AUTHOR'S NOTE: finally! here's the longer, newer chapter one. tell me what you think of it! thanks :)

Chapter 1

The loud crackling of the school bell was never greeted with as much enthusiasm as it did that day. It marked the end of the school year. Swiftly, the students of Wynnohan High exited the school doors hugging and laughing with their friends. Still so innocent, Clehist thought. She watched as the rest of her classmates and friends bounced off into their private lives as she stuffed her backpack with the last of her things from her locker. A group of juniors passed her smiling and told her to have a happy summer vacation. Minutes later the jocks of Wynnohan surrounded her locker with their last bid to get her to go out on a date with them. "Boys, boys, boys," Clehist said smiling sweetly, "I'm sure that your girlfriends would disapprove of this sort of behavior."

She knew what they could see. A striking senior, head of the cheer leaders, moderately smart and undoubtedly popular. And she would have been Homecoming Queen had she not taken her own name out. Clehist was fairly tall, her figure well proportioned. She was never one to complain about her image. Her long light brown hair, often described as chestnut colored, flows silk-like well below her shoulders. Her olive skin had no flaw, but her most surprising physical feature were her eyes. For a human she had Night World like eyes, clear grey which were perpetually changing from one vibrant shade to another.

Looks had never been a big deal for Clehist, not because she thought she had it all, but because she remember what her parents once told her. They told her that it was not your reputation, not what you look like, not where you've been that matters the most, it was who and what you are inside that counts. She smiled slightly at the thought of her dead parents who had given her the best education in their short time together. They taught her to appreciate life and her loved ones, not the material things in this world. But that didn't mean that Clehist had no fashion sense. Her late parents were rich and had left her a fortune enough to pay for her school tuition and anything else she'd like to buy. On her last day in Wynnohan High she wore a simple but sophisticated white sleeveless top which showed her lean tanned arms, a short black skirt similar to that of her cheer leading attire, which was significantly above her knees and light beige boots almost to her knees.

"Besides," she continued, "your girlfriends are in my team. You can be sure that they'll find out." She paused and looked beyond the jocks as she recognized Renika walking toward her. "Anyway boys, we should be going. Say hello to Natasha, Sarah and Kate for me okay?" Clehist flashed the jocks one last captivating smile and walked, half skipped to her best friend knowing the boys were watching her every move.

"Cleh!" Renika exclaimed in her usual cheerful voice. "I've been looking for you everywhere! I thought you'd left already and that would have been a total bummer." Renika stretched out the word 'total' and by the end she was wearing a sad face which in a blink changed back to her usual face.

"Nika, you are such a ditz!" Clehist sighed. "Didn't I tell you to meet me at my locker after school? Anyway, do you have a ride home?"

"Uh, nope," Renika said looking down at her high fashion white shoes as if it had the answer.

"That's great! You can come with me if you want," Clehist suggested hiding her real reasons for asking her to tag along.

The two girls walked out of the already empty hallway and out onto the school car park where some students crowded around, asked them their plans for the future and if they could sign their school book. Clehist was again reminded of how these students thought of her. They had always tried to be her friend and she wondered why. Clehist was the type of girl everyone wanted to be friends with and to be like. She was the type of girl all the boys came after. But somehow she never hung out with the popular group or with any group. With the exception of Renika, Clehist never let herself become closely acquainted with anybody. She kept them all at a safe distance. She did however sit down with some of the Night World people in the school like Alex, Iliana's brother who graduated last year and is studying in London for two years. Clehist suddenly felt sorry for the students surrounding her. These humans don't know what my life is like yet they want to be part of it, she thought. But she had no time for them so she took Renika's hand, quickly said her best wishes to them all and headed to where a plain white van was parked outside the school gates.

On the driver's window Clehist was greeted with the familiar perfect smile of Chilo, the werewolf runner of Circle Daybreak. Inside were Gary and Mike two witches, seniors like Clehist, and three humans. "You're late Clehist," Chilo said in the most serious voice he could manage while smiling to show his straight white teeth.

"Sorry Chilo," Clehist replied not feeling the least remorse. "Renika's coming with us alright." She stated as she entered the nine-seater van, including the driver. The tone of Clehist's voice meant that she was not up for a disagreement and she was glad she did not get any.

"Clehist!" Renika squealed as she entered the vehicle.

"What?"

