Chapter 1

Six period was anything but fun to me. In fact it was almost torture having to sit through an hour of world history every day. Mr. Froid could always be heard droning on about something at the front of the class, his cold dry voice unable to hold anyone’s attention. The other students were either texting, sending notes across the room to the room, sleeping, or pretending to listen to what Mr. Froid was talking about while in reality they were thinking about what they were going to do when we were released from the prison that was Mr. Froid’s world history class.

The only thing that made the class even remotely interesting to go to was the dark, mysterious boy sitting two desks in front of me and slightly to my left. From where I sat I could see his face easily with out being seen staring by anyone other then my best-friend Claire, who sat beside me.

“Cury!” Claire hissed in a whisper so Mr. Froid wouldn’t hear. My eyes didn’t waver from his dark hair falling into his light green eyes that almost seemed to glow. “Cury!” She repeated trying to get my attention, though I could barely hear her through my daydreaming. “Mercury!” Claire stabbed me in the arm, hard, with the end of her pen.

“What?” I whispered back, my honey colored eyes finally torn away from Anton Trent as I glared at Claire out of annoyance.

“You’re staring at him again,” Claire informed me, rolling her brown eyes. She was used to this behavior from me, in this class, by then.

My ivory colored cheeks took on a light shade of pink as I turned my eyes downward, attempting to hide my embarrassment. This was always my reaction when Claire brought up Anton. She’d usually start laughing and tease me about it for an hour or so.

“Miss Carmichaul,” Mr. Froid’s cold voice broke through my train of thought, causing me to glance upward toward him. “Can you give me the answer?” Mr. Froid stood at the front of the class, leering at me. I glanced around to find the rest of the class watching me too. Anton was looking at me! I turned my attention back to Mr. Froid.

Uh…um… can you repeat the question?” I asked sheepishly, sinking down into my seat.

“Miss Carmichaul, please see me after class,” Mr. Froid ordered. I rolled my eyes out of frustration. “Oh, and you have early morning detention tomorrow.” I shot a menacing glare towards him when I heard that. “And tomorrow after noon, and the next, and the next…” I threw my textbook down on my book as I shot out of my seat. “What are you doing?” He asked as I shoved my belongings into my backpack. I didn’t bother to reply.

When I was finished loading my backpack, I slung it over my shoulder and started toward the door. I could hear the sounds of freedom ahead.

“Miss Carmichaul, where do you think you’re going?” Mr. Froid called after me when I reached the door.

“None of your business,” I shot back at him, over my shoulder, before I pushed the door open and stepped out into the hall. I turned to the right and started to make my way toward the student parking lot. I hated Mr. Froid. He ran his class like a nazi commander, and on top of that he didn’t teach us anything we hadn’t learned the year before.

I had just stepped out of the building, into the crisp November air, when I remembered that my car was dead in the driveway at home and that Claire and I had walked to school that morning.

“Great,” I sighed, shifting my backpack to my other shoulder before starting to walk in the direction of home.

“You need a ride?” a breathy, tenor voice spoke from behind me, sending a shiver down my spine, causing me to jump. I peeked over my shoulder to see a tall blond boy staring at me with smoky blue eyes.

“Na, that’s okay, I can just walk, I don’t live that far away,” I assured before turning and starting to walk again, moving a little faster. I could see the sidewalk running between the street and the wooden fence that lined one side of the school property.

“Come on, I insist,” The boy persisted. I glanced back over my shoulder but kept going. The boy was strolling casually behind me.

“What’s your name?” I questioned, staring ahead of me.

“Cody. You’re Mercury, right?” I froze instantly, my eyes wide in shock. He knew my name. I’d never seen the guy in my life and he knew my name.

“Yeah, h-how do you know my name?” I asked, my voice shaking a little with nervousness. I glanced over my shoulder at him to find him shaking his head no.

“Hey, so do ya like to go to parties?” Cody asked. I gave him a quizzical look but he just grinned back at me.

“Uh…yeah, I guess so,” I responded not really knowing where he was going with this line of questions. I turned to look back up the street in front of me.

“Great, I’ll pick ya up at eight,” Cody informed me sounding like he was trying to wrap up the conversation. “See ya then.” I turned back to see where he was going to find he was already out of sight. It was just about then that I realized I hadn’t given him my address. Well he can’t come pick me up if he doesn’t know where I live. Feeling slightly awkward, I turned and started toward home again.

“Claire,” I whined later that night as I dropped down onto my bed. “Can’t I just wear jeans?” I glanced down at the jean mini skirt and the skimpy, pink, low-cut, camisole that my dear friend was making me wear.

