#first book

Chapter 1

Summer has just passed and the usual cool feel of Fall came after it. When summer ends, school begins, along with a long list of complaints coming from students wishing for summer to last just a bit longer.

That was one of the few things that made Annett Weaver fit in, a hatred of school.

This is her first year of high school, but in a small town like Kindlewood, it just means seeing familiar faces again, but maybe a bit taller than last year.

Annett was someone who most would describe as ‘bored’ or ‘tired’ looking. Wearing a sweater that always seemed bigger than her, and hair that liked to get in her face with just the right amount of wind. But she had always felt it was the best way to keep her blended into the background.

She didn’t stand out, but she didn’t fit in either, and everyone knew why. It’s hard to keep a secret in a small town, is what she had learned growing up.

“It’s time to start your day, dear. Would you like for me to wait with you at the bus stop, or do you think you can handle it?” That was the first thing Annett heard this morning. The gentle way her mother spoke, soft and cautious, as if waiting for her to fall apart by what should be well known as simple choices.

“I can handle it myself. I’m fourteen, not five.” She muttered bitterly to herself, already standing at the cold bus stop. It was cold in Kindlewood already, something that she was used to growing up. It gets cold early and it leaves late, just like everything else in the old town.

Nothing was ever new in Kindlewood, other than maybe going into a new grade for the kids, but after that? You just end up becoming part of the routine that the small town had developed over the many years of being alive.

Hssssshk

Annett winced at the sound of the bus stopping, watching as the doors opened with their usual creak. A definite sign of their overuse.

She thought to herself as she got onto the bus; What will she do after graduation? It’s not like she quite fits in with anything, something that she had learned very early on in life. But she didn’t have some hidden talent to stand out enough to leave either.

And even then, it’s not like she was very good with change, just like the rest of the town was. Another thing that made her fit in, strangely enough.

Once she was on the bus, she immediately went to the usual seat she had grown accustomed to from her previous years of school. Not quite in the front, but not in the back either, in the middle where it felt right to her.

As she sat in her usual spot, Annett glanced down at her schedule, feeling like she needed to check it again.

And just like the many times before when she would check it, the first teacher she would see is Mr. Daniel. The SpEd teacher of the high school.

She didn’t know much about him, having briefly met him at openhouse, but everyone always said he was great with the kids who have special needs. Kids like her.

He had told her mother that he would be the first person she would see when getting off at the school bus. Annett guessed it was so Mr. Daniel could gently ease her into being in a high school setting. Not that she had never been to the building before, just never as a student there.

But when Annett got off the bus, she only saw a sea of students going into the building to start their first day of school. She didn't really know what to do, other than to stay at the entrance and wait for him. Hoping that he might just be trying to navigate through the crowd.

It’s not like Annett didn’t understand that sometimes, things don’t go as they planned. But that didn’t change the way she feels.

The young girl had been expecting to see Mr. Daniel all morning, so for him to not show up when he said he would, it made her feel like her whole day was suddenly thrown off.

She could already feel the familiar feeling of unease coursing through her. A tight anxiety growing within her chest.

Is she at the right place? Did she misheard? Did Mr. Daniel lie? What reason does he even have to lie? Annett could feel her thoughts spiraling downwards, though she knew it didn’t show on her face.

She stepped off to the side, just so the other kids didn’t bump into her as she waited. And it took what felt like forever for the school entrance to be empty again. And by that time, Mr. Daniel still hadn't shown up.

As Annett stood there, she tried to think to herself of all the possible reasons as to why Mr. Daniel didn’t show up like he said he would.

She couldn’t help but start mumbling to herself, just so she could get her thoughts out. A habit that would come out from time to time.

“Maybe he forgot? He could be helping another student right now.” she started rambling, her voice coming out in quick whispers, “I could have misheard him at open house… it's not like I was fully paying attention to what he was saying to mom. Should I just go in? I don’t remember where his room is though. And I don’t want to ask… Maybe I should just wait? That feels like the better option. Yeah, let’s just wait.”

Annett stared down at the ground, focusing on a crack in the pavement, letting her thoughts drift in and out.

And as the loud ring of the first bell of the day sounded out, she couldn’t hear it in her distracted mind.

Annett was so worried about Mr. Daniel not showing up, that she didn’t even think about being late for school.

“Young miss, what are you doing out here? Didn’t you hear the bell ring?”

The young girl jumped at the shout of an unexpected voice. And as she looked up, it wasn’t Mr. Daniel like she would have hoped for. It was someone else she wasn’t familiar with.

The voice matched the person that was walking up to her; authoritarian. At least to Annett, it did.

The man was bald with a beard, and looked more formal for a high school teacher, dressing rather sharp.

