It was dark still, but the first days of Dawn were peaking through the glass walls of the fragrant hothouse. It was always this way in the mornings and I could always be found living across the cushioned white wicker bench in the middle of the rather large glass building at that early hour. It was one of the few places that no one cared to bother me, not even my best friend Sophia. The Wildflower hall, being a hotel, had very few places for private, undisturbed contemplation. The hothouse was one of them.
At that moment I was contemplating the strange feeling I had in my gut that something was going to happen, though good or bad I couldn't tell. All I knew was that it was something important-something vital even, that would have a lasting effect on me.
This year will be different.
I had learnt to listen to my instincts long ago on everything. As my instincts were often right. I couldn't afford to listen to them. Of course, there had been times when I allowed my heart to cloud my judgement. I shook my head trying to shake the thoughts away as well. I knew I wouldn't think about it. There was too much pain in those memories and those times were in the past, they were far better left there.
My thoughts went back to the strange feeling in my gut. It occurred to me that the feelings appear to coincide with Giselle's strange behaviour. My mentor and friend had been acting like she was floating on cloud nine, something highly unusual for the generally composed and passive woman. She was very rarely unhappy but to see her in this constant state of euphoria was unnerving. And I was getting the decided impression that it had something to do with me. She was constantly sending me conspiratorial looks as though I was on some great secret. What that secret was I hadn't a clue.
I sighed and closed my eyes, breathing deeply the scent of the flora around me. Azaleas, blood-red rhododendrons, sky blue cornflowers and forget- me- not, exotic flowers that were nameless to me. This was as close to heaven as I could ever get on the spinning orb that I lived in, and I soon would be forced to abandon it in favor of the hellish nightmare I call the school.
I laughed bitterly. It was such a farce; I had no idea why Giselle insisted on putting me through it. The whole coven was forced to endure it, from Cameron to Ray. Only Josh managed to escape it and that was more or less because of his phobia of the outside world.
"I guess getting chased by a bunch of 15th-century villages with torches and pitchforks will do that to a guy." I thought dryly.
A familiar ache in the pit of my stomach warned me once again: this year is going to be different.
I ignored it, brushing off an imaginary speck of dust on my immaculate clothing, resigned for whatever came. I just hoped that it wasn't Giselle setting me up with some weird girl again. It was never any fun to me. Giselle always became so irritated when I made them cry but that is how I am. I don't have feelings, that is why I don't care about others feelings.