Chapter 1

I walked carelessly around my huge mansion; my mother wasn't back from her 'book' club, though I've never actually seen her read a book. Unless you count those, self-help, self- healing ones she read back when I was in seventh grade. Its Saturday so I just put on blue Juicy sweats, a fitted white tank top, and my hair in a loose ponytail. I got in a fight with my best friend, Alicia yesterday and she keeps sending texts about being sorry, but why should I care. I went over to my bookshelf that my mom finally let me get, and pluck a random one. My bookshelf is hidden in a back room my friends have never seen, because I'd be pegged as an LBR just for loving books. Just as I'm getting into it when the phone rings, my mom.

'Hello.'

'Massie, are you okay by yourself? Book club is taking a lot longer than expected.' Obviously one of the women there dished out major gossip they have to discuss.

'Mother I am almost sixteen years old! I can take care of myself.'

'Okay honey just checking…You know I worry about you.'

'Don't, it's not worth your time to be worrying about me. Please stop this obsessive behavior over me. I'm fine.'

'Sorry. I'll see you soon. I love you.' That 'I love you' didn't sound real, more like lines for a play being rehearsed by a terrible actress.

'Okay.'

That might have been a tad mean but I can't handle the constant supervision. Constant worrying. I just then got a text from another friend of mine, Dylan saying, 'Alicia is really sorry about the fight, you should really just forgive and forget with this one. I mean, she did say sorry already, what more can you ask of her?' For her to mean it, that's what.

The doorbell rings soon after. This better nawt be Alicia. I open the door to see a boy, probably sixteen years old. He boy is very tall, golden blonde hair, light brown eyes that were partially hidden by his shaggy hair, golden tan skin.

"Can I help you," I ask the mystery boy.

"Hello, I'm, uh Derrick. This is going to sound strange but, uh, you're my favorite book character and I know how it ends and want to change it," he rushed out, blushing deep red. Is this guy on drugs?

"Excuse me, but I'm very much real," I said confused.

"Oh, well yeah here you arebut, um, just…look at this," he pushed a book into my arms. There's a picture of me on the cover, dirt on my face, tears running down my cheeks, black clouds are around me. There is no title but its one thousand pages long. I look at the back and it says,

'Massie Block had a hard life from early on. Parents divorces, drug addicted sisters, unknown brothers, overall she was broken. What happens when family members that left her, come back with keys to survival and incredible secrets. She is expected to do everything on her own, but that isn't anything new. Will she put the clues together before time runs out?'

"What the fuck is this shit? This…what is this!"

"It's a book, and you're the main character. I can't let it end like it does, so I'm here to change it," he said shyly.

"But, how do people even know this? Who wrote it? Is this book everywhere?"

"No one knows where it came from or who wrote it. Where we come from books kind of just appear. It's one of the most popular books in the world. We know this must be quite a shock, Mass but we're going to fix it." He called me Mass. That's a nickname only my closest friends call me. I go to pull my hair out of the ponytail and shove my hand in the hair on the top of my head, as I start doing it, I see Derrick having a fangirl moment.

"I didn't know you actually did that…wow. I am pretty much your biggest fan. Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap! Most people from where I come from don't actually get to meet the characters but I did and…wow," Derrick whispered.

"So how does my book end," I asked, worried.

Derrick's eyes widened as he looked me up and down, "I'm sorry but I actually can't tell you." Before he could lift his eyes to meet mine, I ran down the hall and into a bathroom, locking the door. I opened the book to the last chapter and started reading.

I sat on the edge of the toilet with the book resting in my lap. My book. I turned it back to the last chapter and started reading.

