Chapter 1

“I hate you! I wish we never moved here!” These were the last words I said to my parents before I went on the most memorable trip in my life, although nobody but me would ever know what I saw and what I did, or even almost did. But let’s go back to the beginning so that you’ll know how all of this came to be.

I was having the best day of my life, hanging out with my friends, going to a party, getting a good grade on one of my tests, and the best thing of all, I was staying away from my parents. See, this was a really good day for me because ever since we moved away from America to Australia in my fifth grade year, I was picked on and teased, and I never got to know anyone except for the other misfits. But the best day of my life all went downhill when I got home at ten at night and they were in the living room waiting for me. Yes, they are my parents.

I’ve been sneaking away from my parents since I was old enough to know that whatever they didn’t know about me, never really hurt me. But that day, when they were waiting for me, I knew they had found out about my escapades, or at least one of them. They had that “you’re SO grounded” look on their faces that I knew meant bad luck for me for at least two years. When I walked towards my captors… er… parents, I knew I was in BIG trouble; I was probably grounded for about six months, just something to ruin my already-bad reputation.

“Samantha,” yes, I know, my name is stupid because it is Samantha, ugh! I HATE my name! “We have found out where you really have been sneaking out to, and we are not happy with your behavior missy! Why have you been sneaking off to parties that have alcoholic drinks? Your brother never did this when he was your age!”

“Yeah, yeah! I know! You’re more proud of your handsome, intelligent, wonderful son than your average girl who has the worst reputation in school just because she likes art and reading! Well you know what, before we moved here, I knew that I fit in somewhere, but now, I don’t know where I fit in because people think I’m a dork, and nobody wants to be seen with a dork! You know what, I hate you! I wish we never moved here!”

See, I normally have to burst into anger about once or twice a day, and that hadn’t happened that day because that day was such a good day. When my parents confronted me with how great my older brother was, I just let off my daily anger. Sure, I was being harsh, but my parents angered me to no extent sometimes, and I had a right as a teenage girl to lash out at them, right? Right.

After that, I ran upstairs, packed some clothes, and stormed out the door to freedom, thus running over to my favorite haunt, and that was when everything started to happen.