Chapter 1: A Moonlit Beginning

*Esmerelda*

What was it about new beginnings that caused one to start reflecting on the past?

I adjusted the strap of my large duffle bag over my shoulder, wondering if I would be sore from lugging the suitcase around for the past several hours. My feet hurt as well, but nothing was going to make me stop and turn back to what I left behind.

Tears burned my eyes as my life started to flash like an old-fashioned movie in my mind. A lot of it was in black and white, but maybe that was because of the darkness clouding my memories more than anything else.

It hadn’t been all bad. My early childhood was actually filled with a lot of light and laughter. When I closed my eyes and thought really hard, I could remember my father chasing me through a field of wildflowers, picking me up playfully and tossing me lightly into the air.

He always caught me before I could fall.

Father had been my rock, my whole world. Nothing was the same after he passed away when I was twelve years old. That had been more than five years ago now, and I still had dreams where he never died and was still home and married to Mom.

Waking up was so hard nowadays. It hurt to be awake.

After Father died, Mom and I had to move into a one-bedroom apartment. She started to work double shifts, but we were scraping by and doing alright. She would still make time for me in the evenings. We had a simple life filled with canned food and walks in the park.

And then she married Dave.

Dave was the definition of my worst nightmare. It was obvious he didn’t really love Mom. He was just with her so that he could have someone to boss around. She was essentially his servant. She didn’t have to work double shifts anymore, but I’d bet he drove her into the ground more than her bosses had.

That would have all been barely tolerable if Dave wasn’t a raging alcoholic.

It wasn’t until I entered high school that he really started to beat me. Mom would be out working, and he would come home, wreaking of booze. I tried to lock myself up in my room, but he eventually convinced my mom that young women like me shouldn’t have locks on their doors.

He never hit me in front of Mom, and he warned me to never tell her or he would hurt her.

I swallowed hard as I continued down the road, tugging the sleeves of my sweater down out of habit. It was late August and probably a hundred degrees, but I had to wear long sleeves to hide the scars that marred my skin.

I put up with it for Mom, not wanting to leave her but not knowing what to do.

Finally, it had become too much.

There was one night in particular that pushed me over the edge. I’d never forget it, no matter how many times I tried to push it from my mind. I feared that night would always haunt me.

Mom didn’t have to work double shifts anymore, but she worked nights at the hospital because it paid more. That often left me home alone, and Dave took advantage of that fact.

My bedroom door creaked open. I had just tucked myself in for the night. As soon as I heard Dave coming in, I shot up, standing beside the bed.

“I saw the way you rolled your eyes at me at dinner,” he growled as he shut the door behind him.

“I didn’t,” I said, my voice sounding small to my own ears.

Dave sneered and lunged at me, stumbling drunkenly on his way to me. I tried to run, but he was faster and stronger than me. He grabbed my arm tightly in his hand and let me have it.

I was sobbing when he was done. Thankfully, he had been so drunk that he passed out somewhere after he had smacked me a dozen times or so. I was shaking as I stepped over his unconscious form and started to stuff things into my duffle bag.

I wrote Mom a quick note and then pushed my way out the front door, limping away as quickly as I could.

For the first few days after I ran away, I was able to sleep at my high school, hiding behind buildings. I went to school as normal for a little bit but eventually stopped going, feeling almost ashamed of my situation.

Eventually, I ran into my middle school teacher, Mrs. Dowelle. She recognized me in a grocery store while I was trying to find some cheap food to buy. She took one look at my disheveled state and practically ordered me to go to a little diner with her so I could have a proper meal.

“I ran away from home,” I finally admitted. I couldn’t bring myself to tell her the full story, so I looked down at my plate. “I couldn’t stay there any longer.”

Mrs. Dowelle looked me over carefully, her thin lips thinning even further. Her shimmering blue eyes were filled with worry. It almost made me want to cry. “Do you have anywhere you can go?” she asked quietly.

I hesitated but then shook my head no.

