Untitled Thus Far

Chapter One

Run. That's all I know. I just need to run. There's something after me, something dangerous, evil. Nothing bothers me. Not the stabbing pain in my side, not the sharp rocks that cut through the soft flesh of my feet, not even the eerie forest in the darkness of the night bother me. There is only one problem: I tripped. I scramble to get up and run again, but the slippery mud runs through my fingers and I fall again. I feel the evil presence upon me. I turn around swiftly, but nothing appears to be behind me. I permit myself to a small sigh, then turn around only to find a pair of demented, red eyes starring straight into mine. I open my mouth to scream, but the darkness has taken over me.

I woke abruptly to the chorus of Going Under by Evanescence. Trembling slightly, I hit the snooze on my alarm clock. I felt a small body jump onto the bed and sit down on my stomach. I sat up on my elbows and chuckled when I saw Sangu, my pet cat, bathing himself on my stomach. His slender grey body shook gently with a pur. He had black paws that matched well with a black crescent that sat on the bridge of his nose. He cocked his head to the side and started kneading the blanket.

"Alright boy, I'll get up." Sangu immediately jumped to the floor and ran to his bowl that sat on a table near the kitchenette.

I looked around at my room - a.k.a. the basement. Two of the walls were completely shelved with books and CD's. The kitchenette is by the sliding glass door. A small bathroom was put in at the bottom of the stairs in the corner. In the middle there is a futon facing a TV and a small card table with two chairs.

I looked at the glowing red numbers on my alarm clock. 6:08. I got out of bed and slowly moved to the enclosed bathroom. I turned the shower on and let the hot water loosen my tense muscles.

My family and I moved here when I was five. One year later on a cold December afternoon, I watched a car loose control on the icy road and hit my mom. My father and I have lived here since then, even if it cause us grief every now and then.

I stepped out of the bathroom with a towel around my torso and another one in my hands, drying my auburn colored hair. I looked at my desk and sighed with hopelessness when I saw Microsoft Word up on my laptop with nothing typed. A small printer took the left corner of the rather bulky, antique desk. Manuscripts, finished and unfinished, lay scattered on the desk and around the floor, my wastebasket overflowing. I have a two books of poetry and the first book of a series of four published. All of which are and will continue to be published under the pen name of Emma Rena.

Sighing again, I walked to a small dresser to look for an outfit for the first day of my junior year in high school. I pulled out a black tank top and an electric blue one; and black and blue plaid Bermuda shorts. I quickly dressed and towel-dried my heavily layered hair. I stood in front of a full length mirror, scrutinizing my appearance. My short frame is five feet and two inches with slightly toned muscles. I circled my pale blue eyes with black eyeliner and adorned my eyelashes with mascara.

I felt Sangu rub his head against my legs. I smiled and walked to the small kitchenette and fed Sangu some dry cat food and grabbed a Coke out of the fridge for myself. I grabbed my purse and slipped on my flats and walked out of the sliding glass doors, heading in the direction of Abraham Lincoln High School.

Our city is a rather small city with a population of just over 1,500. With a city that small, we don't get many visitors.

There are a lot of students walking to the shameful one-floor building that we call a high school. Most people who have cars walk anyways because of the rising gas prices.

"Ayla! Ayla wait for me!" That is no doubt the voice of my one and only friend Alex.

I turned around to see Alex wearing the same thing as me except where I had blue, she had a blood red. And her breasts filled out the tank tops better mine...

Alex, like me, has a creamy pale look her skin. Amazingly enough, Alex and I fit into the same size clothes so we usually swap, like how she has my red and black plaid Bermuda shorts that I haven't been able to find for the last week. Her make-up was an exact copy of mine- black eyeliner and mascara. Her black hair had newly dyed chunks of electric blue and her green eyes were almost cat-like.

We entered the high school moments later and were greeted with rotten looks from the cheerleaders, jocks, and every other generally popular kid; frowns from new teachers and smiles from old teachers and staff; and a cheerful "welcome back" from everyone else in the main hallway. Alex and I weren't popular in a way that people liked us, but in a way that we were different. Some people like different and most people don't. I smiled as I walked to my locker then stopped short when I saw a group of people gathering in a circle, most of the holding the same book. On the cover was a girl, on half of her face had her black eyes circled with thick black eyeliner, a pentacle drawn on her cheek, her eyebrow pierced and black hair; the other half of her face was pink eye shadow around brown eyes, shimmer powder on her cheeks, and blonde hair. Under the girl's face, the name read Emma Rena. Alex looked at me with a surprised expression on her face.

