A/N: Welcome back, readers. So I did say that I was going to rewrite this series, so here is the first rewritten chapter. Honestly, this story is so bad; it's a wonder I have any readers at all. XD Like, the very first mistake I noticed was that I have the first day dated in June, but then I go on to say that it's a hot day in July. I'm literally crying because I'm laughing so hard at my own stupidity. WHY IS THIS STORY STILL A THING?

Anyway, I hope I iron out all the wrinkles as I rewrite it, but if I miss something, please please let me know so I can go back and fix it. It's still probably going to be a very short story, since I don't know what to add to it. If you guys have any ideas on what I could add to make it longer, let me know! Hope you guys enjoy it!

~Rina

Book one-Chapter one-"Not a Normal Day"

Date: June 26, 2004

It was one of those really hot days in June when my life changed forever. I was eight, and my mom had decided to take me and my little brother, Eric, to Germany for summer vacation. She worked for this big law firm back in Canada, and since she was so high up the corporate ladder, she was allowed to take one month a year off. That particular year, she had chosen to take July off. And my mom being who she is, she had also decided to ditch the last week of June. I don't know why she chose Germany of all places for a vacation, but I wasn't arguing. I loved the German culture, even at such a young age, so I was very excited to be there.

Anyway, during that very hot day, Mom asked us if we wanted to go to the park. We had just finished unpacking our stuff at the house Mom had rented. It was a nice place; two storeys, four bedrooms, three bathrooms. A house you would expect a lawyer to rent. But the built-in air conditioner wasn't working, so we were all sweating our butts off. Even Eric, who was only three at the time, had helped and was whining about how hot he was. So Mom gathered us up and went off in search of a park. However, since it was just Eric around, I knew it would be no fun at the park for me, so I grabbed one of my many books from my bookshelf.

Thankfully, there was a park just two blocks up the road. It was made completely out of wood, reminding me a lot of one we had back home. Eric went straight for the baby swings, and I settled on a bench (in Mom's vision, of course) to read my book. To an onlooker, it probably looked like a thick book for a child to be reading, but I was far ahead of my peers in the reading aspect, so a small chapter book was perfect for me.

Suddenly, there was the sound of crunching gravel. I looked up, and I saw a teenaged boy standing a few feet away from me. He had black hair that was short and spiky except for the long bangs that were covering one of his dark chocolate eyes. He looked confused to see my family there, and I noticed that he was shoving a small box into his back pocket. 'Cigarettes,' I thought to myself, recognizing the exotic brand my grandfather smoked. The boy noticed me staring at his pocket, and put his fingers to his lips with a wink.

"Hallo." He said with a sweet smile. "Wie gehts?"

I blinked at him. "I don't speak German." I mumbled before hiding behind my book.

The boy just smiled again. "Oh. I asked you how you're doing."

His English was nearly perfect, but his accent was prominent. I coughed to hide the giggle that was forming at the sound of his voice. I had never met a German person before, so the accent sounded funny to me.

"I'm good." I said quietly, sticking my nose back in the book.

"That's good. What are you reading?"

I said nothing. I wasn't good with strangers.

"Irene." I heard my mom's voice sigh and glanced up at her. She was standing over me, one hand on her hip and the other holding onto Eric, who was trying to go deeper into the playground. "You could try to be a little more sociable." She turned to the boy. "I'm sorry. She's a bit shy."

"No, that's fine." The strange boy smiled. "I understand if she doesn't want to talk to a stranger."

"Yes, I do have stranger danger drilled into her." My mother chuckled. "I'm Dawna. What's your name?"

"Bill." The boy said, taking my mother's outstretched hand and shaking it. "Are you the family that moved into the house on the corner a couple blocks away?"

My mother nodded. "We're just renting, actually, but yes. Are you telling me that you walked by and old woman and her kids while they moved stuff and didn't offer to help?"

Bill blushed. "I-I was going to, but I had band practice and I was already late..."

Mom laughed. "It's alright, Bill. I'm just teasing."

That was my mother. Completely comfortable with strangers, even if they were probably only about 14-years-old.

Eric finally was able to break away from my mother's grip and he ran towards the green tube slide. Mom sighed, and held up one finger before she went and ran after him. When we were alone again, Bill smiled that sweet smile again.

