THE DARKNESS THAT BINDS

Mia woke up feeling more confident and prepared for her first day of class. She got out of bed and began to get ready, carefully selecting an outfit that would make her feel comfortable and confident.

After finishing her morning routine, Mia walked to her bed to pick her outfit. She chose a pair of dark blue jeans and a white blouse, adding a light blue sweater to complete the look. She slipped on her sneakers and headed downstairs, feeling more awake and alert with each step.

She grabbed her backpack and headed out the door, locking it behind her. Rachel was waiting for her in the car, the engine running and the music playing softly.

"Hey, Mia! Ready for day one?" Rachel asked, smiling brightly as Mia climbed into the passenger seat.

Mia grinned, feeling a sense of excitement and anticipation. "Definitely! I'm feeling more confident today. Bring it on!"

Rachel chuckled, putting the car in gear and pulling out of the driveway. "That's the spirit! Let's do this!"

As they drove to school, Mia felt a sense of excitement building up inside her. She was finally starting her new life in Santiago, today was her first day at school and she was going to make her every moment in Santiago memorable.

Rachel pulled into the parking lot when they got to school, and the two girls climbed out of the car, grabbing their backpacks and taking a deep breath. They were ready to take on their first day of school.

"Okay, Mia, let's do this!" Rachel exclaimed, leading the way to the school entrance.

Mia grinned, feeling a surge of adrenaline as she followed Rachel through the school gates. The sound of chatter and laughter filled the air, and Mia's eyes widened as she took in the unfamiliar sights and sounds of her new school.

As they walked towards the entrance, Mia noticed a group of students gathered near the lockers, chatting and laughing together. She felt a pang of nervousness, wondering if she would be able to make friends here.

Rachel seemed to sense her nerves, and gave her a reassuring smile. Mia smiled back.

As they approached the entrance, Mia took a deep breath, steeling herself for the day ahead.

Mia and Rachel entered the school building, they sorted out their schedule and lockers before they quickly made their way to their first class, history. Mia's heart was racing with excitement and a hint of nervousness. She had been looking forward to this day, and she was determined to make a good impression.

As they approached the classroom, Mia could hear the sound of the teacher's voice, lecturing the class. She felt a pang of anxiety, realizing that they were already starting the lesson.

"Great, we're late," Mia whispered to Rachel, feeling a sense of disappointment wash over her. This wasn't exactly the first impression she had wanted to make.

Rachel gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Mia. It's not a big deal. We'll just slip in quietly and take our seats."

Mia nodded, taking a deep breath as they entered the classroom. The teacher, Mr. Thompson, looked up from his notes, his eyes scanning the room until they landed on Mia and Rachel.

"Ah, welcome, ladies," he said, his voice firm.

As Mr. Thompson's eyes landed on them, Mia felt a surge of nervousness wash over her. She had been hoping to slip in unnoticed, but now it seemed like they had been caught sneaking in late.

Mr. Thompson's expression turned stern, and he cleared his throat before speaking. "I'm glad you two decided to join us, but next time, please make sure to arrive on time. We started the lesson 10 minutes ago, and your tardiness is disrupting the class."

Mia felt her face flush with embarrassment as she looked down at her feet, trying to avoid eye contact with the teacher. She knew she had messed up, and she was worried that she had already made a bad impression.

But then, Mr. Thompson's expression softened slightly, and he smiled at Mia. "Now, since you're new here, why don't you introduce yourself to the class? Please, come up to the front and tell us a little bit about yourself."

Mia's nervousness spiked as she hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to do. But then, Rachel gave her a reassuring nudge, and she took a deep breath before standing up and making her way to the front of the classroom.

As she stood in front of the class, Mia felt her heart pounding in her chest, her eyes scanned the room, taking in the sea of unfamiliar faces. She noticed some students looking at her with curiosity, while others seemed indifferent. But then, her eyes landed on one person in particular - Karl.

Karl was sitting in the back of the classroom, his eyes fixed on her with an uninterested expression. Mia felt a pang of nervousness as she met his gaze, sensing a hint of disdain in his eyes. It was as if he was thinking, "Who is this new girl, and why is she disrupting our class?"

