Zoe had to restrain herself from skipping to the parking lot once the last bell sounded through the school. She arrived at the old black car and leaned against the wall to wait. Students walking past were watching her with open curiosity. Zoe hugged her arms to her. She always felt so exposed when people stared.

She swallowed a sigh of relief when she saw Kyle and Haley slowly walking toward the car. They seemed deep in discussion, and Zoe realized they were oblivious to the looks the other kids sent their way. Zoe couldn't place what it was. She sensed hostility from some of the girls, their looks like daggers toward the brother and sister. But the majority appeared to be intrigued, the way they curiously watched Zoe, too.

"We're going to go by the Chill Bar before we drop you off. I hope you don't mind much." Haley said the moment they were in earshot.
"No." Zoe shook her head, and felt heat rise to her cheeks when Kyle caught her eye.
"Good." Haley said.
She climbed into the backseat, and Zoe took the front passenger seat. She felt too aware of everything, being so close to Kyle. It was unnerving, and exhilarating at the same time.

Kyle started the car and they pulled out of the parking lot. Zoe was relieved when they finally left the probing eyes behind them.
"I'm really sorry, Zoe. You didn't have any plans for this afternoon, did you?" Kyle asked.
"No, it's okay. I don't mind. It's not like I have anything to do at home." Zoe admitted.
"Mrs Thornton is very over-protective about her son. When you told Haley that Jess came in to town with you this morning, she's been nagging me that we need to go stop by the diner."
"Because Jess would have stopped by to check on her." Haley said.
"And that's a bad thing?" Zoe asked hesitantly.

"Mrs Thornton would be worried that something's happened to him. She won't be impressed to find that he's walked all the way by himself, or that he would have had to walk all the way back alone either." Kyle said.
"Really?" Zoe frowned. "I don't think she should worry. He didn't look like the type of guy you'd want to just pick a fight with. Not without coming off second best."
"Yeah, he's got that way about him." Haley said.

"There's no doubt he can take care of himself." Kyle agreed. To Zoe he said, "Jess is a bit... different from the rest of us."
The conversation was left there, but Zoe couldn't help but wreck her mind trying to figure it out. He hadn't seemed any different from anybody else. Not to her, at least. He looked like a perfectly normal boy. One, of course, who had been blessed with killer looks.
They pulled up in front of the Chill Bar, and Haley got out.
"I'll be as quick as I can, okay? Just give me like two minutes." Then she was gone.

Zoe turned to Kyle. She hesitated. "Is he gay?"
Kyle leaned back in his seat and met her question with a confused expression. "Who?"
"Jess."
Kyle gave a whole-hearted laugh. "Not Jess, no. He's a real lady charmer. A chauvinist even, but don't tell Haley I said that. Between you and me," Kyle leaned closer and dropped his voice to a dramatic whisper. "The only time the female population at school are sane, is when Jess is out of town. They all just go bonkers when he's around."

Zoe thought this over. "Is that what you meant when you said he's different?"
"Sort of." Kyle suddenly looked uncomfortable. "He has a certain effect on people. I don't think he even realizes the chaos he causes wherever he goes, and it's all unintentional of course."
"Hmpf." Zoe sat back and watched the beach thoughtfully.
"What?" Kyle asked.
"I just find it funny. I didn't perceive him that way."
"I'm glad."
Zoe glanced at him, puzzled, then straightened up when she saw Haley in the doorway of the diner, talking to an older woman. Mrs Thornton was dressed in a pair of jeans and a pretty green blouse, her blonde hair hanging in long dark honey curls around her shoulders. Haley motioned to the car briefly as they talked, and then she started toward them.

Mrs Thornton glanced toward the car, and the tired smile on her face disappeared the moment her eyes rested on Zoe. She called out something that Zoe couldn't discern through the closed car window. Haley halted in her tracks and spun around. A few more words exchanged, and then Mrs Thornton started toward the car.