'Abbadon had won. There was no denying it. Massie stared at the destruction in her wake. She was sitting in the middle if the torn up street, her legs and arms covered in scrapes and gashes. Her mother had been killed. Black clouds were looming behind her, more like all around her. She could barely breathe. She thought she could win this war, what a naïve, stupid thought. Abbadon was already gone, leaving her town, world, and life in crumbles. She knew she would die soon, because of inhaling the black clouds. Right in front of her she thought she heard her mother's voice. She squinted but only saw masses of black. It was becoming harder for her to push the contaminated air into her lungs. Only a minute or so until it's all over, she thought grimly. She tried and fought so hard thinking she could win, because in all stories the good guy eventually comes out on top, right? She thought of Bryan's betrayal, but then remembered she didn't want her last thought in this world to be of that motherfucker. She could feel her hair being frizzy and at the same time matted by her own blood. It could be someone else's, but she couldn't remember. She thought, instead, of her mother and how she always told her that life is a story that isn't finished until the last breath, and that it could be changed. But Massie knew in that moment her story was almost done. Tears started falling from her cloudy amber eyes. She never cried in public or in front of another living person but she was dying. Her mother was dead. She took in her last breath imagining her mother's face, with tears streaming down her own. The world became darker than before. Black. Her vision swam and then nothing. She didn't even feel her head smashing into the street after losing consciousness. Massie was gone and Abbadon had won.'

A tear fell out of my eye as I comprehended that information. I had to stifle an ugly sob. I wiped the tear off forcefully and opened the door to Derrick.

"How much did you read," he asked me.

"Just the last chapter. But I have two questions. First, who's Abbadon? Second, who's Bryan?"

"Abbadon is your enemy. You'll learn more as week's progress. This is your real life. And Bryan… Bryan is your brother," Derrick said, his hair shielding his eyes. He looked vulnerable almost, and downright hot.

"Wait, wait, hold up. My brother isn't part of my story. I've never met the kid. My father abandoned him to be full-time with me. And then my dad left me, too. My brother's mother doesn't want me meeting him. How could I have met him, us become close, and then he betray me if I've never met him?" And more importantly who is the asshole who knows about my brother, that's something, well someone no one knows about. Not even Alicia.

"Well, Massie your book's main plot starts in about three days, or so. We can never be sure. I'll be with you until the end of the book. Then I go back. So you won't have to go through this alone. That was your biggest problem. You refused to ask for help unless it was necessary because you don't want to burden others with your problems. It was the one thing that everyone simultaneously loved and hated about you. Honestly, you don't know how many people were trying to come here to help you and change your story," he said to me with a shy smile.

"So does that mean after we finish this and you two go back, that the book I have will be non-existent and replaced by the new one? I don't understand," I asked.

"Basically, the one you have will still be around. The one we're creating will also exist. It's like a before and after thing. Most books we have in our world have before and after because we have the ability to do something about the endings. I don't want you to die," he said with so much sincerity. I think I'm starting to fall for someone I just met… and might be on drugs and babbling non-sense.

"Do I have a movie?"

"Not yet, they wanted to wait until we came and helped change the story to see what would happen," then he quietly added, "You have no idea how many people love you."

"How many?" Before he could answer the front door opened to reveal my mother, who looked wide eyed from me to the ah-dorable boy standing next to me.

"Massie, who's this," she asked me sharply.

"This is Derrick, my….. Boyfriend," I said the first thing that came to mind. I looked at Derrick, whose face was tomato red and gazing at his black sneakers. It wasn't like I could tell her the truth.

"Don't you think you should tell me when you're having guests over?"

"Well since I haven't had anyone over in days I was pretty positive you wouldn't mind. We haven't been able to see each other in a while so I invited him over," I looked into her eyes, trying to look apologetic.

My mom's face softened and she said, "Oh, sweetie it's alright. I love you. But I did just get home from a very intense reading session and discussions so could you two go up to your room. I trust you a lot, so you can have your door shut. I'm going to sleep now. It was nice to meet you Derrick."

"Oh, mom what book did you start this week," I asked with a mischievous glint in my eyes and a smirk.

"Right, uh, Dawn of the…Lord of the…Something Huckleberry Finn," She blabbed.

Derrick waved as my mom went upstairs and into bed. His cheeks were still red and his lips pressed together to stop from smiling. I could almost hear what he was thinking, she called me her boyfriend.

"Well, I couldn't tell her the truth now could I?" I teased watching his cheeks return to the bright red I'd seen more than his regular complexion. "Come on. You got a lot of questions to answer," I told him, heading up the stairs.