Chapter 1: The Abnormal Beginning

I never thought things
Would happen this way, but I was way far off from where things were even going.
The only thing I thought I knew was that somehow I was in a dream. Well, sometimes I thought it was a dream, other times a nightmare. I decided I was going to stop thinking, because obviously I was wrong each time.
How I loved him was pitiful, but none of it could I help. His eyes, his perfect face, his expressions that made me laugh. Everything about him was perfect. His love was unconditional for me, mine the same.
But it would be difficult for him in the long run…very difficult.


I woke up that morning in my Michigan home, and summer was officially over. I live in a tiny town called Tills. It was the first day of my third year of high school, and really I wasn’t excited.
I thought it was going to be a normal year, and obviously I was completely wrong.
After lying in my bed for a few minutes, I rolled over and looked at the old stereo clock. I huffed and looked up at the blank ceiling. Then I looked at the boring yellow walls.
Nothing exciting was ever there or happened. My wooden wardrobe stood angled next to the door. It was open and disheveled on the inside. My dresser which was conjoined to be a desk was covered with scattered mismatched papers.
My oval mirror sat intently just above the vanity. There were clothes draped over my mirror, and it was smudged and dirty. My wooden floor was hardly visible with clothes all over.
Everything was so boring. I gazed out the window at the ugly Tills scenery. It was humid and misty looking, and very green. Everything was green. There were no cars passing, just a quiet passing of a dog walker here and there. Then I saw the mailman open the rusty mailbox sitting crookedly outside my tiny little house.
And then I knew I had to get up and go to school. I huffed and threw my light green covers off of me. I reached over to the nightstand beside my bed, and grabbed my square red framed glasses.
I walked to my closet, and pulled out my favorite pair of light blue jeans, a blue tight fitting t-shirt with a pink brand name on it, and sneakers. I put on a decently worn black hoodie and I brushed my hair and teeth.
My mom came into the room just as I was about to leave and as she did her blithe smile vanished. “Aaralyn, you need to clean your room. It is disgusting.
And maybe this year you can stop wearing that black hoodie everywhere and look a little less intimidating. You will have more friends that way. Maybe you will meet someone special this year.” She winked at me. “Yeah right, I haven’t the other two years.
I mean there’s no one interesting in that stupid school.” I rolled my eyes and she walked over and pulled the hood off my head so she could actually see my eyes.
“There will be someone new. Find them. Use them to your advantage.” She pushed my messy and mismatched hair out of my face. She pulled up my hand and frowned at the black chipping nail polish on my fingers. “Come on Aaralyn.”
I nodded and pulled the hoodie back over my eyes and headed to my car.
I had an older car, because my mom couldn’t afford a descent one (working at the newspaper office doesn’t pay much), and because there aren’t many places in the area to get a new and half descent car. Before getting in, I looked around at the misty area.
There had been no cars passing near my house. That wasn’t too out of the normal around here, considering the population was very low.
There where 3,692 people total in the small town. I shook my head and got in the old black Camaro, which definitely needed a paint job. I drove to the school and parked my car.
By the time I had gotten there, it had been somewhat raining.
I looked around the parking lot, and to my relief, everyone’s car was somewhat like mine, old and needed a paint job. I started my way up to the school building, and kept looking around.
When I had gotten to the last row of cars before I reached the school building, I saw a shiny black car, and next to it, a white SUV. I read the labels, and the black car was a BMW and the white SUV was a Volkswagen Tiguan.
Both very expensive cars, not the typical car you would find in Tills. Especially for the teenagers here.
The black car had dark tinted windows, definitely over the legal limit. The white not as much. They had no dirty spots at all. The cars were so shiny I could see my perfect reflection.
I kept walking, but still I was thinking about the two shiny cars.
I couldn’t think of how you could get that nice of a car around this area. They were the most current versions, assuring me that they were new. The only way to get a car half descent as that was to buy it used.
The nicest car in the school parking lot before that was a brand new Ford Taurus. The rest of the cars needed paint jobs, and other various things.
I walked through the door, and looked around. It was a familiar place, but it felt different.
I looked at my papers and found my locker number, 132. I had to share a locker with someone, because the student numbers had increased and there weren’t enough lockers for everyone in the small school.
And of course I was one of the few that were chosen to share a locker. I walked around for a few minutes and then I eventually found it. I had the top part, and whoever I shared with had the bottom.
I opened my locker, and started to put my things in.

