Chapter 1

'It's Christmas in a few weeks. What will I get? Maybe a beautiful necklace... From the two dollar shop. Great I can see this being an amazing Christmas. Just like the ones before eh? Oh and before that. Hell can I even remember a Christmas when my dad bought me something rather than getting a care package from the sallies or cheap as shops.'

This is the thoughts of Sara Hunter, a girl that has no money, except for the dollars she earns part time in the super market. She live in a old house in a not so flash suburb in Christchurch.

She spends all the time she can away from home. There is nothing for her there. Just an empty shell of happiness. Sara try's to act confident and beautiful. Rich is what she would like to be. To have the latest cell phone, Ipod, clothes, make-up. But for Sara she can only dream. She doesn't realise it but she is beautiful. People look at her when she's sitting at the bus stop or in the shopping centre. Most her friends are jealous of her straight, sleek, shiny chestnut hair. Her eyes are the deepest turquoise and seem to capture people in them. Still she found herself ugly, she didn't enjoy life all that much, but she kept it inside, bottled up.

Sara thinks how different life could be, if only she was rich or even have a little more money. She's not ungrateful for what she has, Sara knows her father works hard but still.. Everyone wishes. The only thing that has any amount of value is her Pearl Bracelet. She was nine when her mother died of cancer, it's been five years but there isn't a day that passes without her thinking about her death. One week exactly before her mother, Sally Jenkins passed she gave Sara her bracelet. The pearl Bracelet.

Chapter 2

Some one grabs her from behind, panic floods through her mind. Before she screams she hears a famliar voice. "How's my wee friend sitting all by herself?"

'Oh it's Melissa Baker, calm down.' Sara thought.

Melissa is the friend she trusts the most.

"Your hair looks amazing Mel! Did you dye it again?"

"Yeah, do you like it?"

"Far out your lucky, the purple suits you a lot."

"Why thank you beautiful." Said Melissa "Lets go find the others 'Kay?"

"What I thought it was just going to be us, having a look round the shops today?"

Melissa sounding surprised replied "Nah, I thought we'd meet up with a few people, like Sophie and Chelsea. I think they're bringing some people too!"

"Melissa! Have you seen what I'm wearing, I can't meet people like this."

"Oh I thought you looked really nice actually. Your so lucky how you look good in like all clothes and can change them round just like that to make them seem different."

'Hardly' Sara muttered to herself.

Sara and Melissa started walking through the crowd of people, saying 'Hi!' If they saw someone they knew. Sara Felt more confident around Melissa. Mel seemed to have a vibe, and wearing her bracelet gave her the extra boost she needed to be happy and strong.

"Oh there's Soph." Murmured Mel

Sophie ran over to them when she spotted them and gave them both a big hug, Sara loves Sophie's hugs. Sophie is a little chubby but not in a way that looks bad. She seems happy but sometimes you see a bit of doubt in her. People worry about Sophie, with her bubbly exterior you never know what's truly underneath.

Sophie whispered to Melissa and Sara, "Have you met Alex Scott before? I heard he was filthy rich. And somehow Chelsea knows him."

Mel said excitedly. "Oh I heard he was starting next term, at least we're going to meet him now. Where is everyone at the moment?"

Amber was quiet, she was nervous around guys. She had a boyfriend once. He had been sweet and kind, but they just didn't work. He was her first kiss, but nothing more thank god. She wanted a guy friend. She wanted a boyfriend. Her dad, Richard Hunter, didn't want her having one. She suspected he thought that she was just off having sex with him. But of course she wasn't. It hurt her that she felt as if he didn't trust her. She hated explaining where she was going, and who she would be with it always felt like an inquisition explaining things to him. She has to remember though that she is all he has left. He doesn't want to lose her. But pulling her closer is just tearing them apar...

"Sara! Are you still here?"

"Oh, yeah sorry. So where are we going?"

"Oh my god! I just said, twenty seconds ago that we were meeting them in the food court. Can you pay attention just once?" Sophie exclaimed.

Sara felt as if she just had her head bitten off. "Oh, okay.."

Sophie saw her reaction. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to have a go. You know I love you really."

"Oh that's okay, so shall we go find the others now?"

Melissa replied immediately. "Yes! I want to see what this Alex is like. Sophie, do you know if James is going to be there?"

Melissa had liked James all year, it was now the term three holidays. Nearly the end of their tenth year. James was quite attractive. He had light brown hair, that was the perfect length, not too long or too short. He had a few freckles and bright blue eyes. He was quite tall. Always a good thing in Melissa's books.

They strolled towards the food court, pushing through the crowd of Christmas shoppers.

"We're not coming to the mall again near Christmas. Its absolutely packed." Said Sophie annoyed.

"I love Christmas!" Melissa exclaimed