silence is the most powerful scream

The girl sitting next to Neve was the embodiment of sunshine. She looked and felt like positivity - it basically radiated off of her. She was beautiful as well. The prettiest blue-green eyes Neve had ever seen, with bright blonde hair that was a dark brown at the roots. Her smile was pretty as well, nice and big as if she'd just been given the best gift on Earth.

Realizing she had yet to respond to the girl, Neve's cheeks grew a dark red color. "Um," She began, "I'm Neve."

It was second nature for her to respond with that name now. She was no longer Genevieve Majors, the little blonde girl with pigtails who befriended anyone and everyone. She was now Neve Mellark, the redhead who stayed to herself and talked when needed.

When she first changed everything about her, she had a rough time. She wanted to befriend people despite the trauma she'd lived through - doing anything she could to get her mind off of what had happened to her. But instead, she couldn't, due to her aunt's strict orders of keeping to herself.

The more people she trusted, the more of a chance her father could find her. The thought didn't make too much sense to Neve, as there was no way a seventeen-year-old in a small town high school knew her father and would help him get to her.

Neve didn't even know if her 'father' was still alive. Even though he was never found by the cops, there's a chance he knew coming after her was too much of a risk and moved on with his life - with hopefully a lot of guilt - or even got killed by someone he got mixed up with that managed to overpower him.

She didn't know, and she tried not to think about it too much.

"It's so nice to meet you! You're a senior this year, correct?" Cloe asked, bringing Neve back to reality.

She'd hoped by her short responses that Cloe would get the hint that she wasn't in the mood to talk, but it seemed that if she had, she didn't really care.

"Yeah," Neve softly responded, hoping that the bell would ring soon.

As if her prayers were answered, the chiming of the loud bell rang. Students filed in last minute, filling in whatever seats they could to avoid getting in trouble on the first day of school. She was thankful for this because Cloe seemed to get the message and turn her body to the front.

"Clo!" Someone exclaimed, and Neve watched with envy as a girl with brown curls ran to the back of the room. They embraced Cloe, the two hugging as if class wasn't supposed to start.

"I feel like it's been way too long!" Cloe exclaimed just as happily, the two giggling as if someone had told them a funny joke.

Neve wanted nothing more than for class to start, feeling quite envious. She'd never had that - even when she was able to have friends. She couldn't have someone to hug and giggle with in a platonic way (if these two were platonic),  and she didn't have a best friend she could look forward to seeing.

Looking down at the empty notebook in front of her, she tried to focus on anything but the blonde and her friend. Her eyes danced anywhere and everywhere, the seconds feeling like minutes as she waited for class to begin.

"This is Neve!" Cloe suddenly exclaimed, catching Neve's attention. She glanced over to see the blonde looking at her, her brunette friend looking over as well.

"Oh, you're so pretty!" The dark-haired girl exclaimed. "I'm Celina, but you can call me Cece!"

"Nice to meet you," Neve quietly but politely told her, turning her attention to the front. She could feel their eyes on her, but thankfully before anything else could be said the teacher at the front finally began class.

Class droned on. No matter how much Neve tried to focus on her first class of the day, she couldn't. This wasn't a good start to the day, let alone the school year. Usually, she was really good at paying attention and keeping to herself, but with how friendly everyone at Halloway High seemed - this made keeping herself busy much harder.

This was supposed to be yet another fresh start for her and Chris. However, it didn't feel like it. She was in the same routine as she always was - locking doors, watching her surroundings, dyeing her hair, and keeping away from people. She barely slept, focused on keeping herself distracted, and stayed to herself, her one and only 'friend' being her aunt.

Chris, however, was a different story. She didn't dye her hair, she didn't stay to herself and prevent herself from branching out there. She talked to anyone and everyone she wanted to, making all the friends in the world that she could. She got to keep her beautiful blonde locks and her normal brown eyes, not having to wear contacts or permanently damage her hair. She got to live, just as she always did with the only difference being more careful of her surroundings.

Even with Detective Forbes' permission to be a normal teenage girl, Christine didn't allow it. She told Neve it was too dangerous, and as long as she was her guardian she made the rules. Neve could do her own thing when she was eighteen and out of her house, but as long as she was with Christine - she was stuck living the same day over and over again with little to no changing unless Christine thought fit to pack up and move overnight.

When the bell rang, Neve was more than happy. She fled the classroom before Cloe and Cece could stop her, and she bobbed and weaved her way through the students who already crowded the halls.

It was quite a big high school. Christine had decided to move them out to Shadowbrook, Rhode Island because it was such a small town that most hadn't even heard of it. She thought it was perfect and the chances of being found out of all states, not only would Rhode Island be the last place to look, but Shadowbrook was the last town you'd even think to check.

When you think about it though, it'd make sense as to why it was such a big school. All they needed was one giant school to fit all the students in, and that was enough for everyone who lived in the town. They wouldn't need many high schools to fill, one big one would be enough.

As the day went by, Neve managed to avoid any run-ins with anyone. She never saw the boy who'd run into her earlier that day, not even the boy who'd first spoken to her when she got to the school. It made it much easier for her to follow her aunt's rules, as she didn't have to come up with excuse after excuse as to why she wasn't able to talk.

When it got to the last class of the day, Neve was more than exhausted. She hadn't even done anything super productive to be this tired, but it was more so the idea of having to learn all the same stuff all over again. The halls, the classes, the townsfolk. Going through the process of avoiding everyone to the point where they know not to bother her... just everything adding up altogether.

