Court of Ambrose

First Day Jitters

{Celeste’s POV}

Getting up the next morning was hard, it was meant to be my first day of teaching, but fear had me gripped in its clutches. I was afraid to walk out the door, afraid that he’d be there to hurt me as soon as I stepped out of the front door.

I quickly got dressed in a pale pink sundress, and a white cardigan. I pulled on some white leggings, and matched it all with a pair of pale brown boots. I grabbed my bag making sure that all of the papers I had worked so hard on were neatly tucked inside. I allowed my curls to flow freely around me, and placed a white headband in my hair, tucking some of it behind my ears.

I swallowed the fear that had lumped harshly in my throat, and grabbed my keys, locking the door and practically running to my car. I jumped in, starting it up and immediately drove off without sparing a second glance. Once I made it to the school, I began to calm myself down. I was meant to be teaching first graders, and honestly I was so excited to get started. I made my way into the office and smiled at the short, curvy woman who sat at the front desk. She had a short, bobbed hair cut, it was a deep brown color. Her eyes were dark blue, and her skin was nearly sun-kissed with how beautifully tanned she was. “Hello, I’m Celeste Thompson, I’m here to begin my first day.” I said softly.

“Ms. Thompson, it’s so nice to meet you!” She said reaching out and taking my hand in hers. She shook it firmly before grasping the back of my hand with her other one. “I’m so sorry about your grandmother, she was a lovely woman.” She added, before reaching down and grabbing a key from her desk. “This is the key to your classroom, it’s already stocked, but if you’d like to rearrange anything you have full rights to. If there is anything I can help you with, please don’t hesitate to ask!” She smiled. “My name is Rebekah Dyer, and I’m here if you need anything!” She grinned, before sitting back down and typing away on her computer.

I turned and made my way down the hall to my classroom. I knew which one was mine, as I came in a while back for a tour with the principal, Mr. Jacobs. He’s young, not much older than I am, he’s 34, I’m 28. His skin was tan too, much like most of the people here in town. His hair is a sandy blonde color, and it lays shaggy on his head. He wears a pair of round frame glasses, and is always in a pair of slacks, a button up shirt, and a plaid vest, a tie adorned his neck every single day. He was tall, about 6’2, and honestly he was a very handsome man, kind too. When he gave me the tour, he told me that I could take as much time as I needed to mourn the passing of my nana before I came in to work.

After spending this time moving all of my things back home, and mourning my nana, I’ve finally decided it’s time to start. I needed a distraction, that was, until Dayus handed me that book last night. Now, I’m terrified that Mason could just show up at any given time. The rest of my day was exciting, and luckily uneventful, the kids were so sweet, and welcoming. Once the day was over I made my way quickly out to my car as soon as I was inside I locked it, and drove back home. As I pulled in the driveway, I felt uneasy, I walked to the mailbox, looking over my shoulder constantly. Once I opened it, I regretted it immediately, as a plane ticket to Italy sat inside. I grabbed it, and ran inside, closing and locking the door. I ran into the kitchen and tossed the ticket on the kitchen island. I quickly grabbed a bottle of vodka and began drinking it, pacing through the kitchen.

When I saw a shadow move in the living room, I screamed and threw the rest of the bottle towards it. “Da**** Celeste, it’s just me!” Veryn shouted, coming around the corner with his hands up.

He looked over at me, and I knew that I looked a mess. I’d been running my hands through my hair the whole way home, and as soon as I saw the ticket, tears began to pour down my face. I had drank about half of the bottle, and knew that I probably reeked of vodka. “Y-You scared me!” I shouted back, turning away from him and gripping the kitchen counter, staring down anxiously at the plane ticket.

He walked over to my side, and Dayus entered the room coming to the other side. They had boxed me in, whether that was intentional or not, I don’t know. “What’s going on with you? Ever since that guy showed up with that book, you’ve been acting weird.” Veryn asked, as Dayus placed his hand softly over one of mine.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you like this.. who is he, and why does he scare you so much?” Dayus asked, his voice soft as he spoke, he was trying to be gentle with me, did I truly look so pitiful.

I jerked my hand away, turning sharply and pushing past him. “It’s none of your business! He’s nobody! Don’t worry about it! I’m fine!” I shouted, trying my hardest to sound sure about any of the words that I was saying. I didn’t want anyone to know about my past, about the awful things that happened to me.

“It’s obviously something Celeste! What is it? Please, just tell us, we can protect you!” Veryn said, his voice smooth, and calming, something that I’m not used to from him.