Hi, guys! Sorry for all the late updates. It's final exam week for me, so night is the only time I have time to write. Thanks for all the reviews, suggestions, and constructive criticism! Remember, flames are welcome. Let's begin the story!

Ivy's POV

I woke up on Saturday morning screaming. I had dreamed about the time the shower had covered me with the acidic, black ink. Even though it was only a dream, my palms were slick with sweat and my skin tingled. 'It's all in your head, Ivy,' I reminded myself as I rolled out of bed.

"Hey. Next time you want to scream, do it quieter," my silent roommate spoke for the first time, as she rubbed the sleep out of her green eyes.

"Sorry," I mumbled awkwardly.

"It's okay. I'm Blossom, by the way,"

"I'm Ivy." I introduced myself. I glanced at my digital clock. 6:53, it read, which meant I had an hour to eat breakfast before my studying session with Hunter. "I'd better get going," I told Blossom. "See you later."

I quickly threw on a baggy tee shirt and a pair of shorts. I ran a brush through my short, white hair before I grabbed my textbooks and ran out the door.

Luckily, not many students were awake at this time on a Saturday morning, so I didn't have to wait in line in order to get my food. But because I wasn't very hungry, I just grabbed a blueberry muffin and a steaming cup of black coffee.

The only other kid in the cafeteria was Holly Flame, reading a textbook. I sat down across from her.

"What are you reading?" I asked her cheerfully. She looked up at me, slightly puzzled that I was talking to her.

"Oh, it's my book on law and government. I'm taking a special course on it this year." She replied, shrugging her shoulders.

"Are you interested in the law?" I inquired, trying to keep the conversation going. Her eyes brightened and she nodded enthusiastically.

"Totally. I want to be a law professor when I'm older!" She gushed. Suddenly, she looked at me suspiciously. "Why are you being so friendly this morning?" She demanded.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I dunno. I guess I'm just in a good mood!" I exclaimed. I checked my watch, and saw that it was almost 8:00 already. "Well, I've gotta go. See you around school, Holly!" I waved goodbye to her. Holly stared after me in shock.

The library at South Forest was truly incredible. Tall bookshelves that almost reached the high ceiling were packed with antique looking books. On one wall, there were three floor to ceiling windows. At the front of the room, there were about ten round, wooden tables, each equipped with a comfortable looking chair. For a few moments, I just looked around the room in awe.

"Hey Ivy! Over here!" A voice broke me out of my wonder. Hunter was sitting at one of the round tables, smiling and waving at me. I grinned at him and walked over to where he was sitting.

"Hi! Good to see you again. Also, thank you so much for agreeing to tutor me,"

He shrugged. "It's no big deal. Besides, I really like tutoring,"

"So what will we study first?" I asked him.

"Well, I think we're going to study chemistry first." He answered as he slid a piece of notebook paper in front of me. "We'll start off with some really simple stuff. Here's an easy warm up question for you; If the atomic number of Astatine is 85, how many electrons does does it have in its valence shell?"

I froze. I didn't even know what the word "valence" meant. "Uhhh, I'm a little bit rusty," I stuttered smartly. Hunter rolled his eyes.

"You have a lot to learn," he chuckled.

A few hours later, I was feeling way more confident about the material than before. Hunter was an incredible teacher. He was patient, but he constantly challenged me. Honestly, his intelligence surprised me. He didn't seem like the type of guy to do well in school, but he was actually astonishingly smart.

We packed up our books at 11:00, and Hunter slung his blue book bag over one shoulder. "See you in drama!" He called out to me as he exited the library.

After I put my books back in my dorm, I decided that I would walk around campus for a while. At the edge of school property, there are a handful of shops and restraints for students to visit on the weekends. Since I hated shopping, I wanted to check out the coffee shop.

The shop plain, stereotypical coffee shop decorating. The cashier was a young woman with mahogany hair and fair skin, who's name tag read 'Sophia'.

"What can I get for you today, Miss?" She asked me cheerfully, her sickeningly sweet voice making me want to slap her.

"Um, yeah, I'll have just a plain cup of coffee. Black." I told her. Suddenly, a group of girls burst through the glass door, my sister amongst them.

