Chapter Two

I managed to get through the day without killing myself or anyone around me, which I viewed as an accomplishment. I would be too tired to kill someone, anyway. I almost left instead of waiting at my locker simply because I forgot, but I caught myself at the last second and went back. My parents would be happy that I was doing something with real human beings. They worried that I was going to become a serial killer for some reason. But, as I said, I would not have the energy nor the resources.

Dollie managed to sneak up on me while I was zoned out. She wore a military-style coat that went down to her knees. I wondered if it was authentic. She grinned at me and then noticed my bare arms. "No coat, huh? Did you think we were staying inside?"

I shook my head. I never wore a coat unless it was raining, since the cold didn't bother me as much as it should have. "No, I just don't feel like wearing one." I shrugged and stuck my hands in my pockets.

"You're so quiet, Canaan," she chuckled, slinging her bag over her shoulder. "Come on, the others are waiting." I almost asked her what we were going to do, but I decided against it. I doubted it was drugs. She looked as healthy as the next person, and it was way too cold and totally not worth it to light up behind the dumpsters in the parking lot. She noticed my thoughtful gaze and dragged me by the arm. I didn't mind much at all, and followed a step or two behind her.

We went into the parking lot. Not a lot of cars were left, since kids wanted to get home before the next batch of snowflakes clogged the air. Dollie waved at the driver of the van we were headed towards. It was one of those creeper vans, a dark green with tinted windows. "Welcome to the Mystery Machine," she grinned as she slid open the heavy door for me. I blinked in thanks and found myself chuckling at the name as I pulled myself inside. She followed me and plopped down in one of the velvety seats and I decided to do the same, since it's not like I could just stand there. The back seat was the only empty one, but the blondd friend unbuckled and slid back there before I could move. This left the seat by Dollie open, so I took it somewhat awkwardly.

There were five of us total: Dollie, Blonde friend, Erik in the passenger seat, and another guy whose name I didn't know was driving. Blonde friend introduced herself as Roslyn Flanery. She had a warm smile and pale blue eyes, and I guess she was pretty. From the way the driver watched her, I assumed they were romantically entangled. He introduced himself simply as Xavier and I was intrigued by his midnight blue hair color. It accented his dark skin nicely. He grinned at me through the mirror, but then turned his attention to Roslyn and winked. Dollie cleared her throat and he pulled out of the lot.

"Where are we going?" I finally decided to ask. Roslyn, Dollie, and Xavier had been arguing about what movies were playing, but I doubted that was our destination. Erik stayed silent in the passenger seat with his arms folded, which caused the girls to roll their eyes.

"We're just going to the library," Xavier yawned. I briefly wondered if they were going to pull a prank and accidentally murder me like in the movies. There weren't many open sewer vents to throw my corpse in if that was the case. But they seemed like good enough people to be wholesome enough to hangout at the library. Maybe they were my people. The people that got lost in books and would rather read than talk. That connected with deep quotes and characters. Who thought every page was like a living creature. A boy could dream.

I nodded and stayed quiet, thinking about the car I left in the lot. I'd get it later since my mom had the day off and didn't need it. We got out of the van and went straight into the library. I walked behind the others, my shoulders slumped slightly and my gaze down. They went straight to the table in the back by the giant window, Roslyn dumping her homework on the table and Xavier and Dollie bickering over who got to sit in the cushiest chair. Erik slunk off and I tore my gaze from him, going over to see if any new books had come in. I had read all of the ones that interested me already, so I relied on shipments. We didn't have money to spend on books, so the library was an important part in my life. I thought I heard my name whispered so I turned around. Dollie and Xavier were talking quietly now, and Xavier glanced over at me and smiled sheepishly when he caught my eye.

They were talking about me. That much was obvious. About what, I was unsure. I grabbed one of my most read books and sat down at the table, trying to ignore the anxiety worms in my stomach. Eventually every one else sat down. Xavier helped Roslyn with her Spanish work, having won the use of the cushy chair. Dollie sat right next me and Erik across from her. He ignored me again and started aggressively reading a magazine. I didn't even know it was possible to read a magazine aggressively. Dollie peaked over my arms at what I was reading. "Hamlet. Interesting." I shrugged shyly and was about to say something when I noticed a girl staring at us through the window.

Her skin seemed like it would be a nice caramel color if she were in full health and not standing in Michigan snow in just a dainty little outfit of pastels. Her black hair fell down to her shoulders in waves. It looked soft. I bet it was soft. Her eyes made me nauseous, though. There was no iris, no pupil. They were both completely as white as snow. Was she blind? Dollie noticed my wide eyes and jumped up with a curse. Erik and Xavier joined her but Roslyn stayed behind, pale and watching me. She had the same dark circles under her eyes that Dollie had. They all did, now that I thought about it.

She smiled weakly at me, setting her pencil down and tightly grasping her hands in her lap. "They'll be right back, hon. Don't worry about it. And look away from her." The last line was more stern than the rest but I found myself looking at the girl outside again. She stood there and locked eyes with me, as impossible as that seemed. My throat closed and I couldn't breath or even look away. Roslyn came up beside me and put one hand gently on my shoulder and the other over my eyes. My hands were around my throat in confusion and I feared I would claw it apart. After a few more seconds of darkness I could breathe. I took advantage of the opportunity in heaving gulps of air. The girl was gone, along with the others.

I turned to Roslyn, who was sadly met my eyes. "You'll know soon enough, Canaan. Come on, I'll take you home." I didn't understand anything that was happening, which scared me, but I followed her anyway. I think I muttered something about my car, since she drove me back to the highschool in the van. "Canaan, listen. Don't dwell on what just happened. Go home and get some sleep," she said as I stumbled to my car. I crammed the key in and drove off, my heart still racing. I needed to think. I needed to think– and dodge that dog. What had just happened? Who the hell was that girl, and why did my body almost self destruct at her gaze? The image of her tilted head and glowing white eyes was burned into my brain.

"I made it all up," I whispered to myself as I slipped inside. "I made it all up." But had I? Lily was on the couch, her ankles crossed as she did her homework. She was a grade below me, which was lucky for her. And me too, I guess. I didn't really mind. She gave me a bright smile, her green eyes shining. We both had green eyes. They were the main way to tell that we were related, since she was blonde and I was brunette and she was happy and I wasn't. Her glasses hung off her nose and she pushed them back up as she addressed me. "Canaan! Where were you?" I only shrugged, irrationally worried that she could hear my heart still pounding. "Okay. Mom and Dad are out for the night again. Do you care what we have for dinner?" I shook my head.

"I'm tired," I muttered, rubbing my eyes for effect. "I think I'm just going to turn in early. Sorry, Lil." I pulled away from the door and escaped to my room as she watched after me in confusion. I couldn't tell her what happened. She'd start worrying about me again. I collapsed on my bed and put my hands over my eyes. The eyes stared into my soul even then. I don't remember when the exhaustion in my bones finally won, but I fell asleep. Not the good kind of sleep, either. I tossed and turned, my dreams full of the girl and her clones just staring at me, killing me, burning me. I couldn't wake up, no matter how hard I tried.

It was midnight. I sat up when I heard something from the window. I got up and went to check it out. I thought I was dreaming. It was a nightmare. I thought I saw the eyes in the darkness. Why was it so cold?

Everything bled into black.