Is there anyway at all to fix the slight problem I'm having with this? I wonder as I sit and watch the darkness. People nowadays didn't know anything, but somhow I was able to break through the glass pane that restricted all of us and saw just how dangerous the world was. Call it luck? Experiance? I don't know what to call it. But I did learn one thing all those years ago; the world is far more dangerous at night then it is during the day. At night you can't see as well and more preadators come out, lurking in the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to lunge out at you. It was through one of these experiances I learned to be more careful at night. Too bad I can never use this learned information. No.

It was foutry-nine years ago, today. I remember the night as if it was only yesterday. The night was bresquely cold and there was only one thing on my mind; how could I look better then all the other girls for the school dance tomorrow night? I wasn't the best-looking girl in school - on the contrary, everyone laughed at me - but there had to be some way I could look better then all the other pretty girls in school. All I needed was a simple makeover that was strong enough to make me the center of attention for the night. Sounded easy enough, right? Well for some reason that night turned out horribly wrong.

My best friend, Cal (which was short for Caleria), had agreed to help me look nice for the school dance. Now, I was a tomboy and I usually didn't like going to the dances for no reason, but this was the dance. The big 'Eigth Grade Graduation' dance. How would anyone in their right mind skip it? This dance either made you or broke you for High Shcool. I had to be there for the sake of myself. So I forced myself to go out and get a dress with Cal - a simple, but elegant dress. It was velvet red with simple black tinges to it. Cal said it went nicely with my black, curly hair and my bright blue eyes. She said all I needed to make it perfect was a bit or blood red makeup and a small head tiara that made me look gothic, but pretty. I agreed to meet Cal at her house two hours after school, so we could get homework done.

But at the time I wasn't focusing on homework. I was more worried about my appearance at the dance. Tomboy or not, I had to look good for this dance. This dance was the dance that would forever deicde my ranking in High School! It was of the utmost imprtant dance of my life. I had never even thought about how important my final prom was. No. I was more interested in the dance that was coming up, as I suppose all the other girls in my school were.

Cal called half an hour before I was supposed to go and meet her at her house. She sounded upset. "Ala," Ala is short for my full name, Alaizabella. "I have some bad news." She sounded as though she had been crying for some time before she called me.

"What is it?" I asked her, trying my hardest to sound genuninely worried. But she knew that I was horrible at any sort of emotion, so she knew how to react if I didn't the way she wanted me to.

"It's me," She said softly. "And Brian."

I scowled. Cal, Brian, and myself had been neighboors all our lives. Just recently had Brian asked Cal out, leaving me alone most of the time. I knew he had done it on purpose to tear the two of us appart. He was always jealous of our friendship, and he knew I hated him. This all was probably a simple game for him. To get back at me by hurting Cal. My one weakness. "What'd he do know?" I asked Cal, my voice angrilly rising.

Cal hesitated a moment before answering. "He broke up with me."

Oh, not good. Brian and Cal had been together ever since fifth grade. I knew it'd hurt Cal when Brian finally broke up with her. But then, of course, I knew he was going to brake up with her eventually. Their relationship had always been rocky, but Cal refused to see it. So I waited and bided my time. I knew they'd break up eventually, just not so suddenly. This was probably a surprise for me just as much as it was for Cal. "Did he hurt you?" I asked her, carefully choosing my words.

Cal hesitated again. I knew it was bad. She never hesitated when she told me something. We never kept secrets from one another, so for her to be so relunctant now was a little worrisome. "He broke up with me just after..." She hesitated, then finished, "We kissed for the first time. I suppose he didn't like it. He did mention something like that when we were talking about it..." Her voice drifted off.

I scowled. The bastard! How could he ever do that to Cal? He knew how much in love she was with him, so why had he done that so selfishly? He was truly an ass after all. "I had always thought he was an ass," I began, "but I never knew he'd hurt you like that." I paused and listened to her sob. It hurt to hear her like this. "Do you want me to talk to him?" She knew exactly what I meant when I said that. I talked with my fists, and I always held a grudge. And for this, Brian would never live it down. Not as long as I lived, anyway.

"Don't do anything stupid, Ala," Cal warned, "You know Brian's father is a cop. And he doesn't favor you much."

I shurgged. "So? I'll just jump Brian when he's not with his dad. When he's alone..." My voice drifted off in thought of what I could do to him when he was alone. Ah, there were so many different tortures to choose from...I had always warned Brian that if he broke Cal's heart I'd break his face. I suppose he never believed me. He'll be wishing he had by the time I'm finished with him.

"Ala, I'm glad you want to get back at him, but that's not the way to do it. There has to be another way we can get revenge on him without getting arreated." I could tell from the tone in her voice that she agreed with getting revenge. She was more careful then I was, and she was sort of like my conscience. Well, the good side of it, anyway.

I sighed. "I suppose you're right, Cal. What would I ever do without you?" I added the last bit to make her feel a little bit more wanted and loved. She loved it when I did that. We treated each other like Sisters, not like best friends. No, we were beyond that.

"So," Cal said with a sigh, trying to change the subject, "Are we still on for the dance?"

"But now we're both dateless." I just had to point that out to her.

"That's okay. We can go together."

I was silent for a moment, thinking her proposal over. "Cal," I began softly, "I do!" Cal burst out laughing on the other end.

"Always a commedian, eh, Ala?"

"You know I can't help it." I said with a laugh. Ah, the good times. I will always remember them. Cal will be with me in my heart as long as my memory stays with me. "Alright. I'll be over ina few minutes." She lived right next door to me, so transportation between houses was not an issue. We usually walked to school, but for the Eighth Grade Graduation dance, Cal's mother agreed to drive us so we wouldn't sweat off our makeup or rip or dresses or break our heels or anything else. Tonight had to be as perfect as we could make it.

"Alright. See ya in a few Ala." With that, Cal hung up the phone.

I waited a moment, listening to the tone the phone company was giving to me now that Cal had hung up. I wasn't really paying attention to the noise. I was thinking more about how I would get back at Brian for being so cruel to Cal. He's going to pay for it. I thought to myself. Even if I have to waste the rest of my life tracking him down. No matter what I have to do, I'm going to avenge Cal. Perhaps I had made too harsh a promise, or maybe it was that I should never keep such dark, evil promises. Because this one small promise I decided to keep changed my life forever.

A/n

So, how's the first chapter? It gets better as it goes along, so keep reading! Oh yeah, review too!