"Who are you going with to the prom?" Courtney asked us eagerly. Elizabeth and Bethany had warmed up to Courtney and had even started hanging around with her and sitting with her at lunch. We all sat around the biggest table in the cafeteria.
"Obviously Andrew." Elizabeth laughed. "I don't think he'd appreciate me going with anyone else." Andrew laughed as well.
"What about you, Beth?" Courtney asked.
"Jake." She said bluntly and then went back to eating her sandwich. She had been very quiet recently. It was starting to worry me.
"What about you, Ellie?" Courtney turned to me. Everyone look at me, Jasper smiled at me as if it was an invitation, I didn't take it.
"No one." I muttered. "I'm not really into proms or dances or anything like that."
They all stared at me in shock for a minute.
"Ellie, Hunny." Courtney said slowly. "Everyone goes to the prom and everyone has a date. Look if you don't get a date for the prom, we'll get one for you. You have until the end of the week." She smiled at me. This was a promise. I had no choice, I'd have to get a date, or risk the consequences of Courtney's choosing.
"Ok, I'll get a stupid date." I grumbled, leaning back in my chair. And folding my arms across my chest in a childish pout.
"Good girl." Courtney said, "You'll never guess who I'm going with." She said, suddenly overcome with excitement. Oh no, I thought. If she was going with the beautiful boy I would never be able to look at her again. It was a petty thought between friends but it's just the way I felt. I felt my ears burn with anxiety.
"Robert Court!" She announced proudly. There was a chorus of gasps and 'oh my god's. I didn't even know who that was.
"Who's that?" I asked in spite of myself. They all stared at me again.
"Just the most popular guy in school!" she exclaimed. "He's right over there." I was nervous to turn my head, but I looked over anyway. I was relieved when I saw a tall boy with short brown hair and wearing a tracksuit. He was surrounded by other boys worshiping him, and he seemed to be enjoying every minute of it.
Next class was history. My favourite lesson. I was sat right behind the beautiful boy. As I walked in the classroom I paused as I saw someone was sat in my seat. I looked around the classroom for somewhere else to sit, but there was only one place left and it was next to the boy, that gorgeous boy. I started to panic; I didn't want to sit next to him. What if I made a fool of myself? I looked to Mr. Clarke, "Ah, Helena." He said, glancing around the classroom. "I'm sorry we've got a student who's been transferred to this class, you don't mind sitting next to Jethro, do you?" He asked, pointing to the seat next to the boy whom I really didn't want to sit next to.
I was lost for words; I just shook my head. I walked down the aisle to my seat. I got right next to the boy, when my folder that I had been carrying slipped out of my hands. I waited for the crashing sound and all my equipment to spill out onto the floor. But that never came. The boy-whom I now knew was called Jethro- had caught me folder. He put it on the desk and patted the seat next to him, inviting me to sit down. My cheeks were hot; I knew I was blushing. I sat down and put my bag underneath the table.
"Hi," Jethro said politely, his voice like music to my ears, "You're the new girl, right?" he asked casually.
After two weeks I wouldn't class myself as new, but I nodded anyway unable to speak. "I'm Jethro," he introduced himself, "and you're Helena, right?"
The way he said my name made it sound beautiful, I nodded again. I was speechless around him. He noticed my reactions; I don't know how I must have looked to him.
"You don't have to be embarrassed around me," He chuckled, "We're friends aren't we?"
I nodded again, thinking of something to say. But I couldn't think, my mind had totally shut down; I just looked at him. We didn't speak again that day. After history Courtney met me outside my classroom, with her three followers-I now knew as Jessica, the short blonde haired girl, Kimberley, a red-head with a dusting of freckles and Jane another blonde. All three were slim and beautiful and had the same amber eyes as Courtney, but none measured up to Courtney, who dazzled everyone around her. I sighed knowing I was the worst looking out of all my friends. Even Elizabeth and Bethany looked better than I did. Elizabeth with her long black silky hair and sparkling green eyes and Bethany with her long brown curly hair and bright brown eyes.
"Hey, Ellie!" Courtney said, hugging me.
"Hi, Courtney." I said as she let go of me. She had that excited sparkle in her eyes, she was planning something, or she had good news.
"Me and the girls are planning a shopping trip and a girls night out tomorrow night seen as it's Saturday, do you want to come?" She looked hopeful, I didn't want to squash her spirits and maybe this was just what I needed.
"Ok." I said; trying to sound excited. She seemed to buy it. "Great, I'll pick you up at four and you better be ready." She laughed.
