New Beginning

There is a section of the world that has no boundaries. There has no ending or so it seems so. There is a part of the earth that isn't full of urban buildings and fast walking people and mile high skyscrapers. There is a place where there is no racing trains and instead there is rushing rivers and lush forest. Instead of pigeons there is crows and unknown birds flying over the impossibly high trees. I used to live in that place. But that place kicked me out. And now suddenly, that place wanted me back in.

Of course I had nothing to do with that place wanting me back in. If your parents carry thousand dollar bills in their wallets and leave 50% tips, you could probably get into anywhere. There was nothing money couldn't buy. Some say money can't buy you happiness but money could buy you pills that make you feel happiness. So that brings us right back to the start: going back to Oregon, the place I used to despise. I wasn't feeling so dreadful now. Living back home with my parents showed me what hell truly was and made this place feel like a carnival. Cold Lake High, a boarding school for the rich and beautiful.

"Charlotte, you do understand that we are letting you back in on probation?" Principal Walker stared me down, looking at me like he was about to go into another lecture. If that happens, God help me. "If you pull another stunt like last year, we are going to expel you permanently."

"Yes sir." I said.

"And you do understand that you are not going to have a roommate? It is too late in the year and everyone already has a room." He went on. "You will have a small room to yourself. Don't think of this as a reward; it's a small room that used to be used for storage and you will not have cable like everyone else."

"Yes sir." I said.

He then looked down at my feet, which were propped up on the edge of his desk, as I slouched down in the chair. As he stared at my boots, I removed them from his desk, feeling obnoxious, and placed them on the floor. I sat up and folded my hands on my lap. He cleared his throat and crossed his arms. He really wasn't a playful man. Tall, suntanned by his vacations to Orlando, dark hair and broad shoulders. He wore dark business suits and father's day ties, though I was sure he didn't have children. If he had children, they probably didn't like him enough to actually buy him a tie.

"And while you are here, you will wear the proper attire. Combat boots are not a part of the school uniform." He continued to stare at my feet. I moved them under the chair. He looked into my eyes. "You will wear a black plaid skirt, a white blouse, black tights or stockings, a navy sweater, and either Mary Jane shoes or two inch heels. No combat boots. No ripped fishnets. Understood?"

"But on the weekend, I can wear the boots, right?" I asked with a smile.

"Pardon?" He looked confused. "Oh. Yes. On Saturday, Sunday and after school, you can wear what you like. During classes, you will dress like a young lady."

"Sweet." I grinned.

A moment later, a tall woman with graying red hair came in carrying a box. I recognized her name from last year. Ms. Mallory, the secretary. She dropped the box on the desk in front of me and shot me a hard glare before turning around and leaving the room. I picked up the box and opened the cover to see that it contained three pleated skirts and three white blouses. I picked up one of the skirts and held it to my waist. It barely touched my knees.

"Kinda short for a co-ed school, eh?" I laughed. "Aren't us Cold Lake High girls supposed to be little angels?"

"Go, Charlotte." He pointed to the door.

I picked up the box and tucked it under my arm. I held out my hand and smiled, waiting for the key to my room. He took the key off of his desk and almost reluctantly handed it to me. I turned around and walked toward the door, a pleased smile on my face. I wasn't sure what gave me the feeling of satisfaction, but it was there and it was strong.

"And Charlotte?" He said.

I turned around again.

"Behave." He warned.

I grinned and left the room.

On the coast of Oregon, there is a small town thrown in the middle of the wilderness that most people call Grimwood, though that isn't it's real name. A school called Cold Lake High is in the middle of that nowhere-land, and I used to go there. I got into a complicated situation last year and I had to leave. And if you're wondering, I punched a teacher in the face and got kicked out. But like I already said, now I'm back.

