Chapter 1 -

"Sage!" My mother called from the door.

"Yeah, mum?" I yelled from my room. "What's up?"

"I'll be right back, okay? I'm going out for like five minutes." Mum said.

I heard the door shut and that was the last time I ever saw her.

My mom was my best friend. We did everything together, and by everything I mean everything. I wasn't exactly the most popular girl in the school. I was the girl you'd see in the middle of class, minding her own business and occasionally talking to classmates. I didn't enjoy being noticed. The fact that I was born with blue hair makes it even worse. I don't even know why. I've tried to dye it brown, it works halfway most of the blue still remains intact. I've even considered bleaching it but my mom would never let me. Most of the people I know think I'm a brunette, which is not true. Mom told me to tell everyone they were highlights for some reason. My mom also told me my dad had it too, but every time I asked her what it meant, she'd ignore me. I never kept secrets from her, but she's kept so many from me.

A few days after my mom was claimed missing, my Aunt Tess took me in. She lived in Greenwich Village, New York. I wasn't ready to go to a new school. My aunt had gone through all my clothes and thrown everything out, saying stuff like 'these are too cheap' and 'why did you even buy this.' The only thing she let me keep were my glasses, mostly cause I couldn't see without them, and every time I get contacts I lose them down the drain. Even if I don't have the right clothes. I can't seeing any one. I miss my mom so much, I was thinking about suicide, just so I could be with her. But then I though, would she want me to do that? Would she want me to give up my life? So I decided to stay locked up in the room my aunt had provided me with. It was huge. The bed was like a king sized bed mashed up with a queen bed. I haven't even touched my luggage. I've pretty much been depressed the whole time I've been here.

"Sage." My aunt knocked on the door. "Sage, are you awake?"

I groaned and walked over to the door and opened the lock. "Yes, Aunt Tess?"

"What are your grades like?" She questioned. "Are you an 'A' student or like something lower?"

"A's straight down." I faced up and tried to look sick. "And Aunt Tess, if you don't mind, you can just call my school and they'll send over my report card. I'm going back to sleeping."

I closed the door in her face, and realized what I did a few seconds after. I didn't want anyone to see my face. Especially my uncle and my cousin with his rich snobby friends. After a while of contemplating, I decided it was time to stop mourning and walked over to my luggage. Being shipped all the way from England to New York isn't easy. I started off with clothes, which I didn't have much to sort through. Just a bunch of sweatshirts, a few jeans, and a few pairs of shirts. I decided it was time to change, since I haven't for like a week. I pulled over a sweatshirt and some jeans. Afterwards, I sorted through the other luggage, which was filled with a bunch of books my mom told me I need to keep until the time comes. They were mostly fantasy books about Angels, I never bothered to read. The bag next to the books was filled with my combs and makeup. I sighed to myself and got up. I looked at the mirror on the other side of the room. My hair was tangled up into a mess and my eyeliner was smudged from all the crying.

I needed to get myself back on track. Just because my mom had disappeared doesn't mean she's gone forever. Maybe she'll come back. They haven't even found a body yet. She's probably still here, and a part of me keeps telling me she's still here.

"Aunt Tess!" I screamed. Figuring I needed to wash up. My stomach was growling, due to the fact, I had barely eaten anything but a cookie every day since my mom disappeared. It was your typical mourning stage when someone dies in the family. Its hurts to think about them, but you have to keep in mind the world doesn't wait for you to be better.

"Yes, dear?" Aunt Tess said from behind the door.

I rolled my eyes, "you can come in."

Aunt Tess squeezed through a small opening of a door since I blocked most of it.

"Oh my, oh my. Your hair is a total mess, has anyone ever suggested you get bangs or take out the blue? I mean blue highlights, babe. Really?" She started to point out everything she thought was wrong about myself. "Sweetheart, your makeup is dreadful and your clothes? No wonder no one knew who you were back in Coventry. We need to take shopping asap. Go take a shower and wear some nice clothes, you know what, I'll pick them out for you. " She ran out of the room in a flash and came back holding a towel. Aunt Tess handed me the towel and ran to my luggage. A bunch of my clothes flew across the room, the clothes that I had nicely gone through and folded. All my hard work down the drain.

"YES! Finally, something nice." She handed me the only dress I had ever bought. My mom had gotten it for last year on my 15th birthday. She must've noticed how much I fell in love with it when I saw it in the store. But after checking out the price, I hadn't mentioned it to her. Every year on my birthday since I was 6, I only wanted to know who my father was and why he left. But my mom had always found a way to get out of telling me. The dress was a blue lace dress with a back that started on my lower back. I started to cry, realizing I will never know who my father is.

"Sweetie, what's wrong?" My aunt took me into her arms and I sobbed into her arms.

"Everything." I cried.

"It's okay, Sage. Everything's going to get better." She stroked my hair.

"What if everything's not going to get better?"

"Come on, don't think like that, everything's okay." She picked me up and smiled. "Go wash up and wear the dress." She turned but then handed me a bunch of makeup products.

I smiled through my tears. "Thank you, Aunt Tess."

"I already stocked all the hair products you'll need in the bathroom. And you probably didn't notice but you have a bathroom in your room." She pointed towards the wall near all my baggage. "The door blends in, just press that green button and it'll open."

I was simply astonished, not just as how beautiful the bathroom was when I walked in but how my aunt could afford all this. It was humongous, tons of towels nicely laid out and the bathtub was the size of my bed. After thinking about everything that had been happening throughout the course of the summer, I couldn't bring myself to think about school or mom.

I dried my hair quickly that my aunt had efficiently put right next to the straightener which I had no need for. The fact that my aunt had cared enough to get me so many things put a smile on my face. I had never met my aunt before, my mom had loathed her for some reason. She showed up 2 days after my mom disappeared when the police had to find me a guardian. She saved me to be honest. Mourning is something I had never done before. I had no reason to do it, I've never had a boyfriend before, so I never had to go through break ups, I've always tried to remain invisible and unnoticed. I was planning on doing the same thing here.

I didn't bother putting on makeup, I put on the dress and walk out of the bathroom door. Putting my hair into a high ponytail, I walked out of the room. Pushing out all the thoughts of England and my past. Aunt Tess was sitting with her legs crossed, my cousin on the other side of her and a few other boys on the other sofa.

"Um, Aunt Tess?" I whispered as low as I could.

Everyone turned around and stared me down. I tried not to notice, only looking at my aunt. But I had to glance and then I saw his face. Brown hair, deep eyebrows, cheekbones, his eyes were perfectly separated, his hair fell just above his eyebrows, he was perfection. I looked away right away, hoping I didn't stare for a long time.

"Sage!" My cousin, Steffen, stood up and walked over to me greeting me with a hug. "I see you have finally gotten better." He smiled pulling away.

"Steffen, Sage and I are going to SoHo. Try not to make a mess, please. Gage, watch him." My aunt got out of her chair and walked over to me.

Gage, Gage was his name.

"Don't worry about it ." He smiled and looked at me.

I looked away, hoping my aunt would leave already.

"Alright, Sage. Let's go and didn't I tell you, you'd look perfect in that dress." She winked at me.

I blushed and followed my aunt through the door.

I hadn't really noticed how amazing it was to be in living in Manhattan, in a huge town-house. For some reason, I started getting giddy and followed my aunt into the taxi.