Elara must be studious for school, she ran from home after having breakfast. Her mom made pancakes blueberries spread throughout the cream and cheese with caramel dripping on sides of the cake. The caramel taste still climbed on her tongue. She licked her sides of mouth and wiped it with a handkerchief. Wiping her sweat off, she reached the school gate. It was highschool a new starts where she will go to school normally everyday as usual nothing will change aa long she doesn't have nightmares of her teenage moments from the forest.

Her eyes glued to the ground walking abruptly to her class. This was her first day of highschool new kids has arrived and she earned for friends looking on hallways fiddling with her bag star that is hanging on her back. Her hair was long till her elbow length. Her doe eyes twinkling with each glance she took on students on hallway. It was crowded on hallways. Class will start in ten minutes and she has to find a new locker for herself. She pushed students past and found a cute pink one with golden keys dangling on the iron locker. Opening it she pushed her books in. Taking her stationeries she glanced at her sticker collection from her middle school. Pulling a small smile at it she shut the locker door and walked away to class.
She was not ugly but a pretty cute girl , while she walked to class, boys admired her with murders and whispers. She knew it all along this will happen. As it is new kids. She adorned herself becoming stranger but she can't help she will get friends each year but not permanent. She entered the classroom. It was a mess. Papers flying through air in all shapes of rocket and kites. One stuck on her hair. Her eyes moved to her upper head, and searched for the paper.

"Here you go!"
A male voice indulged in, her hairs get pulled out with the papper and she turned around to see a human male boy smiling at her with hands holded in cross.

His friends who is tall and well builted pushed him past and walked to an empty seat on the last row.
"Come to seat will you Milo!"
Other boy shouted.
"Easy man I have a little task here."
Milo said hooded his eyes at Elara.
"What's you name sweetheart?"
His eyes gleamed with blue eye balls poking at her skin directly. She felt uneasy to answer. Her lips twitched.
"I am Elara from Thornwood."
"Nice to meet you Elara."
"I am Milo Lockwood and that is my brother Ellen Lockwood we moved ot her from New York."
"Oh Nice! So where you staying?"
"That's nice to be answered. We were also from Thornwood village and we had moved to city last month for our schooling."
Both glanced at each other. Ellen was watching them having conversation and introduction. His hands getting in fit and stood up pulling the table . There was an empty seat near him and he put his bag at the empty seat. Probably reserved for someone he is waiting.

"Boys shut up and class is starting!"
Teacher came in and all students rushed to the seats.
Millo went to a seat at the last row. There was only one seat left at side of Ellen. When she was about to come Ellen moved the bag from the chair and pulled back as a gentleman. Ellara watched the actions of the boy and smiled. Hanging her backpack she listened to the class with almost attention.

She knew the boy near her was watching. She couldn't help but to admire his bodily features in secret.
Elara's mind wandered despite her efforts to pay attention to the teacher. She couldn't help but steal glances at Ellen Lockwood, who sat beside her. He had a quiet intensity that intrigued her, his dark hair falling slightly over his eyes, which were fixed on the teacher with an unwavering focus. She noted the way his jawline tightened as he listened, giving him a thoughtful appearance that contrasted with the chaos of the classroom.

Ellen's demeanor was different from the other boys. While Milo was charming and playful, Ellen exuded a quiet strength that made Elara curious. She found herself admiring the way his broad shoulders filled out his shirt, the way his hands moved with precision as he took notes, and the subtle way his eyes flicked towards her when he thought she wasn’t looking.

The class continued, but Elara’s thoughts were elsewhere. She imagined what Ellen’s life in New York had been like, what he might have left behind, and why he seemed so reserved. She wondered if he had any friends here yet, or if he felt as out of place as she did on this first day of high school.

As the teacher droned on about the syllabus, Elara allowed herself to daydream a bit. She pictured herself walking through the forest again, but this time not alone. Ellen was there, his presence comforting and steady. They spoke about their dreams and fears, and he shared stories about the city, making her laugh with tales of his adventures.

The sound of the bell snapping her out of her reverie, signaling the end of class. Students began to gather their things, but Elara hesitated, not wanting to break the moment. Ellen stood up, slinging his bag over one shoulder, and looked at her with a small, knowing smile.

“Ready for the next class?” he asked, his voice soft yet resonant.

Elara nodded, feeling a warmth spread through her at his attention. They walked out of the classroom together, Ellen matching his pace to hers. As they navigated the crowded hallways, Elara couldn’t shake the feeling that this was the beginning of something significant, a new chapter that might just bring the permanence she had been yearning for.

As Elara and Ellen walked down the hallway, they were soon joined by Milo, who bounced up to them with a wide grin.

"Hey, you two! Ready for art class?" Milo asked, his energy infectious. He slung an arm around Ellen's shoulders, which elicited a small sigh from his brother.

Elara smiled at Milo's exuberance. "Yeah, I think so. Art sounds like fun."

They made their way to the art room, where the teacher was setting up supplies for their first project. The room was bright and spacious, with large windows letting in the morning light. The smell of paint and clay filled the air, a stark contrast to the sterile scent of the other classrooms.

Milo immediately found a spot at a large table and motioned for Elara and Ellen to join him. "Come on, this table has the best light!"

Elara took a seat, and Ellen sat beside her, his silence continuing as he observed the room. Milo began chatting animatedly about the different art projects he hoped to work on, his excitement palpable.

As the teacher gave instructions for their first assignment—a self-portrait—Elara glanced at Ellen. He was focused on the paper in front of him, his brows slightly furrowed as if deep in thought. She wondered what was going through his mind, and why he seemed so withdrawn compared to his brother.

Milo, on the other hand, was already making bold strokes with his pencil, humming a tune as he worked. "I love art class. It's a chance to be creative and just let loose," he said, looking up at Elara. "What about you? Do you like art?"

"Yes I like it because of my childhood drawings went blunt with just strokes of mountains and some birds filling it in between the valleys."
Ellaa said and Milo laughed in manic way making Ellen eying them with a mask of unknown mix of emotions filling inside him. Watching Elara have hin strength from the first day of class when he seated beside her. Other girls was just a mere beauty girls but this girl hit on him right into his heart like an arrow sticker in his vein.

"Sounds like schools days will be fun!"
He mumbled making the painting finish at the end of canvas and standing up by packing the art work to his bag and walking away out of the class leaving Elara and Milo foolish.

Milo took his bag and run behind him to catch him as the bell rang. Elara also stood up packing her essentials and walking to her home and thinking what Ellen mumbled earlier.