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Chapter one - Asthma Attacks are so last season.

Summer, the time of year when all things change animals move with the seasons and come home to roost, the slowly ebbing grasp of winter is finally forced back into its proper season, spring colours are abandoned and no one goes aww over little chicks at Easter. School terms finish and groups of kids, teenagers and the general unemployed flock around with the need for something to do.

Many of the teen variety sleep which is no surprise to any parents out there. In addition, on this particular Wednesday it just so happened that temperatures had reached a record high. It was early but already people were sweating in the sheer heat of the day or desperately seeking something or somewhere cool to go.

Arin Rae, 16 (and 11 months, two days) lay under a thin blanket, the shorts and vest pyjama ensemble she had worn stuck to her in places that frankly would be unattractive to describe. The air conditioning blew cold air into her bedroom winning its never-ending contest with the open window that only let in the chirping of birds not a single breeze of air.

Her dark brown hair fanned in a messy array, stuck to her forehead and did nothing to shield her ears from the second onslaught of irritating noise. The chirpy annoying tune rang loudly again causing her to screw up her eyes as the phone vibrated along the wooden bedside table. It buzzed like an angry hoard of wasps, cut off then started again.

Reaching blindly she swatted it and then rolled over. Quiet, serene she sighed in comfort despite the heat and settled into a cooler nook of cotton when.

Bbbbbbzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzt!.......Bbbbbbbzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzt!

Apparently, it was not going to go away. She rolled over again and without opening, her eyes clenched the phone to her ear. "What." She demanded of the person on the other end.

The voice laughed at her. "Robyn says she's been calling you for over an hour. Did you forget project buy everything in the mall?"

Arin sighed and sitting up looked at the clock beside her bed. It was gone of course having been thrown or knocked off during the struggle with the phone. Clambering over the side, phone tucked under her chin she dived looking for it.
"No I didn't forget....I just chose to ignore the incessant clamouring for my attention at...7am!" she held the clock as if it were personally offensive and scowled. "Jesus Zen it's practically still night time! Why on earth does she want to go to the mall this early it's not half open yet..."

On the other end of the phone Zenneth McLeod, 17, raised one blond eyebrow his girlfriend could not see and laughed again, sending his longish wavy hair into disarray.

"She said she needed the time to get ready, so I'm coming to get you then we're going to her place so she can have you help her pull her wardrobe together. Be ready in 20?"

Arin felt her face light up as she smiled. "Your stepmom's letting you have the car?"

"Borrow..."Zen said loudly in a way that made Arin think his stepmom could hear them. " She's letting me BORROW the car for today"

She laughed. "Ok. Fine but give me 30 I still need to shower and eat first."

"Oooh....something I get to see?" he whispered in a playful tone.

"No lover boy something you get to wonder about. 30 mins, I'll meet you at the bottom of the drive."

"Ohhh...ok fine, see you soon." He said hanging up.

Arin flopped back into her pillow and stared at the ceiling trying to remember what she had been dreaming about. Something about a tall shadow with a scythe. She really needed to stop reading discworld novels before bed. She shuddered and after a few seconds, sighed and began disentangling herself from the sheets.