Chapter 1

Her name is Serenity Danielle Thomas. She is 5'5", sixteen years old with crystal blue eyes and fresh snow colored hair that goes four inches past her feet. She also has a great personality that she hid behind an introverted façade. Another trait that is more visible to everyone is that she is clumsy. She trips over anything and everything and fell either flat on her face or rear end. She lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado and loves the snow and the mountains. She is an A/B student and is always on time to everything despite tripping all over herself.

Serenity was walking to school, but with her head down and feeling exhausted because she had stayed up until 1 a.m. doing a project for English. That was a mistake to be sure because as soon as she turned the corner that lead to the school, she tripped over something sharp in the ground. Like always, it felt like an eternity before she would hit the ground so she squeezed her eyes tightly in anticipation, ready to feel pavement connecting with her face. However, the strong arms of some guardian angel interrupted the appointment with the ground. Since she missed that appointment, she decided to open her eyes to see who had "saved" her. When she looked up, she gazed up at the most beautiful guy on the planet. He was 5'11", had midnight hair that almost shone with blue, the physique of a man who, if the arms were any indication, worked out every day, and ocean blue eyes that a girl could swim in forever. He was the senior she knew by reputation only: Darien Edward Thompson. Wow. I had better say something before he thinks me a dull-witted person, thought Serenity. She opened her mouth to thank him, but he spoke before her.

"You should be more careful, Snowball head," he said. That snapped her out of her trance quicker than cold water. Nobody had EVER called her such a name. She was beyond furious.

"Excuse me," she said, removing herself out of his warm embrace, "but my name is Serenity, not Snowball." Feeling satisfied with her statement, she began to walk away. She did not walk five steps when she heard his annoying, but warm voice call her.



"What, no thanks," he called out to her. "Man, who taught you manners?" That was it. That straw broke that camel's back. It was bad enough that he had called her a name, but this was too much. Nobody has ever once called her rude in her entire life. She decided that he deserved a piece of her mind.

"My manners are just FINE!" she yelled. "It's yours I question. If you had any, you would have known that you do not call people names. And besides you don't even know me," She toke several deep breaths before continuing. "And I also don't see how girls could swoon over such an... an inconsiderate jerk with a sub-zero personality, like yours." Feeling satisfied that she had put him in his place, she turned around and practically marched the rest of the way to school. Behind her, Darien looked slightly guilty but had a somewhat nostalgic smile on his face. After she was out of sight, he began his way to class. Soon, Reni. Soon.

By the time Serenity got to school, she was more in control of her emotions and herself and quickly headed to her class. She got to class five minutes late because of her delay with the jerk from the senior class. When she walked into the classroom, she saw that there were roses on Ms. Darlene's desk. I guess that means she has a date. Good. That means I won't get detention or have any homework. Just before Serenity reached her desk, Ms. Darlene called her.

"Serenity," she said, "these flowers are for you." She grabbed the nearest desk. For me?, she asked herself. When she snapped out of her daze, she went to go retrieve them. As she went to get them, the whole class stared at her with expressions that ranged from shock to amazement and everything in between. When she got back to her seat, she placed the roses on the windowsill next to her desk and puzzled over this event. Who would send me roses, red ones at that? She was distracted for the rest of the class. After her first class was over, she went to her locker to put her roses away. As she left the classroom, everyone's eyes were riveted to her. Jeez, I wanted people to notice me but this is ridiculous. When she reached her locker, she found another surprise waiting for her; a letter shoved in the side of her locker door. It must be a dream, looking at the letter addressed to My Darling Serenity. Her hands began to 

shake in anticipation and she felt hot all over. If this keeps up, I am really going to faint. Instead, she took several calming breaths, placed her roses by her feet and pulled the letter from her locker. With another deep breath, she opened the letter.

My dearest Serenity,
I have been struck blind by the depth of your beauty that emanates from the inside out. Although you do not speak much, the whole of your beauty speaks volumes. When in your presence, I cannot find the right words to say to you, dear one, but I hope that my actions will say the words I cannot find. My love to you, princess of my heart.

