"That's her! Scarlett Thundera!"

The short, slim girl, her long curly red hair tumbling down to her midriff and piercing green eyes bright, stepped unhesitantly into the room. Immediate stares followed her entrance, taken up by the few students who'd already arrived in the school. The girl, paying no mind to the awed whispers that drifted about her, made her way over to an empty desk and set down the books she'd been assigned that semester. She sat down, straightening her dark blue skirt and folding her hands in front of her.

She peeked to the side briefly, noting amusedly that some of the students appeared almost frightened by her. However, she was also somewhat dissapointed that none seemed at all compelled to meet her. Checking the clock that was hanging on one of the monotonously gray-painted walls, she realized that it was in fact still very early. Her homeroom teacher hadn't even arrived yet. She allowed a small ray of hope to penetrate her gloom. She might be in her class. Maybe, maybe... of course, she wouldn't know, as she couldn't be bothered to check the class lists that came in the mail.

So here she was. A new student, having just transferred from an all-girls private school, at the very beggining of the new school year. She told herself she ought to be grateful she hadn't transferred in the middle of the year. That would bring lots of unwanted attention.

"Um... hello? You're Scarlett Thundera, right?"

Scarlett blinked, turning her head to see the student who'd just addressed her. A tall boy with stormcloud-colored gray hair, one streak of a darker shade in his bangs, and dark golden eyes the color of the setting sun. He smiled shyly, running one hand through his short and spiky hair. "I'm sorry to bother you... I was just wondering... well, what you're doing here, really..." He looked away, seeming uncomfortable. "It's just that... uh... you being rich, and stuff..." The whole classroom suddenly seemed to be tuned in, straining their ears for the answer to the question they'd all been wondering.

"That," she began, raising her chin stubbornly and meeting the boy's gaze, "is none of your concern." The silence that met her statement was short-lived, as she quickly broke it again. "Now, if you don't mind, I would like to have the name of the man I am addressing... if you're a man, that is." A small smirk crossed her lips as several laughs broke out. She'd never really been around men much, besides some of the instructers at her old school. Still, if this was the worst they got, she was quite sure she could handle it.

The boy blushed bright red, now the subject of his peers' teasing remarks. "My name's Stan." he muttered, shuffling his feet on the ground awkwardly.

"That's a nice name." Scarlett replied with mock politeness, for which she earned more giggles. "As you already seem to know, I am Scarlett Thundera, meaning I am the daughter of Sandra Thundera and Fiorella Thundera." She raised one small eyebrow at Stan, which made him flinch. "I'm assuming you know who they are, as well." The silence had returned to the room as the students slowly got the message: Scarlett Thundera was not to be messed with.

"Y-yes, ma'am." The gray-haired young man shuffled away swiftly, his face bright red and eyes wide. Smirking, Scarlett leaned back in her chair, twiddling her thumbs absently. Ten minutes into her first day of her Senior year, and she'd already set the score. She shouldn't have any trouble here, not in the least bit. That was, of course, unless her parents decided Leah has served her sentence and could enroll in the same school... Scarlett rolled her eyes. Her older sister, Leah, was exactly the opposite of the red-haired little spitfire. Tall, curvaceous, and elegant, Leah was the highlight of the Thundera family. Scarlett had no quarrel against her older sister personally. In fact, she was the nicest person she'd ever met- perhaps that was why she was so annoyed by her. A family as prestigious as the Thundera's should not be soiled with such sympathy towards lower-classed citizens- it was simply unbecoming.

"No way! Scarlett, is that you?"

As the familiar voice sounded from the doorway, the freckle-faced girl raised her head and grinned from ear to ear when she found the source. Her long-lost best friend, Sophia, gazed at her with amazement obvious on her round face. She looked just the same as she had, seven years before- brown hair shot through here and there with natural highlights of blonde and black, perfectly tan complexion, and wide green eyes. She was quite a bit bustier than before, but of course, that was to be expected. Sophia ran to her amediately, blind to the amazed gazes of her classmates. "Oh my God, Scarlett! It's been forever!" She giggled, sitting down in the desk right beside her's.

"Yeah, it has." Scarlett laughed as well, finding her friend's cheer to be contagious. "I finally got permission from my father to transfer. He realized, on account of my idiot sister's actions, that I'm much more responsible than he gives me credit for. That, and he thought I'd be fine, since you go here as well."

