Disclaimer; I do not own any of the characters but Tallulah, Danni and Maria. All of the others belong to L.J Smith however, the plot of this story does belong to me.
Cold splatters of water hit Jenny Thornton as she drew her knee nearer to her chest. Her bedroom window was wide open, the heavy rain occasionally splattering her, causing goosebumps to rise up on her skin. She didn't feel the cold. She didn't even feel the wetness of the water on her body. She just couldn't feel. She was numb. The numbness had hit her on the flight back home. She'd sat, rigid in her seat, sipping some juice. Not thinking, not feeling and hardly breathing. The juice had been given to her by Tom. Tom. He'd been worried about her, of course. She'd practically been mute, her body tense and her usually light and happy eyes were darkened. Flat.
To be honest, it'd scared him and he knew she hadn't eaten anything or drank anything for a while so he forced her to drink the juice. She didn't gulp it down. She took dainty sips every half an hour. It didn't satisfy Tom but at least she was drinking something. The flight itself was tedious. No one spoke and every conversation Dee had started, drifted off into nothing. Everyone else had no idea how to comfort Jenny and they just didn't know what to say.
A sudden clap of thunder startled Jenny but she jumped before settling back and resuming her old position. She elicited a soft sigh but it couldn't be heard over the wind, the wind that was chilling her body. Suddenly, all of her senses came flying back to her, assaulting her. Jenny was stunned with the intensity of the assault as she abruptly became aware of how cold her flesh was, how wet her skin and hair were becoming. Her thoughts were bright and colourful yet still tinged with grief.
She shook herself slightly, sliding off of the windowsill and leaning over to shut the window. She paused upon catching sight of a large, human like shadow in her garden. Her muscles locked in place as she froze, staring at the shadow with large eyes. The shadow seemed to stare back at her but when Jenny rubbed her eyes with the heel of her palms, however, when she opened them again, the shadow was no longer there.
A tremor ran down her spine and the hairs on the back of her neck pricked up in alarm. Something didn't feel right but she just couldn't put her finger on it. She shuddered violently when another gust of wind blew through her open window, attacking her with its cold, moist air. Shaking her head slightly, she reached across and grasped hold of the hand, dragging the window towards her. It shut quietly and she set the lock on it, just in case that shadow happened to be an actual person. She drew her curtains shut, the rings squeaking slightly on the metal bar.
Jenny crawled into her bed, checking her digital clock as she straightened out her messy duvet. One o'clock in the morning. She had school tomorrow so it'd be best if she got some sleep. That is, if sleep would greet her rather than evade her like every other night it had since his death. Tears pricked her eyes at the memory and before she knew it, she was crying. Hot tears blurred her vision and buried her face into her pillow, choking on her heart-breaking sobs and her constricted throat.
For the first time in days of being numb, Jenny Thornton cried.
When Jenny woke up the next morning, she still had a blotched face and her eyes were red. She yawned tiredly as she threw back the duvet and climbed out of bed, feeling surprisingly refreshed even though she'd cried herself to sleep earlier that morning. She took a quick shower, getting rid of the blotchiness on her face and brushed her teeth before she went back into her bedroom, a towel wrapped around her body and hair. She opened her wardrobe and stared at her clothes. She reached forward to grab a cardigan when she froze.
Out of the corner of her eye, she could see a shadow reflected in the mirror. She swallowed and whirled around to see nothing that could have possibly been the shadow. Shaking it off, Jenny turned back to her wardrobe and picked out a cream coloured cardigan when she heard a whisper. A whisper so soft and in such a musical voice that it surprised her.
"Julian wouldn't like you in long sleeves and long skirts."
The voice didn't sound familiar but that wasn't what was bothering her. It was the fact that whoever whispered that to her, had known Julian. Julian was dead and it was her fault.
"Besides… Tommy doesn't own you."
Jenny's eyes widened and they flitted around the room, searching for the voice's owner. Her observation was in vain because there was no one but herself in her bedroom. "It's all in your head, Jenny," She muttered to herself, but when she looked back at her wardrobe, her mouth fell open in shock.
Where cardigans and long skirts once used to be, was now replaced with a single outfit that looked utterly out of this world. It was white vest top that would probably fall to her mid-thigh and it had a black dream-catcher imprinted on it although, the beads were rainbow coloured and along the top of the dream-catcher was the word 'Dream.'
