A/N: Okay this chapter is a little slow and I apologize for it taking so long. I've been really busy with midterms. The next chapter will be out faster though and it will go a lot faster plus it'll tell us a lot about what's going on. Also very important! I'd like to thank Batsu Simisu-chan for being my beta for this story ^_^
I woke up to a bright light shining through my window. I sat up in bed, and after a moment, all of the previous night's activities crashed down on me. I wondered if it was all just a dream, but when I looked at my reflection in the mirror that stood by my dresser, I knew it couldn't have been.
I was still wearing the same clothes, and my eyeliner was smudged darkly underneath my eyes. My hair had fallen out of its messy bun, but was still in the ponytail and was poking out in all different directions.
I looked over at my clock only to find it was facing the wrong way. I walked over to it and turned it back to me, wondering how it had gotten that way. The clock read 7:49, and I ran over to my dresser as fast as I could.
I pulled out a pair of jeans and, after taking off my skirt, I yanked them on. Then I quickly rummaged through the shirts I had. Finally, I found one that seemed suitable, and I pulled my old shirt over my head, replacing it with the new one. I ran into the bathroom and brushed my teeth while at the same time trying to put on my deodorant.
After I finished brushing my teeth, I grabbed my eye make-up remover and blotched it onto the little cloth pad that was in the same plastic baggy as the remover. I wiped at the badly smudged eyeliner, managing to get most of it off. I settled with that and rolled some more on before putting on a medium brown colored lip gloss, giving my lips a darker look with a brown tint. I stepped into my shoes with no need to tie them and grabbed my bag off of the floor.
I ran out the door while checking my watch which now said 7:57. I was definitely going to be late.
Suddenly, a dark cloud seemed to form in front of me and then turned into the shape of a person.
I stopped dead in my tracks until the person was recognizable. It was Stanton, and he had just formed out of this dark cloud.
My eyes were wide with shock, but he just grabbed my arm.
"This may feel a bit weird," he whispered before we suddenly were one big dark cloud.
The world around us was passing by in a flash. I recognized a couple streets and then recognized the school hallways. We reformed again in a small crevice in the wall.
"What was that? What did you just do?" I asked, shocked and stunned at the same time.
"I got you to school on time; I'll explain the rest later. Just get to class. Otherwise, this was useless," he said before turning into a shadow figure again.
I ran around the corner into my first classroom. People gave me odd stares, but I found a seat just before the first bell rang.
I don't know how, but somehow he managed to save my morning... I was completely thankful, and yet, I would still be expecting an explanation when I saw him again.
The rest of the day seemed extremely uneventful as I walked from class to class.
At lunch, the five girls motioned me over to their table again. I sat down awkwardly with my new knowledge of what exactly they were.
"So, does anyone want to give me a better explanation of what's going on?" I asked looking around at them skeptically.
"The question is, how much do you already know?" Tianna asked raising an eyebrow.
"Not very much," I replied honestly. "Stanton only told me the basics, like how you guys have special powers given to you by the Goddess Selene. And you're out to defeat this big bad thing called the Atrox who is after 'hope'. And somehow I'm caught up in all of this because that guy – Tymmie I guess was his name – decided to try to turn me, and Stanton and Serena protected me. And for some unknown reason Stanton and Serena and the rest of those…what are they called...Followers, can't read my mind," I finished finally, feeling like it was a bit rough.
"That's all you know?" Serena asked skeptically.
"Yeah, whenever I pressed for details, Stanton gave me this 'It's not my place to tell you.' line," I explained.
"Wow," Jimena said, not really looking like she cared much what I knew. "You never know, chica, maybe he's better than we give him credit for." She looked at Serena as she said this to her.
I turned to face Serena, and she had this odd expression on her face. Almost like she was concentrating on something.
"I can't do it," she finally said with frustration. "No matter what approach I take, I can't seem to get inside her mind."
"Excuse me?" I inquired, feeling a little peeved about her attempt to invade something as private as my mind.
"We're trying to help, really. Serena was just testing to see if maybe she was just looking at your mind from the wrong angle or something," Catty amended for Serena.
"Shh, here comes Michael," Vanessa said quietly.
He must be the only one out of the loop here.
"Hey, guys. Sorry I'm late; my class was held up," Michael, I figured, said as he walked over to us with a bright smile. He sat by Vanessa, giving her a hug from behind. She smiled and squirmed a little in his grasp.
It almost made me sick the way it seemed too played out. As if they were actors in a TV show. It was too perfect the way she giggled as he sat down next to her. Or how her hair fell on her other side, seeming to block away her friends for hers and Michael's little "private moment". I turned away as they kissed, feeling as if I were either watching a cheesy chick flick or spying on an elderly couple who were trying to play "young again".
Meet us after school. The thought came across my mind and I jerked my head up looking at Serena. Don't worry, you'll get used to it eventually. But seriously, meet us after school. We need to take you to see Maggie; she can help you figure this all out. Plus she might be able to tell us why I can't read your thoughts.
I nodded, barely noticeable, and brought my attention back to my plate of food.
I poked around at my food not really hungry even though I had skipped breakfast in my rush to get to school on time. I thought about how Stanton had just turned us into a murky shadow and zipped us all the way to the school in less than two minutes.
I hoped this Maggie person could explain everything to me. I didn't feel like playing the keep away game when the information they were keeping could be vital.
After a while the bell rang and we all stood up to dump our trays. It felt like the lunch hour had gone so fast. One minute I was thinking about what would happened when I met Maggie and the next it was over.
After I dumped my tray, I walked to my next class alone as the other girls split up as well. Tianna came down the same hall after me, and we discovered that we both had our Drama class together.
I sat down in the seat next to her, and the teacher began the class immediately. It seemed like the clock was moving in slow motion. For every second that ticked by, it felt too much like a minute to me. It was the exact opposite of what had happened at lunch.
What is wrong with me? I thought to myself as I rested my head in my hands.
Finally, the teacher handed out papers that had a certain scene on them. It was all randomly given, and we each had to practice our scene for the next week. I didn't pay attention to the scene she gave me and instead opened my binder, placing it in a folder. I flipped over to a blank page and began doodling.
By the time class had finished, I had doodled over half of the lined paper I had opened to.
I only had one more class before I was free.
I didn't pay hardly any attention to what the teacher in my English class was saying. Instead, I stared out the window into the busy streets of LA.
I wonder what he's doing right now…
A/N: Okay not really a note just a reminder to let me know what you think and give me ideas for what you really want to read about.