Annett shifted in her spot, looking back down at the ground like she always did when talking with someone new.

“I was waiting for Mr. Daniel.” She spoke quietly, yet bluntly, “He said that he would be the first person I would see getting off the bus today.”

It was a fact to her, despite her earlier doubts and worries about why Mr. Daniel didn’t show up like he said he would. And when the young girl spoke facts, she could be blunt about them sometimes.

The man before her was quiet for a minute, clearly thinking about what Annett had told him. If she had to guess, he could be slowly realizing what type of student she is . Along the usual thoughts that came with it.

“I see.” he finally said, “Well, Mr. Daniel is currently dealing with another student right now. Do you remember anything else he had told you? I’m Mr. McDougall by the way, I’ll be your principal this year.”

The tone he gave her this time felt more relaxed, understanding. Maybe even more patient now that it was clear she wasn’t trying to skip the first day.

Annett saw that he had outstretched his hand, the proper greeting that most people would give.

The young girl took it and shook it, having learned from her father what you are supposed to do for a hand shake. Firm grasp, polite shake.

“I don’t remember, Mr. McDougall.” She started with, being plain spoken about it. “I think he was going to introduce me and show me around the school today… I’m Annett Weaver, by the way.” She finished, speaking up clearer and more relaxed this time. She was no longer speaking facts, just her thoughts. Which can be just as rounded too.

Mr. McDougall was quiet again, which made Annett glance up at him real quick to see that he was looking around the school entrance, before looking and checking his wristwatch.

It was only then she was starting to realize that school must have officially started, which meant she was late for her first day. So maybe she really was skipping after all.

“Do you think I could see your schedule, Ms. Weaver?”He had asked her, keeping his tone nice, “I would like to take you to your first class today. I can even show you around the school, if you would like.”

The way he offered to help felt like the same type of caution the young girl would typically hear whenever someone would ask her a question.

Sometimes she hated it, and other times she didn't realize it was being used. It’s not like tones were the easiest things for her to pick up on, but there were always key factors she picked up on: soft and cautious, and always with a question that made her feel like she was in control of herself. Adults have always talked to her like this.

But Annett still handed her schedule to Mr. McDougall without hesitation, feeling like it was a reasonable thing for him to ask.

“I would like that very much, please.”

Mr. McDougall took the schedule gently with a kind smile. He glanced over it, most likely seeing that Annett does indeed have Mr. Daniel as her first class of the day.

“Well, I see that you do have Mr. Daniel first thing in the morning.” He said in a more kind, casual tone, “But like I said, he’s helping with another student right now. First day, first troubles. Haha.” He laughed softly, joking in a way to help Annett feel more comfortable with the situation.

It did bring her some ease about her troubles, though it did make her unsure of what her day will look like now.

“Yeah, haha… So what am I supposed to do now?” She asked in an uncertain tone, though Mr. McDougall did already tell her he would show her around and help ease her into the high school setting himself.

Mr. McDougall didn’t become annoyed with the question, used to it over his years working in a school. To him, it was just Annett asking for reassurance of what her day will look like.

“I’ll be taking you to your first class and show you real quick where some of your other classes are. Mr. Daniel should be in his room by the time I take you there.”

It didn’t really take long for Mr. McDougall to show the young girl around the school building. It wasn't like he needed to give her the full tour of the building itself. Especially with how small it is.

But by the time he was finished, first period was already over, so she didn’t get a proper chance to meet Mr. Daniel. If he was in his room, that is.

She was currently in her writing class, a room that felt like it was meant to invite the weird artist of the world. Having wind chimes by the open windows and hanging lights around the room, projecting all sorts of colors that seemed to bug Annett’s eyes.

The teacher of the room was going over some rules and having small conversations with random students that passed by. Though she wasn’t paying much attention to her teacher.

Annett was more focused on her schedule, like some of the other students were. The first day of school was usually filled with introductions anyways.

“Welcome to Goldenridge High. I am Ms. Warrick, your ELA teacher.” A happy and energetic voice of a teacher cutted through Annett’s thoughts as she finally introduced herself, making her and the rest of the room pay more attention.

“Now, I know this isn’t your first class of the day, but I would still like to introduce you to it!” Ms. Warrick continued, gesturing widely with her hands. “To help us get into our freshman year of high school, I want us all to write a small paragraph of ourselves. Just so we can get a feel of our fellow classmates. I’ll give you all five minutes.”

Annett heard half the class groan in annoyance, though she wasn’t really sure why. It’s not like what Ms. Warrick was asking for was an essay, just an introduction paragraph. Something that most would find easy.

Annett grabbed her pencil case and notebook, getting ready to write about herself, something that she knows very well.

