1 Chapter 1

Zoe Reynold

The sight of the sun rising feels like a breath of fresh air.

I bask in the warmth, letting my head fall back against the window frame. It's been hours since the sun rose but I haven't moved from my seat on the ledge. The peace that comes with the gentle sun rays is something I won't be able to have once I start my day. This is the only place where I don't have to face the cruel reality of my life.

Mum used to love watching the sunrise.

I glance up at the sky and wonder if what my grandmother says is true. If the loved ones who have died look down at us from heaven. I want to believe her but being an atheist the thought of a place called heaven existing is unreal to me. The dead ones die and that's the end. They don't exist anymore, leaving behind nothing but their body and bittersweet memories that hunt us every day of our life.

Hopping off of the window, I make my way towards my closet. It's the first day of the week and I need to get to the hellhole I call the school. Only thirty minutes remain before the torture begins.

"Ms. Reynold?"

A mass of bright red curls peeks in through the double doors of my room, followed by cautious green eyes that automatically fall on the queen-size bed in the middle of the room. Audra frowns, slowly walking in. I stand by the door of my walk-in-closet, waiting for the middle-aged woman to notice me and when she does, she jumps violently, almost shrieking with fright. "Goodness! Ms. Reynold! I-I'm so sorry, I didn't see you."

As always.

I have no idea why but the staff members of my own house acts like I'll eat them up if they make a mistake. They tiptoe around me and I've noticed many times that they flinch when I speak to them, which is rare in itself. Audra is the oldest worker here and she seems to be the least afraid of me. Yet she jumps every time she sees me suddenly in my own room. I guess I'm at fault for that. I tend to wear dark clothes that blend in with the deep burgundy of my wallpapers. I've also heard the younger maids whisper about how my eyes are like voids, empty, and lifeless. It must be frightening to find dead eyes staring at you silently from the corner.

"Are you ready for school?" Audra puts on a bright easy smile that reaches her eyes. In spite of getting scared of me at random moments I know she loves me. Audra is one of those people who helped my mother raise me and my siblings. "Will you be having breakfast?"

"No," I glance at the doors she walked in through to see a maid peering in with a large tray in her hands. She jumps back as soon as she sees me watching. "Zach might. Is he up yet?"

My dear brother returned home late last night, having gone on a trip with my grandfather for the weekend. He came up to my room to see me before going to sleep. I'll be surprised if he would wake up today at all.

"Yes," Audra's smile widens into a grin. She adores my brother, like everyone else. There's not a thing about Zachary Reynolds that can make anyone hate him, not counting the jealous ones of course. "He even helped Julia in the kitchen. Isn't that wonderful?"

I don't reply to that enthusiastic remark and simply walk into my closet to get my boots and jacket. "I'll be taking the silver Audi today. Please inform Jared."

"Of course," Audra speaks lightly but I hear the disappointment in her voice. Every morning she comes to me with the hope of getting a cheerful reply or even a simple smile. I can offer her none. I just can't bring myself to force one for her. I knew it'll hurt her more than my bland response. "Have a wonderful day, dear."

I wish I could.

➖

"I heard we're having some new students."

"They've been saying that from the beginning of the year."

"I'm sure we'll have some this time," Zach pulls the shade over his head, squinting at something on the other side of the parking lot as I sling my bag over my shoulder. "Zoe?"

"Hmm?" I lock the car before turning to look at him. He's running a hand through his brown curls, a nervous and hopeful smile on his face. It's surprising because my brother is almost as blunt as me. I've never seen him become nervous even as a child.

"I have basketball trials today," he lowers his voice and waves at someone in the distance before turning his grey eyes back on me. "After school. The coach said juniors are allowed into the school team and I want to give it a try. Will you be there? For me?"

I blink at him a couple of times before a small smile spreads on my lips involuntarily. It feels a bit foreign and I'm aware of the multiple surprised looks I receive from people around us but I don't care. "When am I not there for you?"

The smile my brother gives me is as brilliant as the morning sun. After a brief hug and a kiss on my forehead,, he bounces off towards the football field where his friends are. I watch how he fits in with them so easily but also manages to stand out just like I do. No matter where we are, the Reynolds always stand out, grandma says. It's a hereditary trait.

"He's so cute."

My spine stiffens at the familiar shrilly voice of Sophia Jenning. A groan threatens to break through my chest when I realized who the hot pink Ferrari parked next to me belongs to. How stupid of me to have not noticed it before. I don't acknowledge her statement and turn to walk into the school building but the witch is blocking my path. She shoots me an overly sweet smile, twirling a blonde extension -still attached to her head- around her finger. "Hey, Zoe."

"You're standing in my way."

