A/N: This is my first Covenant fanfic. I haven't written anything in quite a while and have just gotten back in the swing of things, in terms of FF. I know this first chapter is a little dry, but it should heat up a little in the next.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Covenant, although Rachel and Josh are mine. The chapter title was (and others will be) borrowed from Romeo and Juliet. This entire fic has also been vaguely inspired by Kelly Clarkson's Addicted (it's all I listen to when I'm writing =P)

IN MY DREAMS

CHAPTER ONE - WHERE WE LAY OUR SCENE

She'd dreamt of him again. After everything he'd done to her, after all she'd tried to put behind her, her subconscious just wouldn't let him go. Moving across the country should have helped. A new school, a new town, and a new set of problems to distract her. That would be sure to rid her of all those memories.

Rachel Lewis sat on the end of her bed, her legs crossed underneath her as she sifted through the papers in her hands. A class schedule and the school rules in her left hand, and a map of the school in her right. She hadn't even started her first day yet, and already the pressure was beginning to build.

When her mother had informed her they would be moving from California to Massachusetts, from their nice, middle class neighbourhood to a huge mansion in Ipswich, Rachel had several reservations in mind. What would the weather be like? When would she see her friends again? And was she expected to go to the same boarding school her stepbrother was enrolled in? Was her mother insane?

At eight-thirty in the morning in her practically empty dorm room, Rachel only had one reservation in mind: Spenser Academy was a private school. All her life, Rachel had made fun of private schools. They were all such snobby institutions, and definitely not something she ever thought she would have to consider.

"And look at me now," Rachel muttered at her reflection.

Dressed in only half the prescribed uniform, Rachel was wearing a dreary gray pleated skirt and a white blouse. Now Rachel had never been a superficial person, but she knew she looked awful. And she hadn't even touched the tie or the blazer yet. She was comforted only by the thought of ever other girl attending Spenser Academy having to wear the same clothes.

There were a couple upsides, though. One of them being that Rachel wouldn't have to suffer through living with her mother and her new husband. She would only have to see them during the holidays, and one some weekends. Spenser Academy had beautiful dorms, vast facilities and her stepfather was more than happy to foot the bill.

Rachel returned the papers to her desk and continued to dress herself. She'd shrugged on the thick navy vest and fiddled with the maroon striped tie until it looked right, when a knock sounded at her door. The junior opened it without thinking, temporarily thankful that she could go the next few minutes without having to even look at the school blazer spread out on her bed.

She knew only one person at Spenser, and she'd only met him once. Her new stepfather had introduced her to his son when Rachel and her mother arrived in Ipswich. She'd barely spoken to her stepbrother during dinner and doubted he was interested enough to knock on her door so early in the morning. He hadn't exactly been excited about gaining a little sister – he hadn't even gone to the wedding.

But there he stood, dressed in that silly Spenser uniform.

"Hi, sis," the boy said, smiling a smile that looked forced by social norms that demanded politeness. He was extremely good looking. His sharp features and chin length hair reminded Rachel of the makings of a male model.

She smiled a sad smile back at Aaron Abbott. "Hey," she said glumly as she let him in.

From what she had garnered from their Saturday night dinner, Aaron was a normal teenage boy. He seemed interested in sports and cars, and he was extremely polite and pulled back in front of his father. In fact, he seemed almost afraid of him.

"Dad wanted me to come see you on your first day," Aaron said, sitting down at the desk chair. His movements were relaxes and casual, as if he himself were sleeping in the dorm. "Just to make sure you found your classes alright and everything." He'd softened up a little since the weekend. Although this task was forced on him, Aaron didn't seem like he hated it too much. But Rachel assumed he was just being nice. She didn't have that much faith in male teenagers.

Rachel nodded and all of a sudden her dormitory felt unfamiliar. She had a stranger in her room and every move she made felt under scrutiny. In clumsy, uncertain steps she moved past her stepbrother over to her dressing table and brushed her long black hair into a ponytail.

She glanced over her reflection a few seconds longer and suppressed a sigh. Rachel didn't exactly hate her looks, she'd had enough shady guys back in Riverside hit on her to realize that she wasn't completely dismissed by boys, but she was nothing compared to some of the girls she'd seen here. All seemed much more mature than her, with their hemmed skirts, professionally manicured nails and expensive make up. Rachel's own features were unmarred by glitter and red lipstick. Her lightly tanned skin was left untouched, her dark lashes straight and her green hazel eyes clean of colour or liner.