She walked into the room to see only a few students had arrived - just like every other class she'd attended so far. She glanced at the teacher who sat at the desk, looking at what looked to be the notes for the day.

Assuming it was like most of her other classes where they could sit anywhere, she chose the back of the class as she usually did. She put her backpack on the floor next to her chair, fiddling with her thumbs while she waited for the bell to ring.

About thirty seconds before it was time for class to begin, she felt her phone vibrate from her back pocket. She quickly pulled it out, knowing the only person who could be texting her would be her aunt.

She was right, and she rolled her eyes at the text from Christine reminding her to head straight home after school. Since Christine had to transfer jobs when they moved, she was unable to get a shift where she could go in and be out by the time Neve went in and out of school. She was also having to work longer shifts to afford the house they were living in, and so not only was Neve going to have to ride the bus home after school but she was also going to have to sit alone at the house until Christine got home.

Just as the rest of her classes had gone, students filed in last minute as the bell rang. It seemed to happen every class, so much so that Neve was used to it by now. People didn't seem to care whether they were on time or not, which didn't bother her all that much because that just meant she got the better seats.

 "Alright, class, settle down." The man at the front of the class spoke, causing the hushed whispers to stop almost immediately. "I know we're still in the summer routine, but it's time to get used to waiting to talk to your friends until after class."

People murmured, which the teacher didn't seem to mind. "As most of you know, my name is Mr. Lloyd. I teach quite a few classes here at Halloway High, from grades nine to twelve. This class, however, is what we'll focus on throughout the semester." He then turned to the whiteboard and began to write something, that something soon revealed as 'Literature'.

"Before we get to what to expect in this class this semester, I'd like to give you your new seating chart." He told the class as he picked up a clipboard, grabbing a black pen from the penholder on his desk.

Groans and mutters echoed through the classroom, everyone except for Neve voicing how much they didn't want to be sat.

"But Mr. Lloyd, we're high schoolers!" One boy groaned from his spot across the room.

"Exactly!" Another girl agreed, "We're old enough to get to choose where we sit, don't you agree?"

"If I agreed, Miss Fowler, I wouldn't be putting you guys in a seating chart, would I?" Mr. Lloyd asked the brunette, earning an eye roll from the girl. "Now, I know that you guys think you're too old to be going by seat charts - and that may be so, but this isn't just to prevent you from chatting with your friends. I'm more than aware that no matter where I seat some of you, you're going to talk. This isn't the point of the seating chart."

"So what's the point then?" The same girl from earlier asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"The point is, Miss Fowler," He began, tapping the tip of the pen to the board. "Is because of the fact that I teach a variety of classes with a variety of grades, I see so many of you often. I've seen some of you since you first entered Halloway High, and you've all chatted and talked to the same group of people since."

It was silent as he walked up and down the aisles, glancing back and forth at the students sitting in the seats. "Not that I'm saying it's a bad thing to keep your same group of friends. It's not. But as a teacher who was once a high schooler myself, I know how hard it was to expand my horizons and make friends."

Murmurs were heard, but Neve ignored them as she kept her focus on Mr. Lloyd. She didn't have anyone to murmur to, and even if she did, she knew that would be against everything Christine told her.

"This obviously won't work for everyone - I'm well aware. I'm also aware I might end up putting you guys next to someone you don't speak to for the entirety of the year. But I've been teaching for quite a while. Only last year did I start the whole seating chart thing, and I watched friendships blossom because of my seating chart. Not only that, it's great to just get to know other people whether you end up being friends or not." Mr. Lloyd continued, making his way back to the front of the class.

Neve personally didn't care too much whether there was a seating chart or not. There were both ups and downs, but she'd live with it whether she wanted to or not. The bad part would be if she got sat somewhere other than the back corner, which was her favorite place to sit. The good part would be she didn't have to sit next to someone without their permission, in case they had been saving that spot for a friend.

Ups and downs.

"So since I need to take attendance anyway to see who's here and who's already doing their senior skips, I'm going to ask that all of you stand up and gather your things." He motioned with a hand, glancing between the clipboard and the class.

The class obliged, much to some of the students' dismay. Neve grabbed her backpack from the floor and picked up anything she'd put on the desk, walking to where everyone stood toward the front of the room.

Mr. Lloyd began to name off students on the seating chart he made, and it didn't take long for Neve to notice that he didn't put it in any sort of order. It wasn't boy-girl-boy-girl, and definitely wasn't in alphabetical order or by name. It looked like he just randomly threw people next to each other, as if he'd put them in a random number generator or something, and did it that way.

Either way, it didn't take long until Neve had heard her name. "Genevieve Mellark," He called out, glancing up at the group of students who'd yet to be sat.

Her cheeks burned red as she pushed through the small crowd, making her way to the seat he was standing next to. It wasn't in the back corner as she'd hoped - which deep down she knew would be rare luck for that to happen - but it wasn't too close to the front either.

She took her seat, ignoring anybody who continued to glance her way. Thankfully, the looks didn't last long as he moved on to the next person, then on to the next.

After finishing the row she'd been sitting in (moving from the back seat to the front), he moved to the row to the side of her. He started in the back much like he had before, and it wasn't long before he got to the side directly to her right.

"Zachary Coast."

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Here's chapter 2, I hope you're enjoying it! Please vote if you liked it and comment your thoughts <3 Also, although the cast list shows blonde Elle Fanning - that's her natural hair in the story. She has dyed red hair, and if you'd like inspo for what she looks like you can find plenty of looks of her red hair on Pinterest :)