Page 1 of Teach Me How To Fly

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ANNALISE

“Do you really think this is worth it?” she said as she ran her finger on my book’s page.

I frowned, placing my nail under the sentence I was reading. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

She let out a fake laugh, then put her hands on both of her hips. “Because it’s for nothing. You know father will never let you go to college, so you’re just wasting your time trying to study.”

“Then it’s my time I’m wasting, not yours. So please, you can leave now.” I knew the sarcasm could be read on my face as I pointed to the door.

I wanted to go back to my study session, but Katya had something else in her mind because she started talking before I even got to let my eyes fall back on the book.

“Well, I should’ve known this already,” she said like a snake, spitting venom in her path. “Unlike me, you have nothing better to do than bury yourself in those shitty books.” Her nose scrunched as one hand rested on her hip.

I raised my eyes to hers and forced a smile on my lips. Any slip of reaction would feed Katya’s hatred, and since she hadeverything I dreamt about, I held on to not giving her this bit of me.

“Ah, what’s life if not reminding you that you’re wasting your time with all this shit,” she said, putting her hands on the edge of my desk.

I rolled my eyes, feeling how my blood boiled instantly inside my veins.

Relax, Annalise. You know she does this to mess with you.

“It’s not your business, Katya. I’m not telling you what to do with your life, so neither should you,” I said, letting my eyes fall back on the book I’ve been learning from.

She let out a mocking laugh. While for some it might seem genuine, for me it couldn’t pass as that. I knew every move she made to fake her way through life.

“All of this is going to end when father will be back home and you know it,” she said as she made her way towards the window.

“Again, it’s none of your business.”

I looked up at her, admiring how beautiful her red hair was shining in the light of the day. She was so different from me. Not only that was she meaner and the opposite of my personality, but her body was built differently too. She was curvier and I’ve always thought she was the more beautiful sister. But as she turned on her heels and faced me, I titled my head to get rid of the thoughts that grew inside my head.

“He’ll be back in one hour, just so you know.”

The sound of her steps filled the room and the moment I heard the door closing behind her, I let out a relieved sigh.

Finally.

I let my eyes fall back on the Astronomy book, but with every word I tried to read, I realized I couldn’t properly concentrate anymore. I threw the pen on the desk’s surface and closed the book, smacking my lips as the anger tip-toed inside my body. I hated myself every time I let Katya’s words affect me, but thatwas who I was. I cared too much even for the people who hurt me, especially her.

She was my sister, so she had the power to hurt me more than anyone else becausewe were family. That was the reason why I couldn’t stop caring for her, and even though it made me angry at times, I couldn’t blame myself for it. I knew I had a good heart, and I was sure that nothing could’ve changed it — not that I would’ve wanted to.

I sighed, standing up from the chair and stretching my back with a slow movement of my hands. I looked around, then put the book back into the drawer and made my way to the window.

I loved staying on that bench and getting lost in the beautiful sight of the forest that surrounded our mansion. It gave me a peace of mind I’ve never encountered before and I enjoyed it. It was the only thing that made my soul smile — this, and Maksen.

It’s strange, yet exciting, the way my heart started beating faster when I was around him lately. It never happened before. Every time his gaze fell on my body in the past few months, I felt — or hoped to feel — a spark behind his eyes, as a ravishing fire ignited in my entire body. And this is what made me realize that we were not children anymore.

My stomach twirled at the thought of him and I caught myself smiling because of it. How dumb I was. I must’ve been delusional to think that he would’ve considered me to be more than his best friend.

We were inseparable since we were toddlers, but now that I was eighteen years old and he was twenty, we became even closer.

As I scratched the back of my neck, my eyes fell on the opening gate. The sound of the metal rolling on the ground filled the entire house, and the car that entered our garden made my heart start beating faster.

It was him.

I felt tingles on my fingertips and my whole body trembled with emotion. I couldn’t sit still on my seat anymore and the nervousness grew inside my limbs now that I knew he and I were under the same roof.

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