Notes

Chapter One

Sherfield, Wisconsin
Rose Corvenus woke up to the sound of mayhem. Her foster mother, Julia, was screaming her head off at Timothy, her biological son. “Timothy! Get down here now!” Rose sighed as she heard Julia stomp down the hallway and stop at her door. Her knob twisted and Julia came in. “Hey, can you take the bus? Timothy is being a handful this morning.” Just then, eight year old Timothy came running past the door in nothing but his favorite Superman underwear. “Get ready for school!” Rose’s parental guardian yelled as she chased after him. With a sigh, the teenager went to the bathroom as she did every morning. She grabbed her large brush and began to tame her wild red hair. A wince came from her when she attempted to brush a large tangle of curls. It was much easier when her mother did it. I really miss my mom, she thought to herself with a sigh. Alexandria and Markus Corvenus had been wonderful parents to sixteen year old Rose before they perished in a house fire three years ago.
She’d been at school when it happened. Their cottage was in a secluded area in the forest. Because of its seclusion from the rest of Sherfield, it was nearly an hour after the fire had started that people began to smell smoke. Police arrived at her school that day and told her the news before handing her over to social services. She’s been to two other foster homes, where she was verbally abused and mistreated. Rose never said anything though, because she was tough. She never cried or screamed when she was yelled at and starved. She simply stopped talking. It was like she completely shut down. When Julia took her into her home, Rose was grateful. She wasn’t happy, but at least she wasn’t miserable. Julia took care of her, but Rose couldn’t help but hate her. It was like Julia kissed up to her, trying to worm her worm her way into Rose’s heart.
The thought of someone trying to take her parents’ place filled her with rage. Her hand tightened around the handle of the brush and the other balled into a fist as she thought about Julia. The light bulb that illuminated the small bathroom overhead flickered before steadily growing brighter, a low hum emitting from it. The angrier Rose got, the brighter the light bulb became. Suddenly, it burst, sending thin glass shards flying. The scene caused her to jump, her anger forgotten. “What the…?” she said, looking up at the busted light. “Must’ve been a faulty bulb.” she murmured, although a tiny part of her knew that wasn’t the case.


Rose had walked five blocks before she reached the bus stop. Not to mention it was raining. Her purple windbreaker was of poor quality and by the time she got on the bus, her shirt was soaked. It must’ve been a good sight to see because when she boarded the bus, there was a low whistle. Her green eyes looked over at the culprit. Rose smiled brightly. In the back of the bus was Sam, her best friend. He had a messy styled haircut that vaguely reminded her of Louis Tomlinson from One Direction. He was taller than her by a few inches, but she was pretty sure she could top him if she wore some heels. “What’s up, Red? You don’t usually take the bus.” he said as she sat down by him. “As usual, Julia can’t handle Timothy.” she muttered, taking out her phone. It was the new Cricket ZTE and she had to save up for six months to get it and she had paid her phone bill five months in advance. “Hey, she’s trying.” he said, trying to cheer her up. “Yeah, trying to take my parents’ place.” Sam put his hand on her shoulder. “Mark and Alex were really good people. No one could ever take their place, and I don’t think Julia is trying to.” he said. Rose gave an exasperated sigh. Sometimes she just wanted to be mad, but that was impossible to do when she had Sam around. He put his hand on his thigh, palm up. He always did this when Rose was in a funk and she looked at it before putting her hand in his, their fingers intertwining. She smiled.
“Only you can make me feel better," she sighed before closing her eyes. “This is going to be one long bus ride. School is on the other side of town.” Sam said. But Rose was asleep before he finished talking.


When Rose woke up, Sam chuckled. “It’s dangerous to sleep on a bus. You could get robbed or miss your stop.” he said. She rolled her eyes. “This is our stop right here.” she said with a yawn before getting off the bus, Sam following closely behind. Rose had a pale green book bag, which was slung over her shoulder by one strap.
As they entered through the doors of Sherfield High, people nodded at them and said hello. “What’s up, Rose?” said a boy. “Hey Rose!” said a girl. Sam hung his arm loosely on her shoulders as they walked to class, catching the eyes of the other students. Although they weren’t in an intimate relationship, the school wanted them to be. Sam and Rose would often have their conversations interrupted by someone who wanted to know if they were an “item”. The two walked to class together and sat down. Surprisingly though, the two did not sit together. Their teacher, Ms. Barkley, had given the class assigned seats and because there was an odd number of students, Rose sat alone.
“Ahem. I would like to introduce our new student from Blackpool, Wisconsin, Xavier Angelis.” When Ms. Barkley mention Blackpool, the students grew quiet. Blackpool was the closest town to Sherfield, but it was also the worst town in the state. People disappeared every night there, and crime had skyrocketed. The only thing that Blackpool was good for were the dance clubs and bars. “Hello everyone.” Rose hadn’t been paying attention until she heard the unfamiliar voice. It was like he was calling her.


Xavier had felt something different when he entered the classroom. It was like a bight energy was calling to him. It was similar to when he was in Safe Haven, around other Extraordinaries like himself. Someone here had a gift, and he was going to find out who. When Ms. Barkley finished introducing him, he said, “Hello everyone.” His curly dark hair was a bit shaggy, and it gave him a messy look that most girls found attractive. He wore a black long sleeved shirt and dark jeans, followed by some black boots. A blue and black book bag was slung over his shoulder. As he briefly looked over the class, he found that all his female peers gave him a dazed, love-stricken look. All except one. His dark orbs locked on her green ones and he grinned. He’d found the Extraordinary. She had curly orange hair and was staring at him with both confusion and curiosity. “You can sit down now, Mr. Angelis.” the teacher said.
Rose watched as the new boy- Xavier - grinned at her before slowly walking down the rows of joined desks and sitting at her side. She would’ve rolled her eyes at his cockiness had she not been shocked by what she saw. When she looked him in the eye, they were no longer brown. His eyes were yellow, resembling that of a wolf. “Y-your eyes-” she started, but was cut off by her new partner. “I know. You could get lost in them forever.” There were a few chuckles and some of the male students groaned. Xavier’s yellow eyes lingered on her for a moment before he blinked and his irises became their usual dark selves. “But…” she tried again and he shook his head slightly. “Not now.” he whispered so quietly that Rose nearly missed the message.