Zoe felt her throat close up. There was something in the way the woman had looked at her...
Haley appeared next to Zoe suddenly.
"Would you mind sitting in the back with me?" Haley asked, and smiled reassuringly at Zoe's flustered expression. "The gypsy woman wants a ride to the camp."
"Haley, shut it," Kyle snapped through gritted teeth.
"Sure, okay," Zoe said. She got out just as Mrs Thornton reached the car.
Up close Zoe could see her eyes were green; dark green like pine needles, and there was something in their depths that deeply unsettled her. Mrs Thornton looked Zoe up and down, without making any attempt of doing so discreetly. Zoe shifted her weight uncomfortably. Something like recognition and disbelief filled that scrutinizing gaze a second later.

"Hi, Mrs Thornton." Kyle called from inside the car.
"Hello, Kyle." Mrs Thornton finally tore her gaze away, and Zoe felt like running as fast as she could while those eyes were turned away from her.
"Come on, get in." Haley nudged her lightly before sliding into the backseat of the car herself.
Zoe followed suit, and leaned weakly back into the seat as Mrs Thornton got into the front.
"How was school?"
" Fun." Haley snorted.
"Fine," Kyle said at the same time.
"And who is your friend?"
"This is Zoe," Haley said, and slumped an arm around Zoe's shoulders in an almost proud gesture. "My new best friend. She moved to town not too long ago."

Kyle started the car and pulled out of the parking space, frowning lightly when he caught sight of Zoe's pale face. Their eyes remained locked until Haley spoke again.
"And she's Kyle's girlfriend."
Kyle glared at Haley for a second, and mumbled something under his breath as he turned around in his seat and pulled the car onto the road.
"Don't get ahead of yourself, Haley." Kyle snapped a second later.
"What? I'm not... oh," Haley said, meeting Zoe's flustered look. "Oh. Sorry. I thought you were together already."
"Nothing is official yet." Zoe said quietly.
"Why don't you make it official then? At the party tonight." Haley suggested, and won another glare from Kyle.

"Now, don't fight, Kyle." Mrs Thornton said gently, placing a hand on his shoulder.
Whatever Kyle was about to say died on his lips, and he focused on the road with an angry frown.
"Haley. You know better than to pry into business that's none of your concern." Mrs Thornton continued in quiet tones.

Haley let her breath out and glared out the window. Kyle turned the radio on, and music filled the car. Zoe swallowed heavily, catching sight of those green eyes fixed on her in the rear view mirror. They never left her face, not once, and Zoe feigned ignorance. She didn't know why it upset her so much – she was accustomed to people staring at her.

The drive to her house felt like an eternity. All she wanted was to put distance between herself and this stranger. She suppressed a sigh of relief when they finally stopped outside her house. Zoe climbed from the car.
"Thanks for the ride." She called to Kyle, backing away from the car and those piercing green eyes.
"I'll pick you up at six." Kyle called back.

"See you then." Zoe replied, and turned to jog up to the front door. She slipped into the house and leaned back against the front door, closing her eyes and taking deep steady breaths. She heard the car drive off. She didn't move for a long time. Silence roared in her ears. Zoe was used to things out of the ordinary, even accepting it as 'normal'. But that was definitely weird, Zoe thought, and came into motion when her stomach gave an upsetting growl.

She finished a bowl of Corn flakes, wandering aimlessly through the house. She could still see the woman's eyes in her mind. Why is it bothering me so much? She's just like everybody else...
But she wasn't just like everybody else. Some small part of her acknowledged that fact, and Zoe tried to put her finger on it. What was different about her? Sure, she hadn't exactly oohed-aaahed about Zoe's looks as most parents do, but maybe she just wasn't the type of person who felt comfortable voicing compliments. What was it? What was it about her?

Zoe tossed her empty bowl onto her bed and threw open her closet doors. She scanned through the contents briefly and decided on a pair of cream bell-bottoms and her old white tennis shoes. She pulled on a low V-cut blouse and yanked a white duster jacket over that angrily. Why couldn't she figure out what was different about Mrs Thornton? Maybe she was crazy and that's the vibe Zoe was picking up on. Or maybe...

