene stared at the now completely ruined experiment.
Liam coughed. “Uh. My bad.”
Selene slowly turned to look at him.
“You’re an idiot.”
“Whoa, harsh.”
She pointed at the ruined beaker. “How do you screw up a simple measurement?”
Liam shrugged. “Hey, I like to live on the edge.”
“Then go jump off one.”
He laughed. “Damn, Veyne. You wound me.”
Selene sighed, grabbing a fresh beaker. “Just don’t touch anything else.”
Liam held up his hands. “Scout’s honor.”
Selene doubted he’d ever been a scout.
She focused back on the experiment, carefully measuring the correct amount of liquid this time. The rest of the lab went about the same—her doing all the work while Liam provided commentary.
“You should be a scientist.”
“I will literally stab you with this pipette.”
“You’re so good at this.”
“I hate you.”
“Nah, you love me.”
God, give me strength so I don't end up in jail.
By the time the bell rang, Selene was halfway close to putting a broken pipette in his throat.
She cleaned up their workstation while Liam stretched like he’d been the one doing all the work.
“See you next class, partner.” He shot her a wink before strolling off.
Selene watched him go, debating murder.
Emily appeared beside her. “That bad, huh?”
Selene closed her eyes. “I think I understand chemical explosions now.”
Emily grinned. “Hey, at least class is over.”
Selene sighed.
Just 2 more months.
- Writer
