Chapter 1: Summerville High
The darkness suffocated me, I didn't personally dislike it; I could never tolerate it when I was little. Back in the third grade my friends and I would play this game of hide and go seek in the dark. I never liked the game we played it was petrifying. The last time I played it I ran home with my tail between my legs. The next day at school the kids would imitate me for weeks; I was the laughing stock of the school.
Well, besides being scared of the dark, my family is another humiliating matter. That said, my brother, Michael. He knows I'm afraid of the dark he used to turn the lights off on me when I showered. Talk about an understatement to my mom. She thinks I'm being melodramatic about my "situation" as she likes to call it. But I've taught myself to embrace the dark as an omen.
Well let's get up to speed here, I'm moving to Summerville, Ohio with my parents. My dad got a job as a business executive; he's the top runner of the company called "Summerville Industries" sounds cheesy I know. It's the same name as the town how interesting; not really.
I waited on the front step of my house until everything was loaded into the moving van. My mom was checking to make sure all her glassware was secured so they won't shatter. My dad was getting the car ready so we could leave and the moving van can follow us. I got up from my sitting post and went back inside the house to get one last glimpse of my old room. I walked up the stairs and went inside my only escape I knew too well.
I gazed around the empty barren, longing to stay in the room with the purple walls. Something caught my eye where my dresser used to be. I walked over and on the floor I saw my necklace, a vampire fanged necklace, I lost four years ago. I looked at it a couple seconds longer before I picked it up. I analyzed it to see if it had been scratched, broken, etc. but no, it was in the same shape as I got it on my birthday. I was twelve when I received it from my mom. I was into the vampire trilogy, I used to watch a show called "Bloodless" it was about a woman who meets this guy and falls in love with him he was a vampire but she didn't know until much later in the series. Apparently it fell behind my dresser.
"Nicole? Where are you?" my mom called from downstairs.
"I'm up here!" I went to the staircase and went downstairs. My mom gave me a sad smile and said "I'm so sorry about this entire situation sweetheart I know you wanted to stay here with Laura." I looked at my mom and nodded my head.
"Its ok mom she said I can come and visit her." My mom looked thoughtful and said "Come on" while putting her arm around me and leading me out of the one place I'll truly miss.
The realtor locked the door to the house as we started to back the car out of the drive way. The only time we stopped was to get some food and use the restroom. I fell asleep a couple of times and listened to some music to past the time. My parents took turns driving, after what seems like forever we finally get to Summerville, Ohio.
We pulled up to the house and we all piled out to walk towards where the realtor is. I looked up at the house with my arms crossed and saw medium- sized windows.
"Well hello you must be the Harris's. My name is Irene Purcell." She looked at me and said "So who is the beautiful young lady?"
"This is my daughter, Nicole." My mother said putting her hand on my shoulder. I said "Hello" and the realtor unlocked the door and we all went inside. The house was huge not as huge as a mansion but still it was a pretty decent size for just my dad, mom and I. The walls are painted a pretty ivory color, there was a decorative chandelier in the dining room; but there was no furniture. The kitchen was pretty natural it looked like our old kitchen. I walked into the living room and it had a fire place; Sweet I thought.
"Nicole, how about you go pick out your bedroom?" My dad said to me. "Ok." I said. I walked to the staircase and saw the piece that separates the stairs was embroidered in cherubs. They had arrows shaped into hearts. I went up the staircase and went into each room. I didn't think I would be able to find a room I liked but I finally did.
It was huge, bigger than my room back in Tennessee. It had an overlooking balcony that I could see the forest in the foreground. Something compelled me to go on the balcony. I opened the double doors and walked to the edge and put my hands on the railing. I looked out and saw all the greenery and trees. Then I looked down and saw… a regular ground. For some reason I expected to see something else; then recognition crossed my face. That dream I've been having profusely. It's the same balcony but no graveyard. The forest, the railing, is the same. But there isn't a graveyard. Somehow I'm kind of relieved. I go back inside and as I was closing the doors my parents walk in with the realtor.
"Nice choice Nicole." Irene said looking around.
"If anything it seems like the room picked me." I held my shoulders looking around. We all went down to the kitchen. My parents signed the papers for the house and that's when the fun began. We all started to unload the moving truck. By nightfall we were done and sitting on the couch watching television.
"So, how do you like your new room sweetheart?" My mom asked me.
"Well for one it has more space for my dresser." I looked at my mom and she smiled, finding humor in what I said.
"We're going to sign you up for school tomorrow." My dad said. "So make sure you set your alarm clock for seven."
"Alright." I got up and headed up the stairs to bed.
The next morning I heard the alarm clock going off, it sounded like a screeching cat. I groaned and got up to get dressed. After I got done I went downstairs to eat breakfast. My mom was making eggs, bacon, toast, and hash browns. My dad was sitting at the table reading the newspaper.
"Well good morning," "How did you sleep?" My dad said glancing up at me.
