Unlocked

Chapter 2

Kierra Conners

If I had to choose between spending an eternity in Hell being eaten alive by demon spawn over and over again or going to high school, I'd pick the Hell option. There's less hormones.

Footsteps approached the bench, but Sadie didn't look up, opting to glance at her watch instead. Five more minutes. Just like any other school day morning. Wake up. Take a shower. Get dressed. Grab school bag and books. Arrive at the bus stop by fifteen after seven. Eat breakfast in the remaining time before the bus shows up. Ignore Gabriel Parker.

It was an art, she figured, to be able to ignore someone as beautifully as she did Gabriel. Not that he made it hard for her, having maybe only spoken ten words to her before in her entire life. But even so, some people found his quiet presence too intense to ignore. Sadie could do it, though. She had ignored him for so long that it was almost second nature.

So, while Gabriel sat himself on the bus stop bench, Sadie casually ate the last bite of Poptart in her hand and drank the last sip of her bottled chocolate milk. And as Gabriel shuffled through his backpack, Sadie casually stood up and threw her trash into the nearby garbage can. And when the city bus rolled to a stop in front of them, Sadie brushed past him as he waited for her to get on first.

She always took the last seat on the bus, far away from Gabriel's crappy middle-of-the-bus seat. Glancing out the window as the bus drove away from the stop, she willed her head to stay locked in that position.

But one tiny movement in the corner of her eye, and all resolve to keep her gaze on the blurred scenery dissipated. Her attention was fixed completely on him now. This time, the time they rode on an almost empty bus towards school in the early morning, was the only flaw in her otherwise perfect art.

Gabriel Parker had lived across the street from her since the day she'd been brought home from the hospital. So that equaled seventeen years of them being not-so-friendly neighbors. And in those seventeen years, they'd only spoken once. It wasn't a talk Sadie liked to think about.

She couldn't outright say that she hated Gabriel. Other than that one conversation, he'd never done anything to her. He was the kind of guy who mostly kept to himself and spoke only when necessary. But other kids at school adored him, for some reason unknown to Sadie. There wasn't anything too special about him. To her, Gabriel was just...average.

Brown, shaggy hair that never looked brushed. Nondescript clothing in mainly hues of black, gray, or navy blue. She couldn't tell because he was sitting down, but he didn't seem that tall. Everything about him seemed so ordinary. He irritated her.

Before her annoyance got the best of her, Sadie turned to the window again. She almost wished she hadn't. The bus was cruising along past the wide, wrought-iron gate that was the entrance to Hargreave Court.

Whaler's Cove was a small town compiled of three major sections, all connected by one street, aptly named Main Street. The town worked on a largest to smallest scale it seemed, with the largest chunk of the town being made up of the Ridgewood section. It didn't come with a sign, but everyone knew that if you lived somewhere between the old dollar store and the new fire station, you lived in Ridgewood territory. Maybe it didn't sound like much, but that covered a majority of Whaler's Cove, including the school, post office, and many tiny strip malls.

Of a moderate size, Hargreave Court was a close-knit and smug gated community. It was the epitome of wealth, power, and prestige, and it house its own marina and several tiny beaches, being nearest to the ocean. Homes came in sizes of mini-mansions, just plain ol' mansions, and super mansions. And each was filled with fancy people, who had fancier careers, and the fanciest cars.

The overall fanciness of the Court made Sadie want to barf. Because if Hargreave Court was all that had money and standing, Peachtree Grove was not. Practically sitting on the outskirts of Whaler's Cove, Sadie's home was its oldest and smallest community. There was nothing spectacular about it, no interesting facts or fun places to visit. The Grove consisted of old and dirty houses with even older and dirtier residents. Few liked admitting an association they had with the Grove, even the people who lived there. Sadie often had trouble mentioning her address out loud, hating the disgusted expressions she received afterwards.

That's why, when the bus past the big fancy gate to the Court, Sadie slumped down in her seat and narrowed her eyes at the heavens above. She absolutely loathed the Court, as it reminded her of all the things she didn't have or never would have. It made her feel lesser, and at the same time, she yearned for all the things the Court represented. Hargreave Court caused a tornado of emotions to twirl around in her heart, and she hated that feeling of mental turmoil.