Sophia grinned, before her face became serious. "Wait, what did Leah do?" By now, most of the class had turned away, not really understanding the conversation. Just a bunch of rich-kid chatter that they didn't understand a word of. "She would never do anything really bad, would she? She's always been so mature."

"Ha, that's what you think. She attempted to elope with this kid named Craig that works for a rival company of my father's. They got caught and my mother put a stop to it. Now she has to go to a super-elite-private school now. Even worse than the ones were usually go to."

"No way! I would've never expected that from her. She was never interested in guys, was she-"

A sudden hush suddenly descended over the room as, slowly, the door creaked open. Scarlett looked up, curious to see who could pull such a reaction from the boisterous students. In walked a tall man, a briefcase in one hand. His clothes were well-ironed, consisting of pinstripe gray slacks and a matching jacket. His blue tie matched stylishly, as did his simple black loafers. What caught Scarlett's attention, however, was the clear expression on his handsome face: the expression of one who is indefinitely and perpetually pissed at the world.

The silence became deafening at the man sat down at his desk and began to fiddle at the drawers. Mumurs started to break out, and Sophia leaned over to speak to Scarlett. "That's Mr. Garra." She giggled as the man stood up and began writing on the chalkboard. "He is so hot! And really young, too. He just started teaching here last year. I was so excited when I found out I was in his class!"

"That's ridiculous." Scarlett replied, raising one eyebrow at her friend. "He's our teacher, not just another boy in the classroom. You can't actually be thinking about pursuing him?"

"Well, of course not!" Sophia pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm just saying! Oh, you're probably wondering about his last name. It's pretty weird, huh? Well, it's 'cause he's half Latin." She giggled, as though this made him some huge prize. "That's why his skin is that color."

Scarlett could just barely see the back of her teacher's neck beneath his mop of shaggy dark brown hair. Indeed, his skin was revealed to be a slightly golden-tinted color that she admitted was quite attractive to the eye. Unconciously, she found her eyes wandering down the man's broad back, reveling in the way his smooth muscles rippled beneath his jacket.

"'Garra' means 'claw' in Spanish." Sophia explained, grinning. "I took Spanish last year, so I asked the teacher."

Mr. Garra suddenly turned around, the chalk clanking down on the small metal stand. On the board, he'd written, 'Accelerated English'. His eyebrows, perpetually drawn into that angry scowl, seemed to twitch as he picked up a clipboard from his desk and began to read off the attendance list. "Atkins."

"Here!"

"Baker."

"Here."

While the role call progressed, Scarlett and Sophia continued their conversation. "What's his first name?" Scarlett asked softly. She noticed for the first time the deep golden-amber color of his eyes, which contrasted exotically with his hair and skin.

"Brian. Why, you like him?" Sophia teased, all the while admiring the teacher's high cheekbones and handsome, chiseled features.

"Idiot." Scarlett muttered, giving the other girl a playful shove. "He's the teacher, first of all, and that's totally disgusting. Second of all, just look at his face- he's the biggest grouch you could ever meet, I bet."

"Tailsman."

"Here!" Sophia raised her hand swiftly, and Mr. Garra nodded absently before continuing. "Thundera."

"Present." Scarlett issued, her voice ringing out strong and bold. The teacher looked up, then down at his paper again.

"Scarlett Thundera, eh? Daughter of Fiorella Thundera, president of Thundera Inc.?"

"That's right." The red-haired girl lifted her chin, smirking as several awed gasps echoed about the room.

"Wonderful." Mr. Garra muttered under his breath, just loud enough for the students to hear and laugh softly. Unfortunantly for the teacher, Scarlett was among those to have heard him. Her cheeks flushed imediately, and her lime-green eyes narrowed. Nobody dared speak that way to Scarlett Thundera! Even if he hadn't been speaking to her at all, his tone was simple unacceptable.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She hissed, her fists clenching on her desk. A great hush followed these words and Mr. Garra looked up, obviously quite unenthused by this little outburst. "It means," he began, speaking slowly so as to irk the girl even more, "that we have the pleasure of being accompanied by little-miss-upity this year. Wonderful. Simply wonderful."

Laughter followed his words. Even Sophia couldn't hold back several uncontrollable giggles. Scarlett's cheeks were bright red at this point, and her eyes had narrowed to dangerous, venom-filled slits. "You can't speak to me that way! I'll have you-"

"Miss Thundera." The teacher interrupted, crossing his arms over his chest. "You appear to be under the impression that you are of higher caliber than I."

"You are not-"

"However, I will have you informed that you are, in fact, sixteen years old. Problem?"

