Annabel Lee ─ emily prentiss

eighteen

EMILY didn't understand how a building could look so boring and so intimidating at the same time. The high school had the same generic architecture most public schools did—brick exterior, no colors besides different shades of brown, lots of windows all the same size and shape in perfect rows—but it was absolutely massive. The loud mob of teenagers filing inside only unsettled her more. Bel, who stood beside her as they stared up at the looming building, seemed far less fazed.

"Ready to go in?" Bel asked. She had some nerves, especially because this was definitely the largest school she'd ever attended, but this was far from her first rodeo starting a new school. Starting a new school in the middle of the year was like being plunged into ice water. She'd done it so many times that the water felt closer to room temperature.

"I think I'm the one who's supposed to ask you that." Emily lifted her hand to adjust Bel's hair, then stopped herself. A lot of teenagers didn't even want to be seen in public with parental figures, let alone receive physical affection from one where their classmates could see it. "I'm ready if you are."

"I'm ready. C'mon."

They followed the crowd into the building. Luckily, the guidance office was close to the front entrance and labeled very clearly. Bel opened the door to the office slowly.

"Can I help you?" the woman behind the secretary desk said when they entered.

"Hi. It's my first day, and I think this is where I'm supposed to go to get my schedule," Bel explained quickly.

"What's your name?"

"Annabel Welhaven. One 'l'."

Typing something into her computer, the secretary eyed Emily warily. "Are you a parent?"

Columbine was to high schools what 9/11 was to airports, Emily supposed. Everyone was suspicious until proven otherwise.

"Foster parent. Emily Prentiss," she introduced herself. "I just wanted to make sure she got in okay."

Unimpressed, the secretary continued tapping at her computer. The printer in the corner suddenly whirred to life, scaring the hell out of Bel. She jumped back, bumping into Emily. Emily, already on edge, instinctively wrapped an arm around her, as if the antiquated printer might be a danger to Bel.

"I'll be okay," Bel whispered into Emily's ear. "Don't worry about me."

Was Emily really that see-through?

"I will." She let go of Bel just as the secretary got up to grab the two papers that had just printed. The secretary handed them to Bel.

"Here's your schedule and a map of the school."

"Thanks." Bel scanned the schedule. Eight periods of the day, each 45 minutes. She had seven classes and a lunch period. Her stomach twisted into a knot when she saw what she was facing. At her old school, she took U.S. history. This place put her in world history. She was going from geometry to algebra and trig. At least bio would stay the same. The cherry on top was that one of her electives was the infamous home ec. Her day hadn't even started and she was already in over her head.

"B? You okay?" Emily tapped Bel's shoulder, snapping her back to reality.

"Uh, yeah. Fine. Thank you!" she called to the secretary, who'd already sat back down and moved onto something else. She led Emily back into the hallway. "I guess you should get to work."

The sadness in Bel's big blue eyes was back. Staring into them made Emily seriously consider grabbing Bel's hand and taking her out of there, but it would only be delaying the inevitable. Bel couldn't not go to school forever.