Manchester Holy Academy was a private school part of a larger institution of schools known as the Holy Academies, one of them being Holy Cross Academy, the elementary/middle school Abigail attended.

  Manchester Holy Academy was built with Gothic and Victorian-era styled architecture in mind, so it stood like a medieval manor with its elegant brick building and perfectly trimmed lawn and bushes surrounding its premises.

  It wasn’t a large school by any means, having a junior class student body of around 150 students. The building was surrounded by a large brick fence and wrought-iron gates that had been opened for the first day of classes. Students moved through the gates and into the front doors with purpose. On either side of the brick pillars that stood tallest to support the wrought-iron gates were identical signs that stated the school’s name in a similar color scheme to that of the silver cross-shaped pin with black outline that each student wore.

  Silver letters with a black outline read:

  Manchester Holy Academy.

  Silver crosses with black outlines stood to either side of the school's name.

  Katherine stood at the gates for a moment, typing a text message to Abigail:

  Just got to school. Let me know you arrived safely. I will meet you after school and we can walk home together. ??

  She waited for a reply, tapping her finger against the phone anxiously until three dots signifying typing showed up:

  I’m fine, as always. Focus on yourself, Katherine. You’re not mom, and I’m not a child, so stop doting on me. You don’t have to meet me after. I’m fine walking home alone. ???? Bye!

  Katherine let out a frustrated sigh as Abgail was more stubborn through text than in person. She was going to walk Abigail home, even if she was kicking and growling. She nodded to herself and put the phone away, peering up at the school with a big smile.

  “It’s Just another day, right?” And she moved forward through the entrance gates.

  Someone yanked her shoulder, saying “Boo!” and she jerked and jumped away.

  Katherine spun with energy to fight, until she saw who it was. “Maylin?”

  A girl with black hair and red streaks tied up in double buns smirked mischievously. Her enthusiastic eyes reminded Katherine of the type of energy Abigail might exude, minus the naughty nature that was Maylin Bluenbell.

  Maylin nodded. “Yep, that’s my name, don’t wear out.” She was chewing a large wad of bubblegum that she blew into a large bubble that popped against her face. She leaned toward Katherine the way only a friend would do. “How’s it going?”

  “Fine, until you scared the living crap out of me,” Katherine brushed herself off in an angry motion. Still, she unstiffened and smiled as Maylin and her had been friends for a long time. “How are you?”

  “Eh,” Maylin said, blowing another bubble with her gum and popping it. “I’m okay.”

  Katherine continued to stare, knowing that response was sure to be followed up with something dramatic. Maylin leaned forward with shoulders slumped as she moped and let out a hopeless breath, firing off words in rapid motion. “I will be much, much better when I meet a handsome young suitor that provides me all I need.” She quickly changed to an upbeat and wide smile, slapping palms together in front of her chest as she wriggled in place. “You know, tall, dark, handsome, and a little bit of a bad boy. Flirty but not a jerk. Kind but not a wimp. Dashing and romantic. Someone popular but not so well known that he has eyes for other harpies. You know, basic stuff.” She nodded, pleased with herself and her criteria as she blew another bubble and then shrugged.

  Typical Maylin, Katherine thought, shaking her head and frowning. “Are boys all you think about?”

  “Not all,” she said, tapping a finger against her chin as she lingered for a moment. “I also like sweet things.”

  She raised eyebrows seductively, perhaps enjoying her pun even though she just meant sweet things. She let that linger for a moment as Katherine rolled her eyes. “You know, cookies, cake, anything chocolatey.”

  “Chocolatey?” Katherine pondered, rolling the word as if to question if it was a word.

  Maylin grabbed Katherine and pulled her in close, waving her hand in front of her. “And I’m talking all sorts of sweets, because the more the better, just like boys, except…” She sniffed, feigning tears as she looked saddened. “I just want a boy. One would be perfectly fine. One charming prince to ride up on horseback and take me for a ride.” She gave Katherine another little smirk as she enjoyed another sinful pun.

  Katherine frowned, a look of disgust on her face. “Really, Maylin? That’s disgusting.”

  Maylin leaned back, placing a hand against her chest. “There’s nothing disgusting about riding on horseback, Katherine. And neither is wanting to do sweet, sweet things with a cute boy.” She blew another bubble of her gum, staring into Katherine’s soul as she probed with the next comment. “I think you need to live a little, consider the possibilities of pure bliss, and sweets, and something like horseback riding.”

