-1Hopeless

"Now I lay me down to sleep…"

In my room, alone. I lay in my bed and stare at the ceiling. Another day has come and gone… yet nothing has changed.

"I pray the Lord my soul to keep…"

I don't think I'm a selfish person, but is one person so much to ask for? Someone who will not want to change me, to be there for me, to love me… for me.

"If I shall die before I wake…"

Death… I hate that accursed word. The sad thing is, I am living a half-life… I died long ago.

"I pray the Lord…"

Must I go to school tomorrow? Must I continue learning? Is there nothing that I can change?

"My soul…"

No one wants me around, not since she died. She was the only thing keeping me going, and now…

"To…"

Why did you take her from me? You're the almighty Lord of heaven and earth and all you could do was cause me more grief?

"Take."

Give me a reason to live! Give me just one! If you do that…

Chapter one: Unexpected Surprise

"Alexandra! It's time for breakfast!" Came a loud call up the stairs from and middle aged woman with dark brown hair a little past her mid-back, tan skin from outdoors work, dark green eyes, and wore what looked like a modest maid outfit. "Alexandra! Are you up yet?" The woman demanded, yelling up the stairs again. At that same moment a young girl of about thirteen woke up from her nights sleep. She had shoulder-length blond hair that was an absolute mess, bright blue eyes, pale skin, very slim and the height of a typical thirteen year old. She rolled over until she hear another call. "Get up right now or you're grounded!" She sighed and sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes.

"I'm up mother! Just give me a moment and I'll be down!" She yelled as she pulled the covers off herself and stretched before taking her black glasses off the bedside table and putting them on.

"You'd better be!" Her mother yelled back.

"This is sure starting out as a swell day." She muttered to herself, going over to her dresser and picking out what she was too wear to school. She found her blue jeans almost immediately, but she had to search a while to find a warm sweater. Today, it seemed, was the first cold day of the fall. She put on her old blue jeans, sweater, and a pair of old socks with just as old tennis shoes, brushed her wild hair so that it wasn't as wild, and went downstairs and into the kitchen.

"Why are you wearing those?" Her mother asked in disgust. "I bought you new clothes just last week, why don't you wear them?" Her mother asked as Alexandra poured herself a glass of orange juice and covered two slices of toast in grape jelly.

"They're pink mother. You know I hate pink." Alexandra stated, sounding quite bored. Her mother gave her an angry look.

"An I suppose old blue jeans and a ratty old purple sweater go better?"

"I like purple. Ya know, you could always buy me a new sweater…"

"And what color would you want that? BLACK?" Her mother sounded quite testy, Alexandra didn't help matters.

"Yeah, black would be nice." Her mother slammed her fist on the table.

"I will not have you going about looking like a member of a gang! I don't see why you won't just wear the damn outfits I buy you! Is wanting to see my daughter look pretty in pink too much to ask?" Alexandra was about to respond with a sarcastic comment when the door bell rang. Alexandra's mom hurried to open the door, Alexandra didn't move. "Oh, hello Chester! Are those flowers for me? Oh, you're so sweet!" Alexandra gulped down the rest of her orange juice in disgust, grabbed her remaining jelly toast and escaped though the back door before her mom could bring Chester into the kitchen. She really didn't feel like seeing her mom swooning over that… that THING.

The reason she called Chester "that thing" was made clear once she got to school.

"Hey four eyes!" A boy catcalled across the school room. Alexandra's ears twitched, here comes the one person who has helped make her life a living hell since pre-school, the richest kid in town, and the son of her mothers boyfriend.

"Go away Jacob, I don't feel like dealing with you today." Alexandra told the boy with a unreadable tone.

"Oh come now four eyes," He said with a sadistic grin as he wrapped his arm around her, "We're practically related now?" He said loudly, then in a whisper only she could here, "I bet you can't wait to become my slave." She would have denied what he said, but it was obvious "Chester" didn't like her one bit and would take his son's side on every matter, plus her mom was already wrapped around Chester's figure and she found Jacob to be "A little Angel!"

'Ugh, give me a break!' Alexandra though, pulling away from Jacob. "I am a servant to no man." Alexandra told Jacob in her normal tone, Jacob smirked.

"We'll see about that." Jacob replied as the teacher walked into the room.

"Alright class, get out your reading workbooks and turn to chapter 5..." The teacher droned on as Alexandra sketched in her journal. It was the last thing her grandmother ever gave her, the teacher turned around to write a paragraph on the board when Jacob leaned over and grabbed her journal.

"What's this you're drawling?" He asked, then he saw that it was a very well drawn version of him in a dungeon, rotting away. He growled and raised his hand to show the teacher. The teacher saw.

"Yes Mr. Vincent?"