I woke up in a cold sweat; the dream had been so vivid. I had been running in the jungle, running with no sense of direction, all I knew was I had to get away and fast. But from what? I didn't know; I just had to run. I got up and got dressed into a tight, black crop top and a black mini-skirt and black stiletto heels. An outfit Courtney had bought me, to be honest I felt very self-conscious in it. But Courtney had told me to wear it and I didn't want to hurt her feelings. I walked down the stairs, a little unsteady at first in the new heels but I got the hang of it.
"Morning dad." I said as I walked into the kitchen. He was sat at the table reading the newspaper.
"Morning Hun," He said, then he looked up and I heard him gasp. I looked over quickly; he was looking at my outfit. I turned my head away as I felt myself blush, now I felt very self-conscious.
"What are you wearing?" He didn't sound angry, just a little confused.
"It's an outfit Courtney bought me, we're all going out today." I said, impressed by how casual I sounded even though I was really uncomfortable talking about this with my dad.
"Oh," was all he could manage.
"I won't be back until late dad, so don't wait up." I said, trying to keep the conversation going.
"Um…ok, you girls have fun, but be careful." He said, his mind working again.
"We will." I promised.
At 4:03pm I head a car horn outside. "That's my ride. See ya dad." I said jumping up, kissing him lightly on the cheek and racing for the door in my new stilettos.
"Have a good time." He said, just as I shut the door. I ran over to Courtney's silver car and got in the back next to Kimberly and Jessica. Courtney was driving and Jane was sat in the passenger side.
"Hey, Ellie, glad you could make it." She smiled at me from the front. Her smile widened when she saw what I was wearing. And you're wearing the outfit I got you. Thank you! Now lets hit the town." She said as we sped away. I noticed that we were all wearing the exact same outfits.
It wasn't long before we reached the town, it was like a big city, all the lights and shops and buildings, it just wasn't as big. Courtney parked up outside a shop called 'The dark side'. It looked a very gothic shop and I didn't want to go in. To my relief, Courtney walked straight passed it. We followed her through the town, I was taking in every single shop and street name, just in case I got lost. Ten she led up down a dark alleyway and into an open door. There was a set of stairs right in the centre of this dark room. I could hear music pulsing under my feet and I could see flashing lights coming from down the stairs. An underground nightclub, I thought with a smile, very fun. Courtney led us down the stairs. It opened out into a huge room. There was a dance floor in a middle where many people were already dancing. The was a bar in the far left corner. But when I looked to the right there was a wall, not a concrete wall, but a paper wall, like in Japan and there were five sliding doors, evenly spaces out. Toilets I thought, but I noticed the toilet sign over by the bar area, and these cubicles were too big to be toilets. Just then I saw a couple walking towards it, I watched with interest, the woman opened the door and playfully invited the man in, I saw them kiss as she shut the door. I suddenly realised what they were there for. I'd have to stay away from that side of the room.
We danced for what seemed like hours, boys were taking notice but I remembered that we had Courtney with us and obviously they'd be staring at her. That thought put me off dancing, I walked off the dance floor and over to the bar. The bartender was an old man, probably in his 50's he had a bald patch on his head but wore very modern clothes.
"What can I get you?" I could tell he was trying to be polite, but he had to shout to be heard over the blare of the music.
"Cola please," I wasn't sure I'd said it loud enough, but he seemed to have heard me. He nodded once and began filling up a glass with cola.
"There you go, sweetheart," he said and winked. I went to sit down at a table. I saw that Courtney and the other three were sat on the couches at the back, all of them seemed to have a boy and there were two boys on the edge, trying to get in to talk to them. Courtney saw me sat alone.
"Ellie!" She shouted. "Ellie, come over here!" She waved me to come to them. I hesitantly got up and walked over. She introduced me to the boys and we started talking.
"I think I might go for a walk." I said to Courtney after a while, "I'll meet you outside Angel cakes in about an hour ok?"
"The bakery? Ok, do you want me to come with you?" She asked, looking concerned.
"No I'll be ok," I said, forcing a smile.