"I know! This is the best book ever! I can't wait until the second one comes out!" Said one of the girls.

Blushing, I quickly walked walked away from the throng of people. Alex quickly followed.

"That's your book, isn't it?"

I nodded weakly. "Yeah, I forgot that it came this past month." I paused. "People actually read it?"

Alex just laughed. "It's all because of the awesome title. 'Leading a Double Life'. What would you do without me?" Alex asked jokingly.

I smiled. We walked to where our lockers were going to be this year. I cringed at the sight of the old, rusted-over gold lockers. Alex gave me a look as if she were about to upchuck her breakfast.

Ding, ding, ding. "Come on! We're going to be late!" Alex said as the warning bell sounded.

Our first hour is French III with Madame Cecile.

"Bonjour, la classe."

"Bonjour Madame." The class chimed together. Mme. Cecile has beautiful blonde hair and crystal blue eyes. Her pink sundress came down her knees.

The first day of school is always the same; no matter what the class or grade is. Everyone got to know each other. There are only two new students in French III.

Second hour is a web/graphic design class taught be a balding, short man who goes by the name of Mr. Mason. I noticed that there was a guy from my first hour sitting directly in front of me. His dark blonde hair was short, but long enough to have a messy sensual look about it. His green eyes were so piercing that it almost looked scary. His facial features were sharp and angular, but when he relaxed, even the slightest, they softened. A little bit. He was clad in a Mindless Self Indulgence shirt and baggy black jeans. Sadly, Alex didn't have this class with me.

My third hour is a creative writing class. My teacher, Mrs. Baker, was, as always, too excited for school, but always complained about her freshman classes. She had been my English teacher since my freshman year. Alex doesn't have this class with me either.

Since my fourth hour is advanced placement trigonometry with Ms. Watson, I am subjected to endure the tortures of A-Lunch. Thank the gods that Alex has this class with me.

Fifth hour is psychology with Mrs. Robb, who was my world history teacher in my freshman year. There is that new kid again. This time I paid attention to attendance. His name is Laeos. I didn't catch the last name. Alex must have seen me be too perceptive, because she asked me about it on the way to our sixth hour.

"What was that about?" She asked curiously.

"What was what?" Alex looked at me as though I asked what her hair color was. "Oh, that? He is a new kid and I feel like I have every class with him. So, naturally, I wanted to know his name." I said, probably too snotty.

Sixth hour is anatomy and physiology with Mr. Teppin, but we have a sub. On the first day of school. He called out people's names and you could hear people giggle at last names. The substitute teacher butchered at least fifteen names, including mine and - oh, look! Laeos' name too. When he called Alex's name and said 'Alexandria', Alex snapped in response, telling him that it was 'Alex' not 'Alexandria'.

Alex and I walked back to my house. My dad, Paul, was on his way to work at the local bar as a bartender. His plain appearance and buzz cut hair made him look boring compared to Alex and I.

"Hey sweetie, hey Alex." He kissed my forehead. "Off to work, don't wait up for me."

I rolled my eyes as Paul walked out the front door because he wouldn't walk through the door again until 4:30 or 5:00 tomorrow morning, depending on whether or not he had a few drinks with the guys at work.

We went downstairs to my room and sat down on the futon, channel surfing.

"Sangu! Come here boy. Alex is here to see you!" Sangu came running out of the bathroom and jumped onto Alex's lap. He curled up as Alex ran her hand through Sangu's silky fur.

"I still can't believe that Paul let you keep this cat." Alex's voice still help amazement after three years. I shrugged as I thought about it.

I had found a pregnant cat in the woods on our property. When she gave birth, there were three babies. One was a still birth; the other two seemed healthy, but a week later, the mother died and that same day on of the kittens also died. Sangu is as healthy as ever and happy in his home.

"So, Ayla, what are you going to wear tomorrow?"

I thought for a moment. "Maybe my plaid schoolgirl outfit, why?"

Alex's eyes lit up. "No way! So am I!" I swear, as much as it seems, Alex and I do not coordinate our outfits.

Alex looked at the time on her cell phone and gasped. "It's 4:26! Megan is going to be home soon. If I'm not there when she gets home, it'll be my head!" Alex got off the futon and ran out the sliding glass doors. Sangu looked at me with his head cocked to the side.

I sighed as I thought about what Alex said, then winced as I realized that it was probably true. Megan, Alex's mother, is a horrible person. She started beating Alex after her father, Jim, had died two years ago. I told her that she should get some help, but it's a touchy subject for her.

