My ruby hair was tossed around by the wind, almost like an explosion of fire. I looked behind me. Richard was smiling and looking off into the distance. The wind tossed around his hair too, except his locks looked like an endless sea of obsidian. My best friend smiled down at me and I was absolutely entranced. My grip on his hand became more firm. We were heading into school and I was leading the way. I gave a breathless laugh. There was no feeling compared to holding Richard's hand. I turned my head back around. We walked through the doors of Gotham City High and made our way to our group of friends. Well, we had many friends, but right now we had encountered Rachel, Garfield, Victor, Karen, and Allen. We all exchanged our greetings and stories. Rachel's stories were always the most entertaining (besides Vic's).

"And when I leaned in closer to him, Gar scampered and fell out of his chair." Rachel concluded. Donna, Karen, and I 'respectively' giggled while the boys burst into a fit of laughter. Victor and Allen were clutching their sides in pain while Richard's white skin was flooded with a bashful red tone. Gar's face was red too, but it was because of the humiliation he had suffered. Everyone had known of his ongoing affection for Rachel. You could see it in his sparkling, pea green eyes. It was also obvious by the way he gaped at her when she wasn't looking or by the way his blonde hair would stand on end just at the sight of her. No matter what abuses Rachel inflicted upon him, (and she had enough to go for eternity, trust me) Garfield's love for her would never grow old. It was the most endearing thing I have ever seen. I smiled at him and rubbed his shoulder. He half smiled at me and did the same to Rachel. Before I knew it, Rachel had mysteriously bewitched Garfield into a trance with her violet eyes. I smiled at the scene and looked at Richard, who was still laughing along with the rest of the crew. He opened his eyes and caught my stare and gave me a curious expression. I looked down sheepishly and he responded by playfully by elbowing me on my arm. I looked up at him, only to look down again and blush. By this time our entire circle of friends had been tuning in to Richard and I's secret world and judging by the looks on their faces, they were amused. I had noticed that Terra joined in our circle, and took her place, snuggly wrapped under Allen's muscular bicep. Not wanting to reflect on the situation any longer, I asked casually,

"Shall we head to class?"

When in class all I had daydreamed about was Richard. He was untainted. He was my best friend and he understood me in ways that I could never understand myself, and I did the same for him. Holding his hand was the most elating feeling in the world, well, any contact with him made me feel that way. I counted the seconds until I would see him again. It was silly to think that he would ever hold amorous feelings for me, but I could not keep my heart from crossing that romantic boundary with him. I was never one for expressing my emotions with words, only with actions, but Richard brought the words out of me. He does a lot of things to me that I cannot explain. My mind drifted to his appearance and I frowned. He has lost weight again and looked more weak, but today he had looked better. Hopefully this time, his health would progress and not decline. The bell rang. I had gathered my books and headed for the door. It swung open and playful azure eyes came to greet me.

I never knew how Richard was able to get from class to class so quickly. The only two people that were faster than Richard were Wally and Roy. I told him he should try out for the school track team, but Richard would always wink at me and say, "It wouldn't be much fun if I won every race." I would always laugh, because Richard truly believed that. For someone who tried to keep a low profile, (I say 'tried' because people like Richard were inherently popular) he was very confident in himself. Richard walked me to almost every class. Many thought he did it because he harbored romantic feelings for me, but I knew he did it to ward off bullies such as Katrina aka Kitten aka Whore. (Yes with the capital W.) She had always degraded me because of my tan skin, red, wavy hair, and green eyes. She told me I had looked like a freak and that my accent was obnoxious. (I was adopted from an island called Tamaran when I was six.) When I came to America, I prayed to God every night that I would never lose it, and my voice has not faltered ever since I stepped foot in Gotham. I was proud of my people. Their memory was not to be forgotten or disgraced. Besides, her nasally whine (voice) was almost a shrill. Richard protected me from her and despite his obvious dislike of her, Kitten couldn't help but find herself attracted to him and she wanted to pursue a romantic relationship with him...disgusting. We had walked to the cafeteria and I had gotten my food. We sat down in our regular booth and we greeted everyone. Now Donna, Rachel, Garfield, Terra, Allen, Karen, Vic, Roy, Jade, Jericho, Kole, Jenny, and Wally were there. Everyone was coupled together. (All of the couples had their names next to each other, starting with Terra.) The only people in our group that were single are Donna, Rachel, Garfield, and then Richard and I. It was commonplace that Garfield and Rachel sat next to each other and that Richard and I sat side by side. And it was never strange anyone to find Richard's arm casually resting around my shoulders, the only time it wasn't there was if Richard was competing with Roy or Vic in an arm wrestling match. We all talked about various topics ranging from philosophy to mediocrity. Jericho was actively involved in our discussions and signed frequently (he was born mute) and Kole happily translated for him. Jericho was very intelligent and though he couldn't speak his lime colored eyes portrayed his feelings perfectly. He only needed sign language to tell something in detail. I had admired his will to carry on as if he could speak a thousand times louder than anyone else. Richard took a deep breath and excitement built up inside me, I knew what was coming next. "You smell divine, Korinna." He said, evoking a thick Romanian accent. I giggled and looked up at him. His eyes had been playful. There was something in those eyes. Sure they were azure, but not just that. They were a thin ring of sapphire just around the pupil of his eyes. Then it exploded into a mesmerizing sky blue defined by the natural patterns of his iris only to be closed off by another thin ring of sapphire. I found myself gaping at them, and some time had passed before I came to my senses and peeped a 'Thank You.'

