Into the Flames

Chapter 1

“Hey Mendy, need a piece of paper?” a classmate asked mockingly. Sixteen-year-old Jenna glared at him with her ice blue eyes and snapped her gum in response. She glanced out the window; the school grounds were usually empty at this time, with class in the middle of session. To her surprise, she saw it occupied by three people: two teenage boys and one teenage girl. One boy stood in front of the other kids; he had brown hair and wore dark clothes that brought out his tanned skin. He stood up tall, broad shoulders straight as he easily strode across the grass patio with his long legs; however, the tension in his shoulders deceived his seemingly casual posture. He flexed his hands and looked back to speak at the other boy, who was slightly shorter than him and equally built. The other boy ruffled his black hair with gloved hands, a faithful German Shepherd by his side. His pale skin looked only fairer compared to his dark clothes. The girl smiled and laughed while doing a cartwheel, her short brown hair floating gracefully. She landed perfectly and shook off any possible dirt that could have gotten on her tight, black clothes. The brown haired boy suddenly looked up to the building with his piercing green eyes, and locked eyes with her. She was surprised at his good vision; his eyes widened slightly in surprise, as if he was surprised that she could see him. He’s standing in broad daylight, what does he expect?

She forced herself to look away and turned back to the board, trying to focus on what the teacher was saying. She tapped her foot and chewed her gum in frustration as the teacher’s words went into one ear and out the other.

            “Can you stop that? It’s distracting,” a voice drawled from behind her. Jenna jumped, causing a few of her classmates to look at her with annoyance. I must be going insane from the lack of sleep, she thought to herself.

            “There’s really no point in ignoring me; I know you know can hear me.” He tapped her shoulder. “Which is really weird, by the way. You shouldn’t be able to know that I exist.”

            Jenna turned around, not surprised to see the boy she saw outside of the window. “And why is that?” she asked. “And where are your little friends, why are you here alone?” As soon as she said that, she recoiled slightly. She was surprised to see his good looks. His green, emerald eyes were framed by a straight, angular face, which would have looked nice if his mouth was not set into a scowl.

            He leaned back on his chair, putting his feet on the desk. “They’re just scouting the perimeter, nothing important,” he replied lazily, ignoring the first question.

            She opened her mouth to say something back, only to hear her classmates snort.

            “Mendy’s talking to herself now; she’s officially lost it.”

            “She probably can’t afford help.”

            Jenna glanced at their smirking faces, looked back at the boy one more time, and faced toward the front of the class. Her slender fingers refused to stay still during class; they brushed through her hair, pulling out the knots, strummed themselves against the desk, and traced the multiple piercings on her left ear while she looked absentmindedly out the window.

            “What’s your name?” the same deep voice asked. “Mandy? The kids are calling you that, aren’t they?”

            She snapped her gum before responding. “It’s none of your business. So stay out of it.”

            “I absolutely love getting in other people’s business.”

            Before Jenna could respond, the bell rang, signifying the end of class. Taking that as her cue, she shoved all of her belongings into her tattered backpack, wanting to get away from the mysterious boy as possible. She walked to her locker, only to see the same boy standing in front of it. “Who are you? Why are you following me?” she asked in frustration as she pushed him out of her way.