I got up and headed to the small fridge. I grabbed a small can of half-eaten tuna and set it on the table for Sangu to eat it. I grabbed an unfinished manuscript that was titled 'What You Don't See' and started writing a woeful tale of two people who know they are meant to be, but have never met.

After an hour or so, Sangu tapped my leg with his paw, showing that he wanted to go outside. I sighed as I opened the sliding glass doors and he went running into the woods. I walked after him, dozens of mosquitoes dispersing from the leaves as I took a step. I heard Sangu mewing cheerfully. That's when I saw it. My clearing at the edge of our half-acre property. There were a few fallen trees and absolutely no green except for a small patch of garden that I had been growing myself that included herbs of all kinds and a few colorful flowers for that homey touch. I sat down on a tree stump and began to meditate. I could still hear Sangu mewing playfully when I started singing a soft french song 'Quand Je Marche.'

"Quand je marche, je marche. Quand je dors, je dors. Quand je chante, je chante. Je m'abandonne..."

The birds chirped and sang all around me while I continued to sing. That's when I heard a twig snap and my eyes flew open instantly. I saw Sangu at the edge of the clearing, his ears perked up. I stared into the seemingly endless trees. I felt a shiver run up my spine and all of my instincts told me to get out of there; but I stayed still. Then he came out.

Laeos, the new kid from school, emerged into the clearing. He looked as though he stumbled upon a dead body. The surprise on his face was as apparent as mine felt. We stared at each other in silence for what seemed like hours. His gorgeously pale complexion almost seemed to glow, his bright green eyes searched mine. He started to walk towards me, then hesitated as if he were unsure that he should come any closer to me.

"My name is Laeos." His British accent was amazing.

I hesitated. "I'm Ayla."

Then there was silence. And it was awkward.

"Sorry for intruding. I live on the other side of these woods, here..." He left the sentence hanging.

I nodded slowly, taking in this new information. "Do you want to come to my place and get something to drink?" The question was out of my mouth before I realized what I was even thinking.

Laeos smiled. "Yeah, actually, that would be great."

I cursed myself to the fiery pits of Hades for not thinking before I spoke. I called for Sangu to come and he lead the way to the house. I noticed Laeos gave me a strange look when I called Sangu's name. I guess he knew it was Latin for blood. We walked into the basement and I motioned for Laeos to sit down.

"What do you want?" I paused, looking in the fridge. "Coke, water, lemonade..." I trailed off.

"Just water, please." Laeos sounded distracted.

I handed him a bottle of water and sat down across from him with a Coke in hand.

"So, I noticed I haven't seen you before today... When did you move here?"

"About a week ago. I've been... busy."

I nodded as he explained his lack of appearance to a total stranger. "So how do you like it here?"

Laeos thought for a moment. "It's quiet. Very different from where I used to live." He paused, then looked as if he were going to say something more, but didn't.

I sat back, his British accent stunning me all over again.

Laeos eyed me with a guarded expression. "I don't mean to pry, but what were you doing in the clearing back there?"

"Meditating." I answered bluntly. "It's a place of sanctuary for me."

We regarded each other in heavy silence. It was almost too awkward to stand. Laeos' green eyes seemed to be looking into the depths of my soul. They smoldered against the creamy paleness of his complexion. Sangu rubber his sleek head against Laeos' leg, which broke his gaze on me. I looked away in relief. Then Sangu jumped onto his lap, catching him by surprise. Laeos looked at me again.

"I think he likes you."

Laeos started petting Sangu. "I noticed we have a lot of classes together." No duh. "Do you think you could show me around sometime? I haven't been out much."

His eyes smoldered at mine again, but I had enough strength to look down at me Coke. This question went the opposite direction from where I thought our entire conversation was going - nowhere.

"Sure, I'd love to..." I could feel a crimson rise to my cheeks, but I pushed it down as fast as it had com up. I looked back at Laeos and saw that he was smiling, and I couldn't help but smile a little, too.

"Well, um, if your not doing anything, do you want to go for a walk with me?" Laeos' question caught me completely off guard. I was struck speechless for a moment and just looked at Laeos with a blank expression. Then I came back into reality.

"Well, um, yeah. I'm not doing anything..." I blushed a little and saw the excitement in Laeos' eyes light up. But he also looked a little stunned that I had said yes, like he didn't know what to say.

I started to get up and motioned fore Laeos to get up, too. "We'll go up through the front."

Laeos paused. "What about your parents? Won't they care if you and a boy are alone in your room?"