"Really great, I am starving though." My mom put a plate with steaming hot hash browns, crispy bacon, and scrambled eggs in front of me.
"Yum," "That looks delicious." I started gobbling the food down.
"Slow it down there Nikki," "You're eating like there's no tomorrow." My dad said laughing. We all got done and went to the car. We pulled out of the driveway and headed towards Summerville High school.
We waited in the guidance office for assistance. I looked around the new sights and saw a couple of parents chatting softly. One looked up, a woman, she smiled at me. I grinned back and looked away. My foot started tapping quite noisily making the two students scowl at me. Good way to make a good impression Nicole I thought. We finally got called back with the guidance counselor; we all sat in the plush leather chairs.
"Well hello my name is Mrs. Lynch and you are?" She looked at my dad.
"David Harris," "Nice to meet you." My dad got up to shake her hand then sat back down. My mother stood up and also shook her hand and said "Margaret Harris," "And this is Nicole Harris, my daughter."
She looked over at me and smiled and said "Nice to finally meet," "Well let's get started shall we?" I picked out my classes and we joked around, well my parents and the counselor did. I happened to look over on her desk and saw a picture of a girl with pretty blonde hair the same as the guidance counselor. The girl was smiling with her eyes squinting in the sun. The counselor caught me looking at it and my cheeks turned a pale pink.
"If you're wondering that's Holly, she's my daughter."
"Oh, I'm sorry I didn't mean to be nosy?" I looked baffled at her facial expression because it looked like from here she was about to cry.
"It's okay, my daughter died in a car accident." She looked passive while she told us how the accident happened.
"Oh dear, we're so sorry." My mother looked astonished at the story she told.
"It's quite alright it happened four years ago." The counselor had her arms drawn up to her body with her hands clasped near her face. "Well, um, shall we get Nicole started in school today?"
""Yes! That would be good." My mom said letting her façade take over her sadness.
"Ok here's your schedule," She handed it to me. "I gave you some AP classes since your old school didn't have them at the time."
"Great! Thanks." We said bye, with my parents leaving, I headed to my 2nd period since the bell rang ten minutes ago. I looked at the map the counselor gave me and headed to the building marked "200 building". I found the door and went in English 3 AP.
The teachers at my school were extremely nice and so were the students. I met two people so far, Rachel and Alexis. Rachel was tall, kind of lanky, had a white complexion, red- short curly hair, which went with her greenish eyes, and wore dark colors. Alexis is my height, long chestnut hair; like mine; to the middle of her back, a tanned complexion that made her look Cherokee, and dark brown with a tint of a pretty blue to her outer iris. It was kind of freaky. It felt like I was staring at my twin. We both had the same structural features except our faces didn't look the same.
We were at least in four classes together including lunch. So it was a good thing I didn't have to sit by myself. I also met two other of their friends, Chris Harvey and his cousin Melanie Pfeiffer. I had a blast with them at lunch they made me feel like I was there as long as they were. They included me in conversations, they joked with me, and they even asked me to go hang out with them.
The weird thing that happened to me today in lunch I happened to glance over across from our table to the one in the middle of the cafeteria. This guy was gorgeous he had dark black shining hair, nice bone -structured face, a tanned complexion like me, and the most deadly looking eyes ever; they were a crimson but more orange. I've never seen eyes that intense before. It was so weird because it was like the guy had a sense someone was staring at him. He looked up and held my eyes for what seemed like forever. They looked redder when I looked at him fully in the face. The bell rang and my disturbing trance was broken. I grabbed my stuff said bye to my friends and headed to my 5th period.
I was sitting at my desk when I happened to see the guy with crimson- orange eyes walk in the room and sat down in front of me. So he's in this class to apparently. Suddenly I started feeling nervous because of the episode I had with him at lunch. But he never turned around, not even once through the whole period. The bell rang and it was off to 6th period, one more class then I could go home.
The class went by super-fast. The bell rang and we all departed to the buses. I haven't seen the guy with the vacant eyes. I walked to my assigned bus and I got on, I sat in the first seat so I can get off the bus easier. I called my mom from my iPhone and told her I was on the bus and on my way home. Sure enough, I looked up and there he was with the red eyes staring at me. Sensing he was trying to sit down I grabbed my bag, he sat down and dropped his bag on the floor in between his legs.
"My name is Gabriel." We both looked at each other.
"My name is Nicole." After that we talked which felt like hours. I was at my bus stop before I knew it. Before I got off he said the weirdest saying to me in Russian "" Mertvyye vsegda vozobladayet , kogda i kakiye mertvyye probudyatsya ot spyachki ". I stared at him and repeated it back to him in English ""The dead will always prevail, when and which the dead will awaken from their slumber." I shook my head feeling the disturbing trance hitting me again. I walked home and went into my bedroom and what I saw chilled me to the bone. A black bat, with crimson eyes, stared back at me through my window.