Me: Hi guys.
Olivia: It's been forever.
Pasha: But it's a new year.
Alison: I cannot wait to get this started again.
Stephanie: It has been far too long.
Hannah: And we are glad to be back.
Imogen: And we're happy to be doing this story again.
Me: And without further ado, the improved Beating Hard Chapter One.
All: Enjoy!
Chloe's POV
Tori, Liz, Rae and I walked over to our place under the cherry blossom tree as lunch started. We laughed and joked, discussing the photography project Tori, Rae and I still needed to complete that was, in fact, due in today. Our teacher had commented on our lack of homework, giving us the whole lecture about committing to the course, and further letting us off the hook, with the promise that we would hand it in next lesson.
It was either that, or fail the year and be forced to attend summer school and complete community service in order to bump up our grade to a pass.
Not happening.
If my summer was at stake, I was going to complete this project, even though I couldn't muster the will to do it. Three months ago, I had first arrived at this school, having moved because of my father's work. And I was never this rebellious or lazy when it came to work, that was until I had met Tori, Liz and Rae. And it was somewhat accidental.
Chloe Saunders stepped into the school building, glancing at the diverse types of people that passed her in the hallways, hundreds of faces that would never remember her, and those she would never see again after her temporary stay here.
Steve Saunders, Chloe's father, travelled around frequently in order to complete his work, and when duty calls, the two of them went to where the work was. It didn't matter how much it destroyed Chloe's life, at least that's what it felt like.
Chloe didn't really have much of a problem with the travelling; she enjoyed seeing different angles of the world; understanding other cultures, especially since her father was rarely around, leaving her alone in the house more often that not.
Chloe strolled around, finding her classroom, and starting a new life and experience with her favourite course: photography.
As Chloe entered the classroom, every head in the room turned and watched the short, blue eyed, blonde haired, fifteen year old girl step into the classroom. After introducing herself, everyone went back to work, their attention averted except for two girls perched at the back of the room, secluded from everyone else.
Chloe caught their gazes before hastily turning back to the teacher who explained the course, and directed her to a seat at the back of the class. As Chloe walked to her seat, she could feel the eyes of the two girls on her, and it made her uncomfortable.
One of the two girls had olive skin, her eyes deep, caramel brown orbs, that swirled with emotion, her black hair cut short, striped with royal blue streaks, while the other had naturally tanned skin, her hair wild with copper coloured ringlets that fell to her shoulders, coloured with purple highlights, her dark brown eyes like orbs of glowing curiousity.
Chloe could see by the set in their shoulders, the bored expressions on the faces and their distracted gazes that it was clear they were not taking this course willingly. As Chloe took her seat, her gazes flickered to their attire, and her assumptions were confirmed; they were rebels.
The dark haired girl wore a dark blue dress that came to mid thigh, a silver chain belt with a skull buckle hanging on her hips and a pair of lace up heavy-soled boots that came to her knees. The tanned girl wore a dark purple top that hung from one shoulder, a pair of navy denim shorts with ripped tights and knee high blue converse, the look completed with a pair of skater gloves covering her palms.
Throughout the class, Chloe struggled to concentrate with the girls' gazes locked on her, making the hair at the back of her neck stand on end. Chloe, however, had managed to hear enough from the teacher to figure out that the class were in groups for this project, meaning Chloe was alone.
As the bell went for break, Chloe packed her bag, watching as the two girls met up with a blonde girl, her straight hair hanging to her mid back, striped with pink streaks. Even without the presence of her friends, Chloe could tell this girl was just as rebellious as the other two; wearing a pair of black jeans, a heavy pair of black biker boots on her feet and a black top with three wide holes that looked like rips on the front, a hot pink top underneath.
Strolling out to the field, Chloe found a spot in the middle of the field, and caught sight of the three people who interested her greatly over by the cherry blossom tree. The thought then hit her; she had found ideal photography subjects for her project.
They all sat at the base of the cherry blossom; the dark haired girl with her legs tucked beneath her, the tanned girl legs bent, one upright and the other on its side while the blonde sat with one leg straight, the other bent.
Chloe hurried to get her camera, taking several shots of the scene, stuffing her camera back in her bag as classes began, Chloe soon finding out that the trio were in all her classes. Chloe followed them, sneaking shots of them undetected, and getting hold of a few pretty good shots.
At lunch, having already eaten, Chloe made her way over to her spot in the field, camera at the ready as she looked over at the cherry blossom tree. And there were the trio.