"Oh, um, Paul is at work..." I couldn't finished the sentence. I couldn't bring myself to tell Laeos that my mother died when I was five. He looked at me tentatively, but decided to drop it for now.

We walked slowly up the stairs into a rather large kitchen with old appliances and mint green walls and oak cabinets. Quietly, we walked through the garage door to the outside. We were quiet for a few minutes. Then I broke the silence.

"So, uh, what brought this on all of a sudden?" I asked slowly, measuring the meaning of my words.

Laeos looked away, towards the sky as we turned the corner. After a few moments, he shrugged. "I'm not really sure. Just wanted to get to know you more. You seem so different from everyone else. Even from your friend, Alex..."

I swallowed this information, not really knowing whether to take offense to it or not. Then, after minutes upon minutes of awkward silence, I finally said, "So, what do you want to know?"

Laeos looked at me out of the corner of his eye and I could see the corners of his mouth turn up into a small smile.

"Well, what kind of music do you listen to?"

I smiled. "It's going to sound crazy, but I listen to all kinds of music." Laeos motioned for me to go on. "Like, alternative, to techno, metal to dance, punk to electronica, rock to classical. Pretty much anything besides rap, country, and hip-hop. What about you?"

Laeos turned his head and smiled at me. "Well, pretty much the same as you, I love J-rock bands and classical music, too..." He trailed his sentence off, making me wonder if he had more to say.

We walked in silence for minutes upon minutes longer. We made our way to a park about a mile from my house. I looked around. There was no one here. Then I smiled, remembering how I would come here as a child and sit on the swings, watching people swim and boat, have fun with their family and friends. This is where I met Alex for the first time. I had come here directly after school and saw that someone was sitting on my swing. I had told her that was my swing, but she didn't even look up at me. Instead, I saw a small tear come from her eye, sliding down her cheek. I was worried I had made her cry and almost ran away, afraid I would get into trouble. But I stayed. I didn't ask what was wrong, why she as crying, or even who she was. No, I sat on the swing next to her, not saying a word. This went on for about two weeks before Alex said anything to me. We've been inseparable since.

Laeos and I sat on the swings and he smiled at me. "This is so childish." He shook his head as if he couldn't believe that he was even at a children's park.

"What on earth is so childish about it?" Disbelief colored me tone. Laeos looked at me as though I had asked him where Waldo is. "There is nothing childish about this. I've spent many hours here. Many nights here, too!"

"Woah, woah, I'm sorry. I've never really lived in one place for long, so I don't know how sentimental things can be."

I instantly regretted what I had said. I felt bad for him. Not pity, but I just felt like he never knew what it meant to be rooted in one place, to grow up with friends and family.

"Look, I'm sorry I snapped. This place just... has a lot of memories for me. And I have to admit, this is kind of awkward. I mean, this place has a lot of memories for me, just not with guys. I've always been here alone or with Alex." I pause, then cringed at the double meaning of my words. "I didn't mean that Alex and I have anything going on, I just... I don't date is all and I've never even been with a girl... I'll just be quiet now." I could feel the crimson color rise to my cheeks and I wanted to cry out in embarrassment. I looked over at Laeos, who was smiling.

"I know. Your friend Alex is something special, isn't she? I bet she means more to you then you let people know." His guess was dead on. I eyed him suspiciously.

"Do you read minds, or are you just overly perceptive?" My tone was curious. Laeos laughed.

"No, nothing like the first one. I'm just extremely perceptive and observant."

Silence. More awkward than not. I wanted to get out of there as fast as I could.

"I, uh, I have to go. I'm sorry." I got off the swing and started walking towards my house. "I guess I'll see you at school."

I didn't look back to see Laeos' face, but I could tell that he wasn't following me.

Okay, so this is the first chapter of my new novel/series. This was supposed to be a re-write of Everlasting Dawn, but it was too painful to keep writing, so I totally ripped it up. The only thing that I kept was the general actions of the characters. Ayla, of course, is the one and the same. Alex was going to be based off of Roxi, but I decided against it. Instead, she is based off of my true and best friend, Jessica Rena. I love her. There is, of course, more than just Jessica in Alex. And Laeos is an entirely different person from Adam. I did use the beginning paragraph from ED, but that is the origin for the two stories. I had the exact same dream about a year or two ago and it makes for a pretty interesting opening in my opinion... I just can't shake it off. But since this is a re-write-ish story, it will have some of the same key points that ED had. Some things I just couldn't leave out.

EDIT: I don't really know if I'm going to keep this going. I only have the first two chapters written, but I can't see what direction it's heading in yet. So any input is, as always, loved.