“Don’t you think everyone knows each other by now? We’ve been with each other since Kindergarten.” Annett heard somebody whisper to her. It was someone she also knew very well, her best and only friend, Nat Marritt.

To her, he was a good example of seeing a familiar face, just with slight changes. He obviously kept the same face from last year, though it did look like he gained a few pimples over the summer.

But all and all, Nat was still the same, just slightly bigger, both by length and width.

“Well, yeah, but I don’t think we all have the same classes since Kindergarten, Nat. And besides, we might see somebody new.” She whispered back, smiling a little at seeing her good friend.

Nat rolled his eyes, smiling back at her and getting his notebook out as well. “Well, if there is somebody new here, then I’ll buy you a snack at lunch, how bout that?” He challenged, setting his notebook down on the desk, “I heard they have a vending machine for the students here.”

Annett was a little surprised at hearing something like that, her middle school didn’t have a vending machine for the students because they ‘might take advantage of it’, as her principal there would have said. Though there was no telling what that actually meant. What would they even take advantage of? Chips? Candy? She guessed Goldenridge High might be more lenient towards the kids here. Which the young girl definitely didn’t mind.

Annett felt perked up a little at the idea of getting a snack, which in turn made her hope that a new student really will be in her class today. Something she normally wouldn’t think twice about, if at all.

“That sounds like a deal! Get me the blue bag of chips, would you please?” She politely asked, feeling more chipper than how her day started off.

Nat just smiled and nodded at her, turning to his writing project of self introduction.

Despite the vague way she told him what snack she wanted, their years of friendship made it where he understood what she was asking for. Something that brought comfort to the young girl.

“Dot your ‘i’s and cross your ‘t’s, it’s time for everyone to introduce themselves. You should at least have a sentence down.” Ms. Warrick's voice cut through the classroom, silencing any small conversations the students might still be having.

Annett looked down at what she wrote, feeling like she got the basics of herself down well, but that isn’t what she was focusing on anymore. She needed to see if there were any new students in her class.

Annett kept her eyes on her paper, though she kept her ears open for any new voices or unfamiliar names.

She rubbed her thumb on the soft material, seeing all the basic information she wrote about herself on it. The small, neat as they can be scribbles of her writing etched onto the paper.

It’s information that everyone knew about her, so really, nothing new to anyone. Unless there was a new student in the room, then it obviously would be new to them.

As she was waiting for any new names to be called out, Annett heard a rustling of the wind outside of the window next to her. Ms. Warrick’s wind chimes softly hitting each other in rhythm.

It should have meant nothing to her, but there was something almost different about this autumn wind, something more... strange, maybe?

She turned her head to look out the window, seeing the greens of the trees turning into the usual warm colors of fall, and one of the many old apple orchards in Kindlewood near the school that had its own history.

It was once called Goldenridge, where the high school got its name. It was once a main staple of the town, but just like many things, became old and forgotten, overgrown with its secrets.

The trees started to move along with the winds, some leaves floating towards the ground, while others remained stubbornly in place.

It felt entrancing to her, the way the leaves fell and the warm colors that came in the cool season swirling around with the cool crisp air. The young girl felt like she didn’t want to take her eyes off of it.

And as she stared, she couldn't help but notice something in the old twisting apple trees, something that might have matched with the strange wind.

It snuck through the trees, almost standing out between them. A stark white glistening against the browns and reds of the trees.

And Just as Annett went to get a closer look–

“Annett Weaver? Do we have an Annett Weaver in our class?” Ms. Warrick’s voice interrupted her thoughts, making the young girl jump out of her seat, grabbing her paper and fumbling with it.

Her classmates giggles filled the classroom as she stood there, her face turning warm with embarrassment.

“Sorry…” She quietly mumbled, wishing she didn’t have to do this now.

Annett cleared her throat, trying to regain whatever composure she usually had, and started reading what little she wrote.

“I’m… Annett Weaver. I’ve lived in Kindlewood my whole life and I like– umm… I like snacks and sweets. I don’t really do much other than maybe read and watch movies, and… I have autism.”

It was a quick and simple introduction, nothing too hard. And as soon as it was over, everyone went on to the next kid, listening to their awkward rambles.

So it was no big shock to her classmates, not just who she is, but what she had as well. All of them had experienced it one way or another.

Her disorder has been following her for most of her life, so it wasn’t like she could hide anything from them. What point was there in hiding in Kindlewood anyway?

It was just as Nat said, they’ve all known each other since Kindergarten.

So Annett just simply sat back down in her chair, the class moving on from her introduction.

But as the young girl barely listened to the next kid's introduction, she heard the quiet whisper of Nat’s voice once again, breaking away her half-hearted attention.

“You won the bet.”