Prologue
Astrid
Hiccup Haddock was a guy that you would forget was there. He'd always be bent over scribbling in his worn notebook, shaggy auburn hair covering his eyes. He had a skinny frame, and vibrant green eyes that stood out in the dark. Hiccup would get good grades, but never brag. He never fit into any of the social groups. The idea of skinny Hiccup being a jock was laughable, too skinny and quiet. Not nerdy enough to be a nerd, normal enough to not be a weirdo, but weird enough not to be a normal. Maybe that was why he was bullied. Hiccup was a threat.
Hiccup Haddock has a crush on Astrid Hofferson. Everyone knew, but I didn't think much of it Almost every boy who attended Berk High School was falling at my feet, no surprise he was too. But Hiccup was different. He didn't smirk or flex when I came by, but averted his eyes. While most guys sneered and boasted while I was around, Hiccup stuttered and shrank back. He intrigued me. Maybe that was another reason he was bullied. Snotlout and Eret were his min tormentors, and Hiccup frequently came to school with a black eye or split lip, though no-one noticed. Just as no-one noticed him. He had a talent for hiding in the shadows, sinking and disappearing into their embrace, until all you would be able to see would be a pair of green eyes. Blink, and he was gone.
Snotlout was a large, beefy boy with an ego the size of a country. His greasy black hair was always pulled away from his pale blue eyes, and through his satisfied smirk, you could tell he thought he was God's gift to woman. He was loud, obnoxious, and an overall pain in my a**, hitting on me whenever he got the chance. No matter how many times I twisted his arm behind his back, or punched him in his face, he would just keep coming back. Everyone in the school knew I hated him, except, it seemed, himself. Snotlout clung to power and popularity, which is how he became Eret's lapdog.
Eret was even more muscular than Snotlout. Tall, intimidating and rude, the majority f the girl population was head-over-heels for him. Eret had a pattern of vertical blue stripes on his chin, a tattoo he said represented his standards: strong, forever, and always standing, never kneeling. Dark hair slicked back and thick eyebrows lowered over brown eyes, Eret was at the top of the food chain, only rivalled by myself.
Then there were the twins, Ruffnut and Tuffnut Thorston, the resident troublemakers at the school. If the science lab caught on fire, you didn't have to look far for the culprits. Long dirty blonde hair and lanky frames, these two were always fighting, and the only real way to tell them apart was the fact Ruffnut kept her hair in two long braids, while Tuffnut had dreadlocks.
Fishlegs Ingerman was the resident bookworm. Slightly overweight, with short blonde hair cropped close to his face, you would often find him sitting in the shade with his nose in a book. The only reason we had a pet nerd in our group was Snotlout and the twins needed him to give answers to homework questions.
Everyone knew about Astrid Hofferson. Beautiful, smart and violent, always surrounded by a large group of friends. Blonde hair and blue eyes, everyone cleared the halls to make way for Astrid and her studded skirt. I was mean, confident and always got what I wanted. However, in my large group of gossiping girls, I had maybe only one friend, Heather, a kind-hearted but dangerous black-haired beauty with large, stunning green eyes and a body to rival my own.
When Hiccup Haddock disappeared without a trace, nothing changed. One less name on the roll call, one less body in the locker hall. But everyone noticed. Then everyone forgot. But I, Astrid Hofferson, remembered the small boy with too-long hair and green eyes. I alone remembered the way he sank into the shadows, and completely disappeared. I alone wondered why he had gone. Maybe that was why I was the only one to recognise him when Hiccup Haddock came back.