Chapter 1: Find the Sun
It had all started off as a pretty normal day, my mom was pestering me to hurry up so I could get to my new school on time.
"Mom that stupid bus isn't going to pick me up for 2 hours" I complained
"Better early than late" my mom chirped in her too happy voice
"I'm going to hate this school just as much as the other ones" I muttered "Why do I have to go away for school anyway? The public school would be fine"
"Everybody likes happiness, nobody likes pain, but you can't make a rainbow without a little rain" my mother replied with smile
That was a quote my dad taught her, she used it every second she could.
I had never met my dad but I hated him. My mom had nothing but good things to say about him but I couldn't see how a man that left his wife and newborn daughter to fend for themselves was good. I hated him for leaving, he had never even checked up to ask how I was doing? Every birthday up until I was 10 I had prayed to see him, just to meet him and I'd be fine. Of course he never came. After my 10th birthday I ran up to my room in tears, I had been so convinced this was the birthday my dad would come and visit. I took the only picture I had of him off my wall and stared at it for a while. Both my parents were pretty young maybe in their 20's. My dad I had always thought was pretty good looking, he had a tan and golden blond hair that reminded me of sun rising in the morning. He looked perfect but I knew he wasn't. I grabbed the photo and ripped it in half, I put the picture of my mom in my scrapbook but I crumpled up my dad and tossed it under my bed. I never wanted to see his face again.
My suitcases were packed and lined on the wall in front of the stairs just like usual. I got into and kicked out of a lot of schools, all of them were overnight stupid prep schools. I hardly ever got to use my room, only on holidays and during the summer. I'd learned that at the age of 7, I was never really going to have a home if my mom kept moving and I kept blowing through schools. I wasn't a bad student or anything, in fact I think I was the best student in most of those stupid schools. The real reason I got kicked out was because strange things seemed to happen around me. In 2nd grade, my first year of prep schools, a group of kids was playing in the snow when I went to play with them some kid pushed me down and all the snow melted. I was told later that I was glowing as bright as the sun. In 3rd grade my class went on a field trip to the zoo, I felt so bad for the poor little animals I didn't want them to be stuck in cages. I went to touch one of the cages, there was a weird popping sound and bang! Lions were out. I was happy they had gotten out, they weren't bothering anyone so what was the problem? I went over to the other cages and about 10 cages later I had released half of the zoo. Apparently people thought I was unlocking the cages with a key that had gone missing earlier in the day. In 4th grade a mysterious fire started in my school and the cause of the fire was a math test going up in flames. Can you guess whose? They thought I started the fire, accident or on purpose I was kicked out of another school. In 5th grade...well...you get the idea.
The bus pulled up in front of my house and a few kids came to help me with my bags, I stared up at them as they were fastened up on the roof. Was that even safe? Most of the bus was filled up with kids talking and laughing but as usual all the boys turned their attention to me. I was used to being stared at, most of the boys stared at me especially when they first see me. The bus driver blinks and looks away suddenly as if I was shining. I look down considering me I very well could be but I wasn't. I sit in the back where the stares couldn't reach me, I try to hide behind the seat and ignore the people around me. Apparently nobody got the message I wanted to be left alone. I blond girl with violet eyes who was sitting in front of me. She reminded me of Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter, she could have been her twin.
"Hello" she talked in a calm soft voice that reminded me of the silent pitter patter of snow falling on the ground "I'm Quinn"
"Brooklyn" I reply "But you can call me Brooke"
"Brooke is a very pretty name" she smiles slightly
"Thanks" I smile a little too, I'm liking this girl already "Quinn is a cool name too I don't think I've ever met someone named Quinn"
Quinn pushes a strand of hair behind her ear "It's a rare name, I don't think I saw you at the school last year are you new"
"Yeah" I reply "You were here last year?"
"Only at the end of the year" Quinn chuckles "If I was there any longer I'd probably be kicked out"
"You get kicked out of school a lot?" I ask
"Weird things happen" Quinn shrugs
"The same thing happens to me" my eyes widen "Weird things happen to me and people around me, I always have to move schools and it doesn't help that my mom moves houses so much"
"Odd" Quinn mutters "My dad moves a lot as well"
I laugh and we exchange stories about all the strange stuff that had happened to us.
By the time we got to the school Quinn had become something like my best friend. I'd never had a real friend before, the ones I did have were usually just trying to use me for something.
We got our luggage off the top of the bus, I had two duffel bags Quinn only had one. I couldn't help noticing it was the same violet color as her eyes. As we started walking up towards the school a boy with a black hair, pale skin and amber catlike eyes stood in front of us.
"Hey look it's Quinn"
Quinn steps back the color had drained out of her face "Leave me alone Sean"
The boy, Sean grins "Hey has the freak got a friend?"
"Leave her alone" I growl, I try to keep my anger under control but something about this boy just makes me angry
"Brooke ignore him" Quinn whispers "He's a bully and a jerk"
Sean laughs "Wanna run away?"
"Sean" another boy walks up he looks identical to Sean so I assume they're twins or at least brothers
"Hey Kai" Sean doesn't look very pleased to see the other boy
"Leave the girls alone" Kai pushes him aside and turns to Quinn and I "I apologize for Sean he's a little irritable"
"Who are you?" Quinn asks "I saw Sean last year, not you though"
Kai frowns "You probably did, I guess you just thought I was Sean"
Sean rolls his eyes "You wish you looked as good as me"
"We're identical" Kai spat
"I pull this look off better" Sean shrugs and walks into the school
Kai sighs "Sorry" then he runs off
Quinn tells me Sean was a mean boy that had bullied her for the 4 months she was at the school last year, I decided to keep my distance since I knew bullies and if they were stopped before they could finish their bullying they'd be out for revenge.
I managed to survive through the orientation mainly because I was talking to Quinn about the school which was much more enlightening than the orientation video.
"You get your own dorm" she explains "But it's not very big and there are doors leading to the other dorms on the left and right walls"
I grin, most schools I'd been to made you share dorms with some random person.
That night I'm sitting at the desk, class starts in tomorrow and I was a nervous wreck. Most of these kids were brainiacs and I didn't look stupid. I thought I'd gotten over the stupid new kid fears but apparently not. Quinn was on the dorm to my left so I consider trying to talk to her but I don't want to disturb. The other girl looked pretty nice her name was Aria but I didn't really know her. I blinked frustrated tears out of my eyes and I decide to unpack and organize my room.
"Everybody likes happiness, nobody likes pain, but you can't make a rainbow without a little rain" I mutter under my breath
I open up my duffle bag and my eyes pop. Inside is a picture of my dad. I pick it up and stare at his perfect face. I turn the picture over and on the back it says Don't give up, find the sun I don't recognize the handwriting but I'd lost all hope my dad was coming back for me a long time ago so I refused to believe it was his hand writing.
Find the sun... I think What does that me