Closing her eyes, Sadie rested her head against the window and shut out the dark feelings that those stupid gates brought. Lifting her legs onto the empty seat beside her, she tugged the hood of her sweater over her head. Sleeping on a bus was an almost impossible feat, especially when the ride was bumpy and jostled passengers around. But Sadie, master at the art of sleeping anywhere and everywhere, handled it with ease. And so, nestled against the bus window and the seat, Sadie fell asleep.

Not a minute after her eyelids shut and she was already seeing them. Images of those daunting ice blue eyes. Plaguing her dreams at night and her thoughts during the day. Never resting, always watching. Unblinking, stare intent on burning itself in her mind. Never resting. Watching. Always. Watching--

Someone gripped her wrist, tugging lightly so the movement woke her. The bus had stopped, parked in front of the school. A glance at her watch said she'd been sleeping for only ten minutes. Ten minutes of a creepy dream that she couldn't remember. Never remembered, except for a pair of blue eyes that chilled her to the bone.

Tearing her hand away from the one that held it, Sadie grabbed her bag and shoved past a standing Gabriel Parker. He moved aside to let her pass and walk down the aisle before him. She knew he deserved some gratitude, at least a simple thank you. But she couldn't open her mouth to let the words form. Not for him. Anyone but him. No matter how many times he made sure she was awake when they reached the school or how many times he stalled the bus driver when she was running late. In her mind, Gabriel Parker deserved nothing from her. He was heartless and rude, and things would be so much easier if he didn't live in the house across the street from her.

Pulling on an I-could-care-less mask, she pretended not to listen as he said goodbye to the bus driver. How he sickened her with his fake nice guy act. Really, who said goodbye to bus drivers?

Off the bus, Sadie turned in the direction of the parking lot, leaving Gabriel to say his stupid farewells to his stupid bus driver buddy. Jam-packed, the parking lot was the busiest place before and after school. In normal high schools, the place to congregate was the cafeteria. At Fall Hill High, students came together and separated into their groups in the parking lot.

Cliques weren't determined by sports or after school activities at Fall Hill. There were, of course, groups of jocks and nerds roaming the hallways. Those were classic separations high schools around the globe couldn't dismiss. The only difference between Fall Hill and other high schools was that walking down the hallways, there'd be three groups of jocks and three groups of nerds. Every clique imaginable was divided into three different group. And, as was the custom in Whaler's Cove, each group was decided by where each student lived.

There were the Court kids, perched on their shiny new cars purchased from foreign countries by their wealthy parents. Noticeable not just by their mode of transportation, but by their overall clean-cut appearance, styled hair, and designer clothes. They always placed themselves on the outskirts of the parking lot. Sadie's friend Kierra believed that the placement of the Court kids was a conspiracy by the school board, so that anyone driving past the school would assume all its students were like them. Perfect in every way.

Making up the better part of the parking lot were the students living in Ridgewood. As with the rest of the town, Ridgewood people were the majority. They looked like students should look like. Normal, average Joes goofing with their friends while waiting for the first bell to ring. No fanciness or less-than-perfect appearances. It was obviously a large group in the middle of two very different extremes.

Lastly, there were the students from Peachtree Grove. The best way to pick Gove kids apart from everyone else was by the total lack of them. As if knowing that a high school education wasn't going to help them in life, the kids from the Grove chose to hide in their houses all day long. When night fell upon Whaler's Cove, they emerged from their homes and made a living dealing in illegal activities. Whether it be selling drugs or vandalism, Grove kids came alive in the night and crept back to their dilapidated houses during the first few rays of dawn. Always in the dark, Grove kids. Afraid to reveal their faces, as ashamed of where they lived as everyone else.

Only a handful of actual Grove students attended their classes. The ones that did stayed near the school, far away from the kids of the Court and Ridgewood. Unlike other students, those from the Grove didn't group together and chat with their friends in the early morning before the start of school. They spread apart, eyes on the ground, arms tucked to their sides, hands shoved in pockets. Grove people stuck to themselves, managed without anyone else. It was how they been raised, not to rely on anyone or anything apart from their own person. Only trust yourself, a motto instilled in Grove kids their entire lives.

Sadie's stomach clenched at the sight of her Grove neighbors, and she turned towards the Ridgewood group.

