The Fallen Ch. 01

Thank you, dear reader, for giving my story a look. My apologizes if it seems a bit slow at first, but I promise there is a steamy and somewhat lengthy love scene at the end. This is the first of (hopefully) many chapters, so I wished to attempt creating some depth in the main protagonist.

The usual disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. All characters involved in erotic scenes are over 18, even when not explicitly stated.

Additional disclaimer: There is a short scene that deals with a very heavy, very dark subject matter. If you are bothered by such things please read with caution.

* * * * * *

THE FALLEN

CHAPTER 1: DISCOVERY

The taxi I'm seated in pulls up to the open, wrought-iron gates of my new home. The driver parks with the car's back end just past the intricate metalwork of the pretentious and formidable portal. I peer out the vehicle's side window and inspect the tall walls of red brick.

To both sides of the gate are large metal signs secured to the stone. The words "Bay Ridge Academy" are emblazoned on their shiny surfaces, the words sparkling in the late morning sunlight. I can't help but feel intimidated at the daunting sight. The cold steel, brick, and concrete of the gate and walls doesn't feel welcoming at all. I feel as though I'm in front of a reclusive billionaire's property, not a private boarding school. It's as if I'm about to enter an inhospitable and alien landscape.

I exit the taxi, my eyes still taking in the grand walls and gate, and the driver gets out to open his trunk. He lifts out my four suitcases and carry-on bag and sets them on the ground. I'm peering with trepidation through the property's entrance as he rattles off what I owe him. I hand him some money, including a decent tip.

"Keep the change," I say quietly without meeting his eyes.

He looks at the payment and smiles, saying, "Thank you, miss. You take care."

"Um, thanks," I mutter uncomfortably.

He gets back in his taxi and pulls away, leaving me alone at the entrance to the school. My twin brother Christopher was supposed to meet me here to help me get registered and settled in, but he's a no-show. I dig my cell phone from the duffel bag at my feet and check the time. I'm a few minutes late, but not enough he should have abandoned me already. I drop the phone back inside the bag and zip it shut.

I sigh heavily, not knowing how I was going to lug around four big suitcases and a medium-sized duffel all by myself. Maybe my brother forgot. Maybe he didn't care enough to remember. Maybe he came here earlier, didn't see me, and left because he had better things to do.

I sit down on one of my suitcases and resolve myself to waiting. Even though Fall hasn't hit full force, the late morning air is still a touch chilly. I pull my gray knit sweater a bit tighter around me to ward off the cold.

I have a habit of twirling strands of my long, black hair around a finger when I'm bored or nervous, and I catch myself doing so. I suppose I'm feeling a little of both emotions. Without much else to do I gaze through the open gate at the impressive and sizable grounds within.

I can smell freshly cut grass from the expansive greenery of the quad. There are old, towering trees scattered around it's area. Many of them are evergreens, but the leaves of the deciduous ones have yet to turn yellow and tumble to the ground. It's green upon green upon green in there, with only the brown tree trunks, red brick buildings, and gray sidewalks present to break up the verdant sea.

The huge, multi-story school buildings ring around the perimeter of the park-like quad. There are so many they block my view of the rest of the grounds. The outside walls extend in the distance beyond the area I'm viewing, so I know I'm not seeing everything. Not to mention all the pamphlets I read told of a whole bunch of things that aren't visible from where I sit.

There's supposed to be a student union, a boy's and girl's dorm, an "impressive" library (their words), an Olympic-sized indoor swimming pool, a mechanic and machine shop, two football fields, a baseball diamond, four tennis courts, and a partridge in a pear tree. And that's only the stuff I can remember off the top of my head. Bay Ridge Academy resembles a college campus more than a high school, but for sixty thousand a year I expect it should.

I lean back and watch the clouds for a bit to pass the time, but this waiting is getting tedious.

I sigh heavily...again.

I'm about to say 'to hell with it', grab as much luggage as I can manage, and start walking when I notice a boy in the distance running across the quad toward me. He's wearing tennis shoes, black track shorts, a white t-shirt, and a blue baseball cap. I can see blond hair peeking from under his hat. His t-shirt is spotted with sweat around the neck and armpits. Judging by the outfit it looks like he just came from PE class.

