A/N: Presenting chapter three of A Soul! Thanks to LilBlondeRikku, mandidawna, ..., Adriane, and Nightgirl25 for supporting my new story! I hope I didn't forget anyone! And, on with the show! ENJOY! ;D

JennyPOV

The bell rang, signaling the beginning of the school day. All my friends' lockers were scattered around the school, even though we all had our first class together. They all gave me reassuring smiles before leaving, and Tom stopped next to me with his hand on my shoulder.

"You sure you're gonna be okay, Thorny?"

I nodded, "Yeah."

He smiled softly before leaving me too. I didn't move for a few moments, gathering my spiraling thoughts. And then I turned, and without looking, I started forward—

-And ran smack dab into someone.

"Sorry," I muttered, looking up. My face flushed with color as my forest green eyes met icy blue ones. His dirty blonde hair flopped annoyingly onto his nicely tanned face. His lips seemed to be turned up in a permanent smirk, his eyes held amusement.

"Need something?" His voice sounded vaguely like Julian's, but it was toned down. More…human. But still inhumanly annoying, especially coming from someone who is definitely not Julian.

"Nope," I ground out, pushing him out of my way. I ground my teeth. I could feel his icy gaze locked on me even after I entered the building. I went to my locker, placing my bookbag inside and pulling my books out, slamming the locker door. Ugh, there was something about that stupid new guy that made me want to punch something…and I'm not violent.

I walked down the hall to my first class, History. Tom, Zach, Dee, Audrey, Michael, and I all shared this class. Summer was the only one who didn't have History first, because she took honors Science first. Walking into the classroom, I sat down at my desk next to Dee in the back.

"Hey, Sunshine, ready to learn about the Civil War for, like, the fifth time?" Dee asked, a bored smile on her lips.

"Ugh. Do you know how tired I am of learning about that every year?"I asked with a smile, glad that Dee didn't bring up what happened this morning. Although, I did see her checking out the silver rose.

Her eyes flickered up to me, "Can I see it?" she asked hesitantly.

I nodded, "Yeah, sure."

She reached her dark hand forward and lightly fingered the petals. She gave me a look of bewilderment. "They're soft," she breathed, "but it looks so much like real silver…"

I nodded, "It's odd isn't it? Something so solid and utterly perfect, but the petals and the leaves are so soft that it feels real."

Her mouth opened, as if to say something more, but she was interrupted by the tardy bell, signaling for everyone to be in their respective classes. She gave me a look that said we'd talk later, as the teacher walked into the room and started talking.

Interrupting the teacher's lecture, the stupid guy from earlier walked in.

The teacher scolded him for being late on his first day, but said, "Class we have a new student. His name is Jordan Ferreus. He says he transferred from Pennsylvania." She looked at him, "Why don't you take the empty desk next to Jennifer over there in the back." You could tell she wanted to get rid of him, and that's why she sent him to the back but come on, really, you had to pick the desk next to me? He walked down the aisle and dropped his books on the desk, sitting down and propping his feet up. He looked at me and flashed a dangerous smile, eyes dancing with laughter.

He was mocking me! He saw my reaction to him in the courtyard and is waving it over my head. Man, he just made me wanna punch him, or to smack that ugly grin off his face. I shook my head slowly, trying to zone out or something…anything to stop me from feeling Jordan's gaze burn a hole in my side! UGH!

Finally, the bell rang, dismissing us from our first class. I couldn't get out of my seat fast enough, but my attempt was in vain. I had every single class with him.

~OooO~

I decided to spend the night at Dee's. As of right now, I was pacing her small bedroom and ranting about how much I wanted to strangle Jordan Ferreus.

"Sunshine, what is it about him that makes you so mad?" Dee asked for the umpteenth time that afternoon.

I shook my head. "I don't know…" and then it hit me. I looked up. "Jordan reminds me of Julian."

She smiled like she just won the lottery. "Now we're getting somewhere. But I still don't understand what makes you so sensitive toward him."

"Who?" I asked, "Jordan or Julian?"

She laughed, "Jordan."

"Oh that's easy. His eyes…and his voice," I explained, "Both are like toned down versions of Julian's. And the way he always seems to be mocking me, or laughing at me…even with just his eyes."

"Just like Julian did?" Dee accused.

"No!" I defended, but couldn't explain why. In a way, it was worse than Julian's mockery. Kind of like, even though his voice and his eyes seemed to be toned down, the amused Shadow Man was worse than ever…but that was insane. I shook my head to clear my thoughts. Jordan couldn't be Julian…could he?