  Why did she emphasize that last word? Well, it was Maylin. Katherine let out a sigh, placing a hand against forehead. “So, one boy won’t suffice then?”

  “Mmm, maybe not. She rubbed her chin. “Perhaps building up my own network of lover boys could do me some good. You know, like a male harem. But alas, I cannot even find one.” She leaned back and into Katherine, laying an arm across her forehead as if feinting. “This poor, sullen girl that is the loveliest thing in the valley is unseen and unheard and unloved by all the male suitors.” She jerked upright, her hands slapping together as if in prayer, suddenly on her knees, her eyes huge and glassy peering up at the sky as angel wings appeared on her back.

  Yep, typical Maylin, Katherine thought with a little shake of her head, smirking at the corners of her mouth. Dramatic to the end, and the beginning.

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  “Well, maybe you can find a suitor when you get out of your own drama-filled mind. They could do a whole series on that content.”

  “Hey,” Maylin said, eyeing her. “My mind isn’t full of drama.” After a moment of silent debating whether she should counteract or go on the offensive, her next words provided the truth. “What about you? You got your eye on anyone?”

  “No, why would I?” Katherine said. “No time, nor interest.”

  “Oh really?” Maylin said in a sort of sly way, extending the word really. She eyed Katherine suspiciously. “No one in particular.”

  They moved their way up the sidewalk and toward the entrance doors.

  Katherine knew who Maylin was referring to, but she wasn’t going to take the bait. “No, that’s you, May. Only you. My main interest is success in classes, to plan it all out, and make sure it’s done properly and in a timely manner, with no hiccups or surprises.”

  “Humph,” Maylin said, folding her arm with disapproval. Then she snorted. “Why you gotta be like that, Katty?”

  Katherine raised her eyebrow at this. “Katty?”

  “Has a nice ring to it, I think,” Maylin said with a feline smile.

  “Um, no, it doesn’t,” Katherine said, frowning.

  “You’ll get used to it,” Maylin said, a little bounce in her step.

  “Sure,” Katherine said slowly, unsure of what to think of it while realizing Maylin would not let up. She sighed and narrowed her eyes on Maylin. “What’s got you all excited?”

  “Three things, to be exact,” Maylin said, spinning toward Katherine and raising three fingers as she mentioned each one. “Teenage boys, new opportunities, and freedom.”

  “Freedom?” Katherine said with a bit of doubt and confusion. What did Maylin mean by that? Should she ask her or just leave it hanging? The other two were pretty much synonymous, as opportunities probably meant going to parties, hanging out at the mall, engaging in extracurricular activities where Maylin could show off and meet said boys.

  “Yep,” Maylin said, spinning back around and marching forward. The two of them walked up some steps and pushed through the front doors. “This is going to be the year of big changes, Katty. We’re going to orchestrate a masterful reverse harem with a bunch of cute boys.” Her voice tone lifted in octave as she took an excited breath. “We could even make a live stream about it.”

  “Huh,” Katherine said with a dropped jaw. Finding one boy would be hard enough with Maylin’s particular enthusiasm and personality. “I don’t know if I would categorize boys as cute,” Katherine said, meeting the eyes of one boy as he passed them in the hallway, his eyes darting to the ground in a quick motion as he scurried by. “I would say they are pathetic, embarrassing, and disgusting.” And Maylin trying to find one? While she thought Maylin was quite the cute girl, she had a bit too much energy going for her, the kind that repelled others. And a live stream? Definitely not.

  “No, no, Katty,” Maylin said, grabbing her around the shoulder and pulling her in close. “You’ve got it all wrong.”

  Katherine frowned. “The only thing that is wrong is you calling me Katty.” She placed two fingers against her forehead as if this kind of thing happened often with Maylin. “Please stop.”

  “Don’t be like that, Katty,” Maylin pleaded.

  “What am I supposed to be like?” Katherine said with a fold of arms and rise of agitation.

  “Fun, outgoing, interesting, curious,” she said, counting the things off on lifted fingers. “Sexy.” She said the word sexy with a rise in intonation as if it was salacious.

  “Stop calling me Katty,” Katherine said, “and perhaps I’ll consider some… of your suggestions.”

  “All right,” Maylin said with a strong nod. “I shall consider calling you Katherine if you consider all my suggestions,” Maylin said.

