Ethan: The Vampire At My School

Ava's POV Everyone has their own personality. Some people are loud and can talk to anyone like they've known them forever. Some are funny, some are confident, and some just enjoy being around people. Then there's me. I'm not exactly an open person. I don't talk much unless I actually have something to say, and I'm perfectly comfortable keeping to myself. People sometimes call me weird because of that. But I'm not weird. At least, I don't think I am. I'm just Ava Hayes, seventeen years old, and apparently very difficult to understand. I folded another shirt and placed it carefully inside the suitcase lying open on my bed. We were leaving tomorrow. My mom had been talking about the move for weeks, but somehow it still didn't feel real. New house. New school. New people. I wasn't sure how I felt about any of it. I glanced around my room. Most of my things were already packed, leaving the room looking strangely empty. I picked up another pile of clothes from the chair. "Okay, Ava," I muttered to myself. "One more suitcase." Hopefully, this move wouldn't be as bad as I imagined. Hopefully. After what felt like forever, I finally zipped the last suitcase shut. I stood up and looked around my room one last time before walking over to the mirror. I stared at my reflection for a few seconds. "Wow," I whispered. So this is me. A seventeen-year-old girl about to leave everything she knew behind and start all over again. I didn't know whether I was excited or nervous. Maybe both. For once, I wanted things to be different. I wanted a fresh start. A chance to be someone other than the quiet girl people thought they understood. "Ava!" my mom called from downstairs. "We need to get going soon, or we're going to miss our flight!" "I'm coming!" I grabbed my phone and hurried downstairs. Our flight was taking us to Bellwood, a quiet little town I'd never been to before. Mom had gotten a promotion at work, and apparently, this was where her new position was based. When we finally arrived at our new house later that day, I stood in the doorway of my new bedroom and looked around. It wasn't bad. Actually, it was pretty comfortable. It just wasn't my old room. The walls were plain, the furniture was smaller, and there were still a few empty spaces where my things would eventually go. I dropped my bag onto the floor and looked at the bed. Then, without thinking, I jumped onto it. I landed on my back and stared at the ceiling. "New life," I whispered. The words sounded strange coming out of my mouth. A few seconds later, my mom appeared at the doorway. She smiled when she saw me lying there. "You like it?" I shrugged. "It's okay." She laughed softly. "Only okay?" "Mom, it's not my old room." "I know." She walked in and sat beside me. For a moment, neither of us said anything. Then she reached over and gently touched my hand. "Ava, I know this isn't easy." I turned my head toward her. "But I really think this is going to be good for us," she continued. "My promotion means I'll have better opportunities, and I'll be much closer to work. We won't have to spend hours traveling every day." I nodded quietly. "And you," she said, smiling, "you get a chance to start over too." I looked at her. "Start over?" "Yes. New school. New friends. New memories." I smiled a little. "You make it sound so easy." "It won't always be easy," she admitted. "But sometimes a new beginning is exactly what we need." I looked down at my hands. Maybe she was right. Maybe I really did need a new beginning. After she left, I finally started unpacking. I arranged my clothes in the drawers, placed my books neatly on the shelf, organized my little things on the desk, and slowly made the unfamiliar room feel a little more like mine. When I was finally done, I sat down on the small chair in front of my dressing table. My hands rested on the table as I stared at myself in the mirror. I looked tired. But somehow, I also looked different. Maybe it was just the thought of starting over. I smiled faintly at my reflection. "New life," I whispered again. This time, it felt a little more real. I stayed there for a few minutes, lost in my thoughts. Then my eyes slowly became heavy. I don't even remember getting into bed. The next thing I knew... I was asleep.