Mia felt a surge of determination as she looked away from Karl, refusing to let his uninterested gaze intimidate her. She took a deep breath, stood up straight, and began to introduce herself to the class. "Hi, everyone. My name is Mia, and I'm new to Santiago. Please ignore me, I'm used to it and trust me, you will be doing me a great favour..."

The classroom fell silent as Mia's words hung in the air. Her eyes scanned the room, noticing the surprised expressions on her classmates' faces. Karl's uninterested gaze had turned into a raised eyebrow, and even Mr. Thompson looked taken aback by her unusual introduction.

Rachel, who was sitting in the front row, looked like she was about to burst out laughing. She mouthed "what are you doing?" to Mia, but Mia just shrugged and continued.

"I'm excited to be here and learn more about history," Mia said, trying to recover from her awkward start. "I'm looking forward to getting to know all of you and making new friends."

The classroom remained silent for a moment, before Mr. Thompson broke the silence. "Well, thank you for the... interesting introduction, Mia," he said with a chuckle. "I'm sure you'll fit in just fine here."

The class erupted into a mixture of laughter and applause, and Mia felt her face flush with embarrassment. She had definitely made a memorable first impression, but she wasn't sure if it was for the right reasons.

Mia took her seat beside Rachel who nugded her with a giggle. "That was a very funny introduction."

Mia giggled too. "That was not the intention." She smiled as she looked around the classroom. Mia felt a shiver run down her spine as Karl's gaze met hers, he was staring at her curiously, his intense stare making her feel like he could see right through her. But before she could even process what was happening, he looked away, his eyes returning to Mr. Thompson.

Mia let out a quiet breath, feeling a mix of relief and curiosity. What was it about Karl's gaze that made her feel so unsettled? And why did she get the feeling that he was hiding something behind those piercing eyes?

As the lesson continued, Mia tried to focus on Mr. Thompson's words, but her mind kept wandering back to Karl. She couldn't help but sneak glances at him, trying to read his expression.

But Karl's face remained a mask, his eyes fixed on the teacher with an intensity that made Mia feel like he was trying to absorb every word. She couldn't help but wonder what was going on behind those enigmatic eyes.

As the lesson drew to a close, Mia felt a sense of relief wash over her. She had survived her first class, and despite the rocky start, she was feeling more confident. As she packed up her things, Rachel leaned over and whispered, "You're a natural-born comedian, Mia. I'm pretty sure you're the first person to ever ask a class to ignore them."

Mia giggled, feeling a sense of camaraderie with her new friend. "Hey, desperate times call for desperate measures, right?"

As they filed out of the classroom, Mia couldn't help but sneak one last glance at the back where Karl had occupied, but he was nowhere near the seat.

Where was he?

Mia's eyes scanned the crowded hallway, but there was no sign of Karl's tall, brooding figure. What was she thinking? She didn't even know Karl, and yet she was already wondering where he was.

As she followed Rachel through the bustling hallway, Mia couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement.

Rachel stopped in front of her locker, spinning the dial with a practiced hand. "So, what do you think of our school so far?" she asked, pulling out a stack of books.

Mia leaned against the locker next to Rachel's, watching as she expertly juggled her books. "It's definitely everything you said it was," Mia said, trying to think of the right words. "I like it. Everyone seems really friendly."

Rachel grinned, slamming her locker shut. "Yeah, we're a pretty laid-back school. Except for Mr. Thompson, of course. He's always trying to scare us into learning."

Mia laughed, feeling a sense of camaraderie with her new friend. "Yeah, I can see that. I think I'm going to like it here."

As they walked to their next class, Mia felt a sense of belonging that she hadn't expected.

Rachel nudged Mia playfully. "Hey, you were a bit distracted in history class, weren't you?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Mia felt a flush rise to her cheeks as she wondered how Rachel had noticed. "What do you mean?" she asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

Rachel grinned mischievously. "I mean, you kept sneaking glances at Karl. You looked a bit distracted and it was easy to trace your distraction."