She gave me a compassionate look. Before I knew it, I was in her car, and she was driving me to her house. “You can sleep in my guest room, and we can get ice on that injured wrist of yours.”

I gave her a shocked look. “How did you know my wrist was injured?”

She smiled at me. “I could just tell.”

She did much more than just house me for a few nights. Without my knowledge, she contacted an old friend of hers who happened to be the headmaster of a prestigious school.

“Old Greg and I go way back,” Mrs. Dowelle said with a fond laugh. “He’s a bit gruff, but he’s very good at his job. You’ll like Sunset High School, and they have a dorm you can stay in.”

My eyes were practically bugging out of my head. “But I don’t have any money,” I said in a shaky voice. “There’s no way I can afford this.”

She smiled gently at me. “You were my top student, Esmerelda,” she said. “I spoke with Greg, and he is willing to keep you there for free. He owes me a favor anyway.”

I couldn’t believe this was actually happening. I wasn’t a fool. I knew I couldn’t shoot down this kind of opportunity, not that I had a choice in the matter anyway. I literally had nowhere to go.

Sunset High School was just as beautiful as its name implied. It seemed to glow as if it were bathed in light coming from the moon. There were gorgeous gardens and stark white buildings. It was late in the day, so there weren’t students milling about, which gave it somewhat of an eerie feel.

I looked up at the large, looming administrative building. It looked unassuming, but I could feel nerves swimming in my gut. This school already felt too prestigious for me. I gripped the strap of my bag tighter and pushed through the door before I could chicken out.

I could hear a rising voice as I stepped into the building and continued down the dimly lit hallway. The large door at the end was open. I tentatively went up to it, even though someone was yelling.

“Curse that Cynthia,” the man inside nearly growled. “Throwing a problem at me in the form of a girl.”

He was undoubtedly talking about me. I took a step back, feeling like I should just forget this whole thing, but then the headmaster turned and saw me standing in the doorway. He narrowed his stern, dark-brown eyes. “Are you Esmerelda Rosewood?”

I badly wanted to turn and run but stepped further into the room. “Yes, sir,” I said.

He gave me a critical look up and down before shaking his head. “I can’t believe Cynthia did this to me.”

I bit my lip. It looked like he wasn’t happy about this at all. He was probably going to kick me out of there. I felt tears burn my eyes as I tried to think of what I was going to do next. Maybe I could use the rest of my savings to get a bus ticket out of town. There were some homeless shelters in the next town over.

“Shut the door and sit down, Miss Rosewood.”

My eyes widened, but I hastened to obey, shutting the door and lowering myself into the velvet-lined chair.

The headmaster was still grumbling as he sat down across from me and started to rummage through his drawers, pulling out a thick stack of papers. He practically slammed them down in front of me. “Read the forms carefully and fill them out. Let me know if you have any questions.”

I couldn’t wipe the shock from my face. “You mean, I can stay?”

He sighed deeply but then smirked at me. “Of course, you can stay,” he said. “I’m frustrated that Cynthia did this to me out of nowhere, but you seem like a good student from her letter. Sunset High School will be your home.”

My heart was thundering. I lowered my head respectfully. “Thank you, sir.”

It took some time to fill out the forms, and then the headmaster directed me to the front office, where the receptionist would give me the student handbook and my dorm room number.

“I hope you’re very happy here, dear,” the receptionist said, handing me the thick student handbook.

I took it gratefully, giving me a kind smile. “Thank you.” My eyes widened when I saw that the sleeve of my sweater had ridden up, revealing one of my scars.

The receptionist clearly saw, her eyebrows going up in shock. She didn’t comment, but I saw the sympathy in her eyes. “Give me just a moment to grab my things. I would like to personally escort you to your dorm room.”

I swallowed hard but nodded in thanks. I let out a breath when I was alone and looked down at the thick student handbook, flipping it open. The first page had the class schedule. I nearly dropped the book in surprise.

Classes were from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m.

I reread it over and over, blinking to make the a.m. and p.m. switch spots, but they remained in place. This had to be some kind of mistake. Why would class be that late?

Just what kind of school was this?