PART ONE
The sun shone bright through Maria's bedroom window. She groaned and rolled away from the offending light. She buried her face in her pillow and tried to ignore the idea that today was the first day at West Roswell High. She could hear Kyle singing in the shower, through the door into their adjoining bathroom. She groaned again, knowing that in about five minutes her annoying brother would be banging on her door to wake her up.
She slipped out of bed and walked to the window. She curled up on the padded window seat, and stared out. From her window she could see over the town, and out into the desert. She looked down to see the kids all rushing to their first day of school. She saw a group of teenagers stopped at the stop sign in an old beat up jeep. One of the boys looked in her direction and made eye contact. She could see the intensity in his eyes, and for a split second it seemed as though the world fell away. From across the street she felt as though he was calling her. She could almost hear him whispering a name. A name she only heard in her dreams.
`Marina....Marina...'
"Maria!!" Kyle screamed and banged on the door. Maria jumped at the sound of her brothers yelling. "Are you up yet twirp?"
Maria growled. She hated it when he thought of himself as the `big brother'. After all he was only two minutes older than she was. But he always treated her as though the two minutes was two years.
Maria swung the bathroom door open. "Has anyone ever told you that you are the most annoying alarm clock a person can have? I mean is it really necessary to scream the house down every morning?"
"It got you up, didn't it? Be ready to go in like thirty minutes if you want a ride. Otherwise, your happy ass will be walking to school."
Maria pushed her loud brother through the door leading to his room, shut, and locked the door. She could hear his CD Player come on, playing Linkin Park. Despite their differences, their taste in music was exactly the same. She smiled realizing Kyle knew her better than she thought. Maria always listened to Linkin Park when she was nervous.
She sang along to the music as she turned on the streaming hot water. After a quick shower, she went into her room to decide what to wear. She opened her closet, which was the only thing she had unpacked.
She thumbed through her clothes, realizing that the chances of her having something that would make her fit in with the people of Roswell was slim to none. She finally settled on a short black skirt and blue halter top. She was zipping up her black, knee high boots when Kyle knocked on her door.
"I'm almost ready," Maria shouted.
Kyle opened the door and stuck his head in. "God Maria, what are you wearing?"
"Clothes, what does it look like?" she replied.
"Do you even care that you look like a tramp in that outfit? People are gonna stare at school."
"Why should I care what people think? I didn't ask to move to this crappy town. If people don't like who I am then screw `em."
Kyle shook his head. "Mom and Dad already left for work. I will be waiting downstairs, hurry up."
Once Kyle left Maria sighed. She understood that her brother wanted to fit in. She could see that he was dressed in nice jeans and a polo shirt. That was Kyle, never trying to be different. But Maria always needed to stand out. Back in New York she did everything she could to be different. She was the first to get her belly button pierced. When the other girls all wanted to be blonde, she dyed her hair black. Then when the dark hair trend began, Maria bleached it back to her normal blonde. Why should she act any differently now, just because they moved.
Maria grabbed her bookbag and ran down the stairs, just as Kyle was honking the horn on the Jetta, which was towed behind her parents car from their old house, they shared. Maria slipped into the passenger seat and Kyle drove off.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Once they reached the school parking lot, Maria could feel the butterflies fluttering in her stomach. Her hands clenched and unclenched on the strap to her bag. Kyle pulled into a spot marked `Student Parking' and cut the engine. He turned to see his sister staring out the window.
"We're gonna be fine you know," he stated quietly.
Maria turned and looked him in the eye. "Yeah, of course we are. Why wouldn't we be?" she asked flippantly.
"Maria, come on. You know you can't lie to me. We are connected. I can feel how nervous you are. But we are going to be fine. I'm a little worried too, but at least we are here together, so we know at least one person at this school."
Maria nodded her head, and took a deep breath. "Thanks, Kyle. And about that annoying brother comment, I guess I take it back. You aren't half bad," she said smiling.
Kyle smirked. "Well then, let's go."
Maria stepped out of the vehicle and started towards the building with a huge comet painted on the side. All of a sudden she felt her body start to tingle. She felt her eyes drawn to a group of kids standing at the bottom of the stairs leading into the school. Once again she met the gaze of the boy from the jeep. He was staring at her as she walked towards him.
Once they reached the group, everyone was staring at the two new kids. Her gaze wasn't broken until she passed the boy and couldn't continue without turning around. But she could feel his eyes boring holes into her back Again she heard the name she'd heard whispered only in her imagination.
`Marina...you've returned...Marina...'
Maria swayed as she became light headed. Kyle saw this and steadied her. "Hey, you OK?"
"Yeah, I think so. I just got a little light headed that's all. Guess I shouldn't have skipped breakfast." Kyle nodded and directed her towards the admissions office.