He waves from a distance as he sees me. This must be Christopher, but I thought he had black hair like me? Hair color, maybe? Nice of him to keep me waiting, but better late than never I guess. I stand up, letting my long black hair fall around my visage like a shield.

As the boy gets closer I see his smiling face is rather handsome, his blue eyes sparkling as he comes to a stop in front of me. I mentally upgrade him from "boy" to "man", but I realize at the same time he's not Christopher. Even though I've never seen my brother in person I have a recent picture of him in my phone, and this guy isn't him.

"Hi!" he pants lightly. "You must be...Chris' sister...Erykah."

I freeze up. I've never been good around cute guys, especially strangers, and this one is hot. He looks a hair over six feet tall, and he's got a lean and muscular runner's body.

"Are you...okay?" he asks.

His question snaps me out of my building unease. I better say something, or he's gonna think I'm a total tool.

"Where's Christopher?"

I think about how rude and terse I just sounded, but instead of apologizing I stand there like a dummy. The guy doesn't seem to take offense, though. He looks at me and, of all things, gives me a friendly sort of smile.

He's recovering his wind quickly, but still pants lightly as he explains, "Sorry if I made you wait. We had to take Chris to the infirmary. They think he sprained his wrist so he asked me to come get you."

"Oh," I enunciate slowly. "That sucks."

I'm mortified when I realize that could be taken totally wrong, as if I meant it sucked that he was standing here in front of me. I berate myself. Open mouth, insert foot you stupid girl.

"I...um...I didn't...uh..."

He laughs lightly in amusement, but it isn't a mean sound. He looks at me with a broad grin that flashes his straight and sparkling teeth.

"Don't worry. I know what you meant, and don't worry about your bro, either. He'll be fine. It's nothing serious. I'm Chris' friend Thomas, by the way. It's nice to meet you," he says, that gorgeous grin still pasted to his face.

He sticks out a hand to offer me a handshake. I'm a little taken aback, but I muster my courage and reach out to take Thomas' hand. His smile broadens even more as he gives me a grip that is neither too tight nor too sloppy.

"Chris was right when he said you're pretty," Thomas compliments me with that warm smile of his.

I blush and practically jerk my hand back as my heart skips a beat.

"Oh crap, I'm sorry," Thomas laughs softly. "I wasn't hitting on you, I swear. It just that Chris hasn't shut up about you for the last week. He really is sorry he couldn't be here to meet you himself."

"It's okay," I mutter quietly, looking away to the ground and letting my long hair shadow my face and my bashful expression.

"Anyway, let me help you with those suitcases," Thomas offers, motioning to my luggage.

I nod and step back. Thomas slings the strap of my carry on duffel over his neck and one shoulder before lifting two of my suitcases. I grab the remaining two pieces of luggage, and my eyes roam over Thomas' arms and the way his muscles tense and bulge under the weight of my suitcases. The masculine sight makes my heart flutter a bit faster.

"You need the admin building first, right?" he asks, noticing me checking him out.

I look away nervously again.

"Yeah," I reply in a voice so low it's almost a whisper.

"Alright. Follow me."

I remain silent as we walk through the open gate and across the quad. Except for multitudes of chattering birds, the grounds are strangely deserted. If not for Thomas walking beside me the lack of other people would be incredibly eerie. He points out and describes each building as we pass it, performing as an impromptu tour guide. His voice is animated and happy as he does, and it makes me feel a little more at ease as we approach my destination.

Thomas is acting as if I'm merely some normal girl he's been saddled with and not a total social klutz. He doesn't strike me as a dim bulb who wouldn't notice how awkward I'm being, so I can only assume he's trying to be nice. The latter would make more sense since he's one of my brother's friends. Is that the reason, or is he a genuinely nice guy?

Or is he only pretending? I know some guys play nice to get into a girl's pants, but later on you find out what a jerk wad they are. Not that I know from personal experience, I swear. I've always had too much self-respect to give up the goods without falling in love first. I regret to report the love thing hasn't happened yet.

Not even close.

"Well, what do you think so far?" he asks as we reach the front door of the administration building.

I shrug noncommittally and mutter, "It's okay."

"It's a little intimidating at first, I admit," he nods, his assessment summing up my feelings exactly, "but you'll learn your way around. Don't worry. The place grows on you."

