Chapter 1: A New Beginning

? Perspective:

I tapped my fingernails against the cherry wood desk as I felt his pale eyes staring straight through my soul. The constant pouring rain outside left the ceiling dripping with water as a bucket sat on the floor to catch the runoff.

"Would you stop that?" he snapped.

I stopped tapping and looked up to meet his cold, heartless eyes. Principal Grant; the worst possible man to be given a job working within a hundred feet of children.

"Oh I'm sorry, is that annoying you?" I questioned sarcastically.

Principal Grant leaned forward out of his chair, hovering over his desk.

"Very much so" he scowled.

I cocked a brow as he began to sit back down in his chair. He looked down toward the paperwork on his desk as he began to fill it out. I sat back in my chair and stared up at the ceiling. Noticing all of the blotchy yellow stains that looked like coffee, I realized how great it was going to be not ever having to set foot in this sad excuse for a high school again. It was only October of my junior year and I had already managed to get myself suspended twice. Well, three times if you include today's fun activity. And we all know what that means. This had been the third school I've been to in my high school career, and I'm afraid this school just isn't the one for me. I looked back to Principal Grant who was still buried in paperwork. I couldn't help it. I was bored. I waited a moment in silence before I started to tap my pointer finger on the desk ever so slightly. At first it seemed he was trying to ignore it, but when I saw his jaw clench, I knew I had done my job. I grinned at the thought of me getting on his nerves.

"You won't be smiling when your uncle gets here. Shall I make you tell him the big news yourself?" he spat.

He crossed his arms and looked at me for an answer.

I shrugged my shoulders;

"I don't think that will be necessary. After all, I won't have to see you again. So it's a bonus for both of us."

I chuckled as his face distorted and he stood up.

"Why you little—"

"—Principal Grant" I heard my uncle's voice as he knocked on the open door and walked into the office.

I silently rejoiced that I'd finally be rescued.

"Ah yes, David, we meet again…unfortunately" Principal Grant sighed.

Whoa, they're on a first name basis already. I'm so proud.

"Please, take a seat" he gestured to the empty chair next to me.

Uncle David soon sat next to me, where out of the corner of his eye I could tell he was giving me a disappointed glare. I'm not sure if he's going to bother giving me the 'you have such a bright future ahead of you' speech, or the 'I've spent two years trying to raise you and I guess I've failed as a guardian' guilt trip.

"Now I'm sure you know that I didn't call you in here because Hannah has won some sort of award-"

"Ahem" I interrupted, not letting his petty insult slide.

Principal Grant rolled his eyes.

"As I was saying, it has come to my attention that Hannah has received another suspension—"

"Wait whoa whoa, what? A suspension? For what?" my uncle cut him off.

I slowly slid down in my chair, knowing that this was going to take a while. It wasn't long before I was twiddling my thumbs. Principal Grant stood up from his chair and walked over towards a nearby filing cabinet. Opening the second drawer down, he pulled a creme filing folder almost three inches thick. As he did so I noticed how thin the other folders were. They were practically empty, and mine was bursting open with papers and records…records of my detentions and suspensions…He pulled another random folder that wasn't nearly as thick as mine but also wasn't empty. Principal Grant walked back over to the desk we were seated at and dropped the two folders side by side in front of my uncle.

"This—" Principal grant pointed towards the random folder.

"Is the average students' disciplinary record over four years."

I think I know where this is going…He then looked over at my folder with disgust.

"…And this…is Hannah's folder over a year…"

My uncle and I examined the two folders. My folder was at least two inches higher than the other folder. I feel so accomplished. My uncle reached over and grabbed my folder with two hands.

"There's just no way…This must be a mistake" he said as he opened the folder and went through the records.

"David you and I both know you've been in this office more than just a few times. You must understand that this sort of behavior is not taken lightly in our district."

My uncle swallowed the lump in his throat.

"Well what has she done today to get herself suspended?" he questioned.

Principal Grant cocked a brow and looked over at me, practically staring at my soul. Okay so what I did may have been a little extreme…but it was just what I needed to get out of this place.

He clenched his jaw as he spoke;

"Today, Hannah skipped fourth period to work on a…what should I call it…project?"

He opened the drawer to his desk and pulled out photos and dropped them in front of us. The photos were pictures of what I had spent all afternoon accomplishing. On the bland, boring wall in the auditorium was now a large mural. Using many dark colors and designs, the words 'they don't listen' were painted. I guess I didn't make myself clear enough. My uncle looked at the photos in awe.

"…You did this?"

He turned and looked me in the eyes. I nodded my head, not ashamed at what I had done. He shook his head.

"So then what does this mean? How long of a suspension are we talking?" my uncle asked.

Principal Grant folded his hand on the desk.

"Well first, Hannah must report this Saturday at 9 A.M to clean up the mess she made in the auditorium—"

"Mess?" I interrupted.

"What I did isn't a mess! It's art! You can't just—"

"Ahem—" Principal Grant coughed.