"Yes, there is a problem! I am-"

"Annoying? Why yes, yes you are."

"You aren't even-"

"Aren't even what?"

"If you'd let me-"

"Let you what?"

"This is unacceptable-"

"Stupidsayswhat?"

"...What?"

"Exactly. Now," Mr. Garra turned back to the chalkboard, leaving a speechless Scarlett to slink back in her seat. Many students were still giggling over the conversation that had quickly turned rather one-sided, and that only proved to make her even more furious.

"As many of you know, my name is Mr. Garra. By no means shall you ever adress me as anything different. I am to be your Accelerated English teacher this year, as well as your homeroom teacher. There will an abundance of homework that you must complete in order to get a sufficient grade. As Miss Thundera just realized, I am not to be taken lightly. Understood?"

Uneasy murmurings followed. This guy was a young teacher- didn't that mean he was supposed to be laid-back and fun? Exactly the opposite appeared to be true of this tall, handsome man with the stern voice and commanding prescence.

Scarlett, still seething, spared a glance at Sophia, who only shrugged in response.

"Slacking will not be tolerated. By the second week, if you are slacking, it will become apparent. Slackers will not be succesful in this class." The teacher began writing on the board as he spoke. "In this class, you will learn a series of skills you will need should you choose to pursue a career in business, journalism, or really any career. We will study the works of the Master William Shakespeare, as well as Edgar Allen Poe and several other well-known artists over the century."

And so, Scarlett's school year began. So far, she'd only learned one thing- Brian Garra was by far the most obnoxious person she'd ever met in her sixteen-year-old-life.

Later that very same day, Scarlett left the school in a considerably dejected state. It wasn't the work itself- that was too easy. Nor was is the people, who she'd found to be incredibely hospitable despite their lowly upbringings. No, the one thing that bothered her was the way they treated her just like everyone else. Her backpack slung securely over her shoulder, her dark blue skirt waving slightly in the breeze, she stood still in the front of the school, contemplating which direction she should take. Back to her unfurnished, lonely apartment, or to the grocery store for some much-needed supplies? Not much deliberation was needed.

She set off in the direction of the grocery store, her spirit lifting as she observed the scenery on this August day. Bright green leaves, in their prime, swayed lazily as their branches rustled. The gentle gurgling of a clear, thin stream that wove around the far side of the school. The modest, comfortable-looking houses decorated with potted plants and pictures of family. The girl smiled, a skip in her step, the pure air in her lungs. What a beautiful day.

She finally came to a stop at the grocery store, which was really more like a supermarket in comparison to the rest of this tiny town. A blast of sweet air from the air conditioner hit her as soon as she stepped in, the automatic doors sliding shut behind her. Her hands clasped behind her, she began walking down the aisles, her green eyes bright and her heart soaring with the feeling of freedom and leisure. It was while she was browsing, however, than she heard a particularly distracting sound from the aisle to her right. She paused, and identified the foreign sound as somebody speaking fluent Spanish.

"Idiota, que no es como funciona." The voice snapped, sounded bitterly impatient. A muffled reply came, and Scarlett realized the person must be on a phone. Though she knew it was wrong to eavesdrop, she found herself listening intently as she realized the voice sounded very familiar. Luckily, she knew enough of Spanish to decipher what the person was saying.

"Look, I'm not going to go over this again." The person snarled, a man, with a stern and commanding voice. "No, you can't! Dumbass, listen to me- gah, you're hopeless. Remember what happened last year? Yeah, no, I'm not cleaning it up again, asshole..." Scarlett started as she heard the sound of footsteps, and the voice moving closer. He was coming around the corner, to her aisle, he'd catch her spying on him...

And there, in front of her, stood none other than Brian Garra. In simple street clothes, a cell phone held to one ear, giving Scarlett a cynical eye. "I'll call you back, Ben." He snapped the phone shut, put it in the pocket of his well-worn jeans, and crossed his arms over his chest. "Was there a reason you were spying on me, Miss Thundera?" He asked, in perfect English, no sign of his having spoken fluent Spanish only moments before.

Scarlett stiffened, crossing her arms over her chest as well as she glared at him. "Please! Why, exactly, would I find the need to spy on you, of all people?"

"That's what I would like to know." The two glared at each other silently for a long moment, before Mr. Garra spoke again. "You don't live very close to here, do you? I was under the impression that the Thundera Estate was somewhere more glamorous than our humble little town." His voice was dripping with sarcasm, which made Scarlett bristle.

