CHAPTER ONE ~ TESSA GOMEZ

I wake up for the second time, the smell of ocean air and sea salt drifting into my nose. Living next to the ocean is quite a thrill, at least for my mom and I.

My dad still thinks it's better to live in Dallas, but why live in the city if you live in a state with a beach? The first time I woke up, I thought I deserved to go

back to sleep for a few more minutes so that I could at least escape the reality of my messed up life. But now I'm awake. I sit in front of my delicate white

vanity mirror and think about my 'messed up' life. People usually think my life is so easy and carefree just because, well, we have money. Behind the steady

flow of green paper, are lies and secrets. I hate lying, and I hate keeping secrets.

For years, my parents have promised to let me know secrets about our family, and about myself. They say that these secrets are potentially harmful to me,

and that they just care about my safety, blah, blah. Something has always seemed off about my parents. They shut me out when I ask about our family

history, or things related to my birth, for that matter. People usually don't want to talk to me until they see my house, my car, and the presents I give to

close friends. Even when I was little, people thought I was weird. When I was five, I would always go pet the horses at the stables in my neighborhood at

night. I could have sworn that the horses could talk and that I could talk to them too. Ever since then, horses have been my best friends. The only living

things I could rely on. Of course, I haven't seen a horse in years, and if I did see one, I would probably not try to talk to them. Being the daughter of a

1980's swimming national champion, people expect me to be swimming all the time. Guess what? I don't swim all the time.

I swim as often as the average cat does because A) As a cruel joke, people push me underwater to see if I'll drown, B) I do not have a pool at my house,

and C) Public pools are the breeding grounds of bacteria and perverts.

Okay, reality check. I shuffle over to my clothes. Jeans, a navy blue top, a black leather jacket, and original black converse shoes. Yawning, I glance at the

clock. As usual, I'm late. It's 10:58 and I haven't even eaten breakfast or done my hair. I have to meet my friend today because he's going to be sent off to

another boarding school in a few months. He will only be in Texas for a few more days, and then I just won't see him again until next year. Just like last year.

By the way, I just barely managed to finish three whole school years at the same middle school. Just barely. My private school did want to kick me out, but

since the accusations were made on the last month of school, my headmaster let me stay. Just then, my mom yells, "Come on Lassie! You can't be late!" I

cringe at my mom's pet name for me. It is, quite literally, a pet name because Lassie is also a dog. My actual name is Thalassa Gomez, but I go by Tessa. I

run over and jump into my dad's electric blue car.

About my dad: being an Engineering Technician, he loves to chatter on about new airplane models and about their aerodynamics, but if I said it was

interesting, I'd be lying. A new chauffer is driving me today. His name is William Blakely. Our butler, Rob, sits in the back seat with me to "ensure my safety."

I just find both of them kind of awkward. "Hello Mr. Blakely. Hello Rob." "Hello." Rob says with an enthusiastic smile. "Hello Miss Thalassa. You are to be

driven to the mall next to the Cheesecake Factory. I will pick you up at your call. Correct? " "Yes Mr. Blakely." During the ride to the mall, I think of my

dream. It seemed like the ocean was talking to me. It could have been a person next to me. Seems like a teenage boy. The details start to sink in. Or maybe,

the thoughts are coming in now. I'm asleep and I know it. He is desperately trying to tell me something, but it's almost as if the connection is breaking. I can

see him now. He has the same shade of soft black hair as mine, except I like to dye the ends of my hair blonde. My hair is wavier than his tangled hair, and

he has tanned skin, two shades darker than my only slightly tanned skin. I can't complain about my dark green eyes, but I feel a pang of envy when I see

that his eyes are the very same shade of sea green I have secretly yearned for. I'd have to say, he is pretty attractive, but I feel connected to him, kind of a

strange sisterly connection. That would explain why I felt immediately competitive. I try to hear what he is saying, but it's like having the T.V on mute and

watching pictures go by.

When our butler opens the car door, I am suddenly awakened. I see my friend Sebastian and run to him, grinning. His amber eyes

seem to carry the golden sunlight with them. "Hey, I've missed you!" He exclaims, picking me up and spining me around. I realize that the chauffer is

waiting to leave at my command. "Thanks guys." I call out. "A chauffer and a butler. So the empire has grown." Sebastian teases. "Don't you ever go away

from me like that again Sebastian!" I say, lightly slapping his arm. "Happy early fourteenth birthday, Tessa." "Thank you." The rest of the day we drink

smoothies and eat cheesecake until his wallet is empty and our bellies are full. We talk, mostly about our suspicions that his dad and my dad aren't really our

birth fathers. The conspiracy started when we were six. We noticed our moms' high school and college friends were always gossiping at the country clubs that

we look nothing like our parents, and that that's why my mom and his mom were best friends, because they both had kids with other men, and that they bet

that they don't know who the fathers are. As we got older, we understood what that meant. Now, I believe it is the truth. In one picture that my mom kept

hidden in a silver box, there was a green eyed man with a blue Hawaiian shirt and khaki shorts holding me. I only got to see the picture once before my

parents dismissed it as not being me. I can't find it anymore, which I find incredibly suspicious. When I arrive home, I plop down and read a book. After all,

yesterday was the first day of summer vacation, and I should enjoy this summer before it leaves me behind.