My first flashback! Yipee! This is no doubt dedicated to nikitabella! See, I ended up doing it just as you wanted. Third person POV and on Christmas Eve! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Do not own anything exept the plot!

Oh and thnx to all the guys who reviewed!

*Flashback 1*

Nobody's POV

"Jeez,Thals! I'd be fine!" Jason said, slapping her sisters hands away from his hair. She had spent almost half the car ride fussing over his hair and clothes.

"Oh c'mon Jase! It's your first day in new school. Mom should be the one fussing over you. But she had her 'Tanning appointment'. I mean, what kind of mother does that?" Thalia said, pouting.

Their mom was an infamous actress in a television soap opera. But last month she got an offer from the Hollywood. So they had shifted to Los Angeles. Thalia and Jason were starting anew in LA High School. The school for most posh and richest families in town. And it being the Hollywood town, there were lots of celebrities' kids.

"It's your first day in new school too!" Jason pointed.

"But I'm in second standard. And you are in kindergarten. Kindergarten first day is always special," Thalia said.

"Was she there for yours?" Jason asked.

"No," Thalia admitted.

"Then I don't want her there for mine either," Jason said.

"Aww!" Thalia said, trying to hug her brother. He just pulled back.

"Uh-uh. No hugs! I'm a big guy now!" Jason said pouting.

Thalia gave up and said, "Okay, big guy. School's here."

Jason looked up and gasped. The building was magnificent. In fact it didn't look like a school. It was this round glass structure with beautiful garden around.

Thalia let out a whistle. "Mommy dearest must be getting paid up front."

Jason was so speechless, he just nodded.

"Thanks Carl!" Thalia said to the driver, jumping out from the car.

"No problem Miss Grace," he said, then looked back and found Jason still sitting there. "Are you not going, Mr Grace?"

Jason startled and looked up. "Huh? What? Oh I'm just going." He shouldered his bag and hopped out of the car. Carl drove away but not before informing us he'd be there in the dispersal too as their mom had some work to take care of.

"So, little brother? Ready to meet the snobbish, self-centered and arrogant children of our Mom's possible co-stars?" Thalia asked, as they started walking towards the gate.

"First of all, don't call me that. And second, I don't think they will be snobbish. At least not all of the-" Just then Jason bumped into someone.

"Sorry!" Jason said hurriedly. He then looked down to see who it was. It was a little girl, around his age. But Jason was past noticing that because he was busy being knocked out. She was shorter than him, but not that short. Her hair were chocolate brown with thin braided stands on the sides of her face. She had a nice tan and her features were perfect. Her eyes were... Jason couldn't decide on one color. They kept changing from blue to green to brown to grey... She was wearing a blue denim frock with sneakers. Her bag had fallen from the collision. So he bent down and picked it up for her. She snatched it back from his hands. Instead of shouldering her bag, she was carrying it in her hands. Jason made a mental note on asking her afterwards.

"Look which way you're going much?" the girl sneered.

"Excuse me!" Thalia said, and tried to get in between them but Jason pulled her back.

"I can fight my own fights," Jason told her. He looked back at the girl and caught her staring at him. She blushed and looked down.

"Listen, I don't want any trouble but-" Jason was saying but she interrupted.

"Let me guess," she said, smug. "-Your dad owns this school? Or he owns the Hollywood? I don't really care. Because I just don't get inti-inti... Ugh! What was the word?"

"Intimidated?" Thalia offered. Jason glared at her. "What? You said you can fight your own fights."

"But that doesn't mean you will take her side!" Jason complained.

"I didn't. I was just helping her with a word. C'mon! She must be around your age. How the hell she could have said 'intimidated'? Do you even know what it means?"

"'Course I do!" Jason said.

"What does it mean then?" Thalia asked, folding her hands.

"It means... okay I don't know," Jason said sheepishly.

"Ha! One point to this little girl!" Thalia said. She then looked up and saw no one was there. "Huh?"

"Where did she go?" Jason asked, anxious.

"Does it matter? C'mon. Or we would be late on our very first day," Thalia said, and started walking ahead.

Jason looked around just once more. He then saw something fallen on the floor. It was the Twin Turtle Doves- the type you see on Christmas trees- made wholly of glass. It was beautiful.

