Shimmer in the Moonlight

Chapter One

Xander's Point Of View:

I have a confession. You see there's this girl, she's no ordinary girl because I've only seen her sleek silhouette once. She showed up at one of my famous weekend parties capturing my attention as she walked in like she knew my house from attic to basement, and everything in between. I caught my eyes scanning every inch of her body as my fingers twitched by my side, wanting to touch her impeccable skin.

I focused on her lit face and long red hair that reached her mid-back. Her eyes were a deep hazel color that lit a flame to match her pin-straight hair. Her lips were formed in a small pout and colored a faded pink to make the shape of her face smaller. She wasn't tall either; I would guess her height to be five foot three; seven inches shorter than me.

Her clothes were semi-modern and fit perfectly for my party. She wore fit jeans that complimented her model legs; a tight black tank top clung to the top half of her curves; and brown flip flops underneath red painted toes completed her look.

I mustered up the courage to speak with her and began walking over to her only to be cut off by a couple that decided to lock lips right in front of me. I pushed past the two but I was stopped again. My best friend, Tommy, was completely wasted from digging through my father's liquor cabinet. He begged me to drink with him but I disagreed at first; I took another look around but she was nowhere to be found.

I pushed past Tommy and stood in the exact spot the girl was just a minute earlier. I glanced around to see if I could spot her once more, but she never entered my sight. Not to mention, the front door was all the way across the room so her chance of leaving under a minute with the whole room crowded in dancing bodies, were slim. The back door led out to the pool but even then I would have seen the doors open.

Where could she have gone?

Only then did Tommy stumble over to me and shove a plastic red cup full with liquor in my hand. My night ended in a blur and the next morning my head was pounding with the results of a hangover.

I know what everyone is going to ask; how do you know if she wasn't a figment of your imagination? Well, my only reason for this question is that I drank only after I couldn't find her. I had an epiphany that someone else had brought her as a guest, rounded her up, and skipped out. That answers the question about finding her at school. I have also thrown more weekend parties, but she was a no-show to all of them.

I blinked rapidly as the sound of a slapping meter stick on my desk rang through my ears for the fifth time today. I keep dazing off in class; my mind unconsciously takes me back to the girl that haunts my memories.

"Mr. Dawson, if you do not want a detention then I suggest you pay attention to my lesson," Ms. Perkins growled. She was the nasty Government teacher that I loved to pick on constantly. She was old and out of date with the school, so I spread a nasty rumor about her being a wicked vampire that was out to get sophomores and freshman for breakfast. Every freshman and sophomore in the school panicked when I told them the story of Freshman Freddie who haunts the school, moaning about his bloody death by white malicious fangs. Ha! I get them every time!

But today I nodded my submission; which wasn't like me at all. You see there's one thing I take pride in at this school; my reputation. I'm known for being the hot jock that everyone wants to hook up with, the partier, the class clown; you name it, it's me. Yet only thinking about this girl is changing my life and I don't even know her name! No girl has ever gotten to me like this.

I felt someone punch my shoulder, retrieving me from my thoughts once again. "Dude, Xander, are you going to get your lazy ass out of that desk? The bell rang," Tommy was towering over me with an eyebrow raised. "You know, it usually does that when a class ends."

I scooped my unopened books into my hands and walked off with Tommy. "Sorry, bro, I'm just really out of it today," I replied.

"More like all week," Tommy muttered. He turned around and started walking the hall backwards, facing me. "So what's going through that small brain of yours?" Tommy always resulted to teasing me whenever he knew I was hiding something from him.

I shot him a look. "You know my brain is bigger than yours. Let's compare our GPA's shall we?" I had a 4.0 and Tommy was struggling to maintain a 3.7, luckily for him I had the smarts.

"Let's not and say we did. Now, talk about what's on your mind." Unfortunately for me, I had every class with Tommy. Don't get me wrong, Tommy is my closest friend and I know I can tell him anything and everything, but I felt uncomfortable talking about the girl. What if he told me it was my imagination? Or it was the liquor messing with my brain? I don't think I could handle that.

I shifted my books to my other arm and grimaced, not looking him in the eye. "I don't think I can talk about it."

Tommy frowned while a freshman dodged him, "Why not?"

I shrugged my shoulders and kept looking at the ground. "I'm not sure. I don't feel right talking about her." Tommy's frown turned upside down.

His smile only got bigger when he noticed my mistake. "So it's about a girl." I wanted to smack myself. "Did you goof around with her? Have a couple drinks then go up to a small bedroom and--" I held my hand up for him to stop.

Then I caved. "No, none of that happened. I saw this girl at one of my weekend parties just standing near the banister," I sighed. "The next thing I know she's gone; vanished into thin air."

Tommy spun around again, now walking by my side as we entered our final class. "I've been invited to so many of your parties, you might want to slim down on that and give me some details or something," I dumped my books on my desk as Tommy sat on top of his to look at me. "What did she look like?"

I paused to think about what I could say to describe her. How could I describe someone as perfect as her without losing my school label? "She had red hair, hazel eyes, modern clothes..." I trailed off when I saw Tommy's facial expression.

He smiled. "I remember now," his smile turned into a smirk. "You were lost to the world while gazing deeply into her perfect brown orbs." He was teasing me again so I decided to punch him in the gut and let him think about what he did while writhing in pain on the floor. "You're so whipped," he coughed out.

I rolled my eyes. Me, whipped? Please.

"Stop the horseplay, gentlemen, and take your seats," Mr. Carter mused. Tommy stood up from the ground and silently slid back into his seat, turning around to flip me off. I just laughed; he was such a kid.

Only when Mr. Carter started to lecture everyone on their performance of the latest math test, did I drift off into my own world once again.

Why was the girl only clouding my mind now? Why not earlier or later? Why did today have to be the day I was constantly thinking about the girl?

There are so many questions with absolutely no answers.

I have to find this girl; even if it kills me.