I have just written this chapter and I really hope you like it. I think that a lot of pro-Myrnin+Claire-people will like it. But I hope others do too. I kind of had this idea because I liked the thought of Myrnin and Claire together and wanted to play with it. But I didn't want him being a vampire that's over hundreds of years older than her. Can you say, "yuck"? Anyway, I got bored and wrote it. Amelie is still the founder though and Oliver is still a hippie jerk vamp that works Common Grounds. But that will come up later. Enjoy! Oh, and I don't know if I have to do this and I feel kind of stupid but I'm going to do it anyway because I've seen a lot of other people doing it:

DISCLAIMER: All characters and places in this story belong to Rachel Caine.

Claire Danvers was sixteen and was in the senior classes of Morganville High School. She easily tested out of all her other classes with flying colors. At first, it was her perfect opportunity. But then she realized how much trouble being smart could bring her. When she got into her class, the first thing she spotted was a really hot boy with a light brown mop on his head staring at her with a smirk on his face and a gleam in his eye that she wasn't familiar with. Then she saw another equally—if not hotter—guy sitting two desks away from him, staring at her with one eyebrow arched and a smile playing across his lips. He had long, luscious, curling black hair and shining eyes that seemed to look right through her.

A blush slowly crept across her cheeks as she put her head down and walked to the teacher. She handed him her note and he smiled wide at her. Apparently being smart wasn't that bad to the teachers. He gestured she take a seat. She looked around and was shocked to find that the only available seat was between the two hottest guys in the class. And next to the first guy was apparently his girlfriend by the way she was hanging on to him for dear life and glaring at her. And she was by far the most gorgeous girl in the class. Based on the way she dressed, she obviously knew that.

Claire sat in the desk and placed her backpack on the floor beside her silently. The guys were staring at her and the girls were all glaring at her. Great. Just great. This was the perfect way to start the year. She inwardly rolled her eyes and paid strict attention to the teacher who had just begun the lesson.

After a while, the teacher asked them to get into pairs for their next activity. Immediately, the black-haired boy leaned over and whispered, "My name is Myrnin. You want to be my partner for today?" He flashed her a kind smile that made her heart stop dead in its tracks.

"Sure, why not?" she said with a shrug.

"What's your name, if I may ask?"

"Claire. My name is Claire."

"Claire?" He tilted his head to the side and let his eyes twinkle with unspoken questions. "You seem a little young to be in this class."

"Yeah. I kinda skipped two grades." Claire shrugged.

"Kinda? What do you mean kinda?"

"I don't know. I don't like the fact that I skipped."

"You should. That's amazing. How old are you?"

"Fifteen."

"Wow."

Claire blushed again under the intensity of his stare. God, this boy was hot. She quickly looked away and focused on the paper the teacher placed on their desks. They worked together in quiet contentment. When they finished, Mrynin looked at her.

"Yes?" Claire asked, ready for an explanation as to why he was staring at me.

"Nothing. How can you be so smart? That's just been bugging me." He scratched his head for emphasis and then stroked an imaginary beard. "It's extremely fascinating," he said, using a scholarly voice.

Right then, Claire laughed and then tucked a stray piece of brown hair behind her ear. "It's not fascinating. Apparently, I am just a piece of bloody steak that's been thrown into the shark tank. It's completely petrifying." A shudder went through Claire's body and she tried her hardest to keep herself from actually moving.

Myrnin laughed. "Petrifying? I think it's positively adorable!"

"Really?" She raised an eyebrow. He had to be a liar. Just had to be.

"Really. Now what do you say you sit with me and my friends today at lunch?"

"Your friends don't seem to like me much." She looked around to prove a point.

"Oh, those? Nah, they're not really my friends. My friends are…well they're…hmm, you'll have to meet them. It's a little hard to explain them to others." He chuckled and shook his head. "In fact, this guy is Shane. Shane Collins. He's one of them. Ignore his possessive girlfriend, Monica. She doesn't mean anything. She can barely figure out that World War II was not a Chinese war." Myrnin smiled at Monica teasingly while she glared back at him and hissed.

"Um, Myrnin, does she sit at your table?" Claire asked in a quiet voice so that Monica wouldn't hear.

He shook his head silently and smiled. "Show me your schedule."

She took it out of her binder and handed it to him. All advanced classes. Pretty good for a supposed-to-be-freshman.

"You have all my classes, my dear friend. Shall I accompany you, then?" He smiled a smile so bright, her breath caught in her throat and nodded as she reminded herself how to breathe. "Great!" The teacher caught their attention right then so he couldn't say much else; just turned in his seat, straightened his back, and clasped his hands together on top of his desk.

Claire just turned and put her head down slightly so that her hair would fall in her face and cover her blush that was starting to creep up in a dark shade into her cheeks. She was falling pretty hard for a guy she barely knew. And it was starting to freak her out. But, yet, he was so nice. So spectacular, she had to remind herself to breathe and blink whenever he looked at her. Smart, cute, funny, and charming. She had to admit to herself, that at least she fell for a good one.

I really hope you enjoyed it. The more reviews I get, the more ideas I have, and the faster I will get a chapter two up. I can't wait to hear your thoughts; good or bad. I'm open to many suggestions. Thank you for taking the time to read it.