"Look! Alexandra has been drawling bad things in class, threatening things!" He exclaimed, holding the notebook open.

"Bring it up here Mr. Vincent." The teacher told him, Jacob got up and right as he did Alexandra leaped onto him and fought the journal away from him, closed it, and held it close to her. "Miss. Night! Bring that to me immediately!" Alexandra successfully fought back tears and stood, put her stuff in her messenger bag and glared at the teacher. "No way in hell." Alexandra didn't need another word before she began to walk toward the office.

"Now Miss. Alexandra, you should just let us see what you did, least you get into anymore trouble." The principle told Alexandra. Alexandra said nothing and the principle turned to her mother. "Do you know of any reason she'd have for this type of behavior Ms. Night?" The principle asked Alexandra's mom, who looked furious though tears.

"I don't know why she does this to me! Jacob is such a sweet young boy and has done nothing wrong to her!" Ms. Knight exclaimed, Alexandra could feel her blood boiling.

"I understand Ms. Night, how anyone could think ill of Mr. Vincent is beyond my comprehension. Smart, handsome and athletic… He's a good boy all around." The principle replied. Alexandra couldn't take it anymore.

"You all are fools! You can't see the truth due to the money signs blocking your vision! No, I'm not taking this anymore! I quit!" Alexandra screamed and stood, picking up her messenger bag.

"If you leave here you can just take your stuff and leave home!" Ms. Night screamed, hoping to stop her daughter.

"So be it." came a low reply from Alexandra as she left the room. The principle said nothing as Ms. Night began a crying fit.

After she walked out of the front door of the school Alexandra took off at a run. After about thirty minutes of running she stopped in the shade of a tree in the park and leaned against it, checking her watch. It was about 8 am and here weren't many people in the park. She felt a peace, being at the park. It was the closet to nature she could get in the city. She slid down the tree trunk and let herself fall asleep against the big oak…

"Now you lay there fast asleep, I pray the Lord that it shall be you I keep, you shall not die before you wake because I am here to watch you sleep." Came a girls voice to Alexandra's ear. Alexandra stirred to find herself on her side, head in the lap of an unfamiliar girl.

"Ugh.. What…" She said groggily, then it hit her. "What the hell!" She exclaimed, sitting up rather quickly and staring at the girl.

"I was wondering if you'd wake up." The girl said with a smile. Alexandra said nothing as she examined the girl. The girl has the same build as Alexandra and looks about the same age. She has long, black hair to about her butt, bright blue eyes, and pale skin.

"Who are you?" Alexandra asked in amazement. Alexandra got a strange feeling from the girl, but it was a good feeling, a comforting feeling.

"My name's Cassandra, but you can call me Cassi!" The girl--Cassi--exclaimed happily. Alexandra blinked.

"I'm, er, Alexandra. It's nice to meet you… Cassi." Alexandra replied, feeling awkward at the girls overzealous nature.

"Alexandra! That's a pretty name!" The girl exclaimed, Alexandra shrugged.

"It's a name, nothing more." Alexandra stated. Cassi looked saddened.

"Alexandra… do you… have you been searching for someone?" Cassi asked, feeling self-conscious as Alexandra observed. Alexandra didn't reply, though. She had indeed been searching for someone, for some reason. Her tail swished back and forth rapidly, as it usually does when she feels nervous. "Alexandra… you have then, haven't you?" Cassi asked, Alexandra said nothing for a moment, before speaking.

"When my grandmother died I lost everything… I never knew my father, he died shortly after I was born somehow… mom would never tell me how. Mom seemed to resent me at times for being different… but grandmother always though I was special, I should never change… she even told me that my father had a different name… a special name. I can't remember what name she told me now, but I remember what she told me… about me…" Alexandra then stopped rather suddenly. She didn't know why she started pouring out her soul to a complete strange, yet this girl had become more of a friend in these past few minutes than anyone else her whole life, except her grandmother.

"Hopeless." Cassi stated aloud. Alexandra was taken aback, Cassi continued. "You are Hopeless, I am Hopeless. Together is how we are meant to be." Alexandra stood up, she couldn't process what was going on. Hopeless. The name her grandmother had said was hers and hers alone, save for one other. Alexandra now understood why the girl found her, how the girl found her… but it was too much to bare at the moment.

"I've gotta go…" Alexandra muttered anxiously, running off toward her house. Cassi blinked in confusion. She understood the shock the girl was going though, she knew she'd have to leave Alexandra alone for a while to figure things out. This saddened Cassi though, along with the fact Cassi had a bad feeling that something bad was going to happen. She picked up Alexandra's forgotten schoolbag and raced after Alexandra, to watch her until Alexandra was ready to talk or needed help.