"Oh, ok. We're gonna head off into seven minutes of heaven, ok so we'll meet you, outside Angel cakes at eleven thirty." She said. I looked over at the cubicles on the other side of the room, sure enough, the sign above the doors read 'Seven minutes of Heaven.' I left quickly, not wanting to think about what Courtney and the others were going to get up to. I walked out of the door and up the street where the lights dimmed and it was quieter, it would give me time to think. There were no shops around this area, only office buildings, I noticed after I'd been walking for a while that all the walls had graffiti on, most of the windows in the building were smashed or cracked and it was deadly silent now, except for the wind. I suddenly felt so alone, it was stupid of me walk this far, I turned around to head back but all I saw again was the deserted street, I couldn't see the main part of the town. I couldn't see any neon lights. Only the dim flickering streetlights that bathed the pavement with an orange eerie glow. Walked back and turned the corner and looked down it, there was still the same type of deserted street, it looked almost the same as this one, except there was more litter on that one. I began to panic, I was sure I hadn't turned any corners, but I hadn't been concentrating on where I was going. A bitter wind whipped against my exposed flesh, I shivered. Had it been this cold all this time? If so, why was I only just noticing it now. A sudden movement startled me, I suddenly realised I wasn't alone. Across the street there was a man leant against a lamppost, he had dropped his cigarette on the floor and stomped on it to put it out. Then he slowly made his way over to me. I was paralysed by fear. As he stepped into the light I saw him properly, he was in his mid-thirties he had short greasy brown hair and he wore tattered clothes. His dark brown eyes looked menacing. I noticed his hand shuffle uncomfortably in his pocket, then I saw it. The handle of a dagger protruding from his pocket, I'm glad I couldn't see the blade, I may have fainted.
"You look lost, Babe." He said with a menacing smile on his face, "Heavens back up there." He looked up at the sky and chuckled at his own joke. I couldn't move, I was terrified, all my muscles had locked up. A voice in my head was screaming Run! Run now! He's going to kill you! I knew that very well, but my body wasn't responding.
He closed the gap between us, he was standing, his lips now a few millimetres from my forehead, I stared blankly into his chest. He was taller than me, and looked a lot stronger than me. This was it, I was just going to accept death as it came.
His arms wrapped around my waist, it sent a shockwave through my body. I realised he had other intentions before he killed me.
"You know," he breathed, "You look so sexy in that outfit. But you'd look even sexier out of it."
I began to shake, No! No! No! No! No! This is all wrong! The voice in my head screamed, you don't want to lose it this way! Fight Back! Do something! Before I had time to react he'd lifted me into the air, my legs wrapped around either side of his waist and he'd pinned me against the wall, holding me up with one hand. He hitched up my skirt and started kissing my neck. I pushed at his shoulders with all my might, he staggered back wards. He clearly hadn't been expecting it. I pulled my skirt down again. He came back at me, pinning me against the wall, his hands round my throat this time and my feet on the floor.
"Fine." He said angrily, "We'll have it your way." He kept hold of my throat with one hand and took the dagger out of his pocket with the other. He traced a line with the tip of his dagger across the base of my throat, he was toying with me now. In one split second this would all be over. I thought of Connor, he was happy with his soulmate now, it wouldn't matter to him if I died. Courtney and the others were having fun in the nightclub and wouldn't bother about me. Adrian my dad, he would be able to cope with my death, he'd coped with my mothers and my brothers.
My thoughts were distracted as there was a sound of an engine. My attacker looked scared, he stared down the street at where the noise was coming from. A black Porsche skidded round the corner and sped straight at us, my attacker dropped me and ran. I was breathless, my lungs felt like they were going to explode, I had been to lost in deep thought that I hadn't realised I couldn't breathe properly. The black Porsche skidded to a halt in front of me. I was too scared to look up.
"Ella!" a familiar voice called in distress. "Ella, are you alright?" the person was at my side now, their arm around my waist pulling me to my feet. I looked up and gazed into the beautiful unfamiliar cold, midnight black eyes of Jethro. I had never seen him without his sunglasses on before. His eyes were beautiful but mesmerizing up close. "Are you alright?" he repeated anxiously. I nodded, still in shock.
"I'll take you home." He said, lifting me up with ease and placing me in the car. He was in the driver's side in seconds and we were speeding away. The streetlights blurred as our speed increased. "Jethro" I managed a whimper. "How did you know where I was?"
He didn't answer.
"Please tell me," I whispered. His grip on the steering wheel tightened; there was pain in his eyes as he stared blankly at the road in front of him.
"I can't." He said tonelessly.
"Why?"
"It's…" he paused for a minute, thinking of the right word, "personal," He finally said. Pain was now visible on his face.
"I'm sorry," I whispered, lightly touching his gloved hand; his hand flinched away reflexively. That was it, he officially hated me now, he had tried to be nice, he'd even saved my life and I'd still been a nuisance to him, "I'm sorry," I repeated sadly. I felt the tears burning at the corners of my eyes - threatening to spill over at any second – but I was determined to keep them back. I bowed my head forward and let my hair surround my face so he couldn't see it anymore. I felt so bad, Jethro - one of the most beautiful people I had ever seen – had been so nice to me, and I'd hurt him, the tears spilled over the corners as I thought this. All I'd ever wanted to do is be his friend, I'd wanted to be with him, to defend him against the cruel world, to comfort him when he was upset, to heal him when he was hurt, to love him. Sudden realisation hit me like a ton of bricks. I was in love. In love with Jethro. "No" I whispered to myself. I was quite sure I'd made my voice quiet enough, so that he wouldn't hear but somehow he had heard.
