Hey guys, this is my new story Knowing Ode! I decided I needed to start fresh because I wasn't really concentrating on Looking for Zoe and I found it becoming a chore and I really didn't want that, and I wanted to try a lot harder, also I forgot what was going to happen next because I lost my planning sheet! I needed a breather and here it is, the first chapter of Knowing Ode, hope you enjoy XxX

Ode's POV:

I was sitting by the window sill. Waiting for my mummy to come home. My mummy dropped me off here to look for daddy in a place called Greece, that's what Uncle Robert said anyway. She said she was going to come back for me, just a few days of waiting, and she'll be back with daddy. Apparently, I look a lot like my mummy, my daddy said so. Apart from the silver eyes, I looked like mummy's twin! Uncle Robert said so too, he keeps calling me Sadie, (that's my mummy's name) instead of my name, Ode!

All of a sudden it started to rain a lot, whenever it started raining, my mummy always said: "Good ol' Britain!" But I think she was joking.

The rain became heavier, but still no mummy. Maybe she was having trouble finding daddy, I bet Greece is a big place; it'd be hard just to find one person!

I wish I'd gone with her, but mummy said I didn't have a thing called a 'passport', so that meant I couldn't come, which was a shame, mummy said it was nice and sunny in Greece, unlike Britain, which was rainy all the time, like it is right now… I was still waiting for mummy.

Time has passed and mummy is still not here. I wish she'd hurry up and find daddy. I'm getting very bored, sitting at the window sill every day.

It's raining again, but not like 'cats and dogs', my mummy usually said that saying. I don't know why, they are no cats and dogs in the sky, if they were, that would be cool, I could get a free pet! But the Home wouldn't let me; you're not allowed pets here, for some reason.

"Ode, would you like to come and see the Nicholson's now?"

"No, I need to be here all the time. My mummy said she is coming back for me!"

"Sweetie." Cam came over to kneel beside me, he had a pitiful face on. "Your mummy isn't coming back and-"

"She is!" I stood up, but even when he was kneeling, Cam was a lot taller than me.

He rolled his eyes. "They want to meet you –"

"No!"

"Ode, Mr and Mrs Nicholson are lovely people…just give them a chance." Cam said softly. A similar tone my mummy always used on me whenever I felt any anger or sadness.

"Ok…" I said finally.

Cam smiled and took my hand. "That's a good girl, I'm sure you will like them."

I followed Cam into the 'Meeting Room' and he led me to a red squishy chair. I didn't want to be there, I already have a mummy and a daddy, and I don't need another one!

The woman smiled at me. "Hello there, I'm Sarah Nicholson, it's lovely to meet you." She had warm brown eyes which looked a lot like my favourite treat: chocolate…I decided I liked her.

"I'm Ode." I said shyly.

"And I'm John Nicholson. It's a pleasure to meet you, sweetie." He stretched out his big hand.

I looked at his confusedly. "What am I supposed to do?"

Mr Nicholson sighed and then chuckled. "You shake it, chickie."

"I shake it?" I ask awkwardly.

"Yes, just like this." He took my smaller hand and shook it gently.

"Oh!" I said, eyes wide. "I get it now!"

Mr Nicholson smiled at me and Mrs Nicholson laughed playfully. "That's the way!"

"Hey! Lazy butt, get up!" Abiola was shaking me. "Why'd you go to sleep all the time?!"

"Because I have to play football with idiots like you." I moaned. I opened my eyes to see Abiola smiling like the Cheshire Cat.

"Yeah, whatever, the next game is on soon!"

I sit up slowly from the bench. "I can't Abi, I have my shift soon."

"Aw, not fair." He said.

"I know." I ruffled his curly brown hair.

"Why'd you work all the time then?" He asked, cocking his head to my right.

"Because I need money." I stood up gently, "and besides, I can't play football with you 24/7, it would drive me insane!" I teased him.

"You go and make ice-cream, loser!"

I stick my tongue out at him and stretched while yawning as he went away to play football with his mates.

"Go score a goal, idiot!"

He turned around. "I will, loser!"

