Chapter 1

**In loving memory of Kelly Nelles 1962-2022 (Uncle, a brother and a friend)**

It felt weird to be back at Manhattan High, maybe because I lost my foster da during weird summer or maybe because I moved into my aunt Wendy and uncle Kevin’s house, since I’m not old enough to live on my own (luckily, their house isn’t far away from the school, only a couple of blocks away).

Either way, it still feels strange walking through the front school doors and going down to the basement to meet up with Caleigh ang Rachel.

I hung up my jean jacket in my locker, locked it back up and turned to see my pair of friends coming towards me with open arms.

“Hi Vanessa, how are you?” asked Rachel and Caleigh, as each friend had their turn of hugging me.

“Oh, I’m good, ” I lied, putting on a fake smile.

“How was your summer?“.

“It was great; After Taylor’s party, I slept over at another friend’s house and went shopping with them in Syracuse. In August, Caleigh and I went to Canada’s Wonderland and Calypso” explained Rachel, as she put her jacket in her locker.

“It was so much fun” added Caleigh, before she pulled up a bunch of photos of her and Rachel at the amusement and water parks.

“I did send a few texts to you skiing if you wanted to come along, but you never answered back”.

“You did? I never saw them; I guess I was too busy being caught up in my own summer” I explained, giving Caleigh’s phone back to her after scrolling through the gallery.

“So, what did you do all summer?” asked Rachel, closing her locker and turned to face me.

I swallowed hard.

“Well, I-I went to a trailer park camp”.

“That sounds fun. What are two highlights you did there?“.

“I went fishing with my uncle and went tubing with my new summer friends” I said as all of the other traumatic events flooded in my head from the summer.

As my friends got caught up in talking about their classes they’re taking this year, I let my mind wander and I ended up staring at my shadow, casting down on the hallway floor.

For a moment, I thought I saw it became some kind of lizard or crocodile shape, before I felt Caleigh tapping my shoulder.

“Yes?” I asked, snapping my attention back to my friends.

“V, we’re going to head to our classes, want to join us?” asked Rachel, bringing me back to the conservation.

“No, I’ve got to head to my class” I quickly said, glancing down at my digital watch, before looking back at Caleigh and Rachel.

“But I’ll see you both later”.

I gave my friends a wave goodbye before I started to walk up to my grade ten math class. Unfortunately, none of my friends are in of my classes, which sucks. This semester I’ve got Math, Science, Dance and American History.

Though it would be better if I had math in any other period except for first, because I’m still waking up. But I’ll get used to it.

I walked into my math class on the main floor of the school and sat down at the back row of desks, before pulling out my binder and pencil I wonder what our first lesson will be?