Chapter Four:Premonition of Misery

The bell rang, almost deafening Anne's ears as she made her way to the restroom. She then carefully closed the door behind her. When her gaze wandered around, catching her reflection in the mirror, her eyebrows instantly crossed. 

Standing in front of her was a teen in her neat uniform, perky and beautiful. But the figure had been deformed with the frown visible in her face. Yet she doesn't see it that way, only deeming herself as ugly and attention-unworthy. 

Everyone would showered her flattery flowers, of compliment, but she didn't dared to believe. This girl standing in front of the mirror was indeed dubious and was filled with issues regarding trust. But you can't  blame her for that. She didn't want attention, and they were giving it to her.

Anne turned on the faucet, and filled a handful of water, immediately splashing it on her face. When you look closely at her eyes, there were hints of red; her eyes puffy, her nose drenched in light pink. When she was walking on the hallway, she found her face wet, tears cascading without her knowing why. 

Gladly, it was early and there were just a few students in the campus. In a state of light panic, she hurriedly went to her classroom, settled her bag on her seat, then trotted her way to the restroom. 

Anne closed her eyes, her being a bit refreshed because of the water. Her mind looked for the reason why she had a breakdown, but the finding turned out blank. She shook her head and let out sigh. Lastly, she look in the mirror, questioning what she had become. Anne turned to her heels, and carefully closed the door. 

As she walked, she grabbed a wrinkled handkerchief off her pocket, and carefully wiped the remaining droplets off her face. 

Today was monday, the first day of the school opening, and Anne was in twelfth grade. Her closest friend, Ellie, was still in her vacation, away from town. She may be back in a week or two for school. The prospect of being alone for these periods doesn't amused Anne even a bit, but the situation was better since she was still in her former school from year seven till twelve. 

Simply, everyone and everything were familiar for Anne. Before she'd left for school, Anne and Ellie talked on phone. The trivial topic for the day was about Ellie taking a light crush on her neighbor. The two friends named the guy 'Nei' from the word neighbor. Indeed their taste in name was dull, but indeed it was very convenient to have nicknames on people we don't want others to know about. 

A few exchanges and Anne had sadly hung up since it was her first day and she can not be late: That was the rule. No late arrivals on first day, and for the remaining days, that matter can be sort out.

If there was a competition, then she would be placed in the first. And if there was none, she was still a first placer. Known by almost everyone in the campus, almost by the whole student administration, that this young lady was always present at being late. Hence, it's better late than absent she had said.

There was quite a distance from her house and the school. But it could be closed off to a walking distance if she'll wake up early and also began her walking journey early.

Over the years, Anne doesn't seemed to mind being late. Truthfully, Anne doesn't mind 'every thing' for she deemed them as unimportant. What mattered to her was survival against the odds, against her head, the creatures dwelling on it. The battles no one had witnessed that made her who she was.

The turmoil was fancily covered by a blanket of whether ignorance or liveliness, yet also the unrecognized truth was everyone were like this. They had told her, imagination mattered more than intelligence. But she was imagining too much, she had known too much she wished she didn't know, that she wished she didn't thought about. For a person, thinking of things over and over can put them in a prison. That was the worst: being a prison of your own mind.

She'd only snapped out from her thoughts when her cousin Alice had arrived and walked with her.

When she had arrived in front of the doorway, the room was already packed with students behaved in their seats. The flag ceremony was already finished after the bell rang earlier. Anne wasn't surprised. 

"Anne Hamilton, you're late." The teacher greeted her with a smile plastered playfully on her lips. 

Before Anne could retaliate, her gaze fell on a certain individual next to the teacher. He was talking then halted with the teacher sudden intervention. The two caught each other's gazes. Anne's breath seemed to have hitched, and she was lost for words.

The teacher then said, "What are you waiting for, get in." 

The teacher's voice seemed to have melt and the surrounding instantly became comfortably silent. Anne didn't know what was happening, she absentmindedly nodded and went inside. She settled at the last row, gladly, near the window. 

When she had sated, she seemed to be back in her consciousness. Her gaze landed on the front as Anne heard the teacher said, "You can pick on the remaining seats, please." The certain individual nodded to the teacher with a smile, fixed his bag on his shoulder and settled on the other further end. 

The two seemed to be close amidst the remaining seats that were vacant at the end row. Anne didn't  bothered to look on his side and grabbed her pens and books and settled them on her table. 

At the other end, six seats away from him settled an unfamiliar lady. She had caught his attention. He looked at her with an inconspicuous intrigue expression on his face. He didn't knew her identity but the moment he had caught her gaze, a name popped out in his head—"Stella", stars. There was something obscure about her gaze he couldn't point his hand to. Among the other gazes which had emitted grey, she had sent a ray of sunshine. 

He decided to call her Stella, till he would know her name.