Chapter 1: A Possible Friend

With a good, warm wave flowing through my body I got out of bed and hopped into the shower. The steaming water felt good against my skin, relaxing my overworked muscles and numbing them from the jogging I did last night. I stood there for nearly twenty minutes and then finally washed my body and hair.

I love showers and water in general. I always wanted to join the swim team for the school, but that's one of the many things prohibited by the Federal. School sports are just another way to get close to humans. In other words, it's a big "no, no" in the eyes of the Federal.

After my shower I straightened my hair and lightly applied my make up. I put on my favorite gray knit sweater and denim skinny jeans. To complete the outfit, I added my lime green converses.

Once I was dressed I grabbed my backpack and started walking to school. Brice drove right past me. Although Al and Gene told him that he has to give me rides to and from school he never does. To be honest, I'd much rather walk than ride in the same vehicle with Brice.

Brice completely resents me and is always stuck-up. He's "Mr. Popular" in the school, even though we're not allowed to associate vividly humans. He uses his wave reading abilities to understand what people want and therefore he is able to fit in with the "in crowd."

I arrived at school, and got in the breakfast line. Once I had my sausage and biscuit I sat down by myself as usual.

"Hi." a girl with strawberry-blond curly hair and freckles said cheerfully as she sat down beside me. She was clearly human, and the waves coming off her told me that she was more nervous and insecure than she appeared to be.

"Hey. You're new here aren't you?" I replied already knowing she was.

"Yeah! How did you know? My name is Carrol and I was wondering if you could tell me where the office is." she said, her waves instantly showing comfort.

"It was easy to tell that you're new because I haven't seen you around before, and people around here hardly ever associate with people outside their cliques." I said with it being mostly true. "The office is right outside those double doors and the first door to the left. It's completely glass, you can't miss it." I informed Carrol.

"Ok, thanks." she said walking toward the doors, "Oh, and by the way, what's your name?" she asked, now standing by the doors.

"Claire." I said.

I could feel the waves of hope and friendship rolling off Carrol's slender body. A sadness swelled up inside me. I knew that I couldn't be her friend, no matter how much I wanted to. Having friends involved sleepovers, going to the movies, hanging out, but most importantly, getting close to someone. The Federal believes that if wave readers get too close to humans that they will reveal who we are and then the Trackers will find us.

"Always putting us at risk of exposure, aren't we Claire?" a voice tsked. I knew the voice all too well, it was Brice. Even if his voice hadn't have given it away, I still knew it was him. All wave readers gave off specific waves, and Brice's wave was topped off with a one-of-a-kind jerk wave.

"Relax Brice." I retorted. "I know just as well as you do on how to keep cover. It's not like I haven't been doing it for eight years." I knew what Brice would say before he said it, and it had nothing to do with his waves. It was purely because I knew him so well.

"Shut up Imbreed! You think just because your parents are human and you lived with them for seven years that you won't be exposed?" Brice ragged quietly. "Well guess what princess; you will be if you keep this up. Trackers are very observant!" The waves of anger coming off him slowly turned into regret and concern, but he didn't show it in his face, when he felt my waves of hurt.

"Don't worry, I won't expose us." I said, almost inaudible, and then I walked to my first class.

I walked into class late, and all the eyes stared at me. To my surprise one friendly face was there. Carrol smiled at me and waved excitedly.

"Nice of you to join us Ms. Peters." Mr. Standford said when I sat in my seat. Waves of annoyance clung to his body. He always seemed to have a hint of annoyance wrapped into his waves.

Carrol was seated right beside me, and I really wish she hadn't. This was really going to make avoiding her friendship more difficult. Her waves were ecstatic, which I was starting to see that this is just her nature. Her blue eyes gave away her joy almost as good as her waves did. Her features started to become more familiar with me, almost as if I had seen them before.

In an odd way we looked a little similar. Like her I had the same fair complexion, but my freckles were less dense. My reddish-brown hair would almost be the same shade as Carrol's if I were to highlight it with blond. The biggest difference was our eyes. She had a pale blue, as where I had a jade green.

"My last name is Peters too!" Carrol said with excitement. That's when it dawned on me. Carrol was my cousin, but she most likely doesn't think anything of me because I'm dead. Well supposed to be dead to her and the rest of my family. If I remember right she went by Carroline. I hadn't seen Carrol since I had been taken away from New Johnsonville, Tennessee.

"Really? That's interesting." i replied, putting on my best interested face. "So what brings you to Memphis?

"My mom got remarried, and Gorge's work moved us here." she said. Waves of her missing New Johnsonville wrapped around her.