Forever yours,

The prince of your dreams

Serenity read it three more times before she could even form a coherent thought. I have NEVER gotten a love note that was as expressive as this. In fact, I have never gotten ANY kind of note. Her immediate assumption was that it was a joke had been played on her and everyone was in on it but it was shadowed by the aura she felt from the paper. It was as if she could sense the writer's feelings through the paper. I better get going to my next class. I'll have to think more on this later, she thought and opened her locker and placed her roses and letter inside. But despite her best efforts, it kept her distracted the entire day wondering who could have sent her the roses and letter.

After school, she went down to the food bar to visit with Andrew Jones. He was the only true friend she had, and she desperately needed to talk. When she moved to Colorado Springs, earlier in the year, she had nobody to talk to, until Andrew; being the friendly person he is, walked up to her at the lunch table and sat down with her to talk. Since then, he's been like a brother to her, giving advice whenever she needed it. When the door to the bar was right in sight, her clumsiness kicked in for the second time today and she tripped over a crack in the sidewalk. However, for the second time today, she didn't hit the sidewalk and found herself in the arms of Darien yet again.

"We have to stop meeting like this Snowball Head," Darien said with a grin on his face.



"What are you doing here jerk-face," she snapped back.

"Obviously keeping you from falling on your face, Snowball Head," he countered, sounding amused.

"Well, I don't need your help," she said starting to grow warm with embarrassment and another emotion she didn't want to name, "I can do just fine on my own, thank you."

"Doesn't look like it to me," he said with a laugh.

"Well, if you would let go of me I'll show you." He let her go none too quickly. "Now, if you don't mind, I would like to remove myself from this conversation so I can go inside."

"Sure," he said. She went inside hoping that was the last she was going to see of him but much to her annoyance, Darien walked inside as well. She went to the furthest corner of the bar and sat down on stool. Andrew came up immediately with a broad grin.

"Hey what's up Reni," he said cheerfully, using my nickname, "will you be having the usual?"

"Yes, please. We need to talk, Andrew. Things are really strange today," she said.

"I'll be right back with your order so we can talk," and with that he went to get her food. On the way there, Darien, flagged him down. Andrew seemed to be taking a long time with him, and she wondered what they were talking about and how Andrew could know that jerk face. When he came back with her order, she immediately interrogated him.

"How do you know him?"

"Who? Darien?" he questioned. "He's my best friend. I thought told you?"



"I do remember you telling me about your friend Darien, but I never thought it was him."

"Well, now you know it is him and not someone else."

"Then I have a question," she told him. "Is he always such a jerk to girls?"

"Now I don't think we're talking about the same Darien," he said with a laugh. "The Darien I know is always surrounded by girls who are constantly throwing themselves at him. Why, he's a regular ladies man."

"I don't see how," She said in a disgusted tone. "He's rude, unkind, and has no consideration for a person's feelings and --" As Serenity trailed off, she was suddenly envious of every girl he knew, and, at the same time, wondering why she would be feeling that way in the first place.

"Why would you think that of Darien," Andrew asked confused, "What's he done to you?"

"What has he done? What has he done! Why, he insulted me! He called me Snowball Head and said I had no manners and," tears choked off the rest of her sentence.

"Oh, don't cry," Andrew, said as he tried to comfort her, looking like he meant to set his friend straight, "I'm sure he meant the name in the nicest way," Andrew said comforting me. "You do have the most extraordinary white hair I've ever seen," he said stroking it lovingly. He wiped the tears from her eyes and asked, "Now, what was it that you said was weird?" he asked changing the subject to something more pleasant.

