Chapter Four

Rosalie Crimson McKenna PoV:

Ding … Ding … Ding

I groan as my alarm clock goes off. I put my pillow over my head in the hopes of drowning out the ringing. Normally, I am a morning person, but today does not appear to be my day. Everyone has a bad day every now and then. As the seconds pass and my alarm doesn't go off, I get out of bed and start getting ready for the day. I go to my closet and pull out a white shirt and ripped jeans to wear. I brush my teeth and put my blond hair up in a messy bun. After I finish my morning routine, I go downstairs to find my mother making sandwiches in the kitchen. You're probably wondering why we eat human food. The thing is, we taught our bodies to do it. To be honest, it was quite harsh. When we felt the need for blood, we would eat human food and stuff ourselves instead of hunting something or someone. It was terrifying the first few times they made me do it. Any human food I ate went right back out. Getting our stomach to eat that took months, but once we did, it was satisfying. We could live like humans, and the smell of human blood no longer bothered us; in fact, we couldn't smell it at all. That makes me extremely grateful. On the negative side, we were pursued not only by werewolves, but also by vampires. They believe we are not worthy of being vampires and have abandoned the true vampire nature. My parents told me that. It was also one of the reasons we needed to pack up and move in the hope of finding safety.

"Good morning, mom," I say as I approach her and place the prepared sandwiches in my lunch box. "Where is dad?" I inquire as I take my schoolbag. "He already went to work to make a good first impression," she says, looking over at me. "You don't want to eat breakfast, sweetheart?" my mother inquires. To be honest, I'm not hungry, but that's probably because I'm nervous right now. I mean, normally, my father would drive me on my first day to make me feel less nervous, but he is also on his first day, so he is unable to do so today. He dislikes it as well and feels bad about missing my first day at a new college. Even though I'm an adult, I'll always be his little princess. My phone vibrates in my pocket, indicating that I have a message. I take out my phone and see a text from my father.

Dad : Hello, my princess. I'm sorry I can't be there for you today, but I love you and know you can do it. I instantly smile, which makes me feel a little better, but I still don't feel like eating. "I'm not hungry, but I appreciate it." "I'll see you later." I kiss her on the cheek as I exit and walk to school. The fact that college isn't too far away saves me from having to take the bus, which I dislike doing. There are literally too many people for one small bus. I also enjoy walking because it allows me to take in the beauty of nature at my own pace. My surroundings are pleasing, as is the gentle breeze stroking my face. Mother nature fascinates me, and it also soothes my inner self. As I take in my surroundings, I notice a slight shift, like the breeze becoming hard for a brief moment before returning to soft. That seems strange to me, but perhaps I'm being paranoid. As I approach our school's parking lot, I notice that all eyes are on me as I make my way to the front door. When I see boys staring at me like I'm a piece of meat, it literally makes me feel uneasy and much more uncomfortable. Not all, but some, and they mostly appear to be sportsmen. You should never judge a book by its cover, but with boys like that, you never know. I reach for the main door but am stopped by a muscular arm grasping the handle to open it. "My lady," he says as he opens the door and motions for me to enter. I simply mutter a thank you and roll my eyes at him as I enter the building in search of the college office. "Hey, I bet you're looking for the office, right?" He inquires as he follows me. I mean, I do need to find it, but ugh, I tried not to interact with people here, but it appears that I have no choice. "Actually, yes." I'd appreciate it if you could show me where it is." I give him a slight smile, looking at him for the first time. He doesn't look bad at all, in my opinion. He has a strong jawline and appears to be quite muscular. If I didn't prefer women, he might have a chance, but I don't think his character is very nice. "Of course, my dear. "Follow me," he says as he tries to take my hand in his. I snatch it away and stare at him silently. He just nods, still smirking, and walks away, leaving me behind. I follow him until we reach a door marked "Office." I simply nod at him before entering and seeing a lady in her mid-forties doing some paperwork. "Hello, my name is Rosalie Crimson McKenna," I say as I approach her desk. "I'm new here." The woman looks up and smiles at me. "Good day, dear, and welcome to River Valley College." "You probably need your schedule, right?" she asks, rummaging through some papers. "Yeah, that would be nice," I say, feeling a little nervous. Don't worry, it's just my anxiety; there's nothing to be concerned about. She hands me my schedule, along with another piece of paper and a key, as I take deep breaths. "Here is your lesson schedule and a room map. Also included is your locker key. I marked it on the map for you. I wish you a great start, Miss McKenna" I thank her and make my way out the office. The boy is nowhere to be found when I turn around. Thank God. I look down at the map, attempting to locate my locker. I walk through the halls, following the map, until I reach my locker. I use a key to open the lock and start putting books in it that I won't need today. "Hey, sweetheart, are you available for the tour I promised you?" Oh, and my name is Ethan." I can already feel his presence up my neck. He truly understands how to invade someone's personal space. To be honest, that smirk of his that is supposed to attract all the girls is a joke. He tries to be charming and has an ego bigger than himself. "Listen... Ethan, was I correct? "I'm not interested, and I'll find my way around here, but thank you for the offer," I say as politely as I can before closing my locker and heading in the direction of my first lesson. I'm suddenly trapped between the lockers and Ethan's muscular body. "Come on, don't be like that, I'm just trying to be nice," he says, his smile becoming a smirk. If I could, I would definitely puke. Because he is invading my personal space, I am also nervous, anxious, and a little overwhelmed. I was about to say something when I noticed a furious black-haired girl stomping towards us. I just look at her, and she's stunning. Her black hair complemented her darker skin tone, as did her eyes, which resembled a forest with a hint of gold. I've never seen such lovely and captivating eyes. Despite the fact that you can clearly see the fire, the anger in her eyes. I'm hoping Ethan isn't her boyfriend because that would involve me in unnecessary drama. There isn't much time to think anymore because the girl has pushed Ethan to the ground. She's a tough cookie. He's as surprised as I am, but when he realizes who pushed him, his demeanor changes to defensive. "That's for driving here without me and making the new girl visible to everyone uncomfortable." Back off and wait until you get home, brother." She is standing up for me despite the fact that she has never met me. That's both hot and cute. Ethan stands up again, ready to leave, but not before giving his sister a stern look. I turn to face her, and she is the most beautiful creature I have ever seen. "Do you like what you see?" I was startled by her sudden question and blushed as well. "Ehm no … I mean, yes... no, ugh... I mean, thank you for defending me." Shit. I couldn't possibly be more agitated, could I? "I'm just kidding." She laughs a little, which makes me feel strangely happy. "I'm Rieka. "Would you like me to show you around?" She smiles at me and extends her hand for me to take. I'm not sure why, but I'm already drawn to her. Something clicked with us, at least, that's what my emotions tell me. I nod and take her hand in mine. I felt electricity shoot through my body as soon as our hands touched. "My name is Rosalie, but please call me Rose," I say shyly, hoping I'm not overly nervous, but I'm sure I've already failed at that task. "A lovely name for a lovely girl," she says confidently. My heart must have skipped a beat. No way, it's my first day and I already have a crush. It couldn't possibly get any worse. "How about we start with our little tour?" I nod at her before she takes my hand in hers and leads me around the college. So far, the day is going well. Ethan made me feel uneasy, but she, she makes me feel safe and protected, to be honest. I have conflicted feelings about her. Only time will tell how the feelings develop. But first, I'm going to make the most of my first day, which starts with a private tour with a lovely guide.

To be continued....