"Wake up, Helena" my mom says in her usually sunny voice as she pops her head into my room, "first day at your new school!" I had already been laying awake in bed for three hours, too nervous to sleep, and because I didn't want to have the dream that I've been having every night for the past three weeks.

I never thought I'd be the new girl. I have lived in the same house for my whole entire life, that my mom built with my dad 15 years ago, and now I am surrounded by kids that I don't know in a city I have never been to, on the other side of the country. I used to live in glamorous Los Angeles, CA because my mom is the famous country singer, Caroline Greensdale. You would think that since my mom was famous, I would be used this kind of thing, but no. She retired a couple of months after I was born because the paparazzi were too much for her, or at least that's what she said.

"Why did we have to move to this stupid small city?" I ask the again for the millionth time since my mom told me we were moving.

"Honey, I've already told you," she sighs with a sad look in her bright green eyes, "I wanted to get away from the big city since I didn't have any business being there. Now hurry up there's a stack of banana pancakes in the kitchen with your name on it!" I could see it in her eyes that she wasn't telling me something, but I didn't argue, she didn't need any more stress.

I reluctantly raised myself out of bed and glanced out the huge bay window behind my bed. The leaves swirle angrily in the front yard of the huge mansion, reflecting my mood. I scramble towards the bathroom attatched to my room, through boxes I have yet to unpack. My bathroom iss a complete mess, also flooded with boxes containing just my hair and make up stuff. I grab my brush, which was luckily in the first box I unpacked along with other hair and makeup essentials, and pull it throught my long sandy blonde hair. I continue with my normal morning routine, maneuvering my way through piles of boxes.

After putting on my first day of school outfit, a leather jacket I got at a vintage store, distressed jeans, and mockisins, I grab my guitar case and backpack and head down the spiral staircase. I walk into the kitchen and, as promised, there is a huge stack of my favorite pancakes sitting on the large breakfast table.

As I sit down in front of them I say, "Mom?"

"What?" she replies sittting down oppisite me at the table with a huge mug of coffee.

"If you wanted to 'settle down' and all that, then why do we live in such a big house?"

She takes a long sip of her coffee. "Well I was going to tell you tonight, but I guess now is better than ever."

"Tell me what?" I feel like bad news is coming my way.

"You know my boyfreind Mark?"

"Ugh, unfortunatley." Mark is my mom's boyfriend from back in L.A.. They decided to try a "long- distance relationship". Myt best friend in California and i put bets on how long it would last. I bet a month, she bet two weeks. The reason I don't like him is because he is conceded, mean, selfish, and , mom dissagrees with me but, I think he is only dating her to get to the money we have. My mom being an ex-celebrity, she made quite a few million in her day. Not to mention, mark has three snobby kids; a 13 year old girl, a 10 year old boy, and an 8 year old girl.

"What about him?" I ask, my mouth full banana pancake.

"Before we left he proposed me," she rushed her words out of her mouth, "and I said yes. He and his children are moving in next week.

Oh. My. God. "YOU DID WHAT?" I scream at her, spitting out my bite of pancakes. "WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU? YOU'RE RUINING MY LIFE!"

"Helena! Calm down, oyur acting like a child!" My mother yells back standing up and accidently spilling her coffee.

"You are ruining my life!" I scream. I stand up , grab my guitar case and backpack, and run out the huge oak front door of the house.

As I run down the drive way I hear my mom calling me, "Helana, wait!"

I stop and turn around to face her. "What?" I snarl.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to wait for the bus."

"Look, I know you aren't happy about me getting married but it's my choice, and there's nothing that can be done now," she says. I notice that she is holding a small rectangular case of some sort in her hand. "Just... Just take this. It was a gift from your father."

This was weird. My mom never talked about my father, even though I've always asked about him. She would never tell me anything, and always avoided the subject. I never knew my dad, he left before I was born. My mom always said that he went on a business trip and never came back, but he wasn't dead. He is still out there somewhere.

I took the black case and opened it up. Inside was a dissassembled flute. i don't why my dad would leave me a flute. I don't play the flute, but I'm sure that i could. Every instrument Ipick up I can play. My bad ADHd and dyslexia makes it hard for me to do regular classwork, but the dyslexia doesn't seem to effect me reding music, and Ican play instruments with out getting distracted. The same thing goes for writing poetry.

I put the cas in my backpack. "Umm, thanks?" i say. "But you know, this doesn't change anything."

"I know." she says and turn around walks back into the house.

I start heading down the street to where the bus stop is. I check my watch. It says that it's 6:55. I guess I have 5 minutes to spare while i wait for the bus. I sit down on the bench. I can't believe that my mom is getting married. Even though my mom and dad never got married, i still feel like she is betraying him somehow. I pull out my poetry notebook from my backpack, along with a pen. It's filled with different poems I've written over the past few years, especially haikus. What's weirs about my poems is that I seem to write... predictions. They're always telling the future, and it always comes true. I've never really thought about it though because I've been doing it since I was about seven.

I just to turn to a fresh page and I see the huge yellow bus coming around the bend. I put everything back in my bag, including the flute case, and stand up. The bus comes to a stop and the doors swing open. I guess I'm the only person at this stop. As soon as I get on the bus, I hear a flood of whispers.

"- that's the new girl-"

"- she lives in stoneridge, she must be rich and snobby."

I walk towards the back of the bus and see a girl sitting by herself. "Can I sit here?" I ask her.

"Sure!" she replies in a happy voice, taking her stormy gray eyes off of a book she was just reading.

I slide into the seat and try to out my stuff down, which is difficult with a stuffed backpack and full size acoustic guitar, but I manage it. "Hi, I'm Helena." I say.

"I'm Annabeth," she replies. Her blonde curly hair is pulled back into a ponytail and she is wearing a bulky sweatshirt and jeans. "Are you new here?"

"Is it really that obvious?" I say nervously.

"No, well, yeah. It is." We both giggle. "Can I see you schedule?" she asks.

I pull out the white peice of cardstock that I recieved in the mail last week.

"Cool! We have history, science, and poetry together." She exclaims. "Don't worry, I'll help you navigate throught the school.'

I sigh from relief. "Thanks so much!"

"Do you play guitar?" She asks, eyeing the case in the aisle.

"Um, yeah. i guess the huge case is a give away."

"That, and the fact that Guitar is one of you electives. You seem like you really like to play instruments."

"Yeah," i reply. For my electives I chose guitar, orchestra ( I play the cello) and poetry.

"Looks like we're here," Annabeth says as the bus pulls to a stop in front of the school. A sea of kids surrounds the school; talking, coming and going out of the doors, and riding skateboards. WE exit the bus and follow the flow of everyont toward the door.

'Welcome to hell," I say under my breath.

"Pardon?" Annabeth says.

"Nothing," I reply and we enter through the huge glass doors into a zoo of people.


Thanks for reading! pleasee review! it would make happy.