Red is such an enigmatic color

Its either desired, feared, or adored

Its a color that people either run from or lean toward

The youth adore the color very much

Drawing and filling hearts with hopeful eyes

Hoping that God truly chooses mates for girls and guys

The lonely and attention seekers use the color for desire

Wearing thin tight red dresses that expose their luscious bust

Taking advantage of the color's power for lust

Ironically, the red that comes out of people is feared

The color suddenly represents sin, demons, death

The color makes people lose their breath

In the end, the puzzle of the color stays unknown

Whether it is good or bad changes by the hour

But there's one thing for sure, the color red holds power

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Urban life was a whole new world. Jules never ventured much outside of her house let alone her secluded town. There were few run down shops and restaurants in Reville Oaks but they were all far in distance so it was always quiet everywhere you went. Dalmellington seemed to be the opposite. An endless line of modern buildings decorated the streets with a continuous stream of people walking in and out. Trees, grass, and flowers were no longer the centerpiece but decoration that seemed to fade into the background.

The location of their apartment was convenient. Although it was outside the city's center where all the shops and business buildings were located, it was pretty close to Jules' high school. Her mother could take the bus to the bakery and she could bike to school in 30 minutes. It was also far enough from the crowded places that they could get some peace and quiet.

It was a simple two-story apartment. Her mother's bedroom was on the first floor and the kitchen and Jules' bedroom was on the second. It took almost all their savings to pay for rent but it was definitely worth it. This was paradise compared to their old wooden house. The balcony outside her room was the cherry on top.

Jules and her mother spent the rest of the day unpacking. Jules was almost done setting up her room when her mother walked in.

"Honey, you have to wake up early for school. Go to bed. We'll finish up tomorrow," Jules instantly recognized her mother's nervous nail bite, "Are you nervous sweet cheeks? Don't be. I remember when I was your age that I enjoyed going to school very much. If you get lost while riding your bike there, only ask someone who looks like a mother for help. If any students gives you a hard time, make sure you tell the teacher. If there is anytime during--"

"Mom, stop worrying. I'll be okay. I'm almost eighteen. You don't need to babysit me anymore. I'm a little nervous but I know that if anything were to happen, you'd be there for me."

Her mom embraced her.

"I know baby girl. I just can't help it. I'm so used to having you by my side 24/7. Remember what I told you?"

"Yes, I won't ever forget it momma. 'Don't do anything the Bible tells you not to do.'"

"That's my girl," her mother kissed her on her forehead, "Goodnight. Sweet dreams."

"Goodnight momma."

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Luckily Jules had experience using maps and was able to have a smooth bike ride to school. When she arrived, she was astonished at what she was seeing. There were two large buildings connected to a smaller one In the middle. The schools in Reville Oaks were big enough to fit at most 50 students. Each of the three buildings looked as if they could easily hold more than 500. The large building on the left was labeled "Dalmellington Academy" while the one on the right was labeled "Dalmellington High". The one Jules was attending was Dalmellington High but she was unaware there was a another neighboring school.

After taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, she walked in.

"Hello, how may I assist you?" The lady on the front desk asked while not taking her eyes off her computer.

"Hi. My name is Jules. Jules Moore. I'm a new student that is attending Dalmellington High for my senior year."

The lady suddenly stopped typing and gave Jules a bright smile.

"Oh yes yes, they told me about you. It's unusual to have a student transfer here for their senior year so I recognized your name right away. Do you like the city so far?"

"Yes ma'm. Its very beautiful here and so different from the small town I'm from."

"That's good, that's good. Well, we are aware that you have plenty of things to adjust to so we'll try and make your transition here go as smooth as possible. One of our friendliest students will be showing you around and helping you with whatever you need. Her name is Abby and--oh, there she is!"

Jules turned around and saw a tall girl walk in timidly. She had brown hair that stopped right at her shoulders, a pointed nose, and a small mole on each of her cheeks with the left one slightly lower. She seemed approachable just by her looks.

"Sorry, am I interrupting?"

"No, we were actually just talking about you," the lady gestured for the girl to come in.

"Hey," she extended out her hand, "My name is Abby."

"I'm Jules. Nice to meet you."

The front desk lady handed Jules a map, schedule, and ID card.

"Make sure she doesn't get lost Abby," she said before going back to typing on her computer.

"Don't worry Mrs. Georgia. I'll take good care of her," Abby replied before leading them out.

Thirty minutes was spent with Abby showing Jules all her classes while she was continuously surprised at how luxurious the school was. She thought it was crazy that everyone had their own lockers and desks.

"This school seems amazing. Its so extravagant," Jules commented once Abby finished her tour.

Abby laughed. "Extravagant? That's definitely not the adjective I would use to describe this school. It's a pretty standard, typical high school. Extravagant is an adjective that is more fitting for Dalmellington Academy."