There's…um, like uh, smelly puppies just over here." Renika stammered as she pointed to a box on the floor of her seat where a litter of puppies slept.

"Don't worry about it Nika," Clehist said reassuringly. "Just don't disturb them and you'll be fine. I never knew you were this against animals," she added with a grin.

Soon the van leapt to life and left the school gates onto its destination. The passengers sat in silence and stared bleakly at the run down grey-black streets of the suburbs they passed by.

During the silence Clehist thought. Truth is, the reason she asked Renika to come catch a ride with her after school was that she was worried about Renika. Lately more Mists were seen around her. Since Clehist was on her way to Circle Daybreak Headquarters to deliver the puppies they asked for she might as well take Renika home. Just to be on the safe side, she thought as she made herself more aware of her surroundings. And she was right, after the first human was dropped off Clehist saw a Mist following them near side of the van.

Whenever someone asked Clehist to describe what Mists looked like she always found herself lost for words. This is why, she thought as she stared at a thing which had often been described as a being. A Mist is exactly like a mist. Smoked up, cold white air as visible as a white blanket. And they were everywhere. They had been created to detect Night World people years ago and they roam freely. Clehist had been detected once when she was twelve at the school playground. They fly over you and set on you. It felt like water sprinkles on your head except it was icy water. Mists feel like they drain the life out of you which scared Clehist the when she was detected. She was a human then, so technically the Mists had not recorded her as a Night Person.

After the next passenger left the van they drove on. When Clehist noticed that they were on the way to Mike's house, the witch, she decided to take action. "Chilo," Clehist leaned toward him to whisper. "Take the others home first," she said referring to Renika and the remaining human. "There's a Mist following us." Once said there was no need to elaborate. Mists could not do anything on their own free will, if they were following you they were on a mission. That's why it was best to get the humans home first, see them safe and then deal with the Mist.

Soon when the last human, with the exception on Renika, got off the van, they headed for Renika's house with the annoyed Renika unsuccessfully trying to persuade Clehist for information occasionally. Then when Renika told her she would be leaving to go to Australia, to spend the majority of her summer vacation with her dying grandmother, Clehist's mind went to full power. If Renika left the country or even the city she would not be able to keep track of her safety and if the Mists were hot on her track that's never good news. Clehist automatically began thinking of how she could monitor Renika when she moved to Summerhaven, her Grandma's town in Australia, almost two days by plane to get to. Circle Daybreak must have some agents there but from what Renika told her it was an isolated and rural place in central Australia. "Mostly boring dusty, you know, cow boy like deserts," Clehist remembered Renika saying to her. But Clehist was helpless in this situation. She didn't know Renika was leaving, if she did she would have had Keller to send out agents out there by now. She said her goodbyes to Renika and hopped back into the van. So much for her security, Clehist thought as the van drove off.

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"UGH! Clehist remind me again why I agreed to go with you? It's so icky and those puppies smell!" Renika complained for the fifth time, during the ride home, with pure disgust on her face.

"Oh shut up will you! You didn't have to come with me," replied Clehist.

Renika hated dogs. Or any animal for that matter. Why did she not get off the dirty van when she saw the puppies, she asked herself. Clehist offered her the ride, Renika concluded, so I wouldn't have to walk or flirt with the pestering boys at school just so they can take her home. Clehist always looked after me even though she was the one who lost both parents a long time ago. And funnily enough she had put up with me all this time, I'm sure I can handle a bunch of smelly creatures for a few minutes. Maybe hours. Eww.

"You know what, sorry Cleh I didn't mean to complain so much. It's just that the puppy is licking my leg and it's freaking me out," Renika confessed. "The window won't even close properly," she added shuddering a little at the cold breeze that met her pale face.

Renika and Clehist had been friends since they were ten. They went to the same school and had most of their classes together but personality wise, they were miles apart. She had helped Clehist out when her parents died when all other students didn't know what to say. Renika did, her mother died when she was two years old in a car accident since then her father had been a heavy alcohol drinker. It was as if both her parents died anyway, she could relate to Clehist and they stuck together. But it was more than that. Renika did feel a true connection with Clehist.

"Look Nika you're gonna get dropped off soon. Just hang on, it's only a puppy for goddess sakes," Clehist replied a while later snapping Renika out of her thoughts. Renika quickly glanced at her best friend and noticed color of her eyes changing. Her whole demeanor changed. Renika knew that Clehist had picked up on something. If I was her, Renika thought, I'd be fidgeting and breathing nervously. But she knew that when Clehist was unsettled she would be a still as stone and as quiet as…well as quiet as Clehist could get which was noiseless.

