This is a story I have been working on for a little while.

The italicized part is the prologue.

I don't own anything.

'A guilty conscience needs no accuser.'

Chapter one

She slowly opened her eyes and winced when the light which was coming from the little window in front of her dazzled her. She looked around her, confused. Everything was white, shouldn't it be black? White was paradise's color but she knew it wasn't the place where she belonged; as far as she could tell, she belonged to hell. All of a sudden, a door opened and two people, a middle-aged woman followed by a young man, both wearing white blouses, entered the room and she finally realized where she was.

"Do you hear me?" The woman asked her while the young doctor checked the machine next to her. She tried to speak but her throat was so sore that it was impossible to let out a single word, so she only nodded.

"Jim, please, can you call her family to tell them she's awake?" The older doctor asked her intern. The young man complied and exited the room.

The doctor took a glass on the nightstand beside her bed and filled it with fresh water before holding it to her. She grabbed the glass from the doctor's hands and drank, wincing when the liquid burn her irritated throat.

"You know you could have died," the doctor told her in a serious tone. She sighed and looked down, staring at an invisible point on the white wall.

The doctor took a step toward the young girl, lying in the bed and looked at her. "Why did you do that?" She asked her in a soft voice.

She looked back at the doctor with her eyes full of sadness and then she did her best to form the words and get them out of her mouth. "Because it's what I deserve," she said, looking at the doctor straight in the eyes. "I deserve to die."

Ezra Fitz slowly walked down the empty corridor of the high school where he had been working for a year and a half. It was Saturday so he had his day off but Mr. Tamborelli, the principal, had asked him to meet him at his office, telling him that he had something important to talk to him about. Ezra couldn't help but worry about this meeting, especially when he had no idea why Mr. Tamborelli wanted to see him. His first thought had been that he was going to get fired but why would he? He hadn't done anything wrong and Mr. Tamborelli, as well as his colleagues, had always told him that he was doing a good job. He was young and not very experimented as it was only his second year of teaching but he loved his job and was willing to do it well. He loved the contact with the kids and sharing with them his passion for literature, but especially, he loved being useful. When he succeeded in interesting one of his students who wasn't really into school in a book, the feeling of having done something useful and constructive was indescribable.

Ezra reached the principal's office and knocked at the door where the middle-aged man's name was etched on a golden plaque.

"Come in!" Mr. Tamborelli's harsh voice resounded through the door. Ezra opened the door and entered the small office, smiling softly at his superior.

Ezra knew Mr. Tamborelli for a long time; actually, he had known him since he was just a kid. Ezra's father, a school counselor, who had unfortunately passed away when Ezra was fourteen, was Mr. Tamborelli's colleague and friend. When the principal had learnt that Ezra had gotten his diploma and was looking for a job as a teacher, he had immediately offered him a post. Ezra had refused at first, wanting to be hired for his teaching skills and not because of his father, but the principal had insisted, telling him that he would not receive special treatment and if he wasn't doing his job correctly he wouldn't hesitate to fire him.

"Ezra!" The principal greeted him cheerfully which immediately reassured Ezra. Nobody would greet someone with a big smile on his face when he is about to fire him.

"Good morning, Sir," Ezra replied smiling as well.

"Please sit down!" The principal said, gesturing toward the chair in front of his desk. Ezra did what he was told and sat down in front of the older man.

"I really am sorry to make you come here on a Saturday morning but there is something important I need to talk to you about," Mr. Tamborelli started with a serious tone which caused Ezra to twist his hands nervously.

"I'm listening to you."

"You have probably heard the rumors which are running across the school about a new student who is coming to our school," the principal started.

Ezra nodded in affirmation. "Yes, I did." Since a couple of days he had heard several of his colleagues saying that a new girl would be here soon but he hadn't really paid attention to this.

"Well, that's true, a new student is coming," the principal told Ezra. "But there's something special about her, she's not like every other student." The principal added with a serious tone causing Ezra to furrow his brows.

"Special?"

"Yes, she's dealing with a pretty difficult situation; actually, she has just been released from a… psychiatric hospital." The principal let out.

"Really?" Ezra said, astonished.

"Yes, she's seventeen and she has spent several months in a psychiatric hospital. She's from a small town and her parents moved here because they wanted her to have a fresh start," he explained to Ezra who was listening carefully, intrigued.

"Okay…" Ezra said, not knowing what to say. He didn't understand why the principal wanted to see him alone to talk about this student. After all, this concerned all the Teaching Staff, not just him; Mr. Tamborelli could have organized a meeting for everybody.

"You're probably wondering why I asked you to come here to tell you that," Mr. Tamborelli said as if he was reading his mind.

Ezra nodded in affirmation.

"Well, I talked with the doctors who took care of her, they wanted to get in touch with me to discuss the best way to reintroduce the girl in the school system. They told me that she needed someone to supervise her, someone to help her to make up for lost periods as she has missed almost a year, and especially someone to be here if she had any problems." The principal stopped for a moment and looked at Ezra. "You know that our psychologist left us a few months ago, so I decided to ask someone among the teachers, I thought about it a lot and I chose you, Ezra," Mr. Tamborelli let out.

