Prologue

I never really thought much about the whole love aspect of my life. I mostly thought that they were left for stories and happily ever afters. But now, my whole views have been changed because of him. He gave me a new meaning to love. I looked at his face, blank and staring, somewhere far away, thinking of something.

I wanted to be with him and be able to comfort him, but I knew that it was simply not possible. I choked back a sob, I already had cried so much that my eyes hurt and I had a headache. It was worth it to see his face anyway. I thought that after our pairing, nothing would be able to touch us, but it was the complete opposite. We gave people that much easier of a chance to rip us apart. Kill one, the other suffers. It was cruel, having to stand at a distance away from him. I gave a agonized cry towards him. He turned toward the source of the noise. He threw me a small, sad smile.

Chapter 1:

Newcomers

I sighed and looked at the time. 12:35 a.m. We were suppose to be there by nine o'clock at night. I let the words of the conversation I had with my parents the night before flood over and under my thoughts, "Come on Keeley! It's only one small transition. Besides, you wonderful and I'm sure that you'll make lots of friends." I let the memory slip away from my grasp. I knew there was no point whatsoever to remember pointless memories.

"Hon, were going to be there soon," My mom Karen said.

I looked up. I could see her warm face, even in the dark. Her eyebrows were furrowed in worry.

"Mom, I know what your trying to implement, I'm fine. Quit worrying and save your energy," I replied in a flat tone.

I looked back down. I didn't want to look at her face, especially when she looked worried. Nowadays, that was almost a permanent look on her face, and she carried it with her where ever she went. I wanted to tell her how much I didn't need her looks. I couldn't afford to do that to her. She was stressed enough as is.

I tried to focus on something else. My tired, bored eyes wandered over to the window. I could see the dark outlines of shady houses on the highway. There were patches of trees here and there, but it was mostly farmland. I managed read a sign that was passing at high speed. Next Exit, Sunset Avenue, St. Thomas 4 kilometres. Finally, I could be sane for one night until we got settled down. I would finally be able to walk to school, instead of being bused. One less thing I have to go through in life. Damn! I have school tomorrow! I just remembered with a jolt. I had a nagging question that just formed in my mind.

"Hey-" I hesitated, "what school am I going to?" I looked up to attempt to see their faces.

They were focusing on the highway.

"Your going to Parkside Collegiate," my dad, George answered, "it's a wonderful school, with a good reputation. You should have no problem going in the morning."

"Oh," I replied, trying to sound enthusiastic.

The name didn't really matter, only the reputation and what kind of people went there. I wanted to ask him if I could stay home, but I already knew his answer. He wanted me to get a good education. I stared blankly out the window again. We had already taken the exit, and we were on our way to our new house. The car went along the same lonely, dark road for a good ten minutes. but all I could see was gloomy houses along the roadside. I saw an apartment building and the familiar neon-light signs from the city.

We were now in the heart of St. Thomas, and there were now familiar signs and logos around me. I saw the golden arch of McDonald's in the distance, but we didn't approach it, but instead we turned left under a old looking, somewhat abandoned train bridge. It was only about four meters tall, and was well worn and rusted, looking like it would collapse any moment. I squinted to see it better, and saw someone sitting on the railing. I remembered that George had done some research on St. Thomas, and it's suppose to be the train capital of Canada, or at least, it was. I looked at the run-down buildings. It was going to be hard adjustment from New York, but I had confidence that I would survive.

I was inching to get to the house - Karen and George decided to send the furniture out and have a designer place everything in the house, so my bed would be right there - so I can crash when I get there.

"Are we going to be there soon?" I asked half-eagerly.

I wasn't that excited, only to go to sleep.

"Yeah, we're less than a minute away now," George replied tiredly as he looked at the time.

1:25 a.m. I sighed. Just great, I'll have six hours of sleep. I frowned. I hated waking up early. The hate was quickly replaced by anger, because if we'd left earlier, then we would've escaped the long line-up at the border. I sighed with frustration.

