Sing, Susie, Sing.

Hm….thought of this one a loooong time ago. Don't even remember when, though I do remember that it was so late it was early and I couldn't sleep cause my brain wouldn't slow down. At least it finally settled on something…this. Oh, and I'm trying a new format. It is in 1st person from two different points of view unless the two main characters are together, then it's 3rd person omniscient narrator, ok? Hope it doesn't get confusing. ^_^

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Well, things used to be normal. And I'm a normal person. It's my parents whose brains were stirred a bit. This story starts on my sixteenth birthday, but I will reward you with background information first.

My parents were hippies before they had me. Then they learned responsibility and got married. I don't have a weird name or anything like that. They named me Chloe, which I think of as a fairly normal name. So, they got into reading historical fiction, and really liked it. I never thought anything of it until my sixteenth birthday, when they told me what they'd done.

~

Ok, first of all, I'll tell you my name. Blake. There, now you know it so you can't ask if I forget to say it again. My parents are stupid. They got all into this "historical fiction" crap, and joined a club called HFFAO. Don't ask, cause I don't know. Anyway, none of that really matters. What matters is what they did to me because of this "historical fiction." Unfortunately for me, they turned the fiction into fact.

~

"… 'Would you go out with me?' And then I said, 'yeah.' And then he was like, 'cool,' and then we kissed."

"That's all?" I was appalled. My boyfriend and I had a lot more to talk about than "yeah" and "cool" before shoving our tongues down each others' throats, which we didn't do a lot. I believe that a relationship should develop from a friendship. It's hard to "go out" with someone if you don't even know where they'd like to "go."

"Yeah." My friend, Ashley, giggled nervously under our other friends' and my scrutinizing stares.

"So you guys didn't say anything else?" My boyfriend, Kevin, asked. I'm sure that he couldn't believe it either. I linked arms with him as we left the ice cream shop and headed for our neighborhood. We all lived in around the same area, since our town was so small. So of course we weren't driving, although my boyfriend and Tabitha, another friend, were already sixteen, and I had just turned sixteen that day. The only people that really needed to drive were those that worked in the city up the interstate a little. In otherwords, our little corner of the globe was free of most pollution and ruckus.

I waved at my friends from my front door before kissing Kevin goodbye and entering. To my utter astonishment, my parents were already home. I wouldn't have even been home if it hadn't have been for that teacher conference.

"We need to talk to you." Those were the last sane words I heard them say. After I was seated, they continued. "We've betrothed you." I cracked up.

~

I swear, I didn't mean to be mean. But come on, when your parents pick you up from school and tell you that you're betrothed…How would that not be funny? After a few minutes of driving the wrong way to go home, I started wondering if maybe they were being serious. But something about a kid in America being betrothed just sounded wrong. Especially me. I had tried so hard to get this one chick to like me, and she had finally started to, too. I slumped in my seat.

"Um…where are we going?" I finally asked. "And why won't you let me drive there? I do have a car, you know."

"We're going to Bradyville. And we know you'll run."

"Never heard of it."

"It's a small town."

"Oh…great…" Don't get me wrong. I have nothing against small towns. They're just…small. Everything and everyone is all on the same street. The whole betrothed thing mixed with the not being able to escape thing also had something to do with my mood.

"We'll be there in about ten minutes. Try to be nice."

"Why?"

~

The whole thing was just too weird for my taste. Who betroths their only daughter, anyway? And what in all the forces that be would drive them to that level of ultimate insanity?

"I have a boyfriend. I won't go with this."

"Ok, honey. Just…act like you're going along with it." My mother replied to my open defiance in that patronizing tone that I've come to hate.

"But, wouldn't that mean that I was actually going along with it?"

"My little girl's so smart!" My father beamed. He was obsessed with how brilliant I was. I wasn't that earth-shatteringly bright. It's not like my brains oozed from my ears and my smarts from every pore on my body. But I suppose that's what he thought. The phone rang. My mother flew into the kitchen, hitting the doorframe on her way to answer it. A couple minutes later, she returned.

"They'll be here in a couple minutes." She announced as if we were having a family reunion or something. Ironically, that's what it was. A sick, twisted, sadistic, sardonic family reunion. It seemed as if it had been mere seconds of contemplation and—they were there.

~

Both Chloe and Blake glared at each other for two seconds before lashing out.

"It's your fault!" They vociferated in unison, directed at all four parental units, who were grinning madly.

"Oh, Gloria, they're already getting along! You were right, they are perfect for each other!" Chloe's mother gushed enthusiastically, seemingly unfazed.

"Yes. And to think…we almost went with the Johnson girl." Blake's father cut in pensively. It didn't take long for the two children to start fighting.

"You knew about it all along, didn't you? You have that look about you, it disgusts me." Chloe snapped.

"Hey! You're worse looking than I am! And if I'd known about it, I'd be hung in my room by now!"