There was also a pair of black leggings that were fashionably ripped at the knees and calves and a pair of ankle boots with buckles. Clothes Jenny herself hadn't worn ever since she'd been dating Tom.
"Wow," She whispered in awe, reaching out and allowing her fingertips to brush the material. To her surprise, the clothes didn't disappear.
Jenny was worried about what Tom was going to say but she could make up an excuse. She collected the clothes and proceeded to dry herself off. She slipped on her underwear before sliding into the vest and leggings easily, once again startled by how they hugged her body in all of the right places. She put the boots on, zipping them up at the sides before drying her hair. Once the golden locks were dry, Jenny went to tie her hair up into the ponytail that Tom always approved off but when she reached for an elastic band, something caused it to disappear.
"Julian always liked it down." The voice murmured and Jenny swallowed, before retracting her hand and settling for keeping it straight, using some hairspray to keep it in place. She bit her lip when her eyes landed on cosmetics that definitely had not been there earlier.
"Go on. Put a little on. It won't kill you." The voice urged and Jenny gave in, reaching for the liquid eyeliner. She put a little on her eyelids and put a little black Kohl under her eyes. She rubbed some cherry Chapstick onto her lips and pulled away from the mirror. She looked fantastic.
Maybe this voice wasn't as freaky as it seemed.
Jenny grabbed her school bag and jogged into the kitchen, where her family were sat around the table. Joey was stuffing his face with pancakes practically drenched in syrup, her mother was at the oven and her father was reading the paper whilst sipping from his mug of coffee.
"Good morning," Jenny chirped lightly, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge. Everyone looked at her in surprise. She began to feel slightly self-conscious. "What?" She asked, her fingers tightening around the condensed bottle. Her mother was the first to speak.
"Good morning, Jenny. I didn't know you had clothes like that," Mrs. Thornton said, eyeing her daughter with obvious approval. Jenny shrugged her shoulders, snatching a piece of toast from the table.
"Yeah… Now I'm over my bad mood, I needed to cheer myself up." She lied, biting into the buttered slice. "I've gotta go; I'm gonna be late." Mrs. Thornton nodded.
"Okay. Have fun at school!" She called. Jenny called her goodbyes and they were returned before she left the house, still chewing on her toast.
The walk to the school was short and by the time Jenny got there, Dee and Audrey were waiting outside the gates patiently for her. Jenny had finished her toast and was gulping down some water as she approached them. Their eyes were wide.
"Hey guys," She greeted easily, screwing the lid back onto her water and tucking it into her bag. Dee and Audrey's eyes slowly took in all of her.
"Hey sunshine," Dee replied, shaking herself out of the trance and giving her a grin. Dee and Audrey had given Jenny the space she wanted to be able to rid herself of the guilt and misery. "You're looking pretty fly." Jenny giggled, giving a little twirl.
"I know. I didn't feel up to wearing a long skirt and a cardigan today," She smiled, for once, the lie was becoming easier to say as it flowed from her lips sweetly. Audrey smiled, revealing her pearly teeth.
"Nice to see the change, Jenny," She said approvingly, linking her arm through Jenny's. Jenny knew she wasn't just talking about her clothes; Jenny's attitude had changed too. "I hear there's some new kids." Jenny raised her eyebrows.
"Seriously? Any other detail?" Dee and Audrey shook their heads.
"No. Somehow, they managed to keep everything about them hush-hush," Dee answered as they reached their lockers. Jenny got her books for the day as did Dee and Audrey before going to homeroom where they knew Summer, Zach, Tom and Michael would be. For once, Jenny felt excited but she also felt nervous. What would Tommy think?
Audrey pushed open the door and they waltzed in. Summer, who was now officially with Zach, was cuddling up to him, his arms wrapped lovingly around her waist and Tom and Michael were in a deep discussion or debate. However, that all stopped when their eyes landed on Jenny. Summer was the first to react.
"Oh Jenny! Your vest is so cute! Where'd you get it?" She cooed excitedly, reaching out to brush the cotton with longing fingers. Jenny shrugged.
"My mom got it for me but she didn't tell me where," She replied, lying for her life. Her cypress eyes were focused on Tom, who seemed a little stunned by it all. She'd gone from moping and depressed to bubbly and bright in the space of a week and her clothes had changed too.
