Summer is the best, especially when you're on a trip. This trip is especially great because it's the schools' summer trip. And what better place to visit than Italy. Woohoo! I've been waiting for this trip ever since I started my years in high school. Oh, who am I? The name's Lucerina Millstone but everyone calls me Lucy for short. Anyway, back to what I was talking about. I'm finally graduating high school and this trip to Italy is going to be great. I even put in extra hours for my plane ticket.

"Lucy, whacha looking at?" my friend Elain returns to her seat next to me. Noticing my open laptop with a few screens open, she's curious about what I'm looking at.

"I down loaded a couple of documents about the history in Italy so I'm reading them. I hear they have something at the museum called a 'piece of Eden' or something like that."

"Don't you ever take a break from learning history, Lucy?" with her arms folded, and slouched in her chair it adds to her slacker attitude. Her blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail slung over her shoulder, and her diamond blue eyes giving me a semi-cold stare.

"I can't help it Elain…it's just so interesting."

"Whatever…anyway what were you talking about, something called a 'piece of Eden'?" I close my laptop already knowing the information I read.

"There's not really all that much that can be said about it. From what is known about it, it's some sort of relic that two groups fought over."

"Really, which groups?"

"Again, no one really knows who they were, just one was the good guy and the other the bad guy."

"Wow, how informative." She replies very sarcastically.

"Well I think it's interesting."

"Of course you do miss brown eyes." Apparently Darek the annoying tag along friend of ours interjects into our conversation. With strawberry colored hair combed and coifed matching his hazel eyes, he could remind you of an alluring Casanova.

"Who asked you Darek?" glaring mischieviously sends him hiding behind my seat for safety. Poking his head out again he speaks,

"you just did." Playfully, Elain and I reach back to smack him.

"Hey, you three, stop playing around." The teacher sternly warns us. We giggle quietly as we return to our former activities. I can't wait to get to Italy! The whole summer in a foreign country, what more could you ask for?

. . .

Finally! It's early but we finally made it to Rome, Italy. We're all yawning from exhaustion and jet lag. Need…coffee… But that can come later; Rome is waiting!

"Alright class, quiet down all of you." it's kind of funny that our teacher is still referring to us as a class still. "once we get settled into our rooms at the hotel, we will be meeting in the lobby to head to our first destination, the museum of European history. They have added a new exhibit from the time of the Renisaince that has just been discovered. It will be one of the many sections we will look at."

"I read about that exhibit on the plane ride over; it has to do with that piece of Eden I told you about." I whisper to my two friends.

"Look, you're here for the famous land marks and history and I'm here for the shopping sprees." My eyes reflexively roll at the comment from Elain.

"Speaking of reasons, whay did you tag along darek?" we both give a questionable look.

"What every tourist like me comes for, the hot European girls."

"Pervert…" we both had the same thought.

"how does that make me a pervert?"

"you're right that just makes you a womanizer." He glares at my comment.

"Oh, like you two didn't come for the European guys?" just as he finished his sentence, a hot young man crosses our path glancing at us for a brief yet wonderful moment. I look away shyly hiding a smile while Elain gives a flirtatious giggle and wave. "Hypocrites…"

"Guilty as charged…" with Elain's last comment we head out with the rest of the group.

. . .

"Ok…so you and I are sharing a room right Elain?"

"Yeah, that much I can figure out, but are we room 205 or 502? We got two different cards." I notice a man coming out of his room.

"Um, excuse me." I walk over, rolling suitcase following behind; Elain follows. "Could you help…" he must not speak English. Ok I learned a couple of words. Maybe I can… "Um… chiave di stanza…uh.." I don't know if they're the right words.

"It's alright, I speak English." Wow, what a lucky break but he definitely has the European accent. Whoa… he's so… handsome. Soft looking skin, he almost pale but doesn't look sickly. Blonde hair straight, pulled back into a ponytail that reaches the middle of his neck, a few strands in front have escaped. His blue eyes are so deep like an ocean…tall, lean…

"Um…Lucy…stare much?" oh my god! What am I doing?

"Oh, sorry, our room keys don't match and the manager didn't write the room number down. Could you..?"

"Let me see you key cards." Wow… such a smooth voice. It's almost relaxing." No, you have the right keys; it's room 205. Your friend just had it turned the opposite side."

"Elain…"

"I feel like such a dumb blonde."

"First time in Rome, I'm guessing." He doesn't look a day over twenty. Stop staring Lucerina.

"Yeah, first time in Italy actually."