I was just starting to relax when I felt the movement of the car slow and the surroundings not passing by as fast as before, then to a complete stop. I look curiously out of the window. There was a small, green house with a small yard that looked as if no one has been there for months. There was one cedar tree up by the front window, with multiple vines climbing up the front window. Beside the window was a wooden porch. The outside light was already on, the only evidence that someone was there.

"I guess this is it," George sighed with relief, in what I thought was because he knew that the long journey had finally come to a end.

He undid his seat belt and lazily climbed out of the car, with Karen following. I decided to join them, the silence and darkness from the tinted windows too overwhelming. Suddenly, a fairly wide man stepped outside the front door onto the porch and grinned happily at us. I could see it even in the almost pitch-black darkness. But the street lamps helped a little.

"Ah, so you are the Johnson family that has bought this wonderfully quaint home?" He asked as he wobbled forward.

He looked like he was going to fall. He came up and shook Karen and George's hands, but paused when he meet me, and his smile faltered for a second, then skipped me to go talk with Karen and George. I never made good first impressions on people, apparently.

"Yeah, we were kind of sick of the city, and this place-" George waved his hand around, "is just the right size, and quite nice, really."

He smiled to add to the light mood the man was trying to keep up.

"I'm glad you think of this place as so," the man said cheerily, "Oh! I forgot to introduce myself - how rude of me! I'm Ernie Gallen. I was the original owner of this house, but sold it a while ago to a very nice old lady. . ."

He dazed off with a solemn expression on his face. Ernie snapped back into reality, and nodded, as if to reassure himself. He wore the usual smile he presented us with.

"Quite sorry, must've daydreamed a little bit there," Ernie apologized, "anyway, I'm simply here to give you your keys..."

He rummaged through the pocket of his suit, and handed a plastic bag with the keys inside to George, almost shoved, as if something monstrous was going to happen to him if he didn't hurry up.

"I won't keep you wonderful people here any longer, and besides, I must be getting home. Have a wonderful time with you new home, and call me," he handed Karen his business card, "if you need anything. Have a good evening!"

He turned toward his car and fumbled with the door, then finally sat down inside, then with a faint rumble in the engine, he drove off.

George and Karen, a bit frazzled from the abrupt end, walked up the pavement to the porch, and opened the screen door. George put the keys into the lock and turned the knob, almost as if he were nervous. Karen went first, and flicked on the light in the foyer. I looked around, all I saw was fancy furniture and floral arrangements. I sighed. Just like our old house, I thought to myself.

"Oh," Karen said sleepily, "Ernie left us a little map of the house."

She walked into the living room, and into the hallway, and I saw a fairly large room, with some familiar-looking shadows of my stuff. Karen gestured me over to the room.

"This is your room, Keeley," she shoved me into the room, "now get your PJ's on and go to bed."

"Okay mom," I sighed with relief.

Soon I could go to my wonderful world of slumber. I closed the door tightly and then lazily stripped out of my clothes, and put them into my new dresser, for me to wear them another time. I found my drawer for my pyjama's, and I found my favourite "I'm a cookie" pyjamas. Nice and light, perfect for sleeping, in my opinion at least. I opened the door and walked down the hallway, wondering where the bathroom was. I thrust myself eagerly out into the hallway, and saw that the kitchen was right in front of me. I walked the opposite way of the living room, and sure enough, I found myself at the end of the hallway, where the bathroom was.

