Crimson Hollow

Chapter Six- Primitive

I stood paralyzed for a minute. What did he mean by that? Did I stink?

I had literally just taken a shower. I felt my face burn red with deep embarrassment. Without another word, I turned on my heel, bolted inside, and snuck all the way back to my room.

I climbed onto my bed, a chaotic cocktail of emotions churning through me, fear, confusion, and humiliation. Bringing my sweater up to my nose, I sniffed my sleeve. I smelled like the lavender body wash I had used earlier. Did he just hate lavender?

Driven by a desperate need to know if he was still down there, where he had even come from in the first place, I tiptoed to the window and looked down.

For a minute, I saw nothing. Then, my eyes caught him.

Reed.

He tilted his head back, looking directly up at my window as if he could somehow see me through the darkness, then, his lips curled into a slow, knowing smirk.

I rushed back to my bed and pulled the covers up, wondering who he was, and if it was actually wise to hide this from Grandma.

“Wake up, Fawn. You have school today.”

I opened my eyes to Mum’s voice as she walked over to the window and pulled the thick brown curtains open. Bright morning light filtered through the room.

“At least the sun shines here,” I muttered, forcing myself up to get ready.

I was nervous. How was today going to be? This town was weird, and I was certainly not over leaving my old place, but I needed friends. I needed to blend in well.

Downstairs in the grand dining room, I stared at my breakfast.

"I'm not hungry," I muttered, pushing the gold plate away. The pancakes in front of me smelled delicious, but I was so anxious. My encounter with Reed mixed with my first day at a school I didn’t even know made me wildly skittish.

“I saw a guy in the garden last night,” I finally confided.

“Two guys, actually. There could have been more,” I corrected.

Mum’s coffee cup froze halfway to her lips. Her blue eyes snapped to mine. "Your grandma told you not to go out, Fawn," she said sternly.

“I know,” I replied, looking down at my lap. “But it doesn’t change the fact that I saw someone on our grounds at night, Mum.”

“It does. Follow instructions next time,” she admonished.

I bit the inside of my cheek, frustration burning in my throat. "Fine."

“B-but don’t you find it weird?”

“There wouldn’t have been anything to see if you had stayed in your goddamn room,” she said, getting up to grab her keys. “Let’s go.”

The drive to Hollow Ridge Academy was suffocatingly quiet. Mum slowed down as we approached a grand entrance, and I squinted to read the sharp lettering carved into the stone arch: Hollow Ridge Academy. So we were finally here.

Heavy iron gates swung open to let us pass, leading us toward massive dark grey stone buildings. My stomach clenched when I saw students in matching dark uniforms clustered around the walkways, whispering as our car pulled up. The school looked more like an ancient castle than a regular high school, complete with towering archways, balconies veiled in ivy, and tall dark glass windows looking down at the courtyard below.

"I'll pick you up at three," Mum said as she pulled into a parking space beside the last building block.

I grabbed my bag to step out, but Mum reached for my arm quickly. “Fawn, be careful,” she warned, her features etched with worry.

I let out a soft sigh. “I will, Mum.” I leaned in to kiss her cheek before stepping out into the damp morning air, taking a deep breath to steady my nerves.

"Fawn Ellington?"

I turned to see a bright eyed girl jogging up to me, her blonde hair tied back in a high ponytail. She wore the dark school blazer, but her warm, dimpled smile immediately made me feel welcomed.

"I'm Adelaide!" she said cheerfully, hooking her arm right through mine. "Your grandmother called the principal's office this morning to ask for a student guide. Since my family lives near the Ellington estate, they assigned me. I'm supposed to show you around!"

A wave of relief washed over me. "I'm Fawn. Thank you so much, Adelaide. I was honestly terrified I’d get lost in this fortress."

"Oh, it's definitely a maze," Adelaide laughed, guiding me toward one of the main structures.

“This is the senior block.” She gestured as she led me through massive oak doors into a marble tiled hallway.

"And people are going to stare, by the way. Don't mind them. Hollow Ridge hasn't had a new student in... well, ever."

“Why?” I asked curiously.

“Well, Hollow Ridge is, well... Hollow Ridge,” she said with a shrug . “People rarely move here. Most of us were born here, went to Hollow Ridge Preschool, and have lived here our whole lives.”

