Cause when you’re standing oh so near, I kind of lose my mind.

Chapter 1 – The Cars

“I don’t mind you coming here,

And wasting all my time,

Cause when you’re standing oh so near,

I kind of loose my mind.

Its not the perfume that you wear

Its not the ribbons in your hair

I don’t mind you coming here

And wasting all my time

I don’t mind you hanging out

And talking in your sleep

It doesn’t matter where you’ve been

As long as it was deep, yeah

You always knew to wear it well and

You look so fancy I can tell

I don’t mind you hanging out

And talking in your sleep

I guess you’re just what I needed

(just what I needed)

I needed someone to feed

I guess you’re just what I needed

(just what I needed)

I needed someone to bleed

I don’t mind you coming here

And wasting all my time, time

cause when you’re standing oh so near

I kind of lose my mind, yeah

Its not the perfume that you wear

Its not the ribbons in your hair

I don’t mind you coming here

And wasting all my time

I guess you’re just what I needed

(just what I needed)

I needed someone to feed

I guess you’re just what I needed

(just what I needed)

I needed someone to bleed

I guess you’re just what I needed

(just what I needed)

I needed someone to feed

I guess you’re just what I needed

(just what I needed)

I needed someone to bleed

Yeah, yeah, so bleed me

You’re just what I needed

You’re just what I needed

Yeah, you’re just what I needed

Yeah, yeah, yeah.”

I stopped singing and smiled to myself as I headed downstairs.

I’m one of those people who’s considered different. Let me just clarify: I am crazy. Imaginary friends (even if you know they’re imaginary) definitely make you crazy, especially if you think they’re real. Wow, that’s contradictory. Anyway, they’re more like muses: they inspire me when I write music (which doesn’t happen very often as I can’t, so when I say music, I mean some freaked out poem)….So I’m a little bit punk, but a skater chick as well, and maybe a little emo, and I own one or two preppy tops. Yet strangely enough, I fit in. Perfectly. Perfectly, and happily so.

My name is Alethea. I am seventeen, nowhere near eighteen, I have pitch black hair--and it’s natural—Italian heritage, green eyes, pale skin. I’ve been called pretty, and I’ve decided I must be—not in an immodest way, but I’ve been asked to model, which I had been planning to do over the holidays but apparently they don’t want models who have arms in casts, so I declined. Also, well, Silver (more about him in a minute) deserves someone pretty (He also deserves someone sane, but we’re ignoring that fact).

I have an older sister called Sabina. We all call her Sab. She’s beautiful. Even a blind man can see it, cause she’s beautiful on the inside, too (unfortunately I reckon she’s gonna end up beating her kids, shame). She has these amazing green eyes and long red hair. Seriously, every guy falls in love with her. She is in love with a young man called Jay. They’re both adorable, and tres shy, so I gave them a little push along the way. Their relationship is on ‘a break’ at the moment, which basically means nothing. They’re just going to different colleges and are so nice they don’t want the other person to be tied down, but I highly doubt either of them will see other people.

Silver is Alric Silverton. He was the most popular guy in my old school (I have now moved schools and he’s off to college). Goes by ‘Silver’. I know! Shock! Horror! His name isn’t Jake or Scott or Josh or Matt…not that there is anything wrong with those names, but I mean how many schools are there where the most popular guy in school is named Silver? Okay, so he’s absolutely gorgeous, with this lovely dark brown hair that you want to run your fingers through, and tan skin—but not orange—and his eyes, ah, when I die, I want his eyes to be the last thing I see. My perfect man would look like Silver. And act like him. And be like him. And wait! He is him!

Now, you may be wondering how I know this, me being an outsider and him being the most popular guy in school and all…well, three things:

My mother and his mother have been best friends since they were three years old.

He’s pretty good friends with my older brother (I haven’t told you about him yet. Well, he’s Sabine’s twin and his name is Taliesin. He’s got messy blonde hair and a tan, and according to most girls in my old school, ‘he’s drool worthy man meat.’ I know, I didn’t want to hear it, either—who even says drool worthy man meat?—but I can say that he’s got the whole surfer boy look going on).

He lives next door. Or at least did until he moved away to college (though his college is pretty much right next to my school).

Wait, there’s one more reason.

Thanks to some weird genetic mutation that no one understands and probably never will, he’s my boyfriend (I really need to learn to like that word). I love him, and he loves me, and I know I’m in high school and too young for love etc. etc. but do I look like I give a shit?