Usually, a mixture of the three divisions was not tolerated. Court kids stayed in their posh little groups. Ridgewood kids never broke their large circle. Grove kids kept to themselves. That was how the way of Whaler's Cove worked, with no spilling over of the three groups. To that unspoken rule, there had only been two exceptions. Sadie was one of them.

Just because she lived in the Grove didn't mean she wanted to be a part of it. Crossing into Ridgewood territory, she jogged to catch up with her small circle of friends. Both Kierra and Egypt lived in Ridgewood, but had been friends with Sadie forever.

"There she is!" a high-pitched squeal reached Sadie's ears before she even saw Egypt. At the enthusiasm in her friend's voice, a smile erupted on Sadie's face, causing her to momentarily forget the nauseous feeling in her stomach.

Egypt waved to her from the hood of her blue car. Kierra sat next to her, leaning back on the windshield and obviously ignoring the entourage of young male bodies competing for her attention around the car. Arriving at the car, Sadie flung her bag on top of the car and hopped on next to Kierra. "What's up, guys?"

"I'm not talking to Kierra," Egypt promptly announced, smoothing down the edge of her flower-patterned dress.

"Why not?" Sadie looked over to their other friend, who rolled her eyes in a way that spoke 'here we go again'.

Puffing up her cheeks in a frustrated fashion, Egypt explained, "Because she refuses to admit that Jared Padalecki is the better man."

"Jensen Ackles." was Kierra's only reply.

"See!" Egypt threw up her hands in disgust. "There she goes again!"

"I see..." Sadie nodded her head in agreement. "Egypt, did you have another Supernatural marathon?"

At her friends downcast glance and guilty pink cheeks, Sadie shook her head. Kierra smirked and Sadie laid her hands on Egypt's. "I thought we agreed you wouldn't watch that anymore."

"But-But...it's Jared Padalecki!" Egypt whined.

"Yes, and you have an unnatural, unhealthy obsession. You know that." Sadie narrowed her eyes. "How did you even get the DVDs? We took them from you."

A mumble sounding something like 'Youtube' passed Egypt's lips, and Sadie sighed. "You know how worked up you get about Jared."

"I love him," Egypt stated.

Kierra, a mischievous twinkle in her eye, said, "And I love Jensen Ackles."

"Shut up!" Sadie slapped Kierra on the knee. "You're not helping." Turning back to Egypt, Sadie grabbed her friend's arms before the vicious glint in her expression caused her to attack Kierra. "We forgive you, E. But if you watch it again, we'll have to have another intervention. Remember how the last one went?" A grimace adorned the other girl's features. "That's what I thought. No, more, E. I mean it."

Egypt nodded and apologized to Kierra, who in turn patted her friend on the head and said, "Good girl. Now, didn't you have a meeting with your guidance counselor this morning?"

Realizing that she did, in fact, have a meeting that morning, Egypt grabbed her books and headed towards the main office with an excited wave of her hand goodbye to her friends.

Letting out a breath, Sadie stole the spot Egypt had just been occupying. Kierra, next to her, began talking about some new video game she had played over the weekend. Soon, the sound of Kierra's voice tuned out and was replaced with a peaceful silence. Leaning back on the windshield, Sadie watched as a lone cloud moved across the sky. Beyond the cloud, the morning sky was streaked with strings of golden sunshine, slowly being replaced by blue. A nice, rich light blue. Nothing at all resembling ice or the cold. Tranquil, watery blue. Nothing frightening or unnerving about it. Not at all like those eyes...

"Sadie?" Kierra's voice cut through her thoughts. "Are you listening to me?"

"What?" Sadie's eyes snapped open, and she sat up quickly, rubbing her eyes.

"Were you just sleeping?"

"Didn't get much sleep. I was up studying for the chemistry test." Not true. She'd gone to bed at eleven, but had woken up several times in the night, in a cold sweat and heart pumping.

Kierra's eyes narrowed, scrutinizing her friend, as if sensing the whole truth wasn't being said. "Where'd you go Saturday?"

"Home. I wasn't feeling good." Which was sort of the truth.

"You seemed fine at the party."