That was my freshman year. Things are different now. A little. My daddy wrote a check with a lot of zeros and gave it to the principal and now they're giving me another chance. But don't take me the wrong way. My dad is a rich lawyer and mom is a busy wedding planner and I'm the spoiled, misbehaved princess. But there's more to it than that. I'm not the girl who goes around shoving kids into lockers and getting money from her rich parents. I'm the girl who punches teachers in the face and gets sent to boarding schools in the middle of nowhere by her rich parents.

There is a slight difference, if you think about it.

But I didn't punch Mr. James for a stupid reason. It wasn't about him giving an essay or extra homework. It had to do with my old roommate and me thinking I was doing the right thing and helping out a friend. Long story short: I am never going to try to help someone ever again.

I walked down the hall of the sophomore building, making my way to the exit so I could go to my dorm room. The sound of clacking high heels and slamming lockers and whispering girls was so familiar. Sixteen year old girls with ponytails and hundred dollar lip gloss whispered things back and forth and stared at me like I was something from a horror movie. I smiled at cheerleaders who hated me last year and waved politely, overdoing the good behavior.

It was October twentieth and just two months to go until winter vacation. It felt like it was a year away. I was looking forward to vacation but I definitely wasn't looking forward to going home. I felt like I was torn between the two places and I had to pick my poison. I asked my father to get me back into the school. This school was the lesser evil, next to living with my parents. But in one month, my parents would come pick me up and bring me to an airport so we could go skiing with my father's friend's family in Aspen. That wasn't my idea of fun.

I stopped and looked around at everything as I walked. Nothing had changed from last year. The wide hallways still had white walls and hardwood floors with black lockers. A long strip of fluorescent lights went down the middle of the hallway. Two windows at the end of each hallway let in the daylight. I couldn't say sunlight because that was rare. Outside I could see soft raindrops falling on the grass and seniors throwing colorful leaves at each other.

"Charlotte?" I heard a familiar voice call.

I spun around and saw her standing at her locker. Katrina Smith, my old roommate. She was staring at me like she was looking at a serial killer who was let out of jail for good behavior, eyes wide with horror and nose crinkled in disgust. Her perfectly straight black hair was cut short to her shoulders and her hazel eyes were full of critcism. She wore a light blue plaid jacket over her uniform with white designer gloves. Of course, everything about her screamed princess.

"Hey Katy." I smiled. "How are you?"

"You're back?" Katy crossed her arms. "Didn't you get kicked out of school for punching Mr. James? Yes, I believe you did. They actually let you back in?"

"Hey, I did that for you." I returned her glare. "You told me you were dating him."

"I was dating him." She frowned. "And it was none of your business."

"It became my business when you told me. That guy was like, sixty." I wrinkled my nose.

"My god, Charlotte. He was twenty seven." She stomped her high heeled shoe like a two year old throwing a tantrum. "You didn't have to punch him."

"Whatever." I scoffed. I wiped the look of irritation off of my face and gave her my best, practiced smile. "How have you been?"

"Fine." She gave me her practiced, million dollar smile, making sure to flash her perfectly white teeth. "Daddy bought me a car to use during vacations and the summer, back home in Beverly Hills."

"I killed an old lady in Grand Theft Auto and made it to a new level." I only said it to freak her out, of course. It was amusing to see her hazel eyes go wide with shock. "Things have been going good."

It was sickening to look at her; she was the definition of spoiled, the stereotype of princess. She always found a way to make things go her way, even if it meant stepping on people to get higher than she already was. As pathetic as it was, I could see that she was never going to change. I tried to help her and she threw it back in my face. I wondered who her new roommate was, who she would have to dress up like a doll and order around now that I was gone. I didn't care.

I turned around and continued to walk down the hallway. I could feel her staring at me, wishing I would die or something. But here in Grimwood, that wouldn't be too much of a problem. I remembered those incidents that happened last year. That thing that happened to a few girls who were out after dark during the winter. The reason why tons of girls left the school and others were too afraid to be outside after sunset.

At Cold Lake High, death was everywhere. You could feel it in the air.