The sun shone bright through Maria's bedroom window. She groaned and rolled away from the offending light. She buried her face in her pillow and tried to ignore the idea that today was the first day at West Roswell High. She could hear Kyle singing in the shower, through the door into their adjoining bathroom. She groaned again, knowing that in about five minutes her annoying brother would be banging on her door to wake her up.
She slipped out of bed and walked to the window. She curled up on the padded window seat, and stared out. From her window she could see over the town, and out into the desert. She looked down to see the kids all rushing to their first day of school. She saw a group of teenagers stopped at the stop sign in an old beat up jeep. One of the boys looked in her direction and made eye contact. She could see the intensity in his eyes, and for a split second it seemed as though the world fell away. From across the street she felt as though he was calling her. She could almost hear him whispering a name. A name she only heard in her dreams.
`Marina....Marina...'
"Maria!!" Kyle screamed and banged on the door. Maria jumped at the sound of her brothers yelling. "Are you up yet twirp?"
Maria growled. She hated it when he thought of himself as the `big brother'. After all he was only two minutes older than she was. But he always treated her as though the two minutes was two years.
Maria swung the bathroom door open. "Has anyone ever told you that you are the most annoying alarm clock a person can have? I mean is it really necessary to scream the house down every morning?"
"It got you up, didn't it? Be ready to go in like thirty minutes if you want a ride. Otherwise, your happy ass will be walking to school."
Maria pushed her loud brother through the door leading to his room, shut, and locked the door. She could hear his CD Player come on, playing Linkin Park. Despite their differences, their taste in music was exactly the same. She smiled realizing Kyle knew her better than she thought. Maria always listened to Linkin Park when she was nervous.
She sang along to the music as she turned on the streaming hot water. After a quick shower, she went into her room to decide what to wear. She opened her closet, which was the only thing she had unpacked.
She thumbed through her clothes, realizing that the chances of her having something that would make her fit in with the people of Roswell was slim to none. She finally settled on a short black skirt and blue halter top. She was zipping up her black, knee high boots when Kyle knocked on her door.
"I'm almost ready," Maria shouted.
Kyle opened the door and stuck his head in. "God Maria, what are you wearing?"
"Clothes, what does it look like?" she replied.
"Do you even care that you look like a tramp in that outfit? People are gonna stare at school."
"Why should I care what people think? I didn't ask to move to this crappy town. If people don't like who I am then screw `em."
Kyle shook his head. "Mom and Dad already left for work. I will be waiting downstairs, hurry up."
Once Kyle left Maria sighed. She understood that her brother wanted to fit in. She could see that he was dressed in nice jeans and a polo shirt. That was Kyle, never trying to be different. But Maria always needed to stand out. Back in New York she did everything she could to be different. She was the first to get her belly button pierced. When the other girls all wanted to be blonde, she dyed her hair black. Then when the dark hair trend began, Maria bleached it back to her normal blonde. Why should she act any differently now, just because they moved.
Maria grabbed her bookbag and ran down the stairs, just as Kyle was honking the horn on the Jetta, which was towed behind her parents car from their old house, they shared. Maria slipped into the passenger seat and Kyle drove off.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Once they reached the school parking lot, Maria could feel the butterflies fluttering in her stomach. Her hands clenched and unclenched on the strap to her bag. Kyle pulled into a spot marked `Student Parking' and cut the engine. He turned to see his sister staring out the window.
"We're gonna be fine you know," he stated quietly.
Maria turned and looked him in the eye. "Yeah, of course we are. Why wouldn't we be?" she asked flippantly.
"Maria, come on. You know you can't lie to me. We are connected. I can feel how nervous you are. But we are going to be fine. I'm a little worried too, but at least we are here together, so we know at least one person at this school."
Maria nodded her head, and took a deep breath. "Thanks, Kyle. And about that annoying brother comment, I guess I take it back. You aren't half bad," she said smiling.
Kyle smirked. "Well then, let's go."
Maria stepped out of the vehicle and started towards the building with a huge comet painted on the side. All of a sudden she felt her body start to tingle. She felt her eyes drawn to a group of kids standing at the bottom of the stairs leading into the school. Once again she met the gaze of the boy from the jeep. He was staring at her as she walked towards him.
Once they reached the group, everyone was staring at the two new kids. Her gaze wasn't broken until she passed the boy and couldn't continue without turning around. But she could feel his eyes boring holes into her back Again she heard the name she'd heard whispered only in her imagination.
`Marina...you've returned...Marina...'
Maria swayed as she became light headed. Kyle saw this and steadied her. "Hey, you OK?"
"Yeah, I think so. I just got a little light headed that's all. Guess I shouldn't have skipped breakfast." Kyle nodded and directed her towards the admissions office.