They were on an eight-seater van which Renika, apart from herself, Clehist and three humans at the back seats, didn't know the rest. I guess this is like a school bus service, she thought when the van stopped at a house to drop off one of the passengers. For the next ten minutes they drove in silence. Renika, driven by boredom, frequently looked out the window to see if they were nearing her house.

At one instance she looked outside the window and as she returned her gaze to her lap she noticed Clehist looking out the window too. I guess she must be bored too, Renika thought. After the next passenger was dropped off she saw Clehist silently lean forward to the driver and whispered something at which the driver's posture shot up straight and became more focused as he nodded in agreement.

Clehist returned to her seat but was clearly still agitated. Renika could see that she was trying to think things through in her head. It was no use asking her about it, as although they were best friends, practically like sisters, when Clehist wanted her to know something she'd tell her. If she didn't there was not point in trying to ask. As if Clehist felt her concern, she turned to Renika and gave her a strained smile and rested her head back on the car seat head-rest, eyes closed.

"What's up you guys?" Renika asked when she could no longer take their secrecy. As expected Clehist didn't respond to her question. Didn't even open her eyes to look at her. The three guys at the front also ignored her. Annoyed, Renika sighed and fixed her gazed onto the box next to her feet where the puppies lay asleep.

Soon they were on their way to Renika's house. The guy that was in her SR class left pretty quickly when they got to his house, she thought. She didn't know where the two guys at the front lived but it didn't seem as if it was their turn to be dropped off so Renika thought it was logical to assume that she was next. At the thought she leaned back into her seat giddily knowing she'll soon be rid of the stinking puppies.

The puppies were still sleeping peacefully when the van arrived at Renika's house. She knew that whatever bothered Clehist and the guys at the front before was still bothering them now but no one had told her anything. I guess they don't value my opinion, she thought. She became worried for Clehist but she knew how much Clehist hated it when people were concerned for her well being. Still, she had to say something.

"Hey thanks you guys for the ride," she said to the people at the front seats of the van. Then to Clehist she added disappointedly, "I'm just annoyed that you did not bother to tell me what's bothering you. I mean, I would tell you if something bothered me. How do you know that I can't help you out?" Renika sighed. Clehist was looking at her, searching her eyes for something. Trust? Was it for her to understand? Either way Renika silently forgave her best friend. She had to, she didn't want to be in a moody with her the whole of their summer vacation even if she was in Australia. "Bye Cleh, you take care alright?" She added with more caution. She did not want Clehist to react to her being concern for her well being. "See you when I come back from my Grandma's," she added as she hopped off the van.

"What!" Clehist exclaimed, suddenly interested, grabbing Renika's arm with surprising strength. "What do you mean? Why didn't you tell me? You're Grandma's is like on the other side of the planet!" Renika yanked her arm out of Clehist's firm grip and rubbed it soothingly as she tried to figure out why Clehist acted so strangely. She gave up.

"Not really, you're exaggerating!" She replied. "It's in Australia. Remember? I told you about it. I'll be staying there for three weeks or maybe a month depending on her health. She's dying you know," she added in a more somber voice.

"Oh," she heard Clehist whisper. Then she added, "You didn't tell me! Argh! How could you not tell me!" Worry was visible on Clehist's face. She never really opposed my going to visit my Grandma before. Why now?

"Easy Cleh, what's the matter? Look, don't worry I'll get you something from there. What do you want?" She asked in a cheerful voice hoping to get her to lighten up. I mean this was the last time I'll see her for a few weeks, she thought.

"Nothing. Don't worry about me," Clehist added quickly. She got off the van too and stood in front of her. Renika was again reminded that Clehist was taller than her by a few inches. "Yeah, you keep safe too alright Renika? We'll miss ya," Clehist continued with a genuine smile. They hugged for a while.

"We?" Renika, bemused, asked as she hugged Clehist as tight as she could.

Clehist grinned. "The puppies and I girl." She paused and drew away from Renika heading back to the van. Before her best friend closed the car door she added, "Have fun in Australia."

Renika waved at Clehist one last time and she waved back coolly, both of them not knowing that the next time they see each other would be life changing.

----------- NOTE: there you go! chapter 1! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review! I'd love to hear from you.