Chapter One

"Hurry up Jessie, you'll miss the bus!" a woman calls from out side the door. The girl groans, and rolls over, placing her pillow over her head to block out any further yelling. The woman bangs on the door, and finally barges into the black room, ripping the blankets from her daughter's bed.

She sighs, rolling her eyes, "your big trip is today, you have to get up" she reminds, shaking Jessie's foot and pulling her half way off the air mattress in the middle of the room.

The girl's head pops up, eyes wide, and gets up instantly, grabbing clothes from her already open dresser drawers. As her mother walks out of the room, she lifts her old shirt over her head and pulls a tight crimson tank top with a black fish net top over it. Once she had pulled on a pair of bondage pants, she raced into the bathroom while tripping over dirty clothes and boxes on the way, and quickly ran a comb through her hair, before running into the small kitchen.

"I love you mom, and I'll see you in two weeks," she said, as she hugged her mother tighter.

"I love you too, hunny" her mother replied, letting go and wiping a stray tear from her cheek. Jessie smiled one of her rare smiles, grabbed her two rather large duffle bags, pushed through the apartment door, and ran to the elevator.

Once she had passed the crowd in the lobby, she walked to the front doors, where her bus was waiting impatiently. Hopping into the third seat from the front, Jessie looked out the window, watching people scramble down the streets of the large city.

Laughter erupted from the back seat of the bus, making Jessie look back and watch as spit balls were thrown at one of the new ninth graders on the bus. I guess she is the new victim, she thought as she looked down at her hands, remembering when it used to be her picking out the paper balls from her hair as she walk off the bus.

The bus screeched to a stop in front of the school building, letting the students off, and then driving away.

After a few minutes of sorting out luggage and making sure everyone was there, the teachers sorted the kids into two large groups, which got onto each bus. Jessie sat in the emergency seat, looking out the window as a short girl with light brown hair and glasses that continuously slipped down her nose, sat next to her in the isle seat.

"Hello," she began, taking note of Jessie's clothing and pale skin.

A short "hi" replied as Jessie fumbled in her bag, eventually slipping out a smaller bag in the shape of a mini suitcase. Jessie put in a code but then changed it various times, knowing people were watching, and finally put in the real code, opening it and pulling out her small laptop.

"How are you?" the girl asked, trying to start a conversation.

Jessie sighed, her mind on other things as she answered a quick "fine", and typing DarkShadow into the username slot, making her messages pop onto the screen. She minimized the screens, leaving one open, and rummaging through her bag, grabbing a pair of headphones, and plugging them in, while pressing play.

Music blasted in her ears, and she turned herself so the screen faced more to the window, and brought her messages back up.

DontEatYellowSnow: Hey Jess, how are you? I haven't talked to you in a while, well two days, but that's still too long. I guess your heading to that trip thing you were talking about, how is it? I hope you have a great time, enjoy your self for me. If you get time to come on today, I'll be on, IM me. Well, I have to go; I hope I can talk to you soon. Bye, Jason.

Her eyes read it over, and then she bit her lip, wondering what to say I reply, but instead decided to sign into messenger to see if he was on. After typing her username in again, she scanned the list and finding Jason's username lit up, she quickly clicked it.

DarkShadow: Hello, how are you today Jason?

DontEatYellowSnow: Hey, not too bad, on my way to the cottage, and you?

DarkShadow: Horrible, sitting on a crowded bus beside some chick that smells (ha, ha) and in a few hours I'll be in a tent that leaks. But I don't want to talk about that, tell me more about you; you don't talk a lot about your self.

DontEatYellowSnow: Hmm, I'm not sure what to say. I guess I could tell you I'm from just out side of Brampton; I have black hair and black eyes, and stand at 6'4. What about you?

DarkShadow: I live in a small apartment with my mom, in the middle of Toronto. I have black hair with red high lights, and I have light green eyes. I'm just a little shorter then you, which would be 5'6.

DontEatYellowSnow: (ha, ha) Just a little eh?

DarkShadow: Yes, and how old are you?

DontEatYellowSnow: I'll be 20 in 2 months, and you?

DarkShadow: I'll be 18 in two days. Anything else?

DontEatYellowSnow: The only other thing I know I haven't told you is that the only time I seem to be nice is when I'm talking to you, everyone seems to think I need a attitude adjustment, well except for my older brother, whom I seem to get it from.

DarkShadow: Well, at least I get to see the better side of you (he) and if it makes you feel better, everyone thinks I'm weird.

DontEatYellowSnow: Thanks... So how far are you from your destination?

DarkShadow: About an hour or so, I think.

The bus driver slams on the breaks, just missing a rather large hole in the road, and sliding into the ditch. Kids scream, the teachers yell for them to stay in their seats, and the bus driver starts trying to talk on the radio to get a new bus, and a tow truck.

DontEatYellowSnow: Hello? Jess?

DarkShadow: Sorry, my bus just went into the ditch, I have to go.

DontEatYellowSnow: Alright, well I'll talk to you soon then. Bye.

DarkShadow: Bye.

Jessie signs off, and closes her lap top, while slipping it back into her bags. Looking around she sees the other students start to calm down, some chatting through the window to the students on the other bus that had pulled up beside the one she was on and some just chatting amongst themselves, while others seem to be enjoying each others mouths since the teachers are no longer paying attention.

Eventually Jessie pulled out the new book she was reading, and ignored the girl beside her as she tried once again to start a conversation.