M words wipe that smile off of her face at once and she sneers, blue eyes flashing at me in anger. She's wearing a bright yellow sundress today, which doesn't contribute much to her attempt to look threatening.

"And you are standing in mine," she folds her arms defiantly. I simply raise an eyebrow at that. Huffing, she runs a scrutinizing scan over my body and what she sees seems to disturb her a lot. "What is it that you have and I don't? I'm so much brighter than you."

I suppress my snort of laughter with difficulty. She is definitely the brightest one in the entire school, a glaringly yellow sunflower. I wonder how many people she has blinded by now. Our school doesn't have a dress code but most people attending Imperial High come from families who can afford to have professional stylists pick their clothes for them. But desperation makes us do crazy things and I'm not really surprised by Sophia's little attention-seeking stunt. She doesn't stop talking though, completely oblivious to my amusement. "He acts like I don't exist even when I do a thousand things to attract him. Out of all the girls in the entire school, you're the only one-"

She cuts herself off abruptly, looking as though she'd rather swallow her own shit then say whatever she was going to. I keep shut and lean back against my car, deciding to humor her for a few more minutes. There's nothing else for me to do this early in the morning.

"How do you do it?" She narrows her eyes at me. "Who is he to you?"

By this time, I have an idea of who this he is. There are only a few guys in the entire school who won't give two flying shit about someone as popular as Sophia hovering over them for attention. But I don't want to acknowledge what she's implying here. Because it's not true. None of it is. "I have no idea who you're talking about, Jenning."

"You're oblivious too," she adds. "Who else do you think? I'm talking about him."

She swivels around to point at something on the other side of the parking lot. I follow her line of sight, just to douse my curiosity, and what I see almost makes me snort.

I knew it.

"North Blackwell," I muse and shake my head as Sophia turns her pale blue eyes to me. "You're delusional."

North Blackwell is not someone you can just have.

Sure, he's drop-dead gorgeous. A perfect example of an enigmatic bad boy. His smoldering brown eyes, chiseled face, and perfectly muscled physic can turn a thousand heads all at once and it's a fact. I would be blind and plain stupid to deny it. It's hard to believe we were childhood best friends, once upon a time. We used to be inseparable but as puberty hit us hard on our faces and his father started involving him in their business, he suddenly became quiet and withdrawn. The caring boy used I used to have a massive crush on disappeared.

Not the crush. Just the boy.

After my sister and parents died, I changed too. And we accepted things as they were. Zoe and Noth were once again no more than neighbors. Excluding the occasional hi and hello in the presence of our families, we don't talk. At all. Mostly because I dash off as soon as I see him.

In this entire world, he is probably the only guy who can affect me the way he does, just with a single glance. And it scares me. I've seen certain things, went through some hellish times, and made some questionable choices that have changed the way I see myself and life in general. To live up to my name, I put on a front and act how society expects me to. I run from North because he can do one thing that not even my family can do.

He sees right through the mask with which I fool the world.

"The only delusional person here is you," Sophia raises her chin, haughtily attempting to look down at me. It's pretty hard for her to do since I'm a head taller than her even without my heels. "You're not fooling anyone, Zoe Reynold. I know you're waiting for me to make the first move and rub it into my face if I fail to-"

I simply couldn't hold back the incredulous laughter. This girl. Who does she think she is?

"Get over yourself, Jenning," I roll my eyes, smirking at the dumbfounded expression on her face. "You're not that important."

She colors deeply under her makeup and her face twists into a hateful scowl. I can't bring myself to care if my words are too harsh or not. A couple of years ago, I wouldn't have dreamt so saying such a thing to anyone, no matter how annoying or arrogant they were but as I said, my outlook on life has changed.

Showing kindness to people who don't deserve it leads you nowhere.

"If you're done," I glance down at the watch on my wrist. "Move aside, will you?"

She opens her mouth to argue back but stops herself when I narrow my eyes at her in annoyance. It takes her a couple of seconds but she shifts enough for me to pass through without brushing against her. "You can't talk to me like that!"

"I just did," I roll my eyes and walk past her. "Whatever you've heard about me and North are nothing but rumors. He's just my neighbor. End of the story."

I'm not a big fan of Sophia Jenning. She has the looks of a supermodel but thinks using not her brain but her ego. Whatever she has inside her skull, she uses it to charm, seduce, or bully people into doing whatever she wants. She's lucky her father is rich and influential enough to be included in this elite society but it's obvious that she takes it for granted.

It'll be amusing to watch her attempt to attract North. Though I'm one hundred percent sure she's only going to end up in the bathroom, bawling her eyes out.

Hope your makeup is waterproof, Jenning.