Two

18 years later…

Beep. Beep. Beep.

I sighed and cringed against the harsh sound of the alarm. With my eyes still tightly shut, I tried to savour the comfort of last night's sleep. Today I would be starting my new high school as a boarder. I rolled my eyes, annoyed at myself for being nervous.

Beepbeepbeepbeep. The alarm began squawking louder and more frantically.

I breathed out, exasperated. I decided to get up. I brushed a strand of hair out of my mouth and opened my tired eyes.

I heard an unintelligible moan coming from the bunk bed above me. My roomie was awake. Still lying down, I realized the alarm was still going.

"Sorry. I'm going for a run." I whispered in the early morning dim.

I heard a muffled stream of profanities, and then Lucy's groggy, morning-voice.

"Can you just turn the freakin' alarm off, please?"

"Sorry." I repeated.

I yawned, and almost hit my head on the drooping slats of the bunk above me as I stretched.

I glanced at the clock that was glaring a freakish, neon green light, on my messy table.

It read 6:34.

Quickly, before Lucy could complain again, I slammed my fist on the alarm.

It fell silent.

I ducked out, and changed from my holey t-shirt and p.j. pants, into sweats, scruffy sneakers and my black shirt with 'peace' on it. I pulled my long hair into a messy ponytail and surveyed myself in the mirror smeared with fingerprints that was hanging on the dorm door.

I studied my face. Most people thought I was pale. But that was a misconception. I only looked pale because of my dark hair. I was actually a little tanned.

As I stared, my blue eyes gazed back at me. I was proud of my eyes; sometimes light blue, sometimes a unique shade of indigo. Strands of raven-black hair hung on the sides of my face. I snatched up a few bobby pins from my bathroom bag and held them between my lips to secure the misplaced wisps of hair.

I turned around and foraged in the tiny fridge for my bottle of cold water that I had prepared the night before. I shivered as I felt the numbing cold.

I checked my room that I shared with my bored room-mate, to see if it was clean, and if I'd forgotten to bring anything.

Lucy's face was pressed into her pillow and I could see her mascara smeared on it. She was going to breakout in a couple of days, I thought grimly to myself.

Apart from the bunk-bed, there wasn't much space left in the-bedroom-which-was-more-like-a-cupboard. There was only a study-desk, long enough for two, that had been pushed against the wall.

Between the table and the beds, was a window with its grey-coloured curtains pulled shut.

I spied my ipod amongst the clutter on my bedside table, and grabbed it.

I was running out of time. If I wanted to get to school on time, I would have to hurry.

And with that, I crossed the little kitchen/lounge in five steps and opened the door.

I loved running. My new school, Mount Citreon High, was nestled on the edge of the Citreon Forest, and the leafy passages and quiet of the walking paths made it the perfect track.

Even though I was really only a three-minute drive from the town, it felt like I was in my very own, secluded rainforest.

The freedom made me feel so light, so … well, free.

I was listening my ipod, but not really listening to the lyrics or the melody. I was concentrating on the bass, the consistent deep thumping, and I pounded along the dry path, in time with it.

I was sprinting as hard and as fast as I could, and I turned my head sideways to watch the blur as one shade of green faded into another. My heart thudded like a cannon into my chest, and my breath was coming in short gasps. I faced forwards again, pushing my legs faster and faster.

But then, completely out of nowhere, I fell to the ground.

I lay flat on my back, my mind whirling drunkenly, as I tried to rearrange my thoughts.

I shook my head, and I felt a twinge of pain as the movement uncricked my neck. I squeezed my eyes shut, and opened them again. I was completely stunned.

Had I just smashed into an invisible wall or something?

I blew my hair out from my mouth for the second time in half an hour, but remained lying on the pebbly track, shocked. I blinked rapidly, my eyebrows pulled together in confusion.

One ear of my ipod had been knocked out from my ear. I felt around for my ipod. With a sigh of relief, I found that it hadn't been broken, just scratched pretty viciously when it hit the ground.

I continued to lie on the uneven ground, still trying to figure out what I had hit.

Suddenly, barely a foot from my head, I heard a soft chuckle.

I felt a shot of irritation. Sure, it might look funny, but it was actually really… painful.

"Are you okay there? Just lying on the ground?" the voice laughed again.

