Ordinary

A dictionary was laid out in front of a disgruntled girl on the old desk she sat at. Its pages were yellow and dry from old age, but the knowledge that had been written on the inside was still new and refreshing. Especially to the teenage girl who was nose-deep in studying it. She sighed deeply and looked out the window as the morning light danced around the panes. Despite her age, she was a servant of the Darnell mansion and nothing more. She was born to carry out the will and orders of the mansions Master; she wasn’t to live a normal existence.
Unexpectedly, a week ago the Master had a change in heart, per say. He had requested that she attend a public high school that was only a few miles away. Taken aback by the Masters sudden interest in her, she had glanced away. Curiosity had danced around his attentive eyes and called her out on her nervous gestures, but no matter the excuse she came forth with the Master had cast it away without a second thought. His mind was set and there was no changing it.
A fresh breeze swept through the ajar window and flipped the pages of the dictionary. A bolded word caught her eyes long enough to draw her attention from her thoughts.

Ordinary. An Adjective. Usual or normal.

Just as she finished reading the entry the door abruptly threw itself open and scared her.
“Alyssa?” came the cunning voice of the Darnell’s butler, Strovich. He stood at the door with his gloved hands on his waist. “I apologize for startling you. I came to tell you that its time to leave.” Her eyes glared at the handsome man as he picked up her bag that lay on the love seat and headed out the door just as nonchalantly. With a glare still etched into her features she set out the door right behind him.
The morning light streamed across the front court yard, showing off all of its glory. Red petals floated around the yard in the crisp breeze, some even preceded to land in the sparkling water that flowed around the large fountain placed in the center of the estates front. Alyssa turned her eyes away from the peaceful sight and plopped into the passenger seat of the awaiting car. Cautiously, she kept her eyes from drifting back to the mansions front and it wasn’t until they were past the gates did she breathe a sigh of relief. She nudged Strovich’s arm as he focused on the road ahead of him.
“Yes?” His sly eyes swiveled toward her slumped figure, all the while staying on task. When an answer was expected, the young girl silenced her self. “Alyssa?” He waited patiently for an answer.
“I’ve…never been to a school before…and…I don’t know anyone…I-” She watched him shut the cars ignition switch off while her thoughts stopped coming from her mouth.

They were there already.

She snapped around to find the butler already opening the door for her. Amazing how swift he was on his feet. Alyssa stepped out of the vehicle and suddenly wished she had not. This isn’t what she had wanted; instead she would have loved to be back at the mansion doing the chores like she did every day. Now, she stood in front of a building three times the size of the Darnell’s mansion and it was swarming with kids of all shapes and sizes. With clammy hands, the frightened girl gripped onto Strovichs sleeve cuff, silently pleading him to take her somewhere else.
“You’ll be okay. Here-” The tall man handed her a glossy notebook with a smiley face scrawled on the top of it. “The Master told me to give this to you.” Alyssa’s frown twitched several times before being replaced with a grim smile. “I wish you luck.” Her hands unclenched themselves from his sleeve and she watched the butler leave. A hollow feeling overcame her being but she let herself walk into the school she would be at for the next eight hours.
Being optimistic was a must. She needed to stay focus but when her baby blues laid sight on several groups lingering around the corners, she began to feel uneasy. Soon the suspicions proved true when a package was exchanged between a few of the students.
She gasped. What was this place? How could this be a safe, learning environment? Azul orbs darted left to right all down the hallway, noticing the same pattern everywhere she looked. Drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, even knives were being flashed around.
The bell boomed out into the hallway and the school yard. At least some luck had bestowed upon her and she ran to her first class; luckily she had studied the map of the school and was able to locate room 803 with ease. Nobody else was there just yet so the wary girl took a seat in the back and quietly waited for the last bell.
Multicolored eyes stared in her direction as some other teenagers decided to saunter in. But they weren’t just stares, but stares that were deep, cold, and sent shivers up ones spine. They only reflected bitterness and hatred, something Alyssa had never experienced. Hunkering down in her seat, she tried her best to avoid them and kept her own stare fixed on the wooden desk in the front of classroom. Regretting her existence came to play her mind as she mauled over her lonely thoughts.
Finally, the second bell rang and a teacher appeared in front of the small crowd of students. Though one couldn’t tell, the girl sighed in relief. As long as she was in the presence of an adult she felt safe. The portly man began his lecture about a half hour into his class time, but nobody paid him a bit of attention. Even she found him boring and uncaring. Instead, she decided to let her curious eyes of their leash for a few moments to take in the different faces that cluttered the room.
The sweeping motion broke off when the new students’ eyes caught sight of a young man who sat across the room. He looked out of place. Maybe it was because he was clean cut and dressed well. Or maybe, it was because he was staring out the dusty window he settled next to. His velvet soft eyes were fixed on the nomadic clouds that waft through the reposed sky. He just seemed so, ordinary in such a chaotic setting.
Thoughts became so scrambled in her head that she hadn’t even noticed that he had abandoned his vast sky gazing and turned in her direction. Upon realizing he had caught her orbs staring at him, she whipped her eyes back around to where the teacher was standing. With a flustered face, she tried to act like she was taking notes and nothing more. However, if the cover up worked or not was not obviously shown.