Thomas sets down one suitcase and opens the door for me, holding it with his foot and grabbing the luggage again.

"Thanks," I say quietly as I step through.

Thomas leads me to the admissions office. We set down our burdens, and I fetch my transfer paperwork from the duffel bag. It's a boring fifteen minutes as I fill out more paper work. The secretary keeps glancing over to where Thomas loiters nearby and eventually speaks to him.

"Shouldn't you be getting back to class, Thomas?" the secretary asks.

"Sure," he nods with a smile, tapping one of my suitcases with his foot, "just be careful of this one. It's a little heavy."

"What do you mean?" she asks.

"Wouldn't want you to strain yourself when you help Erykah carry her suitcases to the dorms."

"Oh," the secretary mutters flatly, as if noticing for the first time how many suitcases I have. "You can stay, but as soon as you're done helping her you need to get back to class."

"Sure thing," Thomas says with his broad smile intact.

When I'm partway through picking out my electives for the trimester, Thomas offers to fetch my school attire from the quartermaster's office.

"Want me to go get your snazzy new uniforms while you finish up here?"

"O-okay," I agree.

"What's your sizes?"

I hesitate but quickly conclude it's not really that big a deal if he knows. I'm actually quite slim, though I wish sometimes I wasn't so skinny. I've always been self-conscious of my narrow butt and smallish boobs, often wishing I had a more curvy body. I write my relevant sizes onto a piece of scratch paper, handing over both it and the requisition form to Thomas.

I half expect him to read the numbers I wrote down, but he doesn't even look. I guess if he really wants to he can check it out after he leaves, but he's gentlemanly enough not do it in front of me.

"Back in a flash," he tells me with a smile and a wink.

It's not quite a flash, but he returns right as I'm wrapping up the last of the paperwork. The secretary files some of it away, puts some into a plastic cubbie, and hands me several printouts. I stuff my class schedule, rules handbook, student ID, and dorm key into my duffel.

"Got room for these?" Thomas asks, holding out five new, shrink-wrapped school uniforms.

Somehow I manage to jam them inside. Thomas lifts the lion's share of my luggage again, and I quietly thank the secretary before turning to head out.

"You're welcome," she says with a friendly smile, "Don't forget to stop at the repository to get books for your classes, and welcome to Bay Ridge Academy."

* * * * * *

We reach the huge dorm buildings. The pair of eight story structures are separated by a small park and look like mirror images of each other. They're red brick, like all the other buildings I've seen so far, and remind me of nothing less than apartment complexes.

"That's the boy's dorm, and that's the girl's," Thomas explains, pointing to each in turn. "Just keep in mind that dorms of the opposite gender are off limits after 7 PM. Full curfew is 10 PM, and 11 PM is lights out. The last one isn't really enforced all that hard unless you're being rowdy, but the first two definitely are."

I nod wordlessly as we proceed into the girl's dorm. We take the elevator to the third floor, and I extract my key to unlock the door to my new abode. I step inside and gaze around.

I'd like to say it's cozy, or homey, or a million other nice adjectives, but it's just a strange, new place. Like a hotel room...a space you'll stay in for a night before moving on. I have this sense of being a trespasser in a place I wasn't meant to be, but I suppose I better get used to it. This is home for my foreseeable future.

Thomas follows me inside. We set down my suitcases, duffel bag, and the pile of books. Thomas had insisted on carrying the books also. It's impressive how he managed it all. I can't imagine the stamina it took to haul all that weight without dropping any of it. He waits wordlessly as I have a look around.

There's a full-sized bed against one wall. It's already covered by neutral brown sheets, a same colored comforter, and a nondescript beige pillow. I sniff the bedding gingerly. At least the bed doesn't stink or smell musty. The comforter seems freshly washed, exuding a flowery, detergent scent.

A digital alarm clock sits on the nearby nightstand. There's a study desk with a wooden chair against the opposite wall, a small work lamp atop the desk, and another plain-looking sitting chair nearby. I move around to explore the diminutive dorm room and open a sliding door to find a decent-sized closet.

In the back corner is a small kitchenette with several cupboards and drawers, a sink, hotplate, and microwave. There's no stove or dishwasher, but a modest and empty refrigerator sits there humming softly. A breakfast bar with two stools separates the two halves of the dorm room.