I had made the mistake of telling her about the guy in the parking lot, and she instantly decided that I was going and that I was going to be her own personal barbie doll for the afternoon. We had already gone through three different outfits so far. The clock on my bedside table read 7:32.

“No, you can’t just wear jeans,” Claire answered, dropping down on the bed next to me, a brush and a bag of bobby-pins in her hand. That could only me one thing. She was going to do me hair!

“Claire, no,” I stated firmly, standing up and walking into the bathroom to check my mascara.

“Mercury, come on, it will look good,” Claire pleaded, trying to persuade me.

“Claire, I already look like a slut. If you do my hair I’m changing,” I threatened, exiting the bathroom and starting out of my room, heading for the kitchen.

Claire and I shared a house. We were both orphans. We had first met when we were in third grade. Claire and I went through foster care together. We ran away several times between fifth and ninth grade. Eventually they realized that we really didn’t like to be moved around from family to family every other year or so and had paid for a house for us to stay in.

“Please let me do your hair,” Claire begged, following behind me.

“No,” I responded as I opened the mini fridge, sitting on the counter. “We need to buy milk,” I informed her.

“Come on Cury. This is the first party you’ve gone to in like six months,” Claire stated the sad fact from where she stood by the fold up card table, her hand on her hip.

“Well, I’m sorry I don’t have as productive of a social life as you,” I mocked, closing the fridge and moving on to the cabinet next to the stove. “Why don’t we have any good food?” I wondered out loud, turning around to face Claire.

If I tell you where the good food is will you let me do your hair?” Claire tried to be diplomatic, raising an eyebrow.

“Okay, fine,” I conceded. I usually wouldn’t let her do my hair for food, but I hadn’t eaten since breakfast and I was kind of starving.

“Ow, okay, okay, you won’t regret this,” Claire squealed as she pushed me down into one of the mismatched chairs that surrounded the fold up card table.

“You’re pulling my hair,” I whined as the doorbell rang fifteen minutes later. “Claire, I have to go.”

“I’m almost done, just hold still for one—more—second,” Claire said, holding bobby pins in her mouth as she hurried to finish my hair. The doorbell rang a second time. “She’s coming!” Claire called out, toward the door, as she stuck one more bobby pin in my hair before shoving me toward the front door.

I opened the door to find Cody standing on the first step, dressed in kaki shorts and a red polo shirt, his blond hair neatly spiked.

“Hi,” I greeted as I stepped out onto the front porch. I stood, waiting for a response as Cody just stared at me with a kind of distant expression.

“Oh, uh, hi,” Cody responded after a few seconds, sounding a little flustered as he shook his head. “Come on.” I followed him down the path to his dirty gray suburban, parked on the street.

I stared at my reflection in the rearview mirror, regretting to have ever agreed to going to the party with Cody. He kept glancing over at me and smiling this weird looking grin that, I didn’t understand. It was kind of creepy.

I sat in the front passenger seat of Cody’s gray suburban. I could tell that he had tried to clean up a little, but the car was still ugly and dirty. Newspapers and pop-cans could be seen lying on the floor and the dashboard.

“So you’re a junior, right?” Cody questioned, trying to make conversation I guess. How’d he know what grade I was in?

I shifted uncomfortably before answering. “Yeah, I’m a junior,” I replied, turning to stare at the side mirror. I could see Cody watching me in the reflection.

“Junior year was fun,” Cody chuckled, like it was some inside joke.

“Are you a senior?” I asked, curious, turning to face him, my head cocked slightly to the side.

“Na, I graduated a couple years ago,” Cody explained, glancing over at me as he pulled into a parking lot that was almost completely full. Uh oh, not good! I’m so dead! He is a stalker! So are we really going to a party or is he kidnapping me?

“No, I’m not kidnapping you,” Cody answered, smirking as he turned of the car.

“So what? You just like younger girls?” an impish grin spread across Cody’s face as he nodded. “Ugh,” I breathed in disgust, forcing the door open and jumping down to the ground before I started toward the beach, where I could hear voices and music, at a swift pace.

“Hey, what are you doing? Mercury, I’m sorry,” Cody called as he ran after me, grabbing for my wrist with a snatching motion.

“I’m seeing if I know anyone here to give me a ride home,” I growled in response, yanking my arm out of his reach and doing the only thing I could to get away from him. I ran.

So I've desided to rewrite this story, just to add some stuff and more detail. I hope you enjoy it. Reveiws are always helpful. If you have any tips, please let me know!! :)