Amy winced as the car soared over another bump. Her head was already pounding from waking up extra early to stuff her things inside her bag and get ready for her first day of school. As the car touched the ground once more, Amy reached out to touch the barely a concealed bruise on her head.

It was still slightly purple and hurt every time anything touched it. Despite trying to put loads of makeup to hide it, it still stood out on her pale skin and gave her the vibes of someone being abused.

The driver, Noah, looked at her when the car stopped at a red traffic light.

"Are you alright, Amy?" he asked cautiously, almost afraid that Amy would explode if he said the wrong thing.

"I am fine, Uncle Noah. It's just... I didn't think that I would have to start school so quickly. I am not even mentally ready to meet new people yet," she said, sighing loudly.

Uncle Noah was like a second father to Amy. Whenever Any was not confident to tell her parents anything, she always knew she could tell Uncle Noah. He would never tell it to anyone and by doing so, he had gained Amy's full trust.

Despite being only a driver, Uncle Noah had always been treated as part of the family. In fact, when Amy's father bought them a cottage in the town, he had also bought Uncle Noah's family a little house near them.

Uncle Noah frowned, his wrinkles furrowing deeper into his face. "Amy, I thought you wanted to meet your cousins and new people when you were moving to this town. Weren't you excited because of that? What happened now?"

Amy sighed once more, running her hand over the leather seats of the car. "I was excited because of that Uncle Noah. But, I need time to prepare myself that I am actually going to meet them. Back in the city, we hardly knew anyone. It didn't matter how we dressed or looked or talked. Here, everyone knows everyone. I am scared that if I mess up with one person, the entire town would start hating me."

Uncle Noah smiled sadly. "There is always the possibility of that happening, young one. But I know nothing like that would happen to you. Especially because you are my sweet, little Amy who does nothing wrong. And if you do nothing wrong, nothing wrong will happen to you," he said sweetly.

Amy smiled back, the fear in her chest still not quenched. As the huge, black gates of her school got nearer, she started fidgeting in her seat. The gate automatically opened and the car drove in, Uncle Noah parking it near the front door of the school.

Uncle Noah turned towards her. "I know you will do well, Amy. Go make me proud!" he said, unlocking the doors.

Amy looked at him and smiled nervously before swinging her bag over her shoulders and getting out of the car. She waved to Uncle Noah as he drove out before twirling to face the school.

It was huge, almost looking like a castle. There were four huge towers that seemed to be as high as ten storeys and had a pointed end. They were red in colour and Amy shuddered when she realised that the colour almost looked like dried blood. In the middle of the towers was her school, standing proudly at a height of about four storeys, washed with the colours of cream and brown.

Amy started at the huge, brown doors of the school in front of her. She could feel the curious glances of people around her. Instead of looking at them and getting more scared, she took a deep breath and walked towards the front door.

In her mind, there was just one thought.

You can do this!