Chapter One

The way the sun shone down on his eyes was the first thing I noticed about him.

There was no light in his eyes. No shine, no sparkle, no glint. Just blank, glazed over nothing. He stood staring at the school insignia. The large badge was imbedded into the school’s wall. Dark green and silver with a mocking bird painted on. I was sitting underneath the big willow on the bench that had been there since this school opened, watching him.

He was tall, thin; but not lanky, muscular; but not buff. His hair was below his shoulders, above his waist, straight, and black like ebony. His skin was pale, but not deathly. His face bore no blemishes, his skin everywhere as well. His eyes, those glassy globes, were the colour of mercury. Silver slits, so beautiful it would make the artists of the world cry. Unfortunately they were dead, making them like steel.

Altogether he was the epitome of male beauty. Icy cold eyes with no feeling, the best skin there was, hair like a god and the body of angels. He was a beautiful masterpiece. I sighed; all he needed was a heart. Nobody was perfect. This was something I had had to learn the hard way. I let out a breath and focused my eyes on him. Somehow his presence had caught my attention, something which hasn’t happened in a very long time. My eyes followed all his movements, kept track of all his actions, and memorized his every being.

He had all of my attention. Truthfully, I was amazed, but as I analyzed him, I could see why my attention was caught.

He had a beautiful soul.

**

Samantha Chainsrow sat in her history class looking out the window and sighing every five minutes. Her teacher was boring her to bits. She was so sick of the disgusting cretin standing in front of the class, blabbering about useless garb that no one really needed to know. Most of his supposedly historical facts were twisted and untrue, and his annoying habit of snorting every ten minutes was making her hair stand on end.

None of this was noticeable to anyone else though. Sam was like a beautiful picture, a sculpture even. Beautiful and stone-like on the outside while her thoughts and actions raged on inside. She had long black hair, black onyx eyes and very fine oriental looks. No one knew if she was Chinese, Japanese or Korean maybe. She was tall, and had a model like body. She was rich, smart, but no one had ever seen her parents nor heard of her before she entered Avebridge High. She had no past but many connections.

She wasn’t bitchy, but she wasn’t interactive and popular either. She never smiled, nor laughed, nor shared any emotion with anyone. She had two friends who stuck to her like glue. They protected her even though she didn’t need protecting.

Sharon Jerrickson was outside of the class waiting for her friend. She was one of the two guardians of Sam as the school had dubbed Sam’s best friends. She was almost as tall as Sam and was curvier than her model friend. She had short black hair cut in a bob with a fringe that grew longer on one side. Her eyes were baby blue like the sky and were like crystals. She was very good looking but could not match Sam’s unearthliness. “Sam Sam, I think Zalea is waiting for us outside,” Sharon said. Sam nodded and Sharon saw the smile in Sam’s eyes. No one knew how to read Sam unless she allowed you to. Sharon beamed at her friend and plugged her headphones into her ears.

As they exited the school, Sam looked at the groups around her. She had chosen this specific school a year ago for a reason. She had wanted a feel of what schooling was like now and also to study people. Their interactions and emotions that raged and faltered. She had become attached to the school. There were some good people in the school.

To her left a group of three stood leaning against the wall talking to each another softly. A boy and two girls. They were not normal. Not James at least. He was dark and very quiet. He only ever talked to Anita and Lyssa, the two girls. After watching them for one hour the first time she noticed them, Sam could deduct that James and Lyssa were childhood friends and that Anita was James’s love interest. They were an interesting group.

She stared at them as Azalea walked up to her and Sharon. “Samantha, we’re heading off to the town to do some shopping. I’ve just gotten money from my parents,” She said cheerily. Her soft dark brown curls bouncing with every step. She was as tall as Sharon, with a slender body, and bright blue eyes. She was very normal, with a good heart and good soul. Sam had to smile every time she saw Azalea, but there was a darkness that surrounded the simple girl’s heart. It was a lurking hatred that she hid from everyone. Sam nodded at the bubbly girl and smiled with her eyes.

Suddenly Sam’s eyes widened. Her entire body froze, still like stone. Sharon stared at her friend. Azalea wondered what was keeping them and looked back to see Sam’s face etched with tension. She stood straight, as if the air were ice. “Sam? What is wrong?” Sharon asked.
“James? Lyssa?” Sharon turned to see the three that Sam often liked to stare at. James and Lyssa were exactly like Sam, frozen, expressions tense. Anita was worriedly watching her friends. A rush of cold air passed by them. All the other students walked past the frozen ones as if there were nothing wrong in the air when there was.