The blonde stood at the base, her back against the tree with one foot also against the trunk, the dark haired girl standing on a branch with a hand on the trunk for support, while the tanned girl sat on a higher branch, a leg dangling, the other straight as she leant against the tree. Having taken several shots, Chloe was now absolutely sure to have found her subjects.
Following them around school for the next two days, Chloe was guaranteed to get at least an A on this. However, on the second day, when she was getting ready to take another picture, the blonde looked up and saw Chloe prepped for a shot.
The blonde started in Chloe's direction, the other two following close behind and when they were only feet away, Chloe lowered her camera and stood. The blonde stepped forward, "What do you think you're doing?"
Chloe looked at her with a steady look, her voice just as steady, "Photography project."
Taking another stepped forward, she asked, the request lost in her eyes that swirled with annoyance, "Mind if I see 'em?"
Chloe merely took a step forward, her face only a scant few inches from the blonde's, "Actually, its my project so I'd rather not share."
"Well, considering we're the subjects, maybe we should have the opportunity to give approval." She replied with a smirk curling up the corner of her mouth.
"You're gonna have to get past me first." Chloe may have been small, but when she needed to, she could stand her ground like her life depended on it.
"I don't have to," the blonde lifted her hand, and resting on the palm was Chloe's camera. "I already have it." The smirk had grown and now she was grinning like a maniac.
"Give. It. Back." Chloe demanded slowly, maintaining control of her fast growing temper.
"No thanks, unless you're gonna make me." Switching the camera on, the blonde casually started flicking through the pictures, Chloe's anger bubbling over.
"Okay, I'm done being reasonable. No one goes through my stuff." Chloe stated, her voice low and menacing, seeming completely off from her innocent personality. But as she lunged at the girl, the blonde lifted her hand, staring down at a picture in amazement. "Girls, check out these shots. They're pretty good, right?"
Chloe froze as the other girls leant over, watching the pictures as the blonde flicked through them, both of them nodding in agreement. The blonde looked up, smiling at Chloe, no malice or sarcasm in the smile, only sincerity. "Hi, I'm Liz. This is Tori," the blonde pointed to the dark haired girl who sized Chloe up, rolling her eyes, "and this is Rae." She waved to the tanned girl who smiled enthusiastically. As Liz handed back the camera, she looked dead in Chloe's eyes, a certain seriousness in her own blue eyes, "You've got a real talent right there. Those shots are amazing..." The sentence trailed off and Chloe knew exactly what the girl was expecting; her name.
"Chloe."
"Those are some amazing shots Chloe, I like 'em."
"Uh-huh," Chloe wasn't convinced, crossing her amrs over her chest, having the feeling that Liz was now trying to kiss up to her, so she could have her friends out of that photgraphy course.
"No, I like you, Chloe." Slinging an arm over Chloe's shoulder, she walked Chloe towards the cherry blossom tree, Chloe reluctant to follow. "You were willing to pound me, something many people don't have the guts to do. You've got fire, and that's gonna get you pretty far in this place." She stopped as they made it to the cool shade of the cherry blossom, turning to Chloe, "You know what, I want you to join the group. But," Liz began circling around Chloe, examining every inch of her anatomy, as if she were a pig that was juicy enough for slaughter.
Stopping, she evaluated, "We're gonna have to change your look, tweak your attitude, and then maybe you could pass as one of us. Your folks probably won't agree with it though." Liz warned, gauging Chloe's reaction.
Chloe had to admit, these girls were okay; they were willing to be her friends just like that. Liz seemed genuinely nice, no hints of her misleading Chloe, so she sighed inwardly, having no energy to remain pissed.
"I'm willing to take that risk. My dad's always working so he isn't home very much. And my mum's not around either, being dead and all." Chloe hadn't intended to say that, but it slipped off her tongue, and she jumped as the three of them hugged her as if they were the ones who had lost the most important person in their life.
Awkwardly, Chloe comforted them, whispering reassurance, and when they stood straight, a few tears slid down Tori and Rae's cheeks, Liz, however, allowed no tear to escape her teary eyes. As the depressing silence began to press down on Chloe, she smiled and asked, "So... when do we start my extreme makeover?"
Automatically, the girls' moods brightened, their sadness disappearing. Chloe wasn't sure whether their overwhelmingly bright moods were results of them getting a new friend, or because they had a new playmate.
"Well, first we do fashion which is my line of expertise," Tori said an evil glint in her eyes as she scanned Chloe's baggy clothes.
"Then we focus on attitude, which is my strong point," Rae said with one of the biggest smiles Chloe had ever seen.
