Author's Note: Well, here it is. That thing inspired by the song "Luka" by Suzanne Vega. Yeah, call it plagiarism because a song inspired me. ^-^'' I've actually never written something like this--it's different, and sort of hard. I guess I'm treading on new ground… but actually, I like the result. I'm proud of this. ^_^''

Disclaimer: I don't own the song "Luka", it belongs to Suzanne Vega. Technically, I own the character named "Luka" in this story, just not the name, because I sort of stole it. Sort of… but I do own the story itself and the other characters. Yup…

-=.:Luka:.=-

It was completely by chance that she’d met him.

Unlike many first meetings, it had been rather low-key. They didn’t run into each other walking through the door, and they didn’t meet at school in the halls when one dropped their books and the other graciously bent down to help pick them up.

Ahh, but to compare their meeting to those would make it sound far too romantic. You see the relationship between Nicole and Luka was anything but such—but perhaps I should start at the beginning.

Nicole lived with her single mother in an apartment. It was a small, quiet place, and her mother was never home because of her job, so Nicole basically had the whole place to herself.

The fifteen-year-old high school junior was content with everything around her, really. Life was boring and bland, but she was happy.

That is, until the day she met him.

A windy day in early December, it started out like any other—Nicole got out of bed to the drone of her alarm clock and dragged herself out of bed. Tripping over a multitude of items in the dark, she stumbled forward and flicked on the light.

So on and so forth, she got ready for school. At precisely six forty, she left the room, backpack over her shoulder and books under one arm.

The hallways of the apartment complex were always dark in the morning, nothing different there. Morning mist clinging to the faded autumn grass—everyday life.

Little boy standing near the gate, alone.

Well, that much was new.

He was up to her shoulder in height with pale brown hair and a black jacket that was far too big for him. An old backpack with only one strap was draped across one heavily cloaked arm, the other bunched in his pocket. A young kid—he was probably in middle school.

Nicole eyed him for a moment and began to walk past, but something stopped her.

Subconsciously, she felt like she had to talk to him.

What the hell?

It was just a stupid kid. High schoolers just didn’t converse with them. Nicole wasn’t supposed to want to talk to him. She wasn’t even supposed to look at him. It was the unwritten law; ‘Thou shall not talk to lower classmen’.

But something tugged at her lips and Nicole said, "Hey."

The kid jumped and spun around as though she’d threatened him. His eyes were a dark green, his hair was really too long (it looked like it hadn’t been cut in a year), and he had the complexion of someone who hadn’t slept in days, but otherwise he was a handsome young boy.

He didn’t say a word, but regarded her with an annoyed frown.

"What are you doing out so early?" Nicole asked. She approached him slowly with a forced smile.

"Walking," he said briskly. "To school."

"What grade are you in?"

"Sixth."

"Ahh, alright. Guess I’ll see you around then." She’d decided it was a waste of time to talk to the brat in the first place.

Nicole turned and began to leave, planning to forget the event happened in the first place, when she heard his voice again. "Wait-!"

Her feet stood their ground in the wet grass.

"Where… where is the middle school?"

The question definitely caught her off guard. How the hell can he not know where his school is?

"You don’t know where you go to school?" Nicole cocked a brow, almost annoyed.

"I just moved here, and dad drove me there before. I don’t know the way," the kid muttered, averting his gaze.

She scowled at him. "And he won’t tell you how to get there?"

"He’s at work."

"Alright, the nearest middle school is probably yours… it’s on the way to my school. I’ll take you there." Nicole replied (despite her urge to walk off and not think another thing of it).

He looked up at her suddenly, and Nicole saw a mix of surprise and hesitance in his eyes. "Are you… sure? I mean…"

And then Nicole found it in her to smile, and she led him through the gate and along the side of the road. There was an extremely pregnant silence between them, and they both felt like there was something to be said but of course no one would say it.

They were really just strangers, and they had absolutely no reason to speak to each other, but somehow—

"What’s your name, anyway?"

"My name is Luka," said the boy, shuffling along beside her, constantly pulling his one-strapped backpack up to keep it from slipping off.

She nodded. "I’m Nicole… nice to meet you, I guess."

He didn’t reply.

Quiet kid, she thought. "When did you move here?"

"A week ago."

"You live in the apartments now?"

"Yeah, second floor. Upstairs from you, I think…"

She nodded. He’d apparently seen her before, but Nicole had never really paid attention to a thing that went on back at the apartments. In fact, she really didn’t pay attention to anything these days.

Another silence. What to say now? What the hell do you say to a sixth grader?

"Where does your dad work?"

"Don’t know. He’s gone all day though."

"My mom’s the same. I never see her, really. Does your mom work?"

"She’s dead."

Just great.

How cliché. Why is it that whenever you decide to ask about parents it’s sensitive ground to tread on? And then you never know what to say. You apologize and trip over yourself to make it up to them but it won’t atone for touching that subject.

Nicole’s dad wasn’t dead. He was alive and kicking, probably screwing some prostitute at that very moment. Just like him, really. He’d left Nicole’s mother and gone to live a drunken life alone, having sex every night for twenty five an hour with some girl he’d meet at a bar.

But that was better than dead.

"Oh, God, I’m sorry…"

Luka nodded. "It’s alright."

"Really, I didn’t mean…"

"It’s alright."

Nicole had never known a sixth grader to say something with such anger. Besides the random tantrums she’d known them to throw, they were never seriously angry—just angry on the level of immaturity that makes you want to hit them over the head with a brick.

A bit shaken, she looked at the boy. Perhaps he was different… or else there was just something severely wrong with him.

Whatever it was, she found it intriguing. Normally she might be annoyed and smack the kid, but somehow it was different. Somehow…

"Where’d you live before?"

"Wisconsin,"

"Is it nice there?"

"No," Luka said. "I don’t miss it."

The rest of the walk was rather quiet. Nicole would randomly say something to him on occasion, but it was meaningless talk, and they’d basically lost all interest in each other.

They thought.

Eventually the two reached the middle school and Luka muttered a thank-you before walking off alone to the gates.

Nicole’s school was a distance away and across the street, so she continued in silence. Really, though, her thoughts were all of the strange kid named Luka she’d met in the mist that morning.

Perhaps he was just homesick. He’d just moved here a week ago, after all. Maybe he was sick? Didn’t get enough sleep?

Or just mean-spirited…

Nicole sighed. There was something beyond his blatant annoyance, though. It had shown when she’d told him that she’d take him to school, and when she’d first spoken to him.

He was… sad.

The second she walked onto campus, the bell rang.

End Note: Eeh… different, 'ay? ^-^ The next few chapters will get to the real core of this piece of work, and the part that is hardest to write. Kind reviews and constructive criticism are welcome and greatly desired. 3