"So are you going to tell me what you're reading?" He asked.

"It's about a prince who takes a girl's place to be kicked out of the kingdom when she sneaks off to go to war and is caught." I said quickly, then shutting my mouth again. I spoke in run-on sentences when I was nervous.

"Sounds interesting." Bill said.

Before I could say anything else (or not say anything at all), I heard Eric start crying. Dropping my book, I ran in the direction of my little brother and mother. Both were sitting on the ground at the bottom of the slide. Eric had his hand held to his head as he cried. I could clearly see the blood seeping between his fingers. I was suddenly very weak; I've never been good with the sight of blood, especially my own or someone I knew. I felt my legs give out, but the teenage boy was right there to catch me. He lowered me to the ground, worry on his face as I looked up at him.

"Oh, dear." I heard my mother say. "She's not good with blood," A thoughtful pause, "Could you keep an eye on her while I take my son to the hospital? "

"Of course." Bill said.

"Oh, thank you. I don't think he's injured too bad, so I shouldn't be long."

Through my dizzy haze, I remember Bill giving my mother a number for her to call when she was done, then her rushing off to the car. After that, Bill waited with my head in his lap for a few minutes until I finally felt well enough to sit up.

"Are you alright?" He asked softly.

The color was returning to my cheeks quickly, though that might have had something to do with where my head had previously been. I nodded and Bill helped me stand.

"I have to go get something from my house and return it to my friend." Bill said, tilting his head towards the exit to the park.

I hesitated, wondering if my mom would be okay with me following a boy who was still a stranger to his house. Hadn't she meant for Bill to just stay here with me? My hesitation must had been obvious, because Bill paused and got a thoughtful look on his face. The, he grinned.

"I believe my mom just bought this whole bag of candy..."

In hindsight, that probably should have made me even more suspicious; but the promise of candy at eight years old had my face lighting up with excitement. Bill giggled at my reaction, and I found myself laughing, too. Boys back home didn't giggle- I liked the sound of it.

On the way to Bill's house, the sight of my brother covered in blood came back to me. It made me shiver and pale again. Bill noticed my distress and urged me to talk about life back home. So I told him about my best friend, Michelle. I wanted to talk about my other friends, too, but I was scared that I would start babbling nonsense again, so I only told him about her. As Bill asked about the house back home, I tripped over a broken piece of sidewalk and fell to my knees.

"Nein," I yelled, clutching my knee and trying to hold back tears.

Bill was obviously worried when he bent down next to me, but the corners of his mouth were twitching upwards slightly. I glared at him, and the forming smile disappeared.

"Sorry," He mumbled. "But your German is adorable."

Slowly, he got me to remove my hand from my leg. I turned my head away, not wanting to see the blood I could feel on my hand. Seeing the blood of someone else was bad enough; seeing my own is worse. I usually pass out. I had ended up turning my face into Bill's shoulder. He smelled nice, but I couldn't really name the smell Not strong, like my father's nasty cologne, but not like simple soap either, like the boys in my class. Something in between and a whole lot better. Maybe some kind of body wash?

"It's not bad," Bill's murmur brought me out of my thoughts, "But I think this would be my last day on earth if I returned you to your mother like that."

Bill helped me up for the second time that day, but told me to avoid looking at my leg. I put gentle pressure on it; it didn't hurt, but the child in me was telling me to limp anyway. Bill took my elbow, helping me along. He told me that he had peroxide and bandages at his house, so he would get me cleaned up when we got there. At some point, Bill's arms ended up around my shoulders. I was sure that my face was turning every shade of red one could think of, and I realized something.

I was developing a crush on this older boy. And, even at eight, I knew this could only turn out badly.

(~)(~)(~)(~)(~)(~)(~)(~)(~)(~)(~)(~)(~)(~)(~)

A/N: So? A lot better, huh? I hope so. . I was such a horrible writer at 14, but with the help of a lot of people, I think I've become 2,415 times smartersince then (if anyone gets that reference, you should become my new best friend xD). I want to rewrite my other stories, too, but I can't decide which one. Any suggestions? Whichever one I rewrite will definitely get an ending. I WILL NO LONGER ABANDON MY STORIES! Stay tuned for more chapters!

~Rina