Through another door at one end of the kitchenette is the bathroom. Inside are just the basics – a toilet, sink, and a small shower-slash-bathtub setup. I'm glad for that last one. I prefer showers most days, but every once in a while I like a good, hot soak. I open the medicine cabinet above the sink. It's empty, of course.

All in all I suppose it's a big enough space for me to exist in. I go back into the main area.

"I better get going," Thomas says. "Morning classes will be over shortly, and Chris should be out of the infirmary by now. You wanna join us for lunch?"

"No," I decline. "I need to get unpacked."

Thomas looks disappointed, but he grins at me with his friendly smile again.

"Alright," Thomas nods in understanding. "Maybe tomorrow then?"

"Um...maybe," I shrug, looking down at my suitcases.

What the hell is wrong with me? A cute guy is asking me to eat lunch with him, and I'm all like "no way dude".

Classic Erykah Gray.

Thomas once again flashes that disappointed look at my lack of a firm yes to his invitation, but it's short lived. His expression brightens almost immediately.

"Oh, and happy birthday! I know it was last week, but you weren't here then, so...happy birthday!"

How did he know? Then it hits me. Christopher is my twin and has the same birthday. That's right. With everything that's happened in my life the last two weeks I never really thought about the fact that I'm eighteen now.

"Thanks," I say gratefully.

I try to smile, but it feels forced so I give up.

"Oh yeah, let me give you my cell number. I'd be happy to show you around campus, or if you just wanna talk or hang out or whatever."

"Um, okay," I nod slowly before fishing around in the duffel for my phone.

Not that I really planned on calling him, but after how helpful he's been it'd be rude not to at least program his number into my cell. Really, what could I say? 'Sorry, Thomas, but I'm a socially awkward loner who'd rather sit alone reading a book than talk to people, and I don't want your number.'

My fingers finally locate my phone amidst the clutter inside my duffel bag, and I program Thomas' number into it.

"Okay," Thomas says as he waves goodbye. "Later."

"Bye," I reply, trying to smile but failing miserably.

He heads out, shuts the door behind, and leaves me alone to start unpacking.

* * * * * *

I finished putting my things away a while ago, all my clothes and belongings stowed where they belong, and now I lay on my bed staring at the dull, white ceiling above. My mind keeps swirling around the last two weeks and how terrible they've been.

My mom, who was my best friend and my confidant and my hero all rolled into one...is dead. She was killed in a senseless and random car accident, an event that should have killed me as well. How I survived is, by all accounts, a mystery.

A 'miracle' they called it after using the jaws of life to pull me from the wreckage. By all rights I should've been dead, but I barely had a scratch. I don't like to think about that night.

How did I end up here in this new place? When I was young, about two years old, my parents divorced. Mom never really talked about it much, but I always got a sense it was less than amicable.

My father got custody of my brother, and my mother got custody of me. I've never met my father or brother in person. It has something to do with my father's work, although my mother never really spoke of that either. Apparently my father and brother moved around the world a lot, living in faraway places like India, Turkey, or Japan.

Every once in a while I'd get a letter from my father. It would be addressed from some faraway place and full of meaningless small talk and mindless pleasantries, but I never responded. I have no memories of either him or Christopher, and even if I had been inclined to write I certainly wouldn't know what to say.

'Dear Dad...why the hell have you never visited your own daughter? Sincerely, piss off.'

Anyway, my mother had never remarried, preferring to focus on raising me and on her career as a lawyer. On my birthday, only a week after her death, I suppose I became an adult, legally speaking. What should have been a joyous occasion came and went without me really taking notice. Like most eighteen year olds I have no idea how to support myself. Not that mom left me destitute, but her will put almost everything into a trust that I can't touch until I graduate high school.

She put allowances in the will to provide for my basic needs while I do so, as well as granting an extra one-hundred dollar a week disbursement so I'd have some "fun money". The trust fund isn't huge, but it would be enough to see me through high school. After that there will be enough left over to pay for maybe two or three years of college.

And then I was on my own.

When my father had offered to pay for boarding school, contacting me via text messages, I jumped at the chance. Not only would this save me a lot of money in the long run, but Christopher is my twin brother. Though the circumstances are shit, it's as good a chance as any to finally meet him.