"It just hit me." Seeing Kierra was about to ask another question, Sadie blurted, "I didn't tell you guys because I didn't want to ruin your fun. You know I hate being a wet blanket."

Eyes still suspicious, Kierra almost continued with her interrogation, but something else in the parking lot caught her attention. "Ugh. Do they have to flaunt themselves so early in the morning?"

Following her friend's gaze, Sadie glanced over her shoulder to watch three figures walk across the parking lot. They strode with purpose, and around them, students moved aside and watched them make their way towards the front doors of the school. Every single eye was glued to their every movement, and Sadie could see the absolute worship in the faces of the other students.

Reed Bryant. Tall, dark hair pulled into a long ponytail, and with an aura of pure mystery surrounding him. Alexander Rothwell. Bright blonde hair bouncing as he walked along in a carefree manner, smile perpetually set in place, as if always laughing at some joke no one else knew. And Gabriel Parker.

Sadie may have been one of the exceptions to the rule of Whaler's Cove, but Alex, Reed, and Gabriel had been the first to cross territorial boundaries. Reed was the youngest son of one of the richest families of the Court, and Alex lived in the heart of Ridgewood. Gabriel obviously came from the Grove. Nobody knew exactly how they had accomplished becoming friends, but as far as anyone could remember, they had always been together. Most people believed their small group of three had formed because their birthdays all fell on the same day, and that that was somehow significant to the boys' being friends.

"With the way everyone else looks at them, you'd think they were gods," Kierra remarked with distaste. Sadie made a sound of agreement, but watched as the group of three walked into the building, the blonde boy laughing aloud at something one of the other boys said. As soon as they were finally out of sight, she let out of breath, relief washing over her.

"But certainly not as godly as me, right?" a new voice interrupted the two girls. Travis McCollins slid next to Sadie on the car hood, slipping his arm around her waist and kissing her cheek. Sadie, uncomfortable under Travis's intense stare, moved sideways to put more room in between them.

"Sure, whatever," she brushed off his arm.

"Come on, Sade. You can't seriously think they're hotter than I am," Travis frowned, a gesture that looked more like pouting.

"I don't. I hate those guys."

Travis's frown disappeared, replaced with a knowing grin. "I know you do. Just checking. What are you doing tonight?"

Sadie looked over to Kierra, in hopes she'd help get rid of Travis, but her friend just tossed a strand of red hair over her shoulder and smiled maliciously. "Yeah, Sadie. What are you doing tonight?"

Distantly, the first bell was ringing inside the school. In a rush, Sadie grabbed her things and hopped off the car. "I have to get to my locker. See you in class." And before either Travis or Kierra could stop her, she merged into the crowd of students heading towards the doors.

"Hey! You're standing in front of my locker!"

A muscular arm reached out to clutch a handful of the dark sweatshirt. The sweatshirt belonged to a small string-bean of a freshman, fear-widened eyes set in a pale face. His arms rose half-heartedly in defense against the senior with the letterman jacket, as though he already knew he was in for a beating.

"You think you can just block my locker like that, loser?"

712 Peachtree Grove. That's where the tiny freshman lived. Only a street away from Sadie.

"Losers from the Grove have no right standing in front of my locker."

Sadie pulled her locker door closer to her, hiding herself from the bully down the hallway. The sick feeling from earlier came back tenfold. As she reached for a folder at the bottom of her locker, she realized her hands were shaking and closed them into fists to stop the trembling. She wished the bully would just move along, and hopefully not look in her direction.

Those of Peachtree Grove were often ridiculed by those of the Court or Ridgewood. Many believed that the Grove was a vile, dirty place, and should be demolished to make room for a better community. But it had been there for so long that to get rid of it would be to destroy part of the town's history. Still, that did not stop the abuse that Grove people had to put up with every day. Not a day went by that Sadie didn't witness a confrontation such as the one in the hallway. Grove people were the minority, and a barely tolerated one at that.

By befriending people who lived in Ridgewood, Sadie had developed a sort of immunity from such bullying. But there were times when Sadie would see injustices against the Grove residents, and she wanted to step in. She never could. Never had she stepped in to help, never wanting to admit an allegiance to those who lived in the Grove. Standing up for a Grove kid would make the other kids realize she was one as well. And then the focus of the attack would be her.