I grabbed my tooth floss and started flossing my teeth, and when I was done, I threw the used floss into the garbage. I then started brushing my teeth with my favourite toothpaste, that tasted like creamsicles. I stared at myself in the mirror brushing my teeth, and when the taste of the toothpaste ran out, I spit it out and swished some water in my mouth. I quickly walked past the kitchen where my parents were sitting and said a quick 'good-night' and went into my bedroom and turned on my lamp by the bed. The clock read 2:00 a.m. I would only get a couple of hours of sleep. I set my alarm for 6:45 and turned off the lamp and pulled the covers over me. I slowly fell into a deep sleep.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I started to dream. Or maybe it was a nightmare? I did not know yet. The smell of fresh dirt filled my nose. I found myself along a trail, that had all of the bushes pruned back, so it was easy for people to walk on. I looked at the towering trees above my head, and saw ribbons of sunlight streaming through the leaves like a river. I started to enjoy all of the earthly scents around me, then a retched smell entered my nose; the smell of rotting corpses.

I started running, and I saw a clearing. I ran toward it, and when I arrived, I met a neat row of dead bodies. I started to hyperventilate, with my head throbbing. I started to become dizzy, then a light, gentle hand found it's way to my shoulders. I turned around, and a boy was standing behind me. His face was highlighted by the sun streaming through the trees, and his eyes were an earthy moss-green. He was wearing light fitting clothes, and his hair was a wild hazel, nice and messy. He had bushy, neat eyebrows - which weren't perfect, they looked nice and natural - the way I liked it. He looked no older than fifteen, and he was staring into my face as if he could see into my mind.

"Do not fret," he said softly, trying to reassured me, "everything is okay. You are not harmed. But, it is unfortunate that these innocent people were. . ."

He smiled. He flashed his perfect teeth, white and luminous. He stroked my hair as if it were some precious, valuable item. He sighed.

"It's time for me to leave," He looked as if he was being torn apart from something so significant to him. He turned to walk the other way. "Until next time, Keeley."

I was stunned. How did he know my name? I tried to run after him, and tell him, "Don't leave me!" and ask him a thousand questions, but I couldn't. Nothing came out of my open mouth.

"Good-bye," he called out as he walked away, almost out of sight.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I heard a mysterious ticking noise. It stopped after ten seconds, then a extremely irritating, loud ring came into my ears. I gasped and I woke up. It was my alarm clock. I sleepily found the off button and flipped off my covers and walked toward the door and grabbed my towel from behind the door.

I started walking toward the hallway, grumpy that the boy was gone, because I wanted answers. However, I was relieved too though, because the dream was both beautiful and joyous, but at the same time it was so realistic and scary. Everything seemed to be so real, the smells and sounds - especially that boy. I was hoping that tonight I would have another dream of him.

I shut the bathroom door and hung up my towel and started to strip out of my pyjamas, and I put them on the floor, since there was nowhere else to put them. I turned on the shower and slid the door over so I could go in. I felt the relaxing stream of hot water on my back, and I grabbed the shampoo, put a blob of it in my hand and started washing my hair. The smell of the shampoo was a bit overwhelming, but it was bearable. After I finally got the last bubbles out of my hair, I started washing my body.

I let my mind linger on the image of the strange boy in my head. He was so mysterious, his voice crystal clear, and I wasn't even audible in the dream. What's more, I felt a strange connection with him, as if I knew him previously. Puzzled, I stood in the shower and let the hot water stream down my back. I tried to forget him, and after a while I found that it was basically impossible.

I turned off the faucet, and opened the door and walked out and grabbed my towel to dry myself off. I looked into the foggy mirror, but I could only see the outline of my body. I sighed and opened the door and let the steam rush out of the bathroom. I sucked in a deep breath of air. It was nice feeling the cold air race into my lungs. I started toward my room, but I peaked into the kitchen to check the time, and it was around seven.

I got into my room and turned on the music on a low volume, so I wouldn't wake up anybody. I opened my top dresser, where my underwear was; and grabbed whatever. I didn't care that it matched. I got out a pair of my favourite old jeans, a light green tank top, and put my best navy v-neck long-sleeve shirt on top. I went over to my closet and opened the door and grabbed my hairbrush and sat on my bed - thinking of the first day and that boy at the same time - while brushing my hair lazily. I started to become dizzy; I now realized what was happening. Red swirls were dancing about my eyes. My head met something soft and warm.