~OooO~

When I closed my eyes that night, the last thing I expected to see was Julian. I was so wrong. I ended up in that small white room with one window, but this time, instead of looking out the window, Julian was sitting on the floor with his back against the wall, head in his hands. He looked so young. I didn't even think about it before I was next to him, trying to comfort him. He looked up, eyes filled with unguarded surprise.

"Jenny?" he asked, obviously not believing that I was right next to him.

I nodded. "What's wrong?"

He stared at me. Impossibly blue eyes staring deeply into my forest green ones. Seeming to decide I wasn't a hallucination, he reached out and delicately stroked my cheek. My heart beat erratically, as it always did when I was close to Julian. His hand shifted to my braid. I had taken the rose out before I went to bed, but decided to just keep the braid in. That way, maybe I wouldn't wake up with bed head for once in my life.

He gently unwound the band from the end of my braid, and ran his fingers through my hair. I felt a blush creep up my cheeks, and he gave me a small smile, leaning forward. I met him halfway.

I pulled away first.

"What?" He asked, seeing that I was preoccupied. My gaze traveled to the window. I got up, and walked over. Something inside me was telling me I had to look, but when it was in full view, I regretted ever breaking the kiss.

The view was ugly. Unbelievably, impossibly, grotesque. It was the same view that the parlor window in the paper house had. Ugly, deformed shapes lumbering through blizzard-like conditions. Gigantic, overwhelming masses of rock, highlighted by flashes of unexplained lightning. I shivered. No one should be stuck with that view.

I gasped and whirled. "Where are we?"

Julian looked at me in surprise, but quickly snapped out of it, a bored, wry expression filled its place. "The Shadow World. Where else?"

My eyes widened. "We're in the Shadow World? But…but, how can you be in the Shadow World?"

He shrugged, snow white hair falling into his liquid sapphire eyes. "I don't know anymore."

I blinked. "But…how did you get here?" I was confused. How could he not know?

He shook his head like he was trying to remember something. "I was just…nothing. I remember just wandering aimlessly, nowhere in particular, and then, I just woke up in here," he said, gesturing for emphasis.

"But…if you're in the Shadow World, then how am I here?"

He rose to his feet, coming over and pulling me towards him. "I don't know for sure, but what I do know, is that when I saved you from drowning, I tried something that I didn't even know for sure would work. I used shadows to breathe life into you, literally. And…maybe, since it was my power…we're somehow drawn to each other."

He took a breath, seeming to think for a moment. And I took that opportunity to ask something that was bugging me since he said we may be drawn to each other. "Julian?" He looked directly at me, listening intently. "Are you…alive?"

He laughed without humor. "The only way I could be alive right now was if They brought me back. But why in the Shadow World would they do that?"

I shook my head. "Have you seen anyone since you came here?" I asked.

"Only the eyes of my elders…they often watch as I sit in here alone. It's like they're laughing at me." His indescribable eyes flashed with anger.

Seeing that this was making Julian mad, I changed the subject. "Do Shadow Men have souls?"

"Jenny," he said sadly, "Shadow Men have souls. That's why we grow to be shriveled and ugly, why we are young and beautiful when we are made…our outside forms reflect our souls directly. We are made with young, new souls, but as we age, our souls shrivel from all the hatred and evil we known for, as do we."

I stood on tip toe. "You'll never look like that," I whispered in his ear.

He pulled me back so he could see my face. I had the sudden impulse to push my hair behind my ears, but didn't have time before he pulled me into a kiss. I became vaguely aware that we were starting to become surrounded by the white mist, warning me that I was about to wake up. I pulled back.

I was about to tell him, but I could see in his eyes that he knew it too.

"I love you, Jenny," he said, though he seemed to be miles away now, "and I always will…"

"Forever," I whispered, recognizing it as last night's goodbye.

It was less than a second before my eyes fluttered open. I was lying inside my flannel sleeping bag, next to Dee, in her bedroom. I got up and walked into her bathroom. When I looked in the mirror, the girl's thick, golden blonde hair cascaded down over her shoulders, the band that once held the braid, lie forgotten in the Shadow World.

A/N: You don't know how much I love you guys. Thanks for supporting me in my first FG fanfic! If you are a Maximum Ride fan please feel free to check out my other fanfics!

P.S. I just started a new round of classes at school, plus I have Drama Club almost every day after school. I may not be able to update as quickly, but I will try my best!