"This coming from an egotistical male…"

"Who are you calling egotistical? It's not my fault that your ego isn't tough enough to handle me!"

"What?!" Chloe took that as an automatic challenge. "What did you say?"

"You heard me." He didn't know what else to say. She had challenged him, and he'd never backed down from a challenge in his life. Why would he want to start with the biggest challenge he would ever possibly face?

"You--!" Chloe was abruptly interrupted when the phone rang. Blake listened intently to her end of the  conversation, having nothing better to do. "Uh-huh…yeah…oh, sure! Yeah…I'll be right over!"

"Who was that, honey?" Chloe's mother asked sweetly.

"It was Kevin. I'm goin over to his house. Bye!" With that, Chloe was gone. Blake stared at the four parents in complete horror. He was alone…with them. Both sets of parents smiled widely at him.

~

I ran all the way to Kevin's house. I just had to get out of that prison. Away from that complete and undeniable stranger that I was supposed to marry.

Damn my parents…no, I don't mean that. Wait…no. But a good amount of physical pain would be appropriate. When I got to Kevin's house, he was waiting on the porch for me. He said that he had something to show me. You know, in that secretive way that almost screams "I'm giving you a present." I was so excited because I had no idea that he'd planned on giving me anything. He was definitely not the gift-giving type. My heart fluttered as he pulled the small box from his pocket. It looked like jewelry of some kind. I'm not really a huge fan of jewelry, but the right necklace or something every once in a while is nice.

"For your birthday." He told me simply, his eyes soft. His eyes were always soft, even when he was angry, and especially when he was sad. That was only one of the things that I liked about him; those deep, dark soft eyes that seemed to calm your soul when you looked into them...

"Really?" My eyes must have been as big as saucers as I reached for the gift with a quavering hand.

"Open it." He urged gently once it was within my grasp. I complied. What met with my waiting eyes was the most beautiful necklace I've ever laid eyes on. A simple, silver chain resembling a tiny braid glimmered in the crisp sunlight and a single, glittering blood-red ruby, cut into a small diamond shape smiled up at me. I couldn't contain my excitement and gratitude any longer, and I leapt into Kevin's arms, giving him a big bear hug, being careful not to harm the precious cargo in any way.

"Thank you!" I beamed, though he could only hear me. Once we'd parted, Kevin helped me put the necklace on. It fit perfectly. We sat on the porchstep and regarded our surroundings listlessly. I was about to lean my head on his shoulder when he asked,

"So, who are the pulluters?" Instead, I sat rigid. How could I tell him? I mean, I was practically in love with this guy, and I was supposed to tell him that I was promised to another? No, I don't think so. I rolled my eyes and feigned a sense of emotional balance.

"Some friends of my parents." I answered nonchalantly. I really hate misleading people, but sometimes it's necessary.  After a few moments of more or less comfortable silence, I piped up again. "I can't believe that we have to go to school tomorrow!" Kevin grinned.

"We could skip, you know." His soft eyes sparkled into my own. I smiled at him and sighed.

"Can't. I have to bring up my grades, remember?" He rolled his eyes.

"Oh yeah…the dreaded B come to bite you in the butt." I elbowed him in the ribs for the sarcastic comment. So my grades weren't bad, but they weren't perfect, either. And, I'll admit, I am very into grades. I almost obsess over it. Unfortunately, I'm not amazingly brilliant with brains jammed into my skull and spilling out my ears. If I were like that, I wouldn't worry over grades. I would worry over looks. My time with Kevin was cut unreasonably short when none other than the evil quad of parentals pulled up and motioned for me to get into the car, which I reluctantly did. Before I got in, however, I grabbed Kevin, and kissed him. For spite. And I'm not talking about a little pansy kiss, either. I'm talking a real, serious kiss—tongue and all. I figured if my parents didn't die of a heart attack, they'd learn their lesson and butt out.

~

I had no idea what to do. That stupid girl had left me alone with…them. The damn pod people wannabes. Anyway, I just kinda sat there and stared, wondering what I'd ever done to deserve it all. I knew it couldn't have been breaking the microwave with a ball of aluminum foil set at ten minutes. They'd already punished me for that. I knew that it wasn't hanging my dad's boxers by the lamppost out front. Hehe…that was funny. But the point is, they'd already punished me for my wrongdoings, and I couldn't see why they would do this horrible thing to me. And just when Kirsten was starting to like me, too. I cursed mentally as the four "parents" began speaking to me.

"Blake, we're really glad that you're going along with this."

"Who said I was going along? I'll make this hell for all of you." I glowered, trying to show my disappointment of the situation.

"And since this is final," my mother continued, ignoring my comment, "we're transferring you to this school and moving in with the Rileys." She smiled, I fainted. I'm not joking, my eyes rolled back in my head, and I hit the wall, then a table, then the ground. All very gracefully. Before I was out cold, I made a resolution to get out of there as soon as possible. I probably should have thought of a plan B.