Bella Raven

Bella Raven gave a sigh as she twirled a piece of her hair around her finger. There was thirty minutes left in the lesson and she just didn't understand why they were being taught about trigonometry when they'd never use it in their life. She often felt ostracised in her lessons, constantly unsure why her teachers would teach about menial topics that would have no impact in their actual lives. She was the top of all her classes. Even though she knew everything was pointless, that wasn't a reason to slack. Being smart was the only thing she had going for her. Without that, she'd be as worthless as popular Katie Novak constantly said she was.

She gave another sigh and began to doodle just as there was a knock at the door. "Come in," Mr. I-Don't-Know-How-to-Teach droned, allowing the door to open and the head teacher to walk in accompanied by two boys.

"You have two new students in your class," he announced.

She looked up briefly and did a doubletake when she noticed the them. How two boys could be so perfect, she didn't know. One was clad all in black and radiated a darkness about him that was just so alluring that she couldn't help but bite her lip. The other was lighter, almost heavenly, with a majestic air about him. She was surprised a halo wasn't gleaming above his head.

"Great," her teacher deadpanned, scanning the tables. Bella Raven suddenly became aware that every table was full...except hers. Her breath caught in her throat and she could feel her heart flutter like a bird in excitement. "You can go sit on Bella Raven's table. I'll take it from here."

The head teacher gave a nod and left the room as the teacher directed the two boys to her table. She left her bag on the seat next to her so the two boys sat opposite her, their intense stare making her bring her hair around to shield her face as she deliberately looked towards the board now. Out of the entire class, why was her table the only one that was empty? There was a spare chair next to Katie but the teacher hadn't even looked at her.

Bella Raven was sure that neither boy looked away from her for the rest of the lesson, and when the bell went she shoved all her things in her bag and practically ran from the room. It was lunch now and she retreated to the girls' toilets like normal, sitting in a stall and pretending that she wasn't there. It was safer than roaming the halls and risking bumping into, well, anyone. Even if slutty Melissa was having sex with the guy who wasn't her boyfriend in the stall next to hers.

The rest of the day flew by and she didn't see either of the boys in her classes. For some reason, she was oddly thankful about that. Despite the oddly angelic presence about the second guy, she still felt an ominous feeling about them both. And the way they stared at her...

When the final bell rung she was the first out of school and shoved her earbuds in as she began the five mile walk home. Being able to tune out the world put her at peace, especially with the lulling sound of the screaming of her favourite band filling her ears. Her mother had never agreed with the music she listened to and refused to buy her anything that she was into. All her clothes her best friend had given to her before she'd been forced to move away. Her heart ached whenever she thought about Trinity Angel. She'd been the only person in this forsaken place who had been nice to her. Sometimes she wondered whether her parents had been the reason behind Trinity Angel's move. They'd never approved of their friendship.

A hand suddenly grabbed her wrist and she gasped, her earbuds falling out her ears as she whipped her head around quickly. The culprit was none other than the angelic new boy. "Don't go home," he warned.

"What?" she stuttered, trying - and failing - to free her wrist from his grasp. It was like an iron grip.

"You're in danger. Don't go home." Then to her complete surprise, he yanked her forward and pressed his lips against hers. For a moment, she forgot about him being a complete stranger and melted into the kiss. It was warm and she felt a surge of power burst within her that seemed to die out the moment he pulled away. "You're more special than you can even imagine."

She blinked and he'd disappeared, making her turn around several times. How could he have moved so quickly? She scanned the street one last time, making sure to duck down to see whether he was hiding behind any of the cars, before she hurriedly continued her journey home. She couldn't shake that strange encounter from her mind and as she turned down her street, his words echoed in her mind and she stopped, suddenly hesitant about heading home. How could she possibly be in danger in her own home? Her mother only brought organic food, for heaven's sake. There was no such thing as a ready-meal in her home. She wasn't even allowed to bring a boy home, not that anyone was ever interested in her. Plain, ugly Bella Raven.

With a sigh, she continued the short distance to her house and fumbled through her bag to find the key to let herself in. Spotting her mother's shoes on the shoe rack confused her. Since when was she home this early? Routine was one thing that she never broke. Bella Raven slipped her shoes off and made sure they were aligned perfectly on the rack before she wandered into the sitting room to find her mother sitting on one of the sofas with a man clad in all black sitting on the other.

Seeing her enter the room, her mother stood and came over to her, drawing an arm around her shoulder. "Finally," she exclaimed, bringing her further into the room and before the man. "This is my daughter, Bella Raven."

The man stood up and gave a smile, giving a flash of teeth that she swore were longer than normal. "Short for Isabella, yes?" he said, his voice consuming her mind. "She's perfect."

Shaking her head and breaking the apparent spell the man had attempted to put over her, she looked at her mother. "What's going on?" she asked.

But her mother didn't look away from the man, nor did she answer. The man did instead. "My dear, I am here to escort you from this...hovel and to more adequate dwellings."

Her mother's fingers dug into her shoulders as she began to squirm. "I'm not going anywhere with you," she exclaimed.

The man chuckled. "I'm afraid you really have no choice."

The front door opened and she heard her father call out. "Phillis? What're you doing home so early?"

Bella Raven pushed away from her mother, freeing herself from her grasp, and ran from the room, bumping into her father as he was heading towards the sitting room. "Bella Raven?" he asked, confusion on his face.

"There's some strange man with Mum!" she exclaimed, turning just in time to see the man appear in the doorway.

He tutted and shook his head. "This was supposed to be over with before you arrived home," he said.

"What the hell are you doing in my house?" her father exclaimed, taking a step forward.

A look passed across the man's face that made her blood run cold and she took two steps away from her father before the man suddenly lunged at him. She screamed as she watched them both fall to the floor and her father began to struggle. She ran over to her mother who was just watching the scene. "Mum! We have to go!"

"I have to clean that up," she murmured, the lack of emotion making Bella Raven back up. "Red is always hard to get out."

Distressed, Bella Raven ran into the kitchen and headed for the backdoor. She fumbled for the handle, crying out when it wouldn't turn. Turning back, she stopped when she saw the man was now stood in the kitchen doorway, blood smeared across his mouth. "He made this far difficult than it should have been," he sighed.

"Stay away!" she cried.

"Of course, I had to tie up all loose ends because of his return. A pity as no one was supposed to die."

She grabbed the nearest saucepan that just happened to be lying about on the side and held it in front of her. "Don't come any closer!" she said, watching as he took yet another step towards her. "I mean it!"

"My dear, do you really think that you can harm me with this human contraption?"

In a flash he was before her and the saucepan had been pried out of her grip, rendering her completely defenceless. "Shh, no need for such a frantic heartbeat. I'm not here to harm you."

She went to hit him only for him to grab her wrist and squeezing it tightly, making her cry out and swing with her other hand. Once again he caught it and gave a sigh. "Why must you be so difficult," he complained before catching her gaze and holding it. She tried to look away but something stopped her. "Sleep," he said, and without her consent, she felt her eyes shut and she fell into his arms, unconscious to the world.