Bbbbblllllrrrriiiinnnngggg

The sudden shrill of the bell woke Alyssa from her stale seat and she rushed to the next class of the day. She refrained herself from taking in any glances and worked her way around the hall standees. Room 756 was close and it was easy to locate. Same with the class after that and the next also.
But something about this school picked at her. Everywhere she went, everything was the same. The teachers were boring and uncaring. The students were unforgiving and paid no mind to the adults. To all of them this was normal, routine, and orderly. But no matter what, this jungle was far from ordinary. Soon, her thoughts drifted back to the boy from first hour.
A jolt from the final bell stopped her from continuing her brainwork on the mysterious boy. A sigh escaped her once more as she made her way out of the class. Today was over, or so she thought. She still had to find her way out this forsaken place. The one way she had forgotten to plan out.
A left turn. A right turn. Another left turn. “Ugh…I have to find the entrance soon. Strovich will be waiting and he gets impatient quickly with me.” Another defeated sigh. The girl began into a jog but as her heart beat harder with every wrong turn she soon was sprinting.
Without a moments noticed, she crashed into something much bigger than her. As a result, she collided with the ground but hurried to see what had stood before her.
“Y-you’re the girl from my first hour?” The same girl stared up and him in wonder, taking in his image. Quickly, he shook his head and offered his hand, in which she greatly accepted. Once on her feet she bowed her head to the older boy.
“Sorry! I’m sorry…for running into you.” A blush crossed her face when he pulled her upward.
“No, I should apologize for being rude and not watching where I was wondering around. By the way, I’m Alec.” He dipped his head for a moment and met her eyes on the way up. “And you are?”
“I’m sorry! I’m Alyssa. It’s nice to meet you!” She flushed again and he chuckled. Surprised at his reaction, the servant glanced away, almost in embarrassment.
“It’s alright. Now, what exactly were you doing running so fast?” His sweet smile seemed to consume her thoughts but she was able to manage to spew out a sentence.
“Well, I was lost…I can’t seem to find the entrance of the school…” She trailed off, embarrassed for simply being ignorant.
“That’s right, since you’re new; I bet this is like a maze for you. I’ll show you the way out; you must have someone waiting for you.” He began to turn and walk away while he motioned for her to follow. Just like an order, the girl fell into step behind him. Only, he slowed his pace to have her walk beside him.
“It’s strange…” He turned his dark eyes to hers. “To see someone else that seems so out of place in this school.” The statement momentarily stunned her. He seemed to steal the words right from her dry mouth. After a few seconds, she laughed herself. He joined in with his smooth chuckle.

It seemed to go on forever, that walk. Their laughter filled the empty hallways and yet it seemed so strange that they could laugh in such a grim environment. When they had finally found the exist, Alyssa spotted the butlers car. Alec walked her to the waiting vehicle, still laughing.
“I look forward to finally having a normal day tomorrow.” he said with a wink. Another smile and laugh erupted from them and they parted ways.
“How was your day?” asked Strovich as she climbed into the passenger seat. She glanced over to him with a large grin plastered to her face. He took the silent answer and continued on. “So, who was that boy just now?” Alyssa only chuckled as his eyes danced with wonder.
“He’s just an ordinary boy living in an unordinary world.”