Forbidden Attraction

Chapter 1: Ravenswood's Secrets

As I step off the bus and onto the crumbling asphalt of Ravenswood High's parking lot, I feel the weight of my past mistakes settle onto my shoulders like a shroud. A weird and unusual feeling I've never felt before rushes all over my body. Could the secrets about Ravenswood High be true? I wonder as I'm heading to the large school hall.

As I enter the creepy hall, I can feel tons of students' eyes staring at me with judgement and disgraceful eyes. I didn't expect things to turn out like this. I thought this school was made for people like me - people who are gothic and dark. And now I regret coming to this school. But what can I say? What's done is done.

The hall's dimly lit, with flickering fluorescent lights overhead. The air is thick with the smell of old books and stale air. I can hear the whispers and murmurs of the students, their voices hushed but laced with curiosity. I'm the new girl, and they all want to know who I am.

Just as I'm about to enter Mrs. Crowford's class, the teacher who's apparently my new class teacher, a girl taps me on the back. I stand still, not moving an inch , with a hint of annoyance, I coldly ask, “ What do you want?” with my back still turned to her.

“Hey, I'm Seraya, the popular, most beautiful girl in this school and the queen of this school of course. Anyways, I just saw you walk in the school gate and I thought you needed a friend, and here I'm asking you to be my friend.”

I turn around to meet a light skinned girl with hot siren eyes, long smooth legs , long curly dark rubgy red hair , and damn! She's so pretty. But I don't need any friends now , especially popular ones. And something about this Seraya feels off , I mean , who approaches a new goth girl in school just because of your gut tells you she's lonely?

With a cold and nonchalant voice, I uninterestedly respond, “Thanks, but I don't need a friend” , leaving her shocked and embarrassed.

After long hours of studying ,‘Trrr’, the school bell rings and everyone rushes outside for lunch , while I'm all alone in the silent old classroom. I hate socialism, so I don't mind.

As I'm eating my sandwich , a tall muscular boy enters the classroom. My jaw instantly drops and I find myself staring at him from head to toe. Everything about him is just perfect. His lazy , ginger brown eyes, the way he walks and his fashion style.

“ So you are the new goth nerd, everyone has been talking about huh?”

“ And who do you think you are to ask me that? With that kind of tone?” I angrily look at him , slowly standing up , next to my desk.

“ I should be asking you that question, nerd”

“ Since you've asked, I'm Lily Anderson, the rich goth girl from Paris, but sometimes I'm also a bad chick , so if you've come here to ruin my peaceful moment, bad ugly boy , leave , faster , before I do something I will regret” , and with that , I sit down and continue eating my lunch.

“ Oh , the goth freak is tryna act tough on me. Well let me tell you something, Lily, I am the one calling shots in this school. Even the teachers dance to my tunes because they know that if they don't, they will face the consequences of doing so. And that means that from now on you're my puppet, dancing to my tunes. If you fail to obey my rules , you'll regret the day you were even born. So for now , chill baby girl, I'm still busy with some important “ gangster stuff ” , but after that , my focus will be on you. Goodbye, Raven !” and just like that , he turns away and leaves the classroom like nothing happened.

What had just happened!?

I storm out of the courtyard, still fuming from that boy's snub. The sun is setting over Ravenswood High, casting long shadows across the deserted campus. I don't know where I'm going, but I need to get away from everyone. That's when I spot it - an old, dusty library tucked away behind the science block. I've never noticed it before, and something about it draws me in.

As I push open the creaky door, a musty smell hits me, and I stumble into the dimly lit interior. The Library of Lost Souls, I hear a faint whisper in my mind, but I shake it off, thinking it's just my imagination. I wander down the aisles, running my fingers over the dusty tomes, until I come across a leather-bound book with my grandmother's handwriting on the cover. "The Chronicles of Ravenswood" it reads.

I open the book, and the pages reveal my grand-grandmother's account of the dark happenings at Ravenswood High. As I read, the air around me grows thick, and I hear screams and howls echoing through the library. But I'm not scared. I'm drawn to the words on the page, feeling a weird sense of connection to the words.

Suddenly, I sense a presence behind me. I spin around, and my heart skips a beat. A tall, headless figure looms in the shadows, its presence suffocating. I try to scream, but my voice is stuck in my throat. I turn to make a run for it, but the door is locked, trapping me.

Panic sets in, and I scan the shelves, my eyes landing on a small, worn book with a pentagram on the cover. My grandmother's spell book. I flip through the pages, the words blurring together as I mutter the incantation. The door creaks open, and I don't hesitate, dashing out into the fresh air.

I slow down, gasping for breath, and glance back at the library. What just happened? I think it's the spell book that saved me, but as I walk away, I feel a strange tingling in my fingers. It's then that I realize - I might be more like my family than I thought.

First day of school, and a lot's happened so far! “Hey, Lilly!” And then, after school, another weirdo runs after me.

“What do you want, Seraya?”

“I said I want to be your friend, okay? And I won't give up until you...”

“Okay, fine, I'll be your friend, but on one condition: don't ever annoy me.”

“I would never, in a million times.”

Seraya and I sit at the croaky school bench and chat, catching up on each other's lives. She's bubbly and energetic, and I can't help but like her. But then, that tall jerk approaches us.

“Babe, you're chilling with this gothic freak?”

“Kaden, she's my friend, respect her.”

“Wait, wait, wait, this jerk is your boyfriend?! I'm out of here.”

I can't still believe that they're dating, which means I can't trust Seraya to be my friend. Well, I left them and went home, lost in thought about the drama that just unfolded.

As I walk home, I can't help but wonder what other secrets Ravenswood High holds. The trees seem to loom over me, their branches creaking in the wind. I feel a shiver run down my spine, and I quicken my pace.

When I get home, I flop onto my bed, staring at the ceiling as I try to process everything that's happened. My phone buzzes, and it's Seraya. “Hey, I'm so glad we can be friends! Want to meet up tomorrow?” I hesitate, unsure if I should trust her, but something about her seems genuine.