The rest of the day carried out in its regular routine. I had gone to volleyball practice straight after school.

"You're jumps are getting higher and higher, Anders!" I gave the coach a toothy smile. She had always complimented me on my agility, speed, and hand-eye coordination, but she was absolutely enchanted by my jumps. Sometimes she joked and asked if I had the power to fly...

After practice, I drove home, studied, and did homework. After a shower and late dinner, I sat down in my plush, rolling chair. My eyes were half lidded and felt as if all of the life had been drained out of them. Sleep was inevitable at this point, so I accepted my fate and drifted off. "Kori!" My eyes shot open. I was at my desk when I heard my name and my attention was directed at the window. Jenny was curled up in my window frame. The moonlight made the mischief in her eyes glow. I just stared at her. My blank stare made my sleepiness evident to her.

"C'mon, Sleeping Beauty! Put on some swim clothes!" I yawned.

"Why?" I said stretching and walking towards her.

"Because we're going to the beach!" Terra exclaimed. I looked out the window. I saw Karen, Terra, Jade, and even Rachel. They were in Rachel's black convertible. I quickly slipped on an aqua blue bikini and a white knitted crop top for a cover up. Jenny was already in the car. I grabbed my cell phone and closed my window. Then I carefully climbed down the oak tree next to my room. Once I was near the car, I glanced quickly at my house and got into the car. Rachel then sped away into the night.

"So who wanted to go to the beach at this hour?" I asked.

Karen giggled. "It was Gar's." Jade smiled devilishly.

"Ya, that's the only reason why Rachel volunteered to drive." We all burst into a fit of laughter. Rachel blushed indignantly and remained silent.

"So the boys were in on this too?" I inquired.

"Well duh, who else would think of something like this?" Jenny chirped in.

"Haha ya. Full moon and some sexy ladies in swimsuits? I think the guys would dig it." Terra said. I giggled, she had a point.

"Too bad Kole, Jericho, and Donna didn't come." Karen said, disappointed.

"Well, this isn't their kind of thing." Rachel said. We all mumbled a response, agreeing with her.

Roy wolf whistled, "Looking good, ladies!" His red hair seemed to go everywhere, along with his grin. Jade walked up to him, with her arms wide open, expecting a hug. She received a little more when Roy actually picked her up and spun her around. Victor pulled Karen into a passionate kiss and it seemed like his strong, dark arms would hold her for eternity. Terra jumped on Allen's back and gave him a peck on the cheek, and, shockingly, Garfield and Rachel shared a side hug.

"Someone take a picture!" said an excited Victor, beholding the scene.

"He's finally getting somewhere." Wally commented. We all began to snicker, which was combated with Rachel's famous rolling of the eyes and all Gar could do was blush. I looked around in our group. No one had mentioned Richard not meeting up with us.

"Hey, Kori." I turned around and there was he was, smiling at me. The moon light made his skin look like ivory and his hair like polished obsidian and his eyes were...like an ocean. Tossing and turning (almost like liquid), which were the exact same movements my heart was making at the moment. Richard just stood there, observing me. I looked down and blushed. He then pulled me in for a hug and I smiled into his chest.

"Awww, how sweet!" Jenny and Karen gushed. Terra and Wally grinned, while Vic and Rachel smirked.

"Oh, we're gonna have to keep an eye on those two." Allen observed.

"Oh, let them have their fun." Jenny defended.

"Or let her have his baby." Garfield replied smugly. Everyone snickered again, including Rachel and Richard rolled his eyes

After a toasty bonfire, everyone had split off into two's. All of the couples had went their own way, including the would-be couple. (Rachel and Gar) Richard insisted I go with him to the caves. There were plenty of smooth rocks to lounge on by them. We found a huge one. It looked like a plateau with a slight slant. Richard climbed on first and then helped me up. I found it strange that I was sleepy on the drive here, but now, I found it almost impossible to sit down. Nevertheless, I acted as calmly as possible. Richard lounged with me on the same rock and for a moment, he sat there, staring at me.

"Greetings, Richard."

"Hi, Korinna." I smiled at him and he returned it. Our conversation spurred on as it usually would. Richard was being funny and spectacular, and there was a certain easiness about him tonight, something that was calming and soothing, but despite that, I couldn't remain calm. Richard had sensed that. He stopped and looked at me. Only this time, he was puzzled and his brow creased with worry.

"What's wrong, Star?" My heart jumped at the sound of his nickname for me.

"Nothing, Rob." I joked, using his nickname. (His full nickname was Robin) He gave me a half smile, but he was still worried.

"Are you sure?"

"I am." I replied and gave him a smile. He slowly turned himself away from me, blank faced. I frowned and reached out for him, but before I could actually touch Richard, a spell of sleepiness fell over me. All of my sense had left me. I couldn't understand it. I was energetic two seconds ago. Grabbing my head, I closed my eyes and groaned.

"Kori?" Richard asked alarmed. I looked at him wearily.

"Richard, I am sleepy." Sleepy was actually an understatement. My world had meshed into one big swirl and...shadows? I couldn't make sense of anything. Even the light of the full moon was fading. I could slowly feel myself slouching, as if I were sinking into the rock, like I was becoming formless.

"Kori, Kori, Korinna, Star…" Richard said panicky.

The last thing I heard was my name sounded over and over again, first in hearing range and then down to nothing at all.

A/N: Sorry for the confusion! That first part was supposed to be in the story but I totally forgot about it. Anyways you know what to do...Read and Review! Love you all! 3 ~thesleepinghollow