I silenced myself and rolled my eyes.

"As I was saying, Hannah needs to clean 'it' up Saturday morning. And as far as her schooling goes…"

Here it comes…

"As of today, Hannah is no longer an enrolled student at this high school."

I swear I thought my uncle was going to have a heart attack.

"You're expelling her?! For this?" my uncle nearly exploded.

Principal Grant stiffened;

"Hannah has broken countless rules. We simply can't allow this act of misbehaving to slide."

Uncle David clenched his fists as he tried.

"Mr. Grant, there must be something we can do" he begged desperately.

"I'm sorry, but there really isn't anything that can be done. Hannah can clean out her locker when she comes to clean up her 'project'. At this point, I suggest homeschooling. Or maybe even military school" he replied as he stared at me coldly.

Military school? Really? I sat in silence as I heard my uncle release a sigh.

"Alright. Thank you, Principal Grant" my uncle stood up and shook his hand.

Principal Grant grinned;

"It's my pleasure."

He looked at me as I narrowed my eyes at him. I wanted so badly to smack him upside the head. But sadly all I would get in return is a smack upside my head from my uncle. Uncle David soon signaled me to get up and walk. My uncle in front of me, we began to walk out of the office. Letting my uncle have a little walking space in front of me, I stopped at the doorway of Principal Grant's office. I turned around, smiled, and gave him the middle finger. And boy did it feel good wiping the smile off of that jerk's face. Quickly, I turned around and caught up to my uncle who was walking quite fast and in a frenzy. I figured if I gave him a few minutes to cool down then maybe I'd be able to have a somewhat decent conversation with him. As we exited the front doors of the school, my uncle ripped loose.

"What the hell were you thinking?! Expelled? Again? When will this stop Hannah? You're lucky they didn't press charges or get involved with the police."

We both continued to walk as I answered;

"I know, I know, I get it. I'm dumb and I should know better."

Uncle David used his keys to unlock his truck. I opened the door and got in the front seat. My uncle did the same as he continued his rant.

"No. I won't accept that Hannah. This wasn't an accident, you did this deliberately. You went out of your way to get in trouble—"

"Maybe I just want my voice to be heard" I interrupted harshly.

I sat back in the car seat and clenched my fist. I spoke;

"And I get it. You're mad that I vandalized school property."

My uncle was quiet for a moment as he sighed. He began to put the key in the ignition.

"I'm not angry because you vandalized school property" he spoke not looking at me.

Say what now?

He finally met my eyes;

"I'm angry because it was beautiful…"

I looked to him confused. He started the car and began to drive out of the parking lot. He shook his head and pulled onto the road. Before I knew it he started to interrogate me.

"What did you mean by 'they don't listen'…?" he asked.

I sat a moment and shook my head from side to side. I would just rather not get into it with him right now.

"It's nothing…" I sighed.

Surprisingly my uncle dismissed it and continued. Typically he would poke and prod until I would eventually get up and walk away out of anger. My uncle started up again;

"You have such a gift Hannah. But you're just wasting it by constantly getting in trouble. I don't even know where to go anymore. The next closest high school is 15 miles away from home. At this rate you're gonna have to straighten up if you want a steady career. Next year you'll be a senior applying for scholarships. Do you even know what you want to go into?"

I sat for a moment not knowing what to say. Anytime someone mentioned college to me I'd immediately change the subject. I'm only 16, why should I have to worry about this now? I still have some time…I still hadn't answered, so my uncle continued;

"You always seem to be hanging around the library, do you have an interest in reading or writing?"

Desperately not wanting to talk about this I said;

"Yeah I like to write and stuff."

What Uncle David didn't know was that I went to the library to listen to the stories. Every day in the afternoon the librarian would read stories to a small group of children. Typically I would pull a random book off the shelf and sit down at a table. I would pretend to read when in reality I was listening to the stories and fairytales being told. Everything from 'Jack and the Beanstalk' to 'Little Red Riding Hood' and 'Cinderella', I just enjoyed listening to them. Once in a while it was nice to have a false sense of reality. Eventually the librarian noticed I just happened to be there whenever she did storytime, so every once in a while when she was busy I would read to the children. I had only done it a handful of times, but I really enjoyed it. Though I highly doubt there's a college degree for storytelling.

"Well then maybe you should go into journalism—"

"Do we really need to talk about this right now?" I interrupted.

I sighed and tightened my grip on the armrest.

"We're gonna have to talk about this eventually Hannah…" Uncle David tried.

I groaned;

"But I still have time to figure all of this out. I don't have to decide at this very second."

I had barely noticed I was clenching my jaw at the very thought of college. I could barely tolerate high school, let alone the others who attended it.

"If I don't sit you down and talk to you about what your plan for your future is you're going to end up as a bum on the street painting graffiti on abandoned churches."

I let what my uncle said sink in for a minute.

"Now would that be so bad?" I questioned.