"No, what?" he asked, sounding confused.
"Nothing. It doesn't matter." I whispered back, a little surprised that he'd actually heard me. He instantly took the hint that it was none of his business and shut up.
This was wrong, Connor, I thought in despair, I'm so sorry. I felt a tear leave my eye and drip onto my leg. Jethro noticed.
"I'm sorry," he said, "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, I just don't like been touched that's all, I'm really sorry."
I looked up at him, his face showing the pain again, but this was a different pain, not the pain of talking about his past. The pain that he'd upset me. How could he be upset about that? I thought angrily, I've hurt him too much; he shouldn't care about this. But as soon as I looked into his eyes, all my anger drained away.
"No, it's ok Jethro." I said, "I'm just over sensitive." I looked away again, avoiding any more eye contact.
He left the subject then and concentrated on driving. My mind went back to the thought of Connor; I needed to see him soon. I needed him to hold me, I needed his warm, comforting arms around me, and his soothing voice to tell me everything was going to be ok. And as for Jethro, as much as it hurt me, I couldn't be around him anymore. I couldn't stand the thought of hurting him again, of seeing the pain in those midnight black eyes. And I couldn't afford to fall deeper in love with him. I had Connor, my big werewolf boyfriend; the boy I'd loved since he'd saved me from Francis, three years ago. I could just picture Connor now. His incredibly handsome face, his long wavy brown hair, his glowing amber eyes, his slim – yet muscular body – his dark gothic clothes. How I missed him. I glanced over at Jethro. I noticed what he was wearing for the first time since he'd saved me. He was wearing dark blue jeans, black converse and a thin, plain black T-shirt. The t-shirt showed off his muscles. But I realised something. I compared Jethro's and my height; the top of my head was equal with his nose if we stood face to face. But if Connor and me stood face to face, the top of my head would only come up to his chest. Connor was a lot bigger and more muscular than Jethro; Connor could kill Jethro, without having to use werewolf power. Another reason to stay away from Jethro. Connor was a very jealous person, if he found out I was in love with Jethro, there was no telling what he'd do to him.
"We're here." Jethro said, the sudden break in the silence, brought me out of my train of thought. I realised we'd stop moving, I looked out of the window, we were parked right in front of my house. How had he known where I lived? I thought confused.
"Do you want me to walk you to the door?" he asked, obviously still worried about me.
"No, I think I'll be ok." I said politely, but inside I was longing for him to come with him, for him not to leave my side again. But I knew that was never going to happen. I had Connor anyway, and he's all I needed. I got out of the car. "Thank you, See you at school." I said. He just nodded without looking at me, as soon as I shut the door he sped off into the distance.
As soon as I got inside I rang Courtney to tell her I'd come home, I couldn't tell her I'd been with Jethro, otherwise she would've wanted to talk more and all I wanted to do was go upstairs and e-mail Connor. As soon as I hung up, I ran upstairs; my dad was asleep.
I checked my e-mails; I had one from Connor. It said,
"Hi Ella,
You guessed it then, her name's Emily, no she isn't from school, I met her at a theme park. I'm really sorry Ella; I really love you. I couldn't have stopped this; I hope you understand. That's why I said you should find someone you can be with, someone who can be just yours. I wish I could be that person but fate has gone against me again. I hope you still know I love you. Please find someone, for me. I'll ring you as soon as I can. I love you so much.
From
Connor"
I sighed, I wasn't angry with him, I knew that he couldn't help that he'd fallen in love with her. All werewolves were destined to find their soulmate, someone they were going to spend the rest of their life with. Equally, I couldn't have helped falling in love with Jethro. No one can control whom they fall in love with. I wrote back;
"Connor it's ok, I completely understand. But maybe you should just ring me from now on; I don't like this whole e-mail thing. I love you too.
Bye
Helena"
I was almost crying, even though I knew that it wasn't his fault, and neither was it hers, I felt a pang of hate for this Emily. She'd unknowingly taken away the greatest thing in my life. I loved Connor so much, and knowing I'd lost him to another girl, it was unbearable. I broke down crying just as I thought of them together, I had no idea what she looked like but I could imagine she was a ugly, slutty girl, who'd be all over him in seconds.
It took me over two hours to stop crying. I had nightmares about them together that night.