Just like its owner, Jason thought.

"Hey Thalia!" He called out to his sister. She stopped in her track and looked back.

"What?" she asked irritated.

"I think that girl dropped something," he said.

"Good. Now you get to talk to her, but this time don't drool and gaze at her stupidly," Thalia said.

"Shut up!" Jason said, pocketed the doves and joined her.

"But I've got to warn you. She seemed hostile, this one," Thalia said.

"I live with you. I think I can handle hostile," Jason told her, cocking an eyebrow.

"Oh yeah?" Thalia said, stopping in her tracks. "You think I'm hostile?"

Jason stepped back from her."Thalia! No!"

"Oh you're so gonna get it," she said and started tickling him furiously. He burst out laughing.

"Well, well, well. Whom do we have here?"

The two looked up and saw a group of boys around Jason's age standing at the building entrance. The guy who had spoken was of course the leader of the gang seeing how he was standing a bit ahead of others.

The new guy had dark hair cut Superman style, a deep tan, and teeth so white they should've come with a warning label: do not stare directly at teeth, permanent blindness may occur. He wore a Dallas Cowboys jersey, Western jeans and boots, and he smiled like he was God's gift to juvenile delinquent girls everywhere. Jason hated him instantly.

"Thalia and Jason Grace. Your Mom's the new talk in the industry, isn't she?" He moved towards them. The other boys followed him like his personal bodyguards. He checked out both of them, instantly lost interest in Thalia as she was older, but he was all to have Jason as a game.

"Aww! Sister's brother, aren't you?" he asked obnoxiously.

"Lot more than that, I assure you," Jason said, his teeth clenched.

"Ooooooh! I'm scared!" he said.

"You should be, Dylan," someone said from behind them. It was the school principal, Miss Chera Horkios. Jason and Thalia laughed out loud when their Mom first told the name. They got a hell of a lecture for that one.

She was tall, a bit lean but had her curves which were evident even when she was wearing a white shirt, black coat and black long pencil skirt. Her features were elegant even when turned in a grimace at that moment. But her eyes steal the show with the scary dark glint.

"Miss Horkios. I was just welcoming our guests," Dylan said cheekily, and flashed his too much white teeth. Jason felt like breaking them.

"Yeah, I saw it alright. You, Miss Grace and Mr Grace can stay back after school today for detention," she said.

"But we didn't do anything!" Thalia and Jason said at the same time.

"That is not for you to decide. Now, off to your classes or I can make the detention last for a week," she snapped and walked inside.

"As if the bitchy students weren't enough. We got ourselves a bitchy Princi. Just perfect," Thalia mumbled.

"Later Grace," Dylan said and walked inside too.

Jason couldn't let him have the last word. "Sooner than you realise, Dylan."

"Congratulations brother. We haven't even entered the school and you've got yourself two enemies already," Thalia said.

"Oh shut up! You know I didn't do anything," Jason grumbled and the two entered inside. They walked up to the reception. A woman was standing there. She was pretty in an elvish way. She was petite and had an ageless face with a bit pointed ears. She had dark hair and brown eyes that twinkled cheerfully. She was talking on the phone, but when she saw them, she quickly finished the call, disconnected and addressed them.

"Hello. I am Mellie. The receptionist," she said, and giggled, like something was funny in her line.

"Ah, I wouldn't have known," Thalia said, looking at her warily.

"You two must be Thalia and Jason Grace. The new kids. Here I have your schedule for your classes," she handed both of them their respective schedule. "Your homeroom have already started so you two better hurry! Have a nice day!"

The two asked Mellie directions of their respective homeroom classes. Thalia offered to drop Jason to his class but he declined. The two parted their ways promising to meet in lunch.

Jason finally found his class and came to a standstill. He took a deep breath and entered the class. Luckily, he was on time as there was no teacher about. He looked around the room. He saw that all the kids had gathered at the back of the class. He tried to see through by standing on his toes but didn't manage it. So he walked towards them and squeezed through them.

What he saw made Jason's skin crackle in anger. Literally.

The girl he had met earlier, was lying there on the floor. Her hair were falling out of her braid and her eyes looked bloodshot. As if she was all to cry but was just not ready to give up. Jason understood that she was not one of those girls.

