Chapter One:
I sat on my bed, looking out at the snow. I wasn’t used to it. Never had I seen it in person- only on television when Christmas season rolled around. Living in California your whole life could benefit you, sure, but never seeing snow? Well, now, that just seemed like a crime. For at least an hour I sat there watching the fluffy white flakes dance around in the air, piling onto the rooftops. My room was a quiet sanctuary- my own place where I could get away from it all. Sometimes I needed to isolate myself from the rest of the world.
My phone vibrated, and I answered it after checking caller I.D. “Carly,” a familiar voice greeted me, “wanna go out tonight? Dad’s letting me use the car.” It was my best friend, Damien. I twirled my finger through my hair and bit my lip. Damien was the only person who would talk to me, the new girl, on my first day at York Prep. He was popular, and soon after he began hanging around me, other people instantly wanted to be my friend.
With shaggy long black hair, vibrant green eyes, and perfect angular features, he’s everything a popular boy should be. But he was different than the others. He volunteered at local shelters, I found out after he so excitedly told me about his work. Always, he was the one who helped out after class. Everybody loved him- and I could see why. He was seemingly perfect, “Carly?” I heard his voice ask, and I snapped back to reality, “are you there?”
“Yeah,” I answered both questions at once, “Pick me up at nine. Celia will be home by then.” He agreed and hung up. I looked at the clock- 7:14. Just enough time to shower and get ready.
I looked in the mirror one last time before leaving. Brunette hair framed my face, and my bangs were swept expertly to the side. My blue eyes were startlingly bright this evening, almost glowing it seemed. Quickly I shrugged it off, and bounded down the stairs once I heard the front door open, “Hey kiddo,” Damien greeted me with a smile. I rolled my eyes and grabbed my purse and jacket from where they were hanging on the banister.
“I am not a child, love,” I stated, annoyed, as we walked through the doors, “Man, its freezing.” Damien put an arm around me as we made our way through the snow to his car.
He gave me a look and laughed, “In my eyes you are indeed a child.”
I stopped walking, “Oh? What’s that supposed to mean?” I said, glaring hard at him. He seemed stunned for a minute, focusing on something near me. Slowly I turned around and then back to face him, “What?”
“Your..eyes,” he started, “they’re… glowing.” I shook my head and took his hand. He pulled away when I touched him, but then regained composure and smiled at me, “It was just a trick of the light.” He began moving more quickly to his car, and I had to run to catch up with him. He opened the door for me, and I got in, still slightly startled about my eyes. I wasn’t the only one who noticed it. Little did I know, life as I knew it would never be the same.
We arrived at our favorite pizza place after parking in an empty lot a few blocks down the street. Damien was an expert at weaving through crowds, and he helped me get through. You’d expect it to be less crowded on the streets with all the snow, but people were everywhere. Damien laughed and took my hand and pulled me ahead. I smiled back at him, but said nothing.
The restaurant was over-crowded with lines out the door. A couple of Damien’s allies already had a table, so we joined them. One of the boy’s in the booth I recognize as Damien’s least favorite person- Jake Cooper. He was almost the exact opposite of Damien. His blue eyes and blond hair were sort of cliché, but almost all of the girls at school were drooling over him. They both did community service and such, and Jake was friendly and all, but there was a difference that anybody could see. Damien was the gentle lover of anything related to peace, love and harmony (without being hippie or anything), while Jake would rather spend his time playing lacrosse and chasing girls.
They were both friendly enough when together in public, but the tension could be cut with a knife. It was a shame I’d already started falling for Jake in the short time we’d known each other- one of the biggest secrets I swore I’d never tell Damien.
“Hey Carly,” Jake said to me with a dazzling grin. I let my eyes linger on him for a second before I returned the smile and turned back to my best friend.
“Hi,” I said quietly, glancing back at him for a second. I noticed Damien smile bitterly in my direction. Nervously, I toyed with my lip ring. Strangely enough I was the only other person in the group that had a piercing anywhere other than their ears. It seemed as if all eyes were on me at that moment, so I looked up to Damien for comfort.
“You okay?” he whispered, looking down at me, while the others talked. It felt as if I wouldn’t be able to speak, so I just nodded my head stiffly. There was a feeling in my heart that I wasn’t good enough to be hanging out with anybody there, and I assumed that was the problem… until the headache started setting in.
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