"I saw a large group of others downstairs."

"yeah it's our senior class field trip, kind of a…graduation from high school present."

"Ah, I see." He gives a soft smile that sends my heart racing. It almost feels like time has stopped.

"Hey, Lucy, we need to get to our room and head back to the lobby." Oh… right. I nearly forgot.

"Thanks for the help." as we walk away I can't help but blush.

"Girl you have got to tell me how you got his attention."

"What do you mean, Elain."

"He was only looking at you; he didn't notice me."

"Really, I didn't even notice."

. . .

WOW…Like…OH MY GOD! I can't believe how huge this place is. Just thinking of all the history and artifacts waiting inside is making me tingle with excitement.

"Alright class, here is our tour guide miss Victoria. I want you to give her your undivided attention."

"Finally, we can get this part of the trip over. Then it's off to the shops for me."

"We're in Rome, Italy and all you can think about is shopping?" I ask Elain.

"Call it a weakness." The tour guide leads the way. The first stop is a section of art. Leonardo da Vinci's Art is so amazing. Wow look at all these contraptions he built! This is too cool! I pull out my camera to take a picture,

"Miss, not pictures please." You can't be serious… this is the only time I'll get to see this stuff and I can't take any pictures. With many unkind thought about the guide, I put my camera away. We walk on and head to the next section while she explains momentarily some of the paintings and artifacts. We finally stop at a section that has a garment of some sort and a metal sphere.

"These garments here are the few artifacts just discovered from the Renasaince period. Now these gloves and cape were all that could be found at the time and many historians believe it belonged to one of two groups who fought for the possession of this sphere." Our tour guide gestures to the metal ball, "This is what historians have come to call the piece of Eden. Now it was said that there was something unique about this artifact but no one has been able to determine why at the time. Seeing as how it is only a new discovery, there is still being research done to uncover the history behind these relics."

"Do they know who the two groups were?" I ask.

"Unfortunately at this time it hasn't been determined what two groups were battling for this piece of Eden. Now if you'll follow me we'll make our way to the next section." Uh-oh I need to make a pit stop. There's a bathroom over there.

Wow, I didn't think there was that little known about the piece of Eden. Oh no! Where did they all go? I don't even know which section we were going to next. Out of the corner of my eye, I spot the gloves, cape and metal sphere. Ah, screw it, I'm taking a picture. I head over making sure it's just me in the area. Taking out my camera I take the snapshot of the gloves and cape first. Now for the piece of Eden. Ok… take a step back and perfect. I press the button.

*click*

"He heee… that'll show that tour guide." A blinding light causes me to drop my camera. I didn't touch anything! What is going on? The light slightly fades allowing me to see where the light is coming from. What in the- the piece of Eden…it's glowing. The sphere breaks apart almost as if it's releasing the light and the pieces begin to swirl with the light like a whirl pool. Some light trails away and heads for me. I try to run but the light entwines around me and pulls me into the vortex. It's so violent and blinding; it's so chaotic I can't tell what's going on. I feel like I've been spit out before I land on the hard floor.

"Ow…talk about a crazy ride." There's an explosion. A gunshot? But why? Come to think of it, wasn't I in the museum? Voices… they have a European accent. There's another gunshot. A man follows, falling from a cliff above. Unfortunately, he's close enough for me to see his eyes rolled back and a big hole in the middle of his head, oozing blood.

"É andato questa maniera!" I want to scream but someone is coming.

"Non lasciarlo fugge!" Make that two someones. There's a rock; I have to hide or they might kill me too. The two jump from the cliff and make their way to the body.

"Era un uccide ha sparato. É morto." I-Italian they're speaking Italian I think. Both are wearing a white garb. That cape look familiar.

"Ha la lettera?" he sounds older than the other man with him. The slightly taller one kneels down to check the body for something.

"Sí quié." He hands a piece of paper over.

"Buono gli altri vorranno vedere questo." My hand scrapes across a sharp edge of the rock, cutting into my hand. The blood trickles down my hand. The one man kneeling down stands quickly looking in my direction.

"Chi cˊé?" how did he know that I was here? What- Are his eyes glowing red? He looks back at his partner. "Stare qui." He's going to find me. Wait where did he…

"Trovato lei." I turn to see him standing behind me. Fiercely he grabs me by the arm and pulls me up.

"Let me go! Let go! I swear I won't tell anyone! I won't-" I stop my rant when I notice the white hood covered face. No, it can't be. He's the guy… that I met at the hotel?