"Well," she began, starting to feel better, "first I got roses in class and then, when I got to my locker, and I found a love note. Isn't that strange, Andrew? Why would anybody want to give me a love letter and roses? The only thing I know is that it was handwritten, so it makes it even more romantic," she said with stars in my eyes. She handed Andrew the note and let him read it. For a moment, she thought she saw his 

eyes light up with recognition, but before she could ask him about it, the light was gone, so she figured it was her imagination and erased it from her mind.

"Tell you what," he began with a smile, "I'll help you figure out who this mystery man is. Do you mind if I hold on to this for a while?"

"Yes I do mind," she said felling possessive of her letter, "but I'll give you a copy of it instead." I quickly pulled out a sheet out of paper and copied the letter for him. "Here you go," she said as she handed it to him. After that, Serenity leaned over the counter and gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks," Serenity said and left for home. After Serenity left, Andrew went to go talk to Darien. He had a sneaking suspicion that his playboy friend had something to do with the note that Reni got.

"Hey, Darien," Andrew said, "I have a question to ask you."

"Sure," he replied. "But before you ask your question, I have one for you."

"Okay, go ahead."

"Who was that girl you were just talking to?"

"Who, the girl with white blond hair?" Andrew asked suspecting that Darien already knew who the girl was. He often did this when he wanted information on a girl.

"Yeah. What's her name?"

"I think you already know what her name is, my friend." Andrew said with a knowing grin on his face.

"Yeah, I do." Darien said with a sheepish look on his face. "So how do you know Serenity Thomas?"

"I meet her when she first moved here."

"Oh, I see," Darien frowned when he heard that.



"Do you? I don't think you do." Andrew said grinning at the frown that had appeared on his friend's face. "She was lonely when she first moved here and needed a friend. As you well know, I am a sucker for a damsel in distress so I decided to befriend her. After that initial meeting, she became like a sister to me."

"Now, I see," Darien's eyes lit up with hope. "Does she have a boyfriend?"

"Why would you like to know?" Andrew said slyly. "If I didn't know any better I'd say that you like her." Andrew's thoughts turned back to the letter and he knew he was on the right track.

"Me? Like her?" Darien said trying to play it off, "Why would I like someone like her?" looking down at his coffee feeling very uncomfortable.

"Oh I don't know. Shall I make a list? Let's see she's she's smart, witty, light-hearted, a great person - would you like me to continue or have you heard enough?" Andrew said watching his friend come back from his daydreams.

"All right, all right, I give," said Darien, knowing that there was more to her than that, "You're right. I do like her." Darien said depressed. "However, whenever I'm around her I can't think of what to say to her and when I do and end up saying something that offends her. By the end of the conversation, I'm no closer to where I want to be than I was when I started out."

Andrew smiled. At least he knew who wrote the love letter now. "Now that that's confirmed, let's get back to your original question. The answer is," Andrew said pausing, "that she doesn't have a boyfriend but doesn't think anyone is truly interested in her." Darien's eyes lit up with the news. "And," Andrew continued, knowing he had Darien's complete attention, "I'll let you in on a little secret." Darien sat in closer. "I do believe that Serenity likes you too." Darien looked skeptical. "It's true. I saw the way she was when she read that letter." Darien looked up with shock all over his face. "Yeah I knew it was you. If I didn't truly know before, I do now from that look on your face." Darien immediately looked down to conceal his blush. Andrew laughed. "Don't worry. Your 

secret's safe with me; at least for now." Andrew smiled and continued. "So as I was saying, Serenity likes the writer of her letter so in order to get her to know it's you, you will have to learn to keep your tongue in check and get her to notice the man beneath your façade." Darien nodded his head in acknowledgement. The lovely Serenity liked, and possibly even loved him? This was too much to take in but he thanked Andrew for the information.

"Well," Andrew said, pulling Darien back to attention, "I have to get back to work or else I'll be out of the job."

"Okay," Darien said, "I'll see you around," and with that he walked out of the parlor as a man on a mission. Now that he had the information he needed all he had to do was use it in order to get what he wanted, to become the fair maiden's prince charming. With that thought bolstering him, he walked back home with a grin a mile wide.