Third person pov
The scent of sea salt lingered in the morning breeze, weaving its way through the narrow cobblestone streets of Taormina, Sicily. Red-tiled roofs shimmered under the golden sun, casting long shadows over a sleepy town just waking up. The language sounded like music foreign, fast, passionate.But Cameron Sinclair wasn't listening.
16 years old, hazel eyes,chestnut brown hair.She stood still beside a black sedan, arms crossed tightly, dark sunglasses hiding more than just her eyes. Her suitcase sat upright beside her like a guard dog, silent and tense. Behind her, the driver unloaded the second bag, offered a polite nod, and pulled away, the tires cracking against the stones as if they were breaking something open.She didn't flinch. Not even once.New town...New school...New identity.
Same broken heartbeat.She stared up at the towering gates of St. Lysandra's International School. Stone arches framed a courtyard blooming with late summer roses. The building looked like something out of an old European film romantic, timeless. Everything about it whispered new beginnings.But Cameron wasn't a girl who believed in clean slates.They always leave ink underneath. And God, I'm stained in places I can't wash.She adjusted the strap of her backpack, let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding, and walked in.inside, the halls echoed with voices she didn't understand. Girls with sleek ponytails clustered in groups, some stealing glances at her. Boys leaned against lockers like this wasn't a school, but a stage. The uniforms were perfect: navy skirts, gold-stitched ties, white collared shirts starched like paper.Hers still smelled like the plastic wrap from the packaging. She kept walking, chin up.Back straight. Eyes calm. Like my mother taught me.Like a diplomat's daughter should.
ven when the world feels like it's crumbling underneath your ballet flats. A voice cut sharply through the hum of activity."You must be Cameron Sinclair."She turned. A thin woman with crow's feet and the kind of smile that didn't reach her eyes stood waiting."I'm Mrs. Ferrell, your guidance teacher. Follow me, please."They walked in silence, her heels clicking against the floor. Cameron's eyes scanned classroom doors, half-open windows, the trees swaying just outside. Anything to feel grounded."This is your homeroom. Advanced Biology," the woman said, stopping before a tall wooden door. She pushed it open and walked in without a knock. Cameron felt dozens of eyes pin her in place before she even stepped inside."Everyone, this is our new student, Cameron Sinclair. She just arrived from the United States. She'll be joining us for the semester."Cameron glanced across the classroom. Curious stares. Murmurs. Judgments already forming."She'll be sitting beside… Avan. Avan Kazan, please raise your hand."A boy near the window lifted his head slowly.
Cameron froze.He was...God, he was something else.Olive skin kissed by sun, thick black hair, lean frame.But it wasn't his beauty that caught her.It was the silence around him.While the class whispered and shifted, he didn't flinch.He watched her. Not like the others.Not with interest. Not with judgment.He watched like someone who could see her.
Cameron's Voice – First Person:
"I don't know how to explain it. That moment.You walk into a room expecting nothing, and then someone looks at you,not like you're new,not like you're pretty,but like you're familiar.Like they've been waiting without even knowing they were.That's what it felt like, meeting Avan Kazan"
Third person pov
She sat beside him, smoothing her skirt without looking up."Hey," he said quietly. His voice wasn't deep. But it was soft and still. Like snow falling.
She turned just slightly. "Hi."
"I'm Avan."
"I know." She nodded at the teacher's desk. "She kind of shouted your name."A corner of his mouth curved. "You're from California?"She raised a brow. "Let me guess Mrs. Ferrell has a big mouth?"He chuckled, and it was the first real laugh she'd heard all day."Big doesn't cover it," he replied. "She's been announcing your arrival like the Queen of England was transferring."She rolled her eyes. "Perfect. That's all I need...more attention."Avan turned tilting his head slightly. She looked at himGreen eyes...He had green eyes
Forest green eyes...calm as they sparkled under the sunlight "You'll get used to it."
"Did you?"
He paused. "Still trying."they worked on an assignment in silence. A worksheet about amino acids and peptide bonds. Cameron barely focused. Her eyes kept drifting to the edge of Avan's notebook.He was sketching,A bird, caught mid-flight. The feathers were light, shaded with slow strokes. Deliberate, like it mattered."You draw?"He looked at her, then down. "Sometimes."She leaned closer. "It's beautiful."He didn't speak. Just nodded. As if her words weighed too much to answer lightly.Lunch came too quickly. Cameron stood alone near the fountain outside, tray in hand, stomach silent. She wasn't hungry.She wasn't anything."Mind if I join you?" came a voice.Avan stood nearby, two apples and a juice box in his hand. No tray. No crowd.Cameron hesitated, then nodded,They sat in easy silence for a while. He offered her one of the apples. She took it. Bit into it without speaking.The juice hit her tongue and something about it made her want to cry.But she didn't.She chewed. Swallowed.And looked at him again.
Cameron's Voice – First Person:
"It was just a boy and an apple and a quiet day under Sicilian sunlight.But somehow, it felt like more than that.Like the beginning of something neither of us knew how to name."
Third person pov
"You like it?"She nodded flustered
As the school bell rang once more and the students packed up, Avan slid his sketchbook into his backpack and stood slowly."Tomorrow's the lab period. You'll need gloves."Cameron blinked. "I'll try not to contaminate the universe."He smiled A flicker. Like sunrise behind a cloud.Then he left. Cameron stayed behind a moment longer,watching the sea through the window.She wasn't sure what tomorrow held.
But for the first time since arriving, she didn't dread it.
and that was enough.