He looked to me distastefully as I continued;

"If it makes me happy and I'm expressing myself, does it really matter?"

"You won't be happy" he chuckled.

"How do you know that? Why can't I get a say in my life? You're just deciding my future without my input. You wonder why I can't stand talking to you about college…" I snapped.

At this point we were already almost home.

"It's because I know what can make you happy; a stable job earning a yearly wage of—"

"You really don't know what I want" I scoffed.

Uncle David went quiet as he sat back in his seat.

"Guess I should probably start researching to see if any colleges would accept you…"

Now I was angry. He didn't understand. Nobody does. It's like he wasn't listening to a single word I was saying.

"I'm sorry I don't have a baseball scholarship like Tommy" I said in an angered and sarcastic tone.

My uncle looked taken back.

"I'm just trying to do what's best for you" he retorted with a frown.

I chuckled;

"Have you ever asked me what I wanted?"

I looked over to him with a sarcastic grin as he remained quiet. It was now that we pulled up in the driveway as my uncle put the car in park.

"You know there's going to be times where you're going to have to do things you don't want to. Life isn't fun and games, unless you want to end up in prison."

So that's what this is about. He's assuming I'm going to end up going to jail before I'm twenty. I unbuckled myself from my seatbelt.

"Are you saying I'm going to end up robbing a gas station or something?" I asked annoyed.

My uncle rolled his eyes;

"All I'm saying is that there's a point where you need to grow up."

He began to unbuckle his seatbelt.

Of course that's what every grown-up tells a child. They're practically screaming 'waste your youth worrying about your future! Taxes and mortgages are way more important than living your life!' I just want to be adventurous and to be myself, but apparently that's not good enough.

"What if I don't want to grow up?" I said.

He looked over at me in confusion and chuckled;

"Sorry kiddo, can't help you with that one. It's inevitable. You'll turn eighteen and become a legal adult. Then say hello to bills and taxes and goodbye to your hopes and dreams."

I can't believe he said that…My heart sank…I lunged my hand toward the car door handle.

I yelled in a frenzy;

"You can't make me!"

I pulled the handle and jumped out of the car. My uncle yelled after me;

"Hannah…Hannah!"

Storming through the front door of the house I slammed it behind me, not even bothering to go back to the truck for my backpack. I ran up the stairs to my bedroom and slammed the door right before locking it. At this point I was fuming. This hadn't been the first time I had gotten in a fight with my uncle. More often than not we were disagreeing on something. For some reason we can just never see eye to eye. For a moment I looked around my room. For the most part it was mainly empty except for the bed, the dresser, and the closet. I pretty much didn't have anything in there that wasn't a necessity. All I did was live there so there wasn't much of a point in decorating it. The only part of that room I didn't understand was the boxes of random stuff underneath my bed. Uncle David never said anything about them, so I just assumed it was some of my aunt's things he hadn't gone through. I turned and threw myself on my bed as I clenched my fists. Something about that man always brings out the worst in me. I sat up on my bed and looked in the mirror on the wall. In it was my reflection; my bright blue eyes, my fair skin accompanied by my narrow face, and my long dirty blonde hair that now reached the middle of my back. I hadn't cut it in forever since my uncle won't let me. He says that he likes it long, so he simply won't take me to a hairdresser to cut it. And there's no way in hell I'm putting a pair of scissors anywhere near my face. The more I looked at myself in the mirror the more I realized that I've gotten so old. The scary part was that I almost see my mom in myself. I hadn't thought about her in a long time, and I intend to keep it that way. It was true, I really can't stop myself from growing up. I had thought about just skipping dinner and staying in my room or possibly sneaking out, but my thoughts were interrupted when I heard a knock at the door. For a moment it was silent…until another knock surfaced along with a quiet, tender voice.

"Hey, it's just me" it spoke.

I knew exactly who it was…

I stood up from my bed and walked over to the door, leaning my back against it.

"You alone?" I asked, making sure he wouldn't be accompanied by my uncle.

For a moment it was quiet until the voice spoke again;

"Yeah I'm alone."

I sighed and rested my eyes to breathe. If there's anyone I feel like talking to now, it's him. I stood up from the door and grabbed the door handle. I turned it and opened the door. I greeted him;

"Come in."

—

A.N:

Hey guys! I feel like it's been forever since I've updated :( I truly have missed it, but I'm back! It's a fresh start! I spent a lot of time on this chapter cause I really wanted to set the overall tone. I highly recommend that if you haven't read my first book in the series "Emerald" that you do so before reading this one. It will make things much easier to understand so that I don't have to give the background of what's going on. But I can't stop y'all from being rebels so do as you please :) What do you guys think about Hannah? Is she a troublemaker? Or do you think she's just misunderstood? And who do you think came to talk to her? Let me know all of your thoughts and predictions in the comments. I'm super excited to be starting this sequel and I can't wait to hear what you guys think. I'll see you in the next update!

-Agm3