"These your papers?' Aaron asked, scanning Rachel's schedule. She nodded and turned in her chair to face him. "Room one-fourteen is on the first floor. It's down the hall from my homeroom, so I can take you there." Rachel nodded again, hating that she couldn't think of a single thing to say.

As the two were about to leave the room, someone else appeared at the door. A pretty girl with curly red hair and lightly freckled cheeks stood there. The bored expression in her light eyes made Rachel extremely uncomfortable.

"Sorry I'm late," the redhead sighed. She ignored Rachel, looking only at Aaron.

He shook his head, dismissing the need for an apology. "Rachel, this is Kira Snider. Kira, this is Rachel Lewis."

It was only then that the redhead turned her attention to the other occupant in the room. "You're the stepsister." It wasn't a question. It was an observation, made with cool assessing eyes. Oh, she was that kind of girl.

From this smallest of interactions, Rachel couldn't help but dislike Kira already. She was everything Rachel despised about private school students. From the way she held herself, to the way she spoke down to Rachel with that bored, smug expression.

"Come on," Aaron said, and the three were off. It felt strange to walk the halls of Spenser Academy with Aaron and Kira. Back home, Rachel was used to being looked at by her fellow students. In California she had been relatively confident around boys and she was at the edge of the social scene, but she was nowhere near as popular as Aaron and Kira seemed.

Every few minutes someone would join their walk and chat to either Aaron or Kira, or both, before leaving for their homeroom. Others would glare at them as they walked past. But all ignored Rachel.

"Kira!" It wasn't the first time a boy called out that name, but it was the first time someone actually looked at Rachel. Kira sighed and rolled her eyes in a big show as the boy jogged to close the gap between them.

"What is it, Joshua?"

The boy, glancing from Kira to Rachel and back again, caught his breath. "Here." He seemed just as reluctant to interact with Kira as she was with him. He held out a set of keys. "Dad just got back from the mechanic. Your car is fixed, so you can stop using mine." He sounded annoyed as he spoke to Kira, but his eyes kept wandering back to Rachel with curiosity.

Kira snatched the keys and fished around in her pocket for a second set that she promptly returned to Joshua. She glanced from the boy to Rachel, and a smile that didn't seem so nice formed on her face. "Thanks so much, Josh." Her voice turned to honey. Kira glanced at Rachel again, this time in a deliberate manner, as if seeing her for the first time. "Oh Josh, this is Rachel Lewis. She's new here. You should show her around."

Before either Josh or Rachel could say a word, Kira clasped a hand around Aaron's arm and the two seniors were gone.

Josh smiled tentatively. He held out his hand. "Josh Snider. I'm Kira's brother." And Rachel saw the similarities now. They had the same pale skin, dotted with light freckles, and the same curly hair, though Josh's wasn't as ginger as his sister's. They even had the same large, light eyes.

"Rachel Lewis," she greeted in like, shaking his hand. "Aaron's stepsister."

A look of surprise crossed Josh's light eyes. The two continued down the hall together, but Rachel still caught his expression.

"What?"

"Nothing." He pressed his lips together, failing to hide his smile.

She raised her eyebrows, feeling like her old self again. Confident, slightly flirty Rachel. Not quiet, awkward Rachel. Josh smiled and glanced at her.

"Well, it's just that…Aaron isn't exactly the type to hang with girls he can't…be with."

Rachel let out a short laugh. Oh, so Aaron was one of those guys. Interesting. Perhaps that was why he was only helping her because he had to. Rachel checked her class schedule again. "Do you know where room one-fourteen is?"

Joshua grinned. "Yeah. That's where my homeroom is, too. Just through there." He pointed to a turn in the corridor. Just as the two were about to entire room one-fourteen, a crash sounded from a doorway down the hallway. Rachel turned just in time to see her stepbrother getting up from the floor to step menacingly closer to a tall blond boy.

Everyone in the corridor gasped and looked over. Several people looked amused, anticipating a fight. Rachel watched curiously as the blond boy smirked at Aaron, but was pushed inside by a friend of his. Aaron dusted himself off and stepped into the classroom himself.

"Whoa," Rachel murmured, her wide eyes still glued to the doorway even though there was nothing more to be seen.

Josh snickered and shook his head. "His name is Reid Garwin. Aaron hates him."