Ezra looked at the older man, astonished. Why was he asking that to him? It was a big responsibility, and he was young, it was only his second year of teaching, how did he expect him to deal with this kind of situation?

"But… this isn't really in my functions, I mean I'm an English teacher, not a therapist," Ezra replied.

"I do know this, Ezra; I'm not asking you more than to help her to make up for lost period and tests. I just want to know that she has someone she can come to if she needs to." Mr. Tamborelli said.

"But…" Ezra shuttered. "Why me? I'm sure some of my colleagues would be more qualified than me. I mean, it's a difficult situation to deal with, I'm not sure I will be able to do it, I don't have much experience," Ezra told the principal.

"Ezra, if I'm asking it to you it's because I know that you are up to it, and I'm not saying that because your father was my friend. You're young yes, but you're also patient, the kids like you a lot and you're an excellent teacher; it's exactly what the girl needs. I'm sure she will feel more confident to come to a young teacher like you than to someone else. Plus, you won't be alone, if you have any questions or any problems with her, I will be here for you," Mr. Tamborelli encouraged the young teacher.

"Yes, but…" Ezra tried to say. He was not ready for this, this was too much, even if it was just some tutoring lessons, she would probably need more attention than any other student and he couldn't erase the fact that she was coming from a psychiatric hospital. It was a too big responsibility to handle. What if he failed?

Mr. Tamborelli saw the confusion and the doubts in the young teacher's eyes and leant towards him, looking at him in the eyes. "Ezra, if this is a real problem for you, I won't force you to accept, but I do hope you will, because I know you are the most qualified for that," the principal said.

"But what happened to this girl? Why did she spend months in a psychiatric hospital?" Ezra asked.

The principal bit his lip and sighed. "It's a long story; but I'm sorry, I can't tell you anything, I'm not supposed to give away this kind of private information. I swore to her parents that everything would stay between me and them." The principal said.

Ezra couldn't help but be annoyed. How did he want him to help this girl if he didn't even know what had happened to her?

"The doctors told me that she had been treated and that she had been seen by several specialists who all agreed that she was ready to come back to school," Mr. Tamborelli kept explaining "They said that she needed a second chance."

Ezra nodded but the words 'second chance' caught his attention. Why had he used these words? You need a second chance when you did something wrong!

But before Ezra could ask , the principal spoke. "I think we need to do our best to help her to take back a normal schooling, it's our job."

Ezra sighed. It was because of this that he had wanted to be a teacher. He had chosen this job not only to teach English to his students but also to help some of them. He had promised himself that he would never judge a student on his reputation and if some of his colleagues told him bad things about a student he would do everything possible to find the best in him. He had promised himself that he would never give up on one of his student, because, for him, being a teacher wasn't just teaching a lesson it was also helping the kids to shape themselves and to become adults.

So how could he refuse? He needed to try.

"All right. I will do it!" Ezra complied.

A big smile spread across Mr. Tamborelli's face as soon as the words fell from Ezra's lips. "Thank you, Ezra, I really appreciate it!" The principal thanked him. "So, I guess you're free to go, I don't want to mess up with your plans for the day," the older man added with a warm smile.

Ezra gave his superior a handshake and made his way to the door. He was about to exit the office when he turned over.

"I forgot to ask, when is she coming?"

"On this Monday!" The principal replied. Ezra nodded and exited the office, not believing that he had only two days to prepare himself for the girl's arriving.

'What mess did I get myself into?'" Ezra asked himself as he walked down the empty parking lot where he had parked his car. He couldn't believe that Mr. Tamborelli had asked him this to him. He knew that he wasn't a bad teacher, his students liked him and respected him but it was only his second year of teaching, he wasn't really experimented.

He wished the principal had told him what had happened to this girl, he was very intrigued. He didn't even know her name, why hadn't he asked?

Before getting into his car he glanced at his watch and realized that he was going to be late for his meeting with Maggie and Hardy, who he had planned to have lunch with. He drove up to the restaurant they were supoosed to meet in and walked at a fast pace to join his friends. They were already here, waiting for him at a table and talking together, Maggie laughing at something Hardy was whispering in her ear.

Hardy and Maggie were his closest friend and were also a couple for two years. Maggie used to be Ezra's high school sweetheart but after high school, they had both left for different colleges and had realized that they weren't meant to be a couple, but also that they couldn't leave without one another so they had decided to stay friends. Two years later, when Ezra had introduced Maggie to Hardy, his roommate in college, during the party that his mother had organized for his twenty-two birthday, he had seen the young man who was fooling around all the time with different girls, falling immediately for Maggie. A month later, the two of them had announced Ezra that they were together. Of course, it had been kind of weird for Ezra to see his ex-girlfriend dating his roommate but he had gotten used to seeing them together and after warning Hardy that if he broke Maggie's heart he would regret it, he had started being happy for his two best friends.

"Finally!" Hardy said when Ezra did arrive.

"I'm sorry, I had a meeting with the principal," Ezra explained by sitting in front of the young couple.