Jules curiosity was suddenly sparked.

"Is Dalmellington Academy another school?"

Abby immediately stopped walking.

"Wait, you're joking right?"

"What do you mean?"

"Didn't you read about it when you looked up this high school?"

Jules shook her head. She didn't have any technology to use back at home.

"Oh my, I have a lot to catch you up on. This used to be a gender separated school. Boys had classes in one building while girls would have classes in the other. Once teachers realized it caused students to skip classes in order to see the other gender, they changed it into a coed school. But then the school needed more sufficient funds so Dalmellington Academy became a private school for the rich, arrogant, spoiled kids. All they do is wear lavish uniforms and act like they're better than everyone. They're nothing but trouble. Unfortunately, everyone treats them like kings and queens here including the teachers," she sighed, "Money means power in this world."

Abby gave Jules an encouraging squeeze, "Don't worry about them though Jules. You won't have to see them often since all their classes are in the other building. The only issue is that students from both schools go to the middle building to eat lunch. We only have one cafeteria. The school could easily give us different lunch times or build another cafeteria but they think if the rich and poor were to eat together the segregation wouldn't be so bad. I personally think eating together just makes the poor feel poorer. If that didn't suck enough, we also have to share the courtyard that's located between the buildings with them."

Jules became nervous. It sounded as if the students from the other school were hostile.

"Is there a lot of bullying here?"

Abby's eyes widened at the unexpected question but she quickly recovered, not wanting to scare the new kid.

"Um, just don't go wondering around Dalmellington Academy. They're very territorial there. Try to avoid those students at all cost. And most importantly, stay on their good side. If you do all these things, you won't have any problems."

Jules noticed that Abby avoided directly answering her question and became more anxious. There was also a look in Abby's eyes that almost looked like worry and fear but she couldn't tell.

"Anyway, classes are going to start soon. I'll meet you at lunch so we can eat together. Here's my phone number just in case you get lost," Abby handed her a piece of paper and walked away quickly before Jules could ask more questions or inform her that she didn't own a phone.

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Things were going fine at first. Jules easily relocated her first three classes and the students around her were nice and introduced themselves. But her fourth class was chemistry which included a textbook that felt like 100 pounds. Jules had decided to put her other books back in her locker so that she would only have to carry her history book.

It wasn't until she became lost that she realized she had accidentally left her map clamped inside her math book....which was now in her locker....the locker she didn't know how to locate without her map. She couldn't call Abby for help without a phone and the hallways were already empty. The only option she had left was walk around until she was lucky enough to find her classroom or someone she could ask for directions.

After walking around aimlessly for a few minutes, Jules saw a tall male student wearing a letterman jacket quickly walking down the hallway and wasted no time to follow him. Jules was so focused on not losing sight of him that she didn't notice that she was no longer walking on tile floors but marble floors. When he turned a corner, Jules suddenly heard a bang against the lockers and quickly peaked behind the wall to check if the boy had fallen and gotten injured. Instead, she saw something she would have never imagined.

A girl wearing a black and red blazer with a short red plaid skirt that stopped mid thigh was pinning the guy to the locker while kissing him aggressively. Jules instinctively closed her eyes. She had never seen such sexual acts before.

She instantly thought of the Bible, of Corinthians 6:13.

The body is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.

The girl suddenly stopped, sniffed the air, and became tense as if she could sense Jules was there before opening her eyes.

Jules opened her eyes when the sound of lips smacking stopped. The girl snapped her head quickly towards Jules' direction and they instantly made eye contact.

Jules gasped. The girl's eyes were red.

The girl blinked and suddenly her eyes were a greenish blue. It must have been Jules' imagination.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to accidentally intrude," Jules said before dashing away. Luckily she was able to find a teacher in the hallway and locate her class. She was really hoping she didn't make the couple mad for interrupting. Especially since the girl was wearing a uniform that informed Jules to not get on her bad side.

Luckily, the teacher didn't care she came so late since she was a new student. However, it was hard to focus in her history class as she prayed for those two students and their sinful acts.

After class, Jules was very grateful when she saw Abby waiting outside her classroom. It helped calm her nerves.

"How have your first classes been so far?"

Jules decided it was best if she kept the strange encounter to herself. Abby might stop helping her if she found out that Jules may have angered one of the academy students.

"It's been alright I guess."

Abby patted her shoulder.

"Dont worry, Jules. The first day is always the most stressful. You'll feel better after eating lunch. And you will finally get to see how arrogant the private students are. Ignore them and your appetite will not be spoiled. Not all of them are bad though. I'm actually good friends with one. He's the only one I think is tolerable though. You'll get to meet him..."

Jules couldn't focus while Abby ranted as she led them to the cafeteria. Jules was afraid that the girl she saw in the hallway would recognize her.

It was an accident. There was no way she would be bullied for such a small thing. Right?