"And finally, lessons on how to attract a guy, and I'm gonna be your tutor," Liz said, giving Chloe a grin that sent shivers down her spine. "Yes, we do have guys in our group," Liz continued, sternly saying, "And no, you cannot meet them, not until you're fully transformed."
Tori, who was seen as the most ignorant of the three girls, was actually very excited to change Chloe, already planning what kind of style she could give Chloe for her petite self. So during the last lesson, she was doodling sketches of outfits, setting out possiblities and crossing out others.
Tori did like Chloe to a degree, she barely knew the girl so there was no way for her to get a better judgement. But she knew the real reason why Liz was so eager for Chloe to join the group.
Everyone who was part of their group was some form of supernatural, which was why Liz barely ever let anyone in the group.
Tori was a witch, Liz was a Volo half-demon, Rae was an Exustio half-demon, Tori's half-brother Simon was a sorceror, Peter was a shaman, Brady was an Expisco half-demon and her adopted brother Derek was a werewolf.
And she knew along with Rae and Liz, that Chloe was a necromancer. And the likelihood someone would meet a necromancer was rarer than meeting an albino.
The bell went, Tori rushing over to Chloe, Liz and Rae following her as she grabbed the petite girl's wrist, dragging her out the school building and onto the pavement outside the school.
Chloe led the way to her house, Tori shaking with excitement as they discussed the plan for Chloe's makeover. Rae suggested that they spend at least two days on Chloe's clothes, meaning it would take four days to change Chloe.
Tori suddenly blurted out a plan that put Rae's to shame, "How about we change Chloe's clothes today, and seeing as though its Friday, we can then spend tomorrow on attitude and Sunday on boy attraction?"
"What?!" Rae screamed, eyes wide in shock, "We can't do this in three days, it would be impossible."
Tori waved away her protest, "Sure we can do this, we changed you in four days Rae. I think we should try for a record."
Tori really wanted to see what they could do, and how fast they could do it, so she could only hope that Liz and Chloe were up to the challenge.
"I think its possible, but it isn't up to us," Liz said, turning to Chloe, "We can only do this if you're willing, Chloe."
"So," Tori started, "You up for it?"
Chloe shrugged, saying, "Why not? Let's get ready for this once in a lifetime opportunity." She tried to sound eager, but can you really sound overwhelmingly eager when you're about to change everything about yourself?
Tori and Liz launched themselves at Chloe, grabbing her in a bear hug, jumping and screaming with excitement, while Rae stayed on the sidelines and laughed so hard at the looks strangers gave them that she was clutching her stomach.
The girls let go, continuing on their way to Chloe's house, stopping short when Chloe made her way into a huge apartment building that stood out in a way that showed that it was possibly more expensive that the rest on the street.
However, their assumptions were confirmed when they stepped into Chloe's apartment, that happened to be the penthouse, the furniture of such high quality that it probably cost a fortune to rent the place.
The three rebels made a beeline for Chloe's wardrobe, emptying it of all its contents, organising it into piles of what they could use, and what they couldn't. It turned out that Chloe had lots of stuff that the girls could use, everything other than the baggy clothes the petite blonde wore on a day to day basis.
As the girls left, Chloe informed Annette, one of the housewives, that she would be staying at a friend's house for the weekend. Annette didn't seem to care, calling in a half bored, half warning tone, "Have fun and stay safe."
Having packed all her clothes in four duffel bags, Chloe followed Rae, Tori and Liz as they made their way to The Warehouse.
Rae recognised The Warehouse as her home. Once upon a time it had been abandoned, but Liz had bought the place after meeting Simon, Tori and Derek, each of them looking out for the others. They had done most of the decorating before meeting Peter, Rae and Brady who helped finish it all off. And now The Warehouse was home, where they lived, where they hung out, where they had made a family of their own. Rae was glad to have made it into The Warehouse; she could do practically anything.
When the girls arrived, they quickly gave Chloe a short tour, lucky not to have run into any of the guys. They escaped to the back of The Warehouse, to a large room that was rarely used, titled the 'Transformation Room' and as they stepped in, Rae stuck up the 'Stay Out' sign before locking the door.
Me: So... what do you think?
Olivia: Please review, I'd love to know what you think.
Stephanie: And hopefully, you guys liked it.
Pasha: We look forward to updating soon.
Alison: It's going to be fun!
Imogen: It's going to be exciting!
Hannah: And hopefully it's going to be soon.
Me: Until we meet again!
All: Adios Amigos!