Dancing With The Devil (#Wattys2015)

Chapter 1: Math vs Mischief

Sage's P.O.V

Diary Extract No.1

The feeling is returning ever so often, I can almost hear someone speaking to me. In a delicate voice, tainted with a raspy undertone, it's calm and yet strong; a vicious dog whimpering almost...My chest pounds every time this feeling overtakes, a cloud of darkness stretches over my being, engulfing me in a cold heat. It burns with frost; is this what death feels like? This darkness has been following me for years upon years now, and if I could remember my birth, I'm sure it would be there too. If this is truly some form of hell, some form of death, I'm not afraid, and I don't know why. I'm safe, I can feel it.

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I tap my pencil against the white pages with black inked scribbles across it. This particular class seems to bore me or more specifically, this topic. I could've tolerated the stone age and voyages to the new world but the tales of old Germany before the war are horrid yet the teacher, with his spectacles pushed too far up his nose bridge, he goes on with so much passion that I just cannot seem to comprehend his infatuation with Hitler. I recall the diary of mine, leather bound in a beautiful navy blue, hidden inside my pillow as I count the mere seconds until the bell...there it is! Every student in the class gather up their bags and rush outside to their other classes in the midst of the man yelling out our homework assignment as though we cared. Senior year, we were supposed to care.

I barely squeezed through the door, glancing over the crowd to catch a glimpse of Robin, the girl had a tall stature, so she was pretty easy to see amidst the heavily populated crowd of sweaty teenagers. I fell into her line of vision, and her eyes locked on mine. I nodded in the direction of the girl's bathroom, and she nodded back, holding Thalia's wrist up above the crowd in her own hand to show that she had found her. We eventually made it into the bathroom, and I rounded up our little trio of troublemakers into a small corner, where we could see out the door frame, but we couldn't be seen. I glanced over at Thalia, smiling cheerily, to which she smiled back, exhausted, however. Robin waved her hand, her other one on her girlfriend's hip. Thalia and Robin were dating for a while, and just a couple days after Robin had come out to the other two girls, Thalia began recognizing just how much she needed Robin in her life, but more so, how much she needed her in her heart. Thalia confided in me about her feelings, and I begged her to give it a go.

Soon, the two were closer than ever. I backed up a little, feeling safe in our hiding spot, before bumping into one of my other friends, Jane. Jane was a girly girl at heart, and makeup was her form of creative expression and beautification. She had been in a different class, but our next class would be together. "Ouch, you could have totally, like, gauged my eyeballs out with my eye pencil!" She whined, and I heard Robin groan in disgust behind me. Jane stuck out her tongue at the other girl, fixing her hair and pulling her pocket mirror back up to her face.

"Wait, why are you here?" I questioned, my eyebrows crinkled in confusion. "I always leave class early, got to do my face for the next class!" She replied, putting a smile on her pink, glossy lips. Again, Robin groans, louder this time, but Jane ignores her, focused on her big, shining eyes. "Well, why don't we all just stay in here for all bit? I mean, next class is math, and I can't handle that.." Thalia chimed in, a hopeful look on her face. "But this look is totally 4th period math!" Jane whimpered out, and by this time, Robin is banging her head on the wall. I sighed at the completely weird and unlikely group of people I've become friends with, and realized just how screwed up I am. The only thing sane about me is my hatred of our next math class!

Barely five minutes fly by, Thalia's eyes never leave the watch on Robin's wrist, counting down the time whilst I've situated myself at the door. The hallway is clear and so I nod in the direction of the door, my hand circling around the doorknob and pushing it opened. Robin rushes out with Thalia close behind her and myself already outside. Jane, however, is obsessed with pressing her lips with the glossy bright red lipstick in her hand. With a hand cocked on her hip, Thalia gestures for Robin to get Jane out, a move I can't understand from Thalia. Robin plus Jane equals a negative reaction or an explosion.

As Robin, who stood between myself and Thalia, moves back into the bathroom I gift Thalia with a glare and she shrugs, her petite shoulders as though she had no clue both girls could kill each other. "Ugh, wait!" Jane's high pitched tone sounds loud and an audible groan from Robin quickly follows. Robin was thin, tall and had short blonde hair that landed just above her shoulders in messy but straight strands. Her eyes were a mild shade of blue very similar to Jane's who had very light brown hair but a much more girly physique. Jane was on average just a couple of inches shorter than the girl who was pulling away her lipstick. "You're not modeling for the damn school!"

Robin protested and a frustrated sigh leaves Jane's lips but she complied, shoving the lipstick into her bag and leaving the bathroom behind Robin. Thalia is slightly shorter than Jane, as I am, with brown hair reaching her shoulders and brown eyes that sparkled in excitement. However, I have the green hues of my mother and the strawberry blonde hair of my father. We all rush further into the hall where I pause at my locker to stuff my books in when we hear the voice of a familiar guy. "Liam!" Jane exclaims as she leaves my side as though she's forgotten that we were doing illegal business by breaking class.

The girl flung her arms around him; Liam Montgomery, younger brother to Thalia. "Does it feel weird to have Miss Perfect date your brother?" Robin scoffs and Thalia glares at her. "They're happy," I add in Jane's defence, "That's all that matters, right?" I close the grey locker door as the couple make their way back to us. "So where are we going? Definitely not staying here.." Thalia starts up and before the argument begins, I raise a hand and speak in a slightly louder tone. "The mall, the end!" And the smile of Jane's face grows as we all turn to see Robin bang her head yet again on my locker.

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We all rush to the school's parking lot; breaking past the doors. The hot asphalt was steaming in the flaming sun, I was just about to run past the large black iron gates when a burning feeling in my heart stops me in my tracks, I gasped loudly in pain and confusion, looking up to see my friends looking up at me in concern. I opened my mouth the speak, but there were no words. I shut my eyes as Thalia gapped me, I didn't realize I had lost movement in my legs, my knees shook, and Robin was holding me up, it's that feeling again, the feeling of death. I'm in a numb sort of pain, and then suddenly, life is breathed into me.

I felt the air relocate in my lungs, as if I was being suffocated and was let loose again. I panted, my hands on the floor, as I caught myself. Jane was stooping down to my level, her pink painted nails brushing back my hair so that more air could hit my neck. "Are you ok?" Robin asked, I could hear the worry in her trembling voice. I glanced up, nodding as I regained some balance. I blinked a few times, and stood up tall once more. We left the school. Thalia's hand still clenching my shoulder.

Unknown P.O.V

I observed my beautiful treasure's actions as she choked on her own breath. How odd, she responds to my presence in a pathetic display of anguish. Her partners crowd around her. How funny, they think they can help. I smile to myself as she recovers on her own, without me having to intervene. She is getting stronger. And I can't wait to test that strength.

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(A/N)

I hope you like it so far as I have a huge plot for this book. Also, an extra part has been added to the prologue. I thought I'd mention it so you, the readers, can catch up. Please vote, share and comment anything you'd like! Remember, new updates every week. I hope you enjoy reading! ;) - Vice