"Is everything okay at work?" Maggie asked him with concern.

"Yes, kind of," Ezra replied.

Maggie furrowed her brows in confussion. "Kind of?"

"Well, Mr. Tamborelli had something to ask me. He wants me to take care of a new student who is coming on Monday," Ezra explained.

"Okay, and, is it a problem?" Maggie asked.

"No but it's not a simple situation, the girl has just gotten out of a psychiatric hospital," Ezra replied.

Hardy let out a chuckle. "Well, you know how to deal with a mad girl, you had Jackie for training, I'm sure this girl can't be worse!"

"Hardy!" Maggie snapped at her boyfriend, nudging him in the ribs as Ezra rolled one's eye. Jackie was Ezra's ex-girlfriend; they had been dating for two years when Jackie had suddenly broken up with him after he had just proposed to her. Hardy had always hated her; calling her 'the psycho bitch' and when Ezra had told him that she had left him, Hardy hadn't been able to prevent himself from saying the famous 'I told you so!'

"Hardy, I'm serious," Ezra told him.

"So am I," Hardy replied causing Maggie to look daggers at him.

"I'm afraid I won't be able to handle the situation," Ezra confessed.

Maggie reached across the table to take his hand. "You will be just fine, you're an astounding teacher!"

Ezra smiled to his friend who always knew what to say to make him feel better.

"Do you know why she was in this hospital?" Maggie asked him.

Ezra shook his head in negation. "No, the principal didn't want to tell me anything."

"Okay, but you know there's nothing to be worry about, you will do fine and just because she was in a psychiatric hospital doesn't mean she's crazy or something; sometimes teenagers are suffering from depression and they need to be in a special structure to get better," Maggie said.

His conversation with the principal came back to him and he couldn't help being under the impression that there was something more than that. But Maggie was right though, people had some stupid clichés about psychiatric hospitals and he didn't want to be one of them.

"You're right. Thanks Maggie!" Ezra said, smiling to his friend.

"What about me? No thank you?" Hardy asked with an offended tone of voice.

"Are you kidding me? The only thing you did was denigrate Jackie , who is, for the record, the girl you wanted me to ask out in the first place," Ezra retorted.

Hardy shook his head. "What? I wanted you to sleep with her, not to propose to her!" he scoffed as Maggie and Ezra rolled their eyes.

The weekend went by very fast and already it was Monday. Ezra entered the school, greeting some students who were already here as he passed next to them before going to the teachers' room.

"Hey, Fitz!" Ian Thomas, a P.E teacher, a little bit older than him greeted him.

Ezra gave him a polite smile. "Ian, how are you?"

"I'm the one who should ask this question." Ian replied. "I heard that you're the lucky one who has to take care of this new girl!"

Ezra couldn't help but clench his teeth together. He had never really liked Ian; he was a pretentious and selfish man who only cared about himself. He was surely enjoying very much the situation and, for sure, if something would go bad with the girl he would immediately blame Ezra.

"That's true. Principal Tamborelli asked me to help her to make up for her tests and to be here for her if she needs anything," Ezra replied.

"Well, good luck! It's always the youngest one who gets to do the dirty work!" Ian said, jumping at the chance to remind Ezra that he was less experimented than he was.

Ezra resisted the urge to reply something to make Ian shut his mouth but he merely gave him a fake smile and left the room making his way to his classroom. His first period was actually with his senior year students, the class where the new girl was supposed to be in. When he entered the classroom, all the students were already sitting at their tables, talking together cheerfully. He looked at the kids, trying to find a new face among them, but all he saw was his students' familiar faces.

He waited a few minutes but as nobody came, he started his lesson after asking for silence.

"Take out your books, please," he asked his students as they complied and took their copy of The heart is a lonely hunter out of their bags.

Once the students had all their books in front of them, Ezra began to speak.

"So, today, I would like you to tell me…" He was about to explain what he wanted his students to do when a soft voice interrupting him.

"Excuse me; is it Mr. Fitz's class?" A young girl asked as all the students looked at her, astonished looks on their faces.

"It's her, the new girl!" Some whispers swirled around the classroom.

So it was her. Ezra didn't know what he had been expecting; actually he hadn't even pictured the girl since the principal had told him about her but he was really surprised by the beautiful young girl who was standing in the doorway. She was tiny and very skinny, maybe a little too much, and she had long curly and shiny dark hair which almost reached her waist. She was wearing a purple little dress which fit her perfectly, her thin waist accented with a black belt. But what caught Ezra's attention the most were her eyes, she had amazing big hazel eyes and Ezra didn't think that he had ever seen such beautiful eyes.

He suddenly realized that he had been staring at her for a few seconds like a fool. He cleared his throat and nodded. "Yes, that's here!"

She gave him a small smile and took a step in the classroom before introducing herself.

"I'm Aria Montgomery, the new student!"

So, thoughts? I hope you liked this. I have already written the few next chapters and the rest of the story is planned out so I know where I'm going. If I see that you enjoy it I would update soon so please review to tell me what you think.

Also I'm sorry for any mistakes.

xoxo