Chapter 2: The Clouds that Cover the World

Jill's POV:

I lugged all of my stuff into my dorm and breathe a sigh of relief. After an hour of arranging everything I sit back in my chair, satisfied. I should've been happy then, I should've been enjoying my new dorm, my new life. But I wasn't. The smile on my face wiped off and I frowned. What was I doing?

I was all alone in a beautiful place. I was free to do as I pleased, free to be who I wanted to be. I was also completely and utterly alone. There was no one to talk to here, and that definitely wouldn't be changing any time soon. Everyone here already has friends, allies, acquaintances. Who knows if I was the only person that was new?! I'm supposed to be finding myself, that's why mom told me to go. That, and the fact that mom saw my father in me. Now that he was gone, I'd become more alone than ever. No one could understand what it felt like to lose someone who'd always been there, to feel them floating away like a cloud, but not being able to catch up with it. It was like chasing the moon. You knew the night would end, and so your task was almost impossible. The moon was millions of light-years away, and yet because you could see faint images of it, you thought you'd be able to reach it.

But…but…eventually you realize that it's useless. There's nothing you can do to catch up to the moon. There's no way to rewind to the past and starting it up the right way. You have to take everything day by day. The thing was, I'd always had my mother around to help me with it. She could distract me from everything. In Paris, no one knew anything about me. No one knew how many nights I'd stayed up on the farm after my mom had shooed me off for a while. No one knew how much I missed my dog and cat back at the farm. They hadn't been made for the city life and I'd given them to the two kids in town; Kate and Hugh. No one knew a thing. No one would cut me any sort of slack.

Maybe that was a good thing. Maybe that meant I could get a new start. I didn't have to be the same shy, insecure girl I'd been, hiding in the shadows during my dad's funeral. No matter what, I wasn't going to be held back by my past. I could just take care of my future.

I smiled, wiping the moisture from my eyes. I showered and slunk into some fresh, simple clothes and put my hair in a pony-tail. The walls were paper thin. I wondered who was on the other side. I gripped the door handle and pushed it forward.

The door swings back and knocks me straight in the forehead.

What the heck just happened?

I squint at the blurry room around me. It is my room. So why am I passed out on the bed? Did I random fall asleep? Am I that jet-lagged? What in the world?

"Hey beautiful, I'm glad you're awake," a sly, voice says.

I scream, a full-out, horror movie scream.

"WHAT IN THE WORLD?! WHO ARE YOU?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?! IS THIS SOME SORT OF PARIS RITUAL? ARE YOU GOING TO TAKE ALL MY MONEY? I STILL HAVE TO GO TO THE BANK AND GET IT EXCHANGED! ALL I HAVE IS GOLD! I'M ABOUT TO GO GET THE EUROS NOW! I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY, JUST DON'T KILL ME!"

He gives me the strangest look ever, then starts laughing like a maniac.

"WHAT?! WHAT IS IT?!" I ask, genuinely frightened.

He was hot. There was a hot, strange, boy, laughing at me as I lay passed out on my bed. Silver hair, green eyes, cute face.

"SKYE ARE YOU IN THERE?" some girl yells.

His face remains relaxed. "How do you know where the bank is?" he asks.

"I don't. I was going to ask, or use Google or something," I say. "WAIT, NO WHY ARE YOU ASKING ME…?"

He presses a finger to my lip, smirking flirtatious. "Now beautiful, you really should lock your door more often, it'd be a waste to see you get hurt. I'll take you to the bank ok? "

"Who are you?" I ask him. "I don't need your help, I don't even know who you are!"

He smiles. "So you're a smart one huh? Smart and rich, that's something."

"Rich?" I ask him.

"Why else would you be here?"

"Ever heard of a scholarship?" I ask him.

"SKYE? WHY ARE YOU IN A GIRL'S ROOM?" the woman yells again.

He glances at the door and smiles, shaking his head.

"This is silly. If you don't want my help then fine. But you have to ask someone," he says.

"Your name is Skye?" I ask him.

He winks at me. "Yours?"

"It's Jill," I say. "Jill Suzumiya."

A look of surprise crosses his face. "You're…you're…"

"SKKKKYYYYYEEEEE!"

The woman busts through my door and surveys the situation, then starts screaming.

"HEY YOU! GET OUT! YOU HAVE NO PERMISSION TO BE IN MY ROOM! GET OUT, GET OUT, GET OUT!" I scream, blushing. "NO, NO, NO!"

"Oh!" she says, her expression softening. "Sorry about all of this. My name's Luna Hiroshi. I met Skye last year. Are you new? I've never seen you around here."

"Jill Suzumiya," I say.

"Sorry to jet out on all of you like this," Skye says, smirking from my doorway.

"Huh? HEY!" Luna screams.

He winks at me. "See you later gorgeous."

Despite myself, I blush. Luna yells but it's futile. He's gone.

Luna sighs. "That fool, always getting out of trouble like that. You're new, so I guess someone should really tell you. That boy, he's like a storm cloud. He'll bring trouble, no matter what. I'm sure you know that. He's a thief, and no one says anything because he's from a very rich family. That's why he's in this school. No one's going to expose him. We think of him as more of a kleptomaniac rather than a rebellious little kid. In any case, you know how storm clouds can cover the sky so easily? That's what Skye is. He's nothing but a bad omen, covering the beauty of the world. He might seem harmless, or like a little rain cloud, but trust me, that boy is bad news. Avoid him at all cost. Anyway, I should really head out. Sorry for barging in like this. I like right across. If you need anything, feel free to stop by at any time!"

Luna leaves and I sigh and fall in a heap on the floor.

How the heck was I supposed to exchange my currency when I didn't speak French?

This day was going PERFECTLY.