"What happened Pipey? Got enough already?" It was the Dylan guy again. Jason internally groaned. It was just his luck that he was in his class. But he thought it kinda balanced out since the pretty girl was in his class too. Dylan was holding the girl's bag and taunting her with it by dangling it just within her reach. When she tried to snatch it back, he threw it over his head so it landed on this tall cupboard which probably none of the kindergarten kid could reach.

Pipey, or whatever her name was, got up and faced him bravely. She forgot the bag for a minute and focused on him.

"Nope. Why? Is that all you got? I mean c'mon! Getting your maniac friends to snatch my bag and tripping me doesn't make you strong," she sneered.

"Oh don't be a spoil spot. I'm just asking you to sing us a Cherokee song. Don't tell me you don't know one. Your dad won't be proud," he said.

"Neither her mom I bet," a girl from the crowd said. She was standing with a group of girls who kept snickering, looking at Piper. Jason figured these girls were the popular clique. They wore matching pink frocks and enough makeup for a Halloween party. "Oops sorry, Piper. You never knew your mom. Bet she abandoned you right after she saw your face!" All the girls along with Dylan's group started laughing. All the others just looked troubled. Guess they were all afraid of these two groups. Jason understood that feeling very well.

Meanwhile Piper was boiling angry. She jumped on the bitchy girl, the two fell- Piper on top of the bitchy girl- and started hitting her hard while the bitchy girl started shrieking.

Cute, smart and violent. Jason was definitely liking this girl.

Meanwhile the bitchy girl's friends were debating if they should help her and risk ruining their dresses.

"Isabel!" Dylan on the other hand had no such issues. He dropped Piper's bag and tried to grab Piper but Jason took that as a cue to jump in. He caught Dylan by the scruff of his neck and dragged him aside.

"Oh no, you won't. It's a girl fight. Unless you're a girl. Then you're all good to go ahead," Jason told him. This time everyone laughed. Except of course Piper, who was busy hitting, and Isabel, who was busy being hitten.

"Let go off me, you freak," Dylan said, shrugging Jason off. "Do you know who I am?"

"A snobbish and arrogant ass you mean?" Jason asked. This made everyone laugh even louder.

"You!" Dylan cried and raised his hand to punch him. Jason caught it and punched Dylan in the face instead. He cried in pain and caught hold of his eye where Jason had hit him.

He hopped around in pain while his minions watched him in confusion, waiting for an order. Jason took it as a chance and looked down to check on Piper and Isabel. It seemed that Piper wasn't finished yet. She was still hitting Isabel furiously. Jason thought it was time to intervene.

"Hey! Hey! I guess its enough!" Jason said, trying to pull at Piper's shoulders. She didn't budge. Jason then tried to pull her back with force. This seemed to infuriate her as she threw a punch at the back blindly, which hit Jason's nose.

"Oww!" He cried in pain and pulled back. This seemed to get Piper's attention. She got up from Isabel, who had started crying while her group girls had surrounded her. Piper then turned around and said quickly, "Sorry." She then looked down and recognised Jason from earlier.

Jason smirked. "Look bhich bay you hit buch?"

Piper understood and laughed. "Did you just call me bitch?"

"You did hit be on by nose," Jason said, still clutching his nose.

She sobered and said, "Listen, I don't want any trouble but-"

"Let me guess," he said, letting go of his nose finally. "-Your dad owns this school? Or he owns the Hollywood? I don't really care. Because I just don't get inti-inti... What was the word?"

Piper gasped. "Blood!"

"I thought it was inti- uh... something," Jason said, raising his eyebrows.

"No! Blood! Your nose is bleeding!" Piper said, took out her handkerchief from her pocket and started dabbing on his nose. Her kaleidoscopic eyes were for the first time filled with concern instead of anger. Jason sighed internally. He can get used to it.

"Don't touch it!" Dylan screamed as one of his friends, who was examining his eye, accidentally touched it.

Piper looked up and grinned. She then looked down at Jason and asked, "Did you do that?"

"Well... it wasn't as good as you did, but yup! That would be me. Your saviour," Jason said, grinning. Piper smacked him on his shoulder playfully.

