Jade held her books close to her chest as she selected her seat for Science class. She was fighting the urge to blush as she watched Dominick casually amble into the room. This was the only class in which she had with the handsome teen. Jade wasn't sure whether she should be happy or scared about it, but for one thing, it was making her extremely uncomfortable.

The teacher walked in, dismissing our beings and sauntering directly over to the board. Taking a indigo blue marker from its holder, she began to draw on the bleach coloured whiteboard. When she had finished, Jade read:

WE ARE STARTING A NEW SCIENCE PROJECT

I WILL ASIGN YOU YOUR GROUPS

GATHER THE APROPRIATE MATERIALS

I WILL GIVE YOU THE TOPIC ONCE WE HAVE SETTLED

Jade surrounds herself with rulers, notebooks, and paper before gathering them all up into one pile and gathered them into her arms. She then listened as the teacher called out their science project groups. All the other names were blurred in a wur of not caring. That is, until she heard her name.

"In the next group, there will be Jade, Annabeth, Adrian, and Dominick."

In a sudden jolt of panic, Jade briefly lost her breath in her battle with sanity. For a moment her vision suddenly began to blur. But, before it could go to far, she shook the cobwebs from her brain and searched for her other group members.

They all found eachother in a mesh of the class and found a slightly quieter place behind the corner of a desk at the end of the classroom.

Jade couldn't help but to think that they were all staring at her. But, that was basically because they really were. They all gazed down at her with a slightly morbid, but emotionless countenance upon their faces.

"So, you're the new girl?" She heard those oh-so familiar syllables, once again, except this time it came from the kid they called Adrian. He had light brown skin, with slightly brighter eyes. His long slender frame gave him the look that would ensure that he was, indeed, a basketball player.

"Yup, my name is Jade."

Annoyance slightly danced in his eye.

"Well, I kind of heard that." Jade froze as she realized the stupidity in her choice of words. Of course he had known her name, just think of how she already knew his.

"Oh yeah, sorry. I guess I'm still a little nervous, my thoughts aren't always too bright at the moment," she apologized, blinking her embarrassment.

A smile suddenly crept onto his face, a look of sympathy crossing his visage, as well.

"Yeah, I feel you. I remember my first day. I actually ended in puking my guts out and going home early." Jade laughed, nodding her head in agreement.

"Yes, I feel like I'm about to at times."

In all this talk, Jade had even forgotten that Dominick was there. He suddenly made his presence clear when he coughed and butted into the conversation.

"Yeah, I'm sure that you're having the most stressful time of your whole life, but we promise we won't be too rough." He said with a slight smile. But it did not reach his eyes. Was he…irritated that she had been talking with Adrian. Maybe they have some time of grudge against eachother. Anyway, it wasn't any of her business.

Jade laughed and looked at him pointedly. She was about to speak when a small, voice slithered out from the space behind you.

"Lucky, people hadn't taken too kindly with my presence when I had arrived."

Jade twisted her head around to stare at in a daze at what must have been Annabeth.

Black hair twisted and swirled in a long over hang, in the front of her face. Her whole visage screamed silently in pain, and darkness. It was as if she had been staring at a black and white movie too long and the colours began too file out so that there were no blends. No gray, or mixes. Only black and white. And, what this girl's being held of stood as clearly as the colours that coated her, Annabeth looked of pure darkness. But, Jade knew very well not to be fooled. She could see pain in her eyes, loneliness, despair. A look that just wanted a way out. That begged a world for its beauty but, instead, got drowned in the world that she'd always hated.

A world that she had dreaded ever setting foot on.

She knew because it was the exact look her brother had,

Right before he killed himself.

"Okay," Adrian mumbled awkwardly as he turned his head away. Clearly, he did not have these same feelings.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to wait for her to hand out the topic papers." Adrian smiled, a sign of dismissal of the events that just previously flowed out of the mouth of the dark gothic girl that sat behind her.

But, Jade then turned her head, and she found that Dominick was gazing back at her. An odd look frozen upon his face.