  Katherine sighed, weighing her options before speaking in a matter-of-fact tone. “Fun is for kids. Outgoing is for risk takers that want to put their life on the line out of some misguided sense of adrenaline to avoid the perceived pain of everyday life. Interesting depends on the beholder, and—”

  “Isn’t it supposed to be beauty?” Maylin said with a scrutinizing squint of her eyes.

  They made their way up a set of stairs and down a hallway.

  “If we want to discuss sayings, then ‘curiosity killed the cat’ was a warning for a reason, because unnecessary investigation or experimentation can be dangerous and deadly.”

  “Oh, come on, Katherine,” Maylin said, bending backwards, her words stretched just like her back. “You’ve got to ease up and be more willing, especially now that we are in high school. I let this stuff slide in middle school,” she said with an outward swipe of her hands. “But no more.”

  “Fine,” Katherine said with a fold of her arms and stomp in her step.

  “Fine?” Maylin raised an eyebrow, stopping beside her, her eyes wide with curiosity and doubt. “So, you will consider my suggestions?”

  “Perhaps,” Katherine said, pausing for a moment, looking like she was holding onto something she could no longer contain. “Sexy is for girls that want to give boys what they desire most, and we know what that thing is.”

  Maylin blinked, and Katherine couldn’t tell if what she said next was a joke or serious, as she said it flatly. “Really? What is that one thing that boys want?” Her face was straight, so Katherine couldn’t tell.

  Katherine stiffened. “They want…,” she said, her face going totally red.

  Maylin held her straight face, looking like she was having trouble holding back a smile as Katherine struggled.

  Katherine snorted. “You know exactly what they want, Maylin.” Katherine said her name the way a mother might. “And while you may want to give that thing willingly, I certainly do not.” She held her chin high, nose in the air as if she was noble, yet something stuck in her mind—or someone for that matter. Not that she’d divulge it to Maylin, even though Katherine knew she knew.

  Nevertheless, dating and those kinds of sinful things were unnecessary investigations and experimentations. Plus, dating was disorderly, and she didn’t want any of that… even if it was with him.

  “Hmm,” Maylin said, tapping a finger against her mouth.

  Katherine’s face went red as she couldn’t seem to tone down the thought of that boy, so she turned and pushed through the nearest girl’s bathroom with a frustrated huff.

  “Oh-ho-ho,” Maylin said, tapping fingers together with a delicious grin. “The plot thickens. Perhaps this year will be interesting after all.” And she followed Katherine through.

  “What do you want, May?” Katherine said while pacing in frustrated motions in the bathroom, wondering why Maylin wouldn’t let it go. Then again, she knew her friend, and her nature, and so she knew she wouldn’t’ drop anything that spiked her curiosity.

  Maylin gave a wolfish smile. “I just want to know what you’re thinking. What you’re feeling.”

  Katherine faltered, her face flushed red as she stumbled back a little before collecting herself. “I don’t feel anything about that kind of stuff, so drop it, okay?”

  “Why’d you storm into the bathroom when I mentioned it?” She lit up like a Christmas tree as if she had stumbled across a secret. “Oh, is there someone you like, someone you want to do that kind of stuff with?”

  Katherine let out a sigh, trying to steady herself. “I don’t want to talk about this. We have class to get to, and I don’t want to be late on the first day.”

  Maylin got too close for comfort as she spoke low and naughty. “Tell me how you really feel, Katty.”

  “I,” Katherine said, trailing off as her cheeks went red from the thoughts. Maylin always pushed boundaries, said unnecessary stuff, delved into topics that shouldn’t be discussed. Then again, part of Katherine wondered what she was so worried about.

  “Ah, you know I luv you, girl?” Maylin said with a giggle. “But you gotta lighten up, all right? You do that, and I won’t call you Katty anymore.”

  Katherine narrowed her eyes, feeling cornered, threatened. And so, she felt like she needed to go on the offensive. “Maylin!”

  “As for the other things,” Maylin said, ignoring Katherine’s posturing. “I’m going to focus on the most dangerous ones, because I love being dangerous.”

  Luckily, before things got too heated or crazy, the start-of-class bell rang. Saving Katherine. She wasn’t saved from being on time, though.

  Maylin pointed up to the ceiling. “Case in point.”

  “Gah,” Katherine said, shoving Maylin out of the way and bursting out the bathroom doors. She still hadn’t even been to her locker yet, nor situated her things.

  She’d have to do that after her first class. Today was supposed to be orderly, controlled, and steady. Yet things were already falling apart, no thanks to Maylin.

  Katherine stomped to class in a seething flurry.