Mia's heart skipped a beat. How could Rachel say he was her distraction, oh no, definitely not even close. "Oh, him? No. I was not distracted by him. I was trying to read him, probably guess what he was thinking," she said, sounding casual.

Rachel raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying Mia's excuse. "Really?," she asked with a laugh. "Why were you interested in what he was thinking? Do I sense a crush here?"

Mia shook her head immediately in defense, hell no, she was not crushing on him. "Oh no! Crushing? Please no. He is not my type," she said, showing her uninterested in him.

Rachel grinned knowingly. "We'll see about that," she said, winking at Mia.

Mia couldn't help but laugh at Rachel's teasing expression, Mia playfully rolled her eyes. "You're impossible, Rachel. I'm telling you, I'm not interested in Karl."

Rachel chuckled, clearly enjoying the banter. "I know. Well, I don't think you were the only one watching."

Mia raised an eyebrow, intrigued despite herself. "What do you mean?"

Rachel leaned in, a conspiratorial look on her face. "I mean, Karl doesn't usually pay attention to new students. But he was definitely watching you in class."

Mia felt a shiver run down her spine as she remembered Karl's piercing gaze. She couldn't help but wonder what he had been thinking, and why he had been watching her so intently. But she was determined not to let Rachel see how curious she was. "That's nice, I guess," Mia said, trying to sound nonchalant. "But like I said, I'm not interested in him. Let's just focus on getting through the rest of the day."

They continued walking to their next class, chatting and laughing together. As they walked, Mia couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement and nervousness. She was still getting used to her new surroundings. When they arrived at their next class, Mia was relieved to see that it was a smaller group of students. She felt a sense of comfort in the more intimate setting, and she was able to focus more on the lesson.

As the day went on, Mia found herself feeling more and more at ease. She was starting to get into a routine, and she was enjoying the sense of structure and normalcy that came with it.

When lunchtime arrived, Mia was excited to sit down with Rachel and catch up on their morning. They found a table in the cafeteria and began to unpack their lunches, they were soon joined by Sofia, Lyra and Alex.

Sofia plopped down beside Rachel, scolding her playfully.

"Hey, Rach, we were starting to think you were going to eat lunch without us!" Sofia exclaimed, nudging Rachel with her elbow.

Rachel laughed, holding up her hands in defense. "Hey, I was just getting started! Mia and I were just about to dig in."

Lyra with a warm smile, sat down across from Mia, eyeing her with interest. "So, Mia, how's your first day going?"

Mia smiled. "It's been great, thanks for asking."

Alex sat down beside Lyra and grabbed a munch from .

As they sat down together, Lyra looked at Mia with interest. "Your introduction in class was so funny, everyone calls you 'Avoid me' now." She laughed.

Mia's face flushed with embarrassment as she laughed. "Oh, yeah! I guess I made a bit of a memorable impression, huh?"

Rachel chuckled, nudging Mia playfully. "Memorable is one way to put it. I think 'Avoid me' is going to be your nickname from now on."

The group laughed, and Mia grinned, feeling a sense of belonging. "Hey, at least I'm making a name for myself, right?" she joked.

Just as Mia smiled, a group of students walked into the cafeteria, catching everyone's attention. Mia's eyes landed on Karl, who was walking in with his group of friends. There was a girl with long, curly blonde hair and a bright smile, she was his girlfriend, Ember. They were also accompanied by Zarek, Ophelia and Kaliya. Mia noticed they were always together, they always moved around as a crew.

The group made their way to the lunch line, with Karl and Ember leading the way. Mia couldn't help but sneak a glance at Karl, who looked super uptight and indifferent. He was always frowning, he looked so bored.

Karl and his friends waited in line, Mia couldn't help but notice the way everyone seemed to part for them, like they were royalty or something. Karl looked like he'd rather be anywhere else. He was scanning the room, his eyes lingering on each table before moving on.

When his gaze landed on Mia's table, he raised an eyebrow, his expression unreadable. Mia felt a shiver run down her spine as their eyes met, but she quickly looked away, not wanting to make eye contact with him.

Rachel, who had been watching the exchange, nudged Mia playfully and chuckled.

Mia rolled her eyes, feeling that Rachel was overreacting.