I nodded, processing the information. It sounded strange, but it made sense, this town felt isolated from the rest of the world.

As we walked down the corridor, Adelaide pointed out the library, the main hall, and the cafeteria.

“I went over your schedule, and we have almost every class together except advanced English,” Adelaide said.

This was the best news I had heard in a while, especially because I had no advanced English class today. Near the lockers, another girl joined us. She had sleek dark hair, sharp eyeliner, and an effortlessly cool posture.

"This is Vanessa," Adelaide introduced. "She’s in most of our classes, too."

"Hey, new girl," Vanessa offered a genuine, easy smile. "Ignore Adelaide if she tries to tell you ghost stories about the lower basements. She tries to scare every new person she meets."

"They're not ghost stories, they're historical facts!" Adelaide defended playfully, making me laugh.

For the first time since leaving home, I felt the knot in my chest loosen. They weren't Poppy, but they did feel like real friends.

We grabbed our schedules and headed toward our first class, deciding to stick together for lunch. But as we crossed the main foyer, I bumped into someone.

“I’m so sorry,” I apologized quickly, cursing my own clumsiness.

“I’m not interested,” a sharp, hostile voice replied.

A girl with sleek chestnut hair and immaculate designer shoes stood before me, flanked by two blonde girls.

They were all gorgeous, but my mood soured when I realized she was looking at me like I was something dirty on the bottom of her shoe, scanning the black plaid skirt and white top I was given by Grandma to wear since I had yet to receive my uniform.

“Tinsley,” Vanessa sighed, rolling her eyes. "Can you not today?"

"Shut up, Vanessa," Tinsley snapped, throwing her hair over her shoulder arrogantly.

She leaned in slightly, taking a subtle, strange sniff near my collar before her nose wrinkled in disgust.

"Who gave a human permission to walk down these walls, breathing the same air as us?”

I blinked, thoroughly confused. “Are we all not human?” I asked, looking from her to Adelaide and Vanessa.

"Tinsley, back off!" Adelaide warned. “Don’t listen to her, Fawn.” She grabbed my hand and pulled me away.

“Stuck up b***h,” I heard Vanessa murmur as she followed.

Before I could even process the girl's weirdly aggressive hostility, the entire hallway suddenly fell dead silent. The chatter died down instantly, and everyone lowered their eyes to the ground.

Was this some kind of weird school tradition?

Even Tinsley had stopped the high and mighty queen instantly subdued.

I turned to see what could have caused such a sudden shift. Walking down the stone corridor were three guys. The one in the middle looked oddly familiar…. no, wait. It was the guy from the garden.

Reed?

Goosebumps erupted all over my skin. He looked as strikingly handsome as he had last night, and even scarier.

He wore the dark school uniform, but somehow it looked different on him, his broad shoulders filling out the jacket as he took long, lethal strides. He walked with total purpose. I felt that same electric feeling bubbling up again, almost overwhelming.

Was I really that attracted to him? I had been attracted to guys before, even Zayn had never felt like this…. like something deep inside him was calling directly to me.

"Fawn, don't make eye contact. That's Reed Blackwood . His father is the Alp—errmm, I mean, the mayor,” I heard Vanessa whisper beside me, catching herself mid word.

My eyes widened slightly.

“No one is allowed to look into his eyes unless he allows it,” Vanessa added under her breath.

What kind of primitive rule was that? In this day and age, anger flared through me. He wasn’t even the mayor himself, and yet we weren’t supposed to look him in the eye? Still, I lowered my gaze anyway. Today was my first day, and Mum had warned me to be careful.

Before I could dwell on it, Reed stopped directly in front of me.

I smelled him first, that same rich, earthy scent of pine and rain. A wave of heat flushed through my skin. I had yet to look up at his face, but my heart was beating furiously against my ribs. Get a grip, Fawn, I scolded myself silently. What is wrong with you?

I felt his breath brush the side of my face. Sparks flew across my skin as his warm fingers gently touched my cheek, sending a sudden jolt straight down my spine.

“You interest me,” his voice was raspy and dark.

“Your scent calls to me,” he said quietly. “But when I breathe you in… I smell almost nothing.” His thumb brushed my cheek, and another violent jolt shot through my body.

I still couldn’t bring myself to look up.

“Who are you?”