"What is this going on!" Everyone looked up to see a furious Miss Horkios on the door. Some kid had gone and fetched her. One of Isabel's friend took it as a chance and said, "Miss Horkios. It's all Piper's fault. She hit Isabel so much. She isn't even responding now!"

"And Jason hit me!" Dylan said, showing her his blackened eye. "How will I ever act in the movies now!"

"Call the nurse from the medical room. Now!" she screamed on one guy near her. She then bent down to examine Isabel and Dylan.

"Mam, Jason's hurt too," Piper said.

"From all I can gather, it was him who started the fight, so I don't really care," she snapped at Piper.

"But mam, you haven't even heard our side of the story!" Piper complained.

"Not another word Miss McLean. You and Mr Grace have just gotten yourself a week's detention," she snarled.

Piper opened her mouth to complain but Jason covered her mouth before she did.

"It's alright Piper. Forget it. I'd be fine," Jason assured her. She still looked worried.

The school nurse came. She first checked Isabel and said she was unhurt except some bruises, but had a fainting fit probably from worrying over the marks they would leave. Dylan had a bruised eye which was patched up with a bag of cold ice. The nurse insisted on mending Jason's nose too, much to Miss Horkios' annoyance. She cleaned it and bandaged it and gave him an aspirin in case of pain.

"You know, its nice you two are friends now. Made for each other. A girl abandoned by her mother and a boy abandoned by his father. Just perfect," Dylan whispered to Piper and Jason when Miss Horkios was talking to the nurse. Jason held his ground but Piper was furious.

"Since I'm having detention anyways, then I guess another week won't hurt me," Piper said and before Jason could understand, she lashed out and punched Dylan hard on his unhurt eye.

"Aaaaaaagghhhh!"

Everyone now turned their attention towards them. Dylan was now sprawled on the floor holding on to his other eye. The nurse quickly got to work, slapped his hand away from his eye so that Dylan was revealed sporting both bruised eyes. The whole class burst into laughter.

"Mr Grace. Miss McLean. In my office. Now!" Miss Horkios screamed and stamped outside.

"Is she always like that?" Jason asked.

"I... don't know," Piper said, confused."But I think we should rather go. Or she would be even more furious."

"Okay," Jason said and the two started going out. Just then the bell rung and all the kids went outside the class too. "Oh wait!" He turned around and went back inside. Piper waited outside, confused. He came out with his bag shouldered and Piper's bag in her hand. "You forgot this."

"Thanks!" Piper said and took it. The two resumed walking but suddenly Piper stopped in her track. Jason saw and stopped too.

"What?" Jason asked.

"How did you get it down?" Piper asked, surprised.

"Uh... I climbed?" Jason said, not even convincing himself.

"Climbed on what? It was so up high!" Piper said, narrowing her eyes, suspicious.

"I had practise climbing on trees," Jason said.

"Oh," Piper said, not wholly convinced. The two resumed walking.

"Can I ask you something?" Jason asked.

"Yes," Piper said.

"Why do you carry your bag in hand instead of shouldering it?" Jason asked.

"Wasn't it kind of obvious from what happened just now?" Piper asked.

"You can shoulder it now. I promise I won't let anyone take it," Jason said sincerely.

"Oh... um, thanks," Piper said blushing and shouldered her bag. Jason blushed too and ran his hand through his hair. Piper got caught up in the moment.

"What?" Jason asked, feeling self conscious.

"Nothing," Piper said looking away. Her blush became even more prominent. "Her office is this way."

The first room was small. A woman in her early thirties was sitting there typing furiously. She looked up briefly and rolled her eyes when she saw Piper.

"You again Miss McLean," she said monotonously, resuming her work.

"Can't help it, Miss Eris," Piper said sheepishly.

"She has a visitor. Wait here," she told them.

Piper and Jason took a seat on the couch at the corner.

"So..." Jason said.

"So?' Piper asked, raising her eyebrows. The two looked at each other and laughed.

"We haven't officially met. I'm Jason," he said, offering his hand.

"Piper," she said and shook his hand briefly.

"So, you're a Cherokee?" Jason asked.

"You've got problem with that?" Piper asked, narrowing his eyes.