"Oh, hello Ivy! What are you doing here?" asked my sister.

"Oh, you know. Just hunting dinosaurs," I told her sarcastically. Donna glared at me.

"Don't be a bitch." snapped Donna.

"That's hilarious, coming from you," I retorted. Luckily, Donna didn't hear me.

I sat at a table with my coffee, alone. Another couple was sitting nearby, and I could hear their conversation.

"You have to stop meeting with him. It's not healthy, Bruce," scolded a blonde girl. Her companion, a boy with amber eyes and black hair, scowled at her.

"He's not hurting me, Heather. I promise. Besides, he's going to help me show my dad a lesson.," Bruce reassured her. A frown came across Heather's pretty face.

"If he's really not hurting you, then what is this?" She asked him, tracing a red cut on his neck with her fingers.

"It was an accident!" Protested Bruce. Huffing, Heather grabbed him by his pale hand and led him out the door.

Even though it was none of my business, I couldn't help but wonder who the "him" the young couple spoke of was.

Donna's POV

I nibbled on my bagel as I observed my fellow students eating breakfast in the cafeteria. "Hey Donna!" Hailey called me. I saw her and Cindy standing on the other side of the cafeteria, beckoning me to come to them. I got up and walked over to them, carrying my breakfast tray with me.

"What do you two want?" I asked them.

Hailey smiled at me in excitement. "Did you know that the Halloween Masquerade is in a few weeks?" She asked me excitedly.

I was surprised for a moment. I hadn't even realized that Halloween was so soon. "Really? I can't wait to go!" I gushed.

"Hailey and I are going to take our boyfriends shopping for our costumes today. Wanna come?" Cindy asked me.

"Alright! Let's get the cutest dresses they have in stock!" I exclaimed.

Liam and Barry were waiting for us at the entrance of the school. "Hey girls!" Liam greeted us. Cindy ran up to him and kissed him on the cheek.

Cindy and Liam were in a very stereotypical relationship. She was the head cheerleader, and he was the captain of the football team. But they were in a healthy relationship, and they made each other happy. I wished that I could have a relationship like Cindy and Liam.

Hailey led the four of us into a small little boutique. Hailey and Cindy ran inside, and instantly started squealing over the dresses.

I browsed through the racks of dresses for a while. Although they were all pretty, none of them really caught my eye.

"Need some help?" Asked a voice behind me. I turned around to see a boy about my age with dyed gray hair and kind amber eyes. His name tag read: 'Hello, my name is Benjamin.'

"Yeah, I do. I'm looking for a dress for the Halloween Masquerade," I told him.

"Oh yeah, the masquerade. I need to by a suit for that." He murmured. "Follow me, I think that I know just the right thing for you."

He led me to a rack full of silk dresses. He looked through the for a second, before pulling out a dove gray dress.

"How about this one?" Benjamin asked politely. I studied the dress for a moment.

"Maybe. Can I try it on?"

Benjamin nodded and pointed towards the back of the shop. "Of course. Changing rooms are back there."

I smiled at him in gratitude, and walked into the changing room.

When I had finished getting dressed, I looked at myself in the mirror. I looked stunning. The dove gray went well with my skin tone, and the fabric billowed at my feet. The dress fit me perfectly, hugging all of my curves. Even though the color was plain, I looked like a princess.

I slowly stepped out of the changing room. Benjamin's eyes widened when he saw me. "Wow. You look… beautiful. That is totally your dress." He told me as he stared at me in awe.

I blushed. "Thanks," I said, grinning. Benjamin handed me a feathered masquerade mask that matched my dress. "Here you go. Because it's a masquerade, you know." He told me.

I bought the dress and the matching mask, which were unsurprisingly expensive.

"Wait!" Benjamin called to me as I was walking out the door. "You're Donna, right? I've seen you around school."

I nodded. "And you're Benjamin, right?" I asked him.

He looked excited for a moment. "How did you know my name?" He asked.

"I read it on your name tag," I told him with a shrug. His face fell.

"Oh," he muttered. "Yeah, my name is Benjamin, but everyone calls me Benny,"

I smiled sweetly at him. "I hope that I see you at the masquerade, Benny," I giggled. Benny looked like he was about to faint.