I paused when I heard a voice.

“Hey! Allie!”

That would be one of my best friends, Danny. My other best friend was Jules. I used to think they were perfect for each other, but then Jules had to go spite my plans by finding out she’s perfect for someone else.

They both had the whole preppy punk down to a perfect art. I grinned at him as he sat down at the table. He was smiling, and the smile widened when he saw Jules. I gestured for her to sit down; she was giggling a little and holding Arc’s hand.

Today is my leaving partay! Everyone’s here (Well, not everyone. I’ve figured out I have too many friends. Cillian’s in Ireland. Tal and Silver are off buying a cake, Corrin’s in some distant country, Jill’s here.)

Jill’s one of my friends, she’s twenty and my parents don’t like her much, but she’s pretty kewl. Corrin’s her younger brother. He pretended to be my boyfriend, ‘Nate,’ for me last year. It’s a long story.

“Oi! Allie!”

I jumped and looked up at Jill, and she grinned. “What world are you in?”

I shrugged.

“So looking forward to getting rid of your cast?”

Not really. It’s too much fun, and you have an excuse for not doing everything. “Sure.”

My cast came about when my cousin pushed me down some stairs. That’s right. Stairs. At this monument, and I fell and broke my arm. It wasn’t all that fun. Anyhow, Penelope (the evil-doing-cousin) had been living with us, but my mother sent her off to her mother (my mother’s mother, not Penelope’s). We couldn’t find Penelope’s, so to grandma’s, who has liver for dinner every night, it is! I actually feel a little sorry for her. Her brother Arc’s still with us. I love my Arcie-poo!

I glanced over at Bastian, who was trying to physically comfort Jer over my leaving to boarding school. The boarding school is closer to their bachelor pad than this one! (Why do they even call it a bachelor pad?) Maybe that’s what they’re upset over. . . . ? That they’ll get to see me more!

The door opened, and Tal and Silver walked in looking rather . . . . wet.

Don’t laugh, Allie. Don’t laugh.

Nate: Snicker

Tal and Silver glared at me, but I only beamed widely at them. Tal was holding the cake, and Silver held an umbrella over it.

Don’t laugh, Allie. Don’t laugh.

Nate and Ash: Snicker

The glaring continued, and Tal almost dropped the cake because he was too busy glaring at me to concentrate.

Nate, Ash and Blade: Snicker

Me: Stop getting me in trouble!

I smiled widely at Silver and Tal and hurried over to offer to carry the cake, which was denied. They put it on the table. It said in rainbow coloured writing, ‘Goodbye, Allie, Sab, Silver and Tal! Don’t come home too soon!’ Oh my dear parents. You spoil me.

So when I said ‘my’ leaving party, I meant partly mine. But my name is first on the cake! (Ignoring alphabetic order)

Parties are rather fun. I rather enjoy them. The word ‘rather’ rather makes me laugh (that doesn’t make sense. Hmmmm). I was laughing especially when Tal insisted Sab and I perform the leaving song. We made it up on our last night on a holiday in Florida when I was ten and Sab was eleven. We went to some random restaurant, and a balloon man made me balloon tortoise and Sab a balloon pic (she also had a monkey-in-a-tree-balloon-hat. She was always the favourite child).

“Splish, Splash I was having a bath!

When suddenly I heard a crash.

I went downstairs to see what it was,

And I saw Shelly!” my balloon tortoise.

“And she said

I’m not SMELLY!

And I saw Pinky!” Sab’s balloon pig.

“And he said

I’m not STINKY!”

Go into patronizing weirdo creepzoid voice.

“And do you know why, kids?”

Zoom into high pitched voice.

“No, why?”

Back to normal.

“Cause Splish Splash I was having a bath!”

It goes on forever. Good song. Man, I want a ten year old’s brain again; that was a damn good song. Ten was the age when you couldn’t say the word ‘it’ without bursting into awkward giggles. Man, I miss those times. But it was before we came here and met everyone, which is rather boring. Hmmmm, I’m not sure I want to leave everyone. They’re too kewl!

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A/N: TAH DAH! ALL BRAND SPANKING NEW! Who's gonna give the first review? updates should hopefully be more regular, chapter 2 is being written RIGHT NOW, i have pictures of most characters (now including Liam, Mera and Sparrow), would people like to see pictures of the real people characters are based on? (if i can get permission?)

Love

xxxx