Last Chance

Prologue

Two girls, living totally different lives.

They hardly knew each other, rarely passing the other in the halls of their high school. However, it was all going to change. It would be like nothing anyone had ever experienced.

Skylar Secord, also better known as Skye, knew what she was doing, most of the time. Second most popular girl in the sophomore grade, she was doing very well for herself in high school. Everyone knew who she was. Her name was the second most-envied and whispered among the girls that knew her.

It wasn't only her name that was envied. Her beauty was something no one could miss. Her light brown hair, mixed stylishly with blonde highlights, curled together at the ends, surprisingly never knotting together. With a 5'9", thin profile and long legs that would make guys swoon, her turquoise eyes added the final touch on her complexion.

Skye was definitely noticed, wherever she went. It had always been like that. Her best friend was the head of the largest clique in school, made up of mostly sophomores but including various juniors who were captured by her charm. Skye was hardly off the radar. With her good looks, it was obvious that she couldn't have been even if she wanted to.

On a gloriously beautiful June Sunday morning, Skye got into her red convertible, an early birthday present from her mom and her new husband, since they couldn't send their wishes on her actual birthday in August. She turned up the radio and whistled along with the catchy tune in time to the music. Everything was just as it should've been. The top was down on her car and as she started picking up speed, the light breeze blew back her long, light brown hair back from her face.

It was at that moment that everything was about to change.

Somewhere nearby, a girl of about the same age stood back to look over her car that she had just finished cleaning. It wasn't new, or even remotely clean, but it was something that was given to her, for a change. Jayme Thompson rarely ever got anything from her foster family, or from any of the ones before.

She sighed, wiping away some sweat on her forehead that already started forming from the bright sun shining above. It was unusually warm for New York. Jayme tucked some of her self-dyed pink hair into their normal cute little pigtails again, which had come undone on her jog back home from her high school.

Wondering what to do, she opened her car door again to sit down and possibly cool herself with the A/C. It was a good opportunity to check them out, at least. Turning it up so that the air would blast into her face, she smiled into the mirror.

Normally, Jayme hardly cared what her appearance was. Nobody in her gang of skateboarders, academics-obsessed, and tough-street guys much cared about appearances either. But she couldn't pass it up this time to see what it looked like to be finally driving her own car, instead of having to walk or bike to and from her work and school and home.

With her very noticeable hair, multiple piercings on her ears, nose and eyebrows, her usual appearance was enough to scare off many of the lower peas in the social ladder at school. She chose to make herself so outstanding because it was like a direct statement about not following what everyone else did.

However, everything else about her, like her 5'1" height, petit and fine-boned profile and topaz eyes were totally average under normal circumstances.

Feeling pumped up with excitement over her new ride, she decided to give it a try and drive it around the small suburban town on the outskirts of land surrounding Manhattan Island.

Revving the engine, Jayme slowly backed out of her driveway and took a few turns around the neighbourhood, hooting with laughter. Taking a faster turn at a corner heading for the main road, she realized her mistake. Another convertible was heading straight for her, also going too fast to be stopped on time. It was taking up the middle of the tiny road that really wasn't meant for more than one car at a time.