Chapter 3

Through Chase's eyes

I've always been a fan of The Beatles. Yeah, they're different to the other types of music I like, but right now, it's really great to listen to them. The acoustic version of While My Guitar Gently Weeps sounds especially beautiful today, and it's helping me finish off my chemistry assignment which I should've done last night but I was too busy watching a movie with Michael and Logan. It was kinda crappy actually – not really worth missing the assignment. Just some weird thing about different teenage gangs in California.

Anyway, I must get this homework done – 5 minutes before chemistry starts, first thing on a Monday morning. Michael and Logan have already left the dorm, and they're probably finishing off their breakfasts in the cafeteria right now. As for me, I've had nothing to eat whatsoever and might have to fill myself up on the way to the lesson.

5 minutes. I'm gonna have to hurry up…

I quickly folded up the piece of A4 paper in front of me, stuffed it in my bag along with a few science books just as the Beatles track on my iPod switched to another one by the same band, I Feel Fine.

I grabbed everything I needed and hurried out my dorm, locking the door on the way and then running out the building. I got on campus and found a snack stall in just enough time to order a Twix bar.

There were still a few minutes left til Chemistry began, so I found a bench near Sushi Rox and perched myself there, chomping happily on the chocolate bar. I Feel Fine was still playing, and it told the truth about how I was feeling now – not rushing or in a hurry anymore. I felt fine!

But as I turned my head to the right I caught sight of something rather strange… a bush not too far from Sushi Rox seemed to have a load of white smoke leaking out of it.. What was going on? It then struck me that something could be beginning to burn there, and even though students were now getting up and getting ready to go to their next lesson I had to see what was going on and warn them.

I stood up and quickly paced about twelve meters over to the bush, and then noticed that it wasn't the bush that was smoking… it was whatever was behind it.

I braced myself and took a few more steps… and then a total shock came to me.

Crouched on the ground was a girl in grey tracksuit bottoms and a matching hoodie. Her hood was right up so I couldn't see her face, and neither did I recognise the three girls surrounding her, all dressed in a similar way and laughing hysterically at what she was doing – holding a lighter with one hand beneath a smoking, melting plastic blond barbie doll in the other hand. But this wasn't funny, this was a very stupid, foolish thing to do, and she could cause a fire.

So I had to speak up. I unplugged one headphone from my left ear so I wouldn't get distracted by The Beatles (who were still going on about how they felt fine) and did what I had to do.

"Hey, whoever you are, you can stop doing that right now!!" I said, in the strongest voice I could.

But nothing. The laughing just got harder and more like a cackle now that the others had noticed me. I caught a glimpse of a smirk beneath the shadow of the crouching girl's hood and I decided enough was enough – these girls were violating campus rules, acting completely immature, and I had to stop them before I got to Chemistry.

"Gimme that lighter!" I ordered, getting closer to the crouching girl's face now.

"-You can piss off, asshole." She answered fiercely, but not actually looking at me, still focusing on burning the barbie doll.

I did the first thing that came to mind.

"Right, if that's how you want it-" I said, and finally I reached out and grabbed the lighter. She didn't actually do much to stop me, but then took action. She stood up, and that's when I got the shock.

She took her hood off as she lifted her head up, saying, "Listen, asshole, you can give me-" and when we came face to face, we both stopped in our tracks.

I Feel Fine had grinded down, to the point where it was just a murmur of words, a blurry blare of nothingness in my right ear.

The girl who was standing in front of me… was it Dana?