Chasing Shadows | ✓

Chapter Three

I LEANED BACK ON MY CHAIR WITH A CARELESS EXPRESSION.

Despite the loud chatter that was going on in the classroom, the loneliness had a vice grip on my heart, squeezing with just enough pressure to cause me pain. It felt like it was killing me every day, little by little, taking what was once my light and replacing it with a darkness that overshadowed every moment of my life.

It was the fuel for my nightmares and the reason even breathing had become a struggle.

The seat beside me was empty, with no one daring to even look my way. Maybe it was the scowl that was permanently etched on my face nowadays, or the black bruise that covered one half of my face that kept people away from me. If I pulled up my shirt a little, purple welts were scattered across my abdomen like a disease. It hurt to breath and it made me wonder if some of my ribs were cracked.

During the day and nights, father was like my own, real life monster. There were times when I struggled to even tell the difference between the nightmare of my reality from the fiction of my nightmares. With ease, he crushed every once of self-worth I had acclaimed over the years. He proudly showcased how happy he was to deal me his favourite blows. Like an addiction, they gave him a rush, reeling him back for more each time. Power and malice were the only things that lit up his insides with a sickly glow.

"Alright everyone!" Miss Linda's voice rose over the chatter, "Settle down! Class has started!"

The class immediately quietened when they noticed a small girl standing at the top of the class. Her short, brown hair stopped at her shoulders, small pieces sticking up at the sides. She was shorter than average, and certainly larger than a catwalk model, but her ordinariness made her stand out. There was a shyness to her, hesitation in her body movements and a softness in her voice as she spoke.

"Hello everyone. I'm Natalia. It's a pleasure to meet you all."

But while most paid attention to her physical looks, her eyes was what caught my attention. Her emotions were not easily hidden on her innocent face. I observed with crossed arms, pain that was evident in the crease of her brow and the down-curve of her full lips. But her eyes. . . Her eyes showed her soul. They were a deep pool of restless gold-brown, an ocean of hopeless grief.

As I looked into her eyes I knew that nothing could even hope to compete with this simple thing: passion. Passion turned her eyes into orbs of the brightest fire. It felt like there was sunshine in her smile and and her voice went right to my brain like a bullet. 

Our eyes met in a brief encounter and my skin started to prickle while my breath caught in my throat. Suddenly, it was hard to look away and everything around me fell away. Her brown eyes were like the hues of comforting childhood memories, as sweet as chocolate, with so much emotion held inside. Seconds felt like hours, as we both gazed at one another - not knowing why, but unable to look away. I didn't realize my eyes were slowly tearing up until a small drop trickled down my cheek and I touched my face with my hand, baffled when it came back with a small droplet. 

"Right, Natalia, welcome! I'm sure you'll fit in well here."

Miss Linda clasped her hands and that broke me out of my transfixed stare. I cleared my throat and couldn't help but frown at the sudden burst of emotions that were bubbling inside of me. What was wrong with me? Why was I reacting this way? I almost felt embarrassed to be seen crying in the middle of class, and for no apparent reason. 

The teacher swept her gaze across the room but her polite smile slipped when she realized the only available seat was next to me. Desperate, her eyes looked for any other empty seat available, but came up with nothing. My eyes rolled when an uneasy expression took over her face.