"Actually," Scarlett snapped, "though it's none of your concern, I live in an apartment a couple of blocks from here. I got permission from my parents to transfer." She sniffed haughtily, turning to look at the rows of merchandice lining the aisle.

"Is that so? And why did you want to transfer, exactly?"

"Excuse me, Mr. Garra, but I do hope you have better things to do than going around harrasing your students." She glared at the brown-haired man out of the corner of her eye.

"I'm most certainly not harrasing you."

"What, you're worried about me?" The Thundera rolled her eyes, her irritation beginning to rise. "Well, sir, I'll tell you right now you have no right to be. I am absolutely and positively fine on my own. I don't need my parents or my sister or anybody to look after me. They'd only get in my way, anyway. You've no right to show any sort of concern toward me, a lowly man like you, with no upbringing. Ignorant, is what you are-"

"Alright, that's enough, Thundera," The teacher put on hand on his least favorite student's head, rolling his eyes as he did so. "I get the point. I'm worthless, you're God. I think the whole world gets it. Actually, the real reason I asked was because I'm curious as to why the heir to Thundera Inc. feels the need to be so far away from her parents."

Scarlett imediately whipped around, her eyes stretched wide. "Who told you that?"

"What, that you were the heir? I knew since it was decided."

For once in her life, the girl was speechless. She stared, gaping, at her least favorite teacher, feeling her defenses crumbling down. Still, she held her ground, her hands clenched into tight fists. "You are the most- disgusting, ignorant, terrible, abomination of a person I've ever met!" She snarled, watching with sick satisfaction as the emotions on her teacher's face turned from smugness to concern. He'd hit a nerve he hadn't ment to hit.

"You...I..." Scarlett was trembling, feeling trapped in that aisle, tears stinging her eyes, though she didn't quite know why. Finally, she turned and ran, her curly hair whipping out behind her. Out of the store, into the beautiful day that now felt dark to her, struggling to keep in the emotions she'd bottled up for so long.

Brian Garra stood alone in the store, staring at the place the girl had been. "Dumbass." He cursed himself. His phone suddenly began to vibrate, and he pulled it out of his pocket with an irritated sigh. He held it to his ear with a gruff, "Hello?"

"Brian! My goodness, it's so good to hear your voice again!" It was a woman whose voice held a very heavy Spanish accent. Brian flashed a rare grin, though it was somewhat forced. "Hola, mamá." He replied softly, his eyes not straying from the place Scarlett had stood moments before.

"Are you doing well? Do you have enough money? Are you married yet?"

Brian laughed, realizing how much he'd missed his mother's ditzy humor. "Yeah, I'm fine, and no, I'm not married. You know I would have told you guys beforehand."

"Oh, that's too bad."

There was a long silence, and when Brian finally broke it, his voice was somewhat worried. "Is everything alright, Gracia? I know you wouldn't call me without good reason."

His mother sighed wearily. "You know I don't like it when you call me by my first name. But... your father and I-"

"He's not my father." Brian growled imediately, tapping one foot on the ground impatiently.

"Fine, your step-father," Gracia's voice was equally annoyed. "Ben and I have decided to host the cultural trip for your school this year."

"I already told him no."

"That wasn't for you to decide. It'll be a good experience. Besides, there haven't been volunteer host families for the cultural trip in years. It's time we started it up again."

Brian sighed heavily, running one hand through his tassled brown hair. "Mamá..."

"I know you hate coming down here. But it's for the best, alright? It'll be a learning experience. Think about the kids, not yourself."

The young teacher was quiet for a moment. "Fine." He finally muttered, snapping the phone shut.

Wonderful. Just wonderful.

Shut up. I like Latin men. xD They're smexxxxxy.

Oh, that was fun. X3 M'kay, characters in order of appearance:

Scarlett Thundera- Squirrelflight

Stan Foreze- Stormfur

Fiorella Thundera- Firestar

Sandra Thundera- Sandstorm

Leah Thundera- Leafpool

Sophia Tailsmen- Sorreltail

Craig Winderland- Crowfeather

Brian Garra- Brambleclaw

Bennet Shaden- Blackstar

Gracia Shaden- Goldenflower

Thank you so much for reading this first chapter! If you liked this, and you haven't read my other story Fortune Favors the Brave, which focuses around Into the Wild, you should give it a try. X3

Review, mah kitties, and help me on my quest to dominate the fandom! *insert friggin evil laugh here*