"You look great Jenny," Michael said, smiling his dorky smile at her and she smiled back at him, almost grateful.
"Thanks Mikey," She said, just as her homeroom teacher, Ms. Hallisday, called the class to order. Jenny went to her seat and sat down, drumming her fingers on the desk. After answering to the register, the door opened and everyone, including Jenny herself, craned their necks to see who had dared to be late.
In the door frame, stood three very beautiful girls. They waltzed in gracefully and exchanged a few very quiet words with the teacher before turning to the class. Jenny's breath caught sharply in her throat at their beauty.
The first had long bright red hair that reached her waist, perfectly straight and it seemed to shimmer with an unknown glitter. Her fringe was choppy and spiked and fell into her right eye. Her skin was of an alabastor colour, standing out against her hair and her eyes. Oh, her eyes! They were dark, as dark as an oil painting that were framed with thick lashes that were definitely not fake or enhanced by mascara. Her red lips were pulled back over her pearly white teeth in a confident smile. She wore a black t-shirt with the words 'GET ON YOUR KNEES' in white writing with a scrawl underneath that Jenny couldn't read. The girl also wore ripped black skinny jeans and black and white checkered Vans. Her slender arms hung loosely by her sides, showing off an array of colourful bracelets on her wrists and her nails were blunt, painted black. Beneath the red hair, Jenny could see that the girl had small gauges and a lot of cartilage piercings that differented between rings and studs.
The second girl was shorter but only by an inch or so. She had pure silver hair that was cut into a bob, although the jagged tips of her hair touched her lower neck, almost brushing against her shoulders. Her skin was lightly tanned, not too pale yet not too tanned. Her eyes were bambi shaped but they were the colour of grass in the sunlight and she seemed to share the thick lashes like the red-head had. She looked extremely lithe and flexible, her clothes clinging to her perfect body. She wore a red t-shirt with white print that read; 'You Bring Out The Beast In Me.' and underneath that were the words Sleeping With Sirens. She also wore a black skirt that reached her midthighs and black tights with studded lace ankle boots. Jenny couldn't see any visible piercings on her except for a nose ring. The girl was biting her lip in a shy manner, playing with her fingers awkwardly.
The final girl was probably a Goth, from what Jenny knew. She had glossy black hair that was straight and tumbled halfway down her back and had the same jagged tips as the girl with the silver hair. Her eyes were bright purple, like the colour of a Cadbury's chocolate wrapper. They looked so real that Jenny couldn't work out if they were contacts or not. The girl was pale, making her seem ghostly and her lips were plump and glossy. She was wearing a purple corset with black lace and a black and red tutu, showing off her creamy slender legs. She also wore knee-high lace up Gothic boots with shiny buckles on. She was too busy checking out her nails with a bored expression on her beautiful face.
Suddenly, Jenny felt very plain.
"Class, these are our new students," Ms. Hallisday said, gesturing to the girls with a bright smile on her face. "This is Tallulah," She pointed to the red-head who gave a wider smile and a little wave. "This is Danni," The silver-haired girl gave a shy smile before lowering her eyes to the floor. "And her older sister, Maria," The purple-eyed girl's eyes flickered up briefly before sliding back to her nails which seemed so much more interesting. "Take a seat anywhere, girls." The class became abuzz with chatter as the girls weaved through the desks. Jenny watched them curiously, when Tallulah's eyes met hers for just a split second. Then, Tallulah beamed and walked towards her, her dainty hips swaying and making a lot of the males sigh and murmur softly.
"Hi," She beamed, slipping gracefully into the seat beside Jenny and holding out her pale hand, bracelets clunking together. "As you know, I'm Tallulah." Politely, Jenny took her hand and shook it, surprised at how soft and honey-like Tallulah's voice was and it seemed vaguely familiar.
"I'm Jenny," Jenny smiled, feeling so dull compared to the unique girl beside her. She went to let go but Tallulah's fingers drifted up to Jenny's wrist and gripped it firmly, jerking her forwards so that Tallulah's lips were now against her ear.
"I know who you are, Jenny… And I know about Julian."
Hello guys. I'm back. (: I guess you've seen the change in my writing style and stuff… So, I hope you like the new story/new version. Reviews are appreciated and I wanted to thank you all for the support.
Love, Lou xx