"Materson, move."

The low voice stopped the commotion in the hallway. Sadie peeked around the edge of her locker door. Reed Bryant slowly made his way towards the larger student looming over the Grove kid. Stopping only inches in front of Materson's face, Reed stated, "You're standing in front of my locker. Move."

It was a simple sentence, but the underlying coldness gave Sadie the chills. If she felt that when standing a few feet away from Reed, she could only imagine what Materson was feeling at the moment.

As if sensing the danger he was in, Materson let go of the Grove freshman. "Whatever, Bryant." He tried to look calm and collected as he left, but Sadie thought he looked more like a dog with its tail between its legs. With Materson gone, the freshman relaxed. Until he realized that he was still standing next to Reed, who was glaring at him.

"You're in my way, too, kid." And the poor freshman shoved his hands in his pockets and kept his gaze on the floor and he rushed to get away from the glaring upperclassman.

"Jeez, Reed. No need to scare him shitless." Alexander shook his head with a soft chuckle, leaning on a locker. Reed said nothing in response, only looked at the blonde with a blank expression. "What?"

"That's my locker, idiot. Move."

"You gonna make me?"

"Guys." Gabriel's voice was soft, but stopped his friends from whatever argument they were about to commence. Something about that voice rubbed Sadie the wrong way, making her remember the last time she had heard it. Irked, she grabbed the books she needed for her first couple of classes and slammed her locker shut. Because of the sheer violence of her action, heads turned her way, including the three boys'. Her face flushed at the unwanted attention.

"Hey, Gabe, it's your neighbor!" Alex's voice resounded throughout the hall. "The one who climbed the tree. Hey, Tree Girl!"

At the nickname, Sadie's face became an even darker shade of red. Ignoring Alex's calls, she marched down the hallway towards her first class.

"Don't leave, Tree Girl! Come hang with us!" was the last thing she heard before turning the corner.

She had lasted so long without gaining the attention of those three or anyone else in the school. She'd been happy with her quiet existence in her small circle of friends. No one had ever paid her the slightest concern. Now, there'd be talk in the school about Alexander Rothwell calling out to her in the hallway. Singling her out. Wanting her to 'hang' with them. As if she'd ever hang with Gabriel Parker or any of his friends. What the hell had Reed Bryant and Alex Rothwell been doing at Gabriel's house at midnight anyway? This never would have happened if they hadn't seen her Saturday night. This never would have happened if Gabriel Parker didn't live across the street from her.

Anger fueled her, causing her to barrel down the hall and stomp into the nearest girls' bathroom. It was empty, a fact which Sadie was grateful for. In her present frame of mind, she wouldn't really care to hold herself back from ripping off someone's head. Setting her books down on the floor, she gripped the edge of one of the sinks, staring at her reflection in the mirror. Her face was red and blotchy with embarrassment and rage, making it seem like she applied too much make-up. She looked stupid. She hated looking stupid. Probably just as much as she hated Gabriel Parker.

Ice-cold water splashed on her hands, making her jump back in surprise. Water was rushing out from the faucet, rapidly filling up the sink. Looking down the row of sinks, Sadie saw that water was pouring out from all the faucets.

"Stupid plumbing," she mumbled, reaching to turn off the water. By the time she had turned off all the faucets and the water had drained from all the sinks, her anger had ebbed. To completely calm herself, she reached into her skirt pocket and trailed a finger over the rough edges of her key collection.

Authoress's Notes: Omg, FINALLY finished this...considering I started it back over the summer...I think. I decided to sit myself down and finish this yesterday because I was sick and bored with doing homework or resting. This chapter I don't like as much as the first, but that's because it's basically just an informational chapter. Nothing too exciting happening here. But at least I finally finished it. And I have all of chapter 3 planned already and I already have about a page written of that. I'm hoping that now that I'm through with this chapter, the story will progress a little bit quicker. I tend to write chapters I like a lot faster than boring chapters I don't like.

I've decided that for the time being, I'll post the story here on Fictionpress. If I ever get more chapters done anytime soon. Life is kinda hectic. And even though I quit my job, any free time I have is being taken up by college stuff.

Anyways, thanks for those who reviewed!! Hope you enjoyed this chapter (even though I didn't...)!