Zoe spun around, breath frozen in her throat as her eyes fixed on the shadow in the corner of her room. She stared at it for what felt like forever, every muscle in her body rigid with tension. The shadow didn't move. It remained hovering just above the floor, squished into a long thin shapeless form. She took a slight step toward it. It didn't move.
She glanced out her window, at the blue sky and the sun losing it's strength. She looked back at the shadow and narrowed her eyes at it. Zoe turned and left her room, strange green eyes and the unnerving feeling forgotten for the moment. She picked up the phone and punched in her mother's number.

"Celeste Rudolfse..." Her mother answered.
"Hi, Mom, it's me."
"Hi, sweethe..."
"I'm just calling to remind you I won't be home for supper. I'm going to the party at six."
"Alright then. Just don't come home too late, you've got another school day tomorrow."
"I won't. Bye" Zoe hung up without waiting for a response and went to the lounge.

The TV proved to be bad company. Zoe sighed at another rerun of the Riki Lake show – this one with people who believed they were vampires and actually participated in the consumption of blood.
A faint noise caught her attention, and Zoe sat up, startled. Was someone in the house?
She sat quietly for another moment. There it was again. A very clear psssssssttt sound coming from the next room.

Zoe frowned and turned off the television. Silence roared. She stood up from the couch, slowly, listening. A floorboard creaked.
"Is someone there?" Zoe called, half-annoyed, half-scared.
There was shuffling. Then, a curt response. One word, but she couldn't make it out – and the voice was slightly different...
Zoe carefully walked to the archway that separated the lounge from the dining room. She rested one hand on the wall there, and cautiously peeked into the room.
A young woman sat on one of the chairs, pale blonde hair hanging like silk around her shoulders.
"How did you get in here?" Zoe rapped out, not knowing whether she ought to feel relief or fear that the intruder wasn't exactly a living person. Though, she regretted speaking to it as soon as the words left her mouth. Stupid, Zoe. Now you'll have this dead girl hanging around you for who knows how long...

"Eyes..." The girl looked up, and her eyes met Zoe's directly.
"Look, I don't really have time to make small talk with dead people. So, if you don't mind, get out of my house." Zoe snapped.
"Eyes... like midnight diamonds... so deep, so black... so black..." The girl said, clutching her arms and rocking back and forth, all the while watching Zoe. "I wanted to have it all. That's all I wanted... doesn't everybody want it?"
"I don't want it. Get out." Zoe said angrily.

"Nobody warned me. Nobody told me the truth." The girl stood up fast. She grabbed at her hair. "Nobody warned me!"
Zoe retreated a step, narrowing her eyes at the ghostly girl.
"Lies. All lies. He tricked me! He said I could have it all... and now I'm stuck here!"
Zoe let out her breath, gave the agitated spirit another look up and down, then turned to go back to the TV.
"He's after you! I saw it! I heard it!"
Zoe turned back and frowned at the girl.
"They... are all..." the girl seemed to be gasping for breath. "...coming... after you... Zoe... you have to... you have to... protection... from... from..." The girl was pulling at her hair anxiously, eyes wild in her head. "Ju..."

The girl stopped short. She seemed to freeze over.
"How did you know my name?" Zoe asked. This was a bit off cue from her normal dealings with her mother's 'patients'.
Zoe staggered back and flattened herself against the wall when the girl suddenly spun around, letting out the most blood-curling scream Zoe had ever heard, and repeatedly ran straight into the opposite wall. Zoe cringed at the horrible thud the girl made when she hit the wall – and she hit it with surprising force, leaving traces of blood every time. All the while the scream was going on, and on, and on, until Zoe's numbed legs were kicked into motion by adrenaline.

She found herself outside the house, on her knees, hyperventilating. She had no memory of how she'd gotten outside, but she could still hear the hair-raising screams from inside the house.
When firm hands suddenly clasped onto her shoulders, Zoe screamed too.