The more I heard his patronizing, little laugh, the more pissed off I got.

Gah! Stop laughing!

I turned my head, only seeing his expensive, Nike runners.

Spoilt, rich boy…

My gaze traveled higher, and I saw his immaculate, black sweatpants.

… who probably doesn't even run very often. His pants look brand-new! What a try-hard, faker…

He was wearing a grey tee. Even through my annoyance, I couldn't help but notice his muscles and really good chest…

Don't get distracted girl!

I tore my eyes from his chest. They traveled to his face.

And that was when I very nearly lost my mind.

His face, in all its glory, could only be described as god-like.

Hallelujah.

His jaw was strong, sculpted, his skin an odd yet still beautiful shade of pale. His lips were curved in a seductive smile, his perfectly shaped eyebrows raised, surveying me.

And his eyes! I had to cling to sanity as I gazed into them. They were gold, the exact same colour as his hair.

There was a purpose to my life after all.

I sighed in bliss, my eyes fixed on his face.

It was only when I finally ripped my eyes away from him that I realized that I'd actually been looking hungrily at him.

I stared at his sneakers again, inwardly cringing with extreme embarrassment.

Kill me.

He laughed. "You really wouldn't want me to do that."

I felt my cheeks glow red, and with a jolt of horror, I realized that I had said it out loud. At this, my inner self stopped cringing, and curled into a ball instead.

I couldn't think of something to say in reply to that, so I settled on pretending to not hear him.

He laughed yet again.

"Do you need some help? You've been lying on the ground for a long time."

Even though I was still recovering from the bout of humiliation, I still managed to roll my eyes.

I glanced up, and saw the beautiful guy extend a pale hand to me.

Trying to gather my little scraps of dignity together, I refused his help.

I gingerly got to my feet, wincing as my muscles unclenched. Wow. Running into an invisible wall really hurt.

I stood up, and attempted to brush the dirt from my sweats, but only succeeded in rubbing it into a brown stain on my butt. I gave up.

I lifted a hand up to my hair, and found that it had been yanked into something similar to a bird nest. One bobby pin dangled just between my eyes. I snatched it off, pulling out several strands of hair in the process.

Bravely, he continued the monologue. "So, how did you get down there?"

I took in a deep breath, trying to steel myself against the power of Mr. Beautiful's mesmerizing eyes.

"I fell." I replied, my voice dead pan.

"Obviously. But how?" he asked innocently.

For some reason I felt like he was teasing me, like he knew what was going on, and I didn't.

"I tripped. On a rock. Or something." I lied through my teeth. I was sure I hadn't just tripped. I wasn't some klutz. I'd been running for years and never tripped.

I gritted my teeth.

He noticed my frustration. "You look confused. Don't you think you tripped?" His probing seemed to mock me.

He opened his annoyingly beautiful mouth again. Whatever he would say next, I knew it would set me off.

"Hmm?"

That did it.

"What is your problem!" I burst out. "Why are you still laughing at me? It's not even that funny!"

His expression was at first surprised at my outburst, but then to my growing infuriation, he pressed his lips together in an effort to not laugh. His eyes sparkled, and as I looked at them, my anger fizzled out.

"I'm sorry for laughing then. I'll be on my way."

So I stood there in the middle of the track, with dirt all over me, and my hair pulled out on one side, watching him go.

I felt satisfied at getting him to leave. But I also felt a twinge of dismay.

But then to my surprise, after about ten meters, he turned around and called lightly to me. "I have another theory."

I waited.

"Are you sure someone didn't just run into you?"

I put my finger to my chin, pretending to think hard.

"Um… yes."

He paused, looking at me in that annoying 'I know you more than you know you' kind of way. I blustered on, agitated again.

"Besides, I didn't see anyone coming. Whoever - " and here I made quotation marks with my fingers." – ran into me, must've had super speed or something."

He didn't reply. Instead he simply smiled his movie-star smile and turned to go.

I stared at his retreating back, and to my extreme surprise, he turned around to face me for the second time.

"One more little thing."

I blew out my breath, impatient. "Yes, what?"

"You should really watch where you're going next time."

I gaped after his retreating back, speechless.

And just in case you haven't realised, that WASN'T Eddiekins! You'll meet him soon though, don't worry.