I felt happy for him; he had no worries in the world except for scoring a goal. I wish I could worry about things like that.

I started to head off for work, which was shovelling different flavour ice-creams (or slushies') into a cone or cup.

Which I hated, so much. When I am at work, I literally banged my head on the counter in frustration at my choice of job.

I could've gone to University in America to become a respectable police officer, but no. I decided to stay here. In their memory. That was six years ago, when I was eighteen.

It was a car crash, nothing dramatic, actually, for a death, it was…ordinary? I don't know…I don't know if that is the right word to describe it, because they weren't ordinary people. They were special people, who were, are, close to my heart.

I trudged my way to the ice-cream shop near the main attractions, one of them was a cupcake shop (which I visited regularly, where else can I go for my break?) and there were many other attractions for the tourists.

I go through the shop doors and there I saw the hottest boy (well, he was really a man) that I have ever seen.

He's tall, like really tall, with lovely brown hair and gorgeous eyes. I couldn't help but stare. He was standing with another boy, maybe his brother, they looked similar enough, except this other boy was a little bit taller than him with a 'surfer dude' haircut. A tall girl with wild curly hair was standing next to the surfer dude, laughing at his jokes.

I slip in behind the counter and start to serve customers. Every few seconds, I glance at this exotic boy and his companions, looking at the choices of ice-creams.

"Hey, lady, could you actually serve me?!" I snap back to reality when I hear an arrogant young male.

"Yes, I'm sorry, what can I –"

"You're so stupid you know, there is a fricking line here!"

"I'm sorry, um, what can I get you?" I saw hurriedly.

"I want a mint choc chip ice-cream, now beat it!" The man shouts loudly, the whole shop silenced. How awkward…and embarrassing.

I nodded and quickly went to work: scooping up mint choc chip into a cone and handing him his ice-cream.

"That will be two rands please."

He passes over the coins and takes a lick of the ice-cream, makes a disgusted face and puts it in the bin next to the counter.

"It sucks." The man said, I now see the hot boy look up. "Keep the change, skank."

That hurt, a lot. This man was a complete stranger and he called me a skank. I must leave good first impressions…not.

The hot boy strides up to the man. "What did you just say?" He asked in his sweet American voice. Tourists.

"I just called her a skank, you yank. This has nothing to do with you, so stay outta it." The man said harshly.

The surfer dude then comes up to the rude man and punches him right in the face. Ouch.

"Don't you diss my brother, you sad ungrateful son of a –"

"Xav, I think he's got the picture." The hot boy said, patting his brother on the back.

The man then wiped his bloody nose and got ready to punch the hot boy. Until I punched his from the counter. The two boys and the tall girl and the rest of the shop looked in surprise and shock.

I then what I had done…I was so getting fired.

I looked at the rude man, who was on the floor, I kinda felt bad, but also very good. I missed punching people.

I looked at him with my eyebrows raised. "Um…sorry?"

He got up slowly. "You…little…bitch!"

"Yeah, I get called that a lot."

"You think you can punch your superior?!"

"Um, I'm sorry sir, I…got carried away."

"I'll get carried away in a minute."

That didn't sound good. Not at all.

All of a sudden, a police officer walks through the door. Someone in the shop must've called the police and informed them what was going on.

"Sir, I'm going to have to take you to the station."

"What? I didn't do anything."

"You did, someone informed us that you were disrespecting a member of staff of this shop, is that correct?"

"Well, her ice-cream sucked!"

"That still does not give you a right to call her a 'skank', now does it?" The police officer starts dragging him away.

The hot boy turned his head towards me.

"Um, I would like to thank-you." I heard myself say.

He looked confused. "For what."

I felt my cheeks heat up. "For sticking up for me, I guess."

He smiled, "your welcome." He then held out his hand. "Uriel Benedict."

I then smiled at his name, it suited him.

"Ode…Ode Corrigan."

There is the first chapter for Knowing Ode and I hoped you enjoyed it. I decided to call her Ode because I thought it kinda fitted because it means born while travelling, so I thought: hmm. Please remember to review and thank-you for reading :P XxX