"No! I love Cherokees!" Jason said, then realised what he said and blushed. "I mean in general."

"What? Of course in general! You didn't need to explain!" Piper said, blushing for him too.

There was this awkward silence. Piper was the first to break it.

"I'm sorry by the way," Piper told him.

"For what?" Jason asked, raising his eyebrows.

"For earlier when I screamed at you," Piper said sheepishly.

"Its okay. But I do wonder what that was about," Jason said, grinning.

"Uh... well... you see I don't like people here. Here it is all mean, selfish, spoilt rich kind of crowd. Well majority is. And they always bully me because I'm not like them. So I tend to keep to myself. And well when I ran into you... you just seem one of them you know... You have that kind of looks," she explained, her eyes on the floor.

"Yeah well, that was a very good way to tell me that I have mean, selfish, spoilt rich boy kind of look," Jason said, smirking.

Piper laughed. "That's not what I meant!"

"Jokes apart, I don't think there was any need to apologise for that. The nose hurt more than the remark," Jason said, patting his bandaged nose and pouting.

"Sorry!" Piper said flinching. Jason laughed.

"I was just joking, you silly. It didn't hurt a bit even at the time you hit me. And I'm absolutely not saying that to impress you with my strength," Jason said with a straight face.

Piper rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right."

"Mr Grace, Miss McLean; you two can go in now," Miss Eris said.

The two got up.

Jason looked at Piper, nervous, and asked, "Is she scary?"

"Very," Piper replied calmly. "Just keep your mouth shut and speak only when asked to. You'd be just fine."

"Oh boy, I wonder what Thalia would say when she comes to know I ended up in trouble on the very first day," Jason said, more to himself than Piper.

"What are you doing here, little brother?"

Jason looked up to see Thalia coming out of Principal's room.

"Thalia! You too?" Jason asked.

"First day in new school and me not making it to the Princi's office? Impossible! But I'm kinda impressed you made it too! What did you do?"

"Some kids were bullying Piper here, so I was just helping her and punched a guy in his eye. Not that she needed my help. She nearly killed a girl and punched the same guy in his unhurt eye," Jason told her.

"She was nothing near being killed but I would have loved that too," Piper said.

"Ah! The girl who gave us the warming welcome. Knew you were a tough one. So that means you gave her the doves?" Thalia asked.

"Doves? Oh I nearly forgot!" Jason shuffled in her pocket and brought out the twin turtle doves. He offered it to Piper. "You dropped these outside. I guess it must have fallen when we collided."

Piper took it and examined it."Thanks," Piper said. Jason didn't think she looked happy to see it.

"What happened to your nose!" Thalia exclaimed suddenly. Jason startled.

"Oh this? Well, I learnt today not to try and stop Piper from murdering people, especially when she is on warpath," Jason said.

"For the last time, I wasn't gonna kill her! Jeez!" Piper said.

"What did you do?" Jason asked Thalia.

"I accidentally hit the Football Team coach with the Football who said that I can't play Football as I am a girl, especially not as quarterback," Thalia said. "You know, accidentally."

"Right," Jason said, rolling his eyes.

"Go on inside. But be careful. This one is hostile. More than your new girlfriend," Thalia said.

"Not my girlfriend!" Jason said the same time Piper said, "Not his girlfriend!"

"Creepy," Thalia said and walked out of the room.

"So that was my sister," Jason said.

"Scared to see the rest of your family," Piper said.

"Just my mom, you mean?" Jason asked sad.

"I'm sorry! I forgot!" Piper said quickly. "I'll do anything to take it back!"

"Anything?" Jason asked, smiling evilly. "Then tell me what's the thing about the twin doves?"

"It was from my mom," Piper said, looking away from Jason. "My dad told me she wanted me to have one of it and give the another one to a special person in my life."

"Why didn't you give it away till now?" Jason asked, frowning.

"Never found one," Piper said.

"Oh," Jason said.

"Let alone a special person, I never even have a special fr- um- why are you smiling?"

"Nothing." Jason tried to kill the smile.

"Whatever," Piper said, shrugging. She opened the door and the two entered inside to the greatest danger of their life for the time being. A long boring sermon from the hag.

Does the last part ring any bells? Preview to the reviewer who answers first!