A tall boy walked over and opened the locker under me. I stepped aside to let him get into his locker. He bent down, and placed his things in the locker. I watched him intently as he got up. He was much taller than I, making me have to look up to see his face.
When I did, he met my gaze. He stared at me with a hard look then walked away. His green eyes had such a piercing look, as if they where sharp, and where stabbing me, by just meeting a gaze.
They almost hypnotized you, because they almost had a soft relaxing touch. In more simple words, they were strong and overpowering, but soft and gentle.
No match to my dark blue eyes. He was obviously very strong, because his arms were large, and his chest wide.
His jacket slung over his arm, and his stride wide, yet elegant. His legs were muscular and large. His face was so perfect, it was like an angel. He had absolutely no blemishes; his facial features were so perfect, so angelic.
I watched him walk away into the distance. I shook my head, realizing that I had to get to English class. I walked swiftly towards the classroom with my books in my arms.
I had always been clumsy and today was no exception. A senior walked past me, and I tripped over her foot. She didn’t notice as I went down, and my books flew out of my hands across the floor.
I huffed and scrambled to my knees. I crawled over to my books. I saw two large legs in front of me. I looked up and there he stood. I shuddered, looked down, and started to pick up my books.
Before I could grab one, he bent down and got it for me. He picked up all my books within seconds, and walked away. He left before I could say anything.
I shook my head, and walked to the classroom. I stood in the crowded doorway, and listened for my name to be called. “Aaralyn Harding.” I heard a sigh.
I pushed my way through the crowd of students, and stood in front of the teacher. He pointed to a chair in the middle of the room. The classroom was broken up by tables.
I looked at the table, and there he was. I didn’t even know he was in my class, let alone my grade. He just looked so mature, serious.
I sat down carefully next to him. He scooted away from me, but kept staring at me so hard. He never laid eyes off of me the whole period. It was somewhat uncomfortable.
I looked over, and he just blankly stared at me. I looked at him harder, and then looked away. He was still looking at me when class ended. He got up, and raced out of the room.

The whole time during the last few periods before lunch, I couldn’t stop thinking about him. It was almost like he was haunting me, or he had hypnotized me when I had looked at him, and I couldn’t get him out of my head.

I walked to lunch with a couple of friends. We ate outside that day. I listened to my friends talk back and forth and I mostly just looked around. I looked at all the students, looking perfectly normal to me. What I was about to see next was far from normal.
All of a sudden I saw an angelic face move swiftly across the room. The girl’s body was so beautiful. She had perfect posture her shoulders back, her chest broad and forward. She held her chin so perfectly.
It was as if she we’re a model on a runway, yet she was so beautiful it was hard to tell she was even alive and breathing. Her curly brown hair bounced as she walked. Her face was perfectly featured, no blemishes what so ever.
Behind her was the mysterious boy.
She had the same bright green eyes, and she was unimaginably beautiful. Her facial expressions almost showed her emotion, what she was thinking. She kept her focus forward, her face intense.
She looked so focused, yet so weary. Her face almost looked tired.
Behind the strange boy was a shorter paler girl. She seemed a little younger than he.
Her soft and gentle face was focused solemnly on what was in front of her. Her dark brown hair was a little past her shoulders and her lips shined.
She seemed so soft and beautiful. Her long brown coat flowed openly showing her dark colored sweater. She was wearing slender and small high heels and dress pants.
Behind her was a tall black haired boy. He was very large like the other boy, but his hair was slicked back and tight. They all had a very different definition.
That one boy just compelled me more than anything.

My mouth dropped open and I dropped my fork. My friends hearing the noise of my fork dropping on my plastic tray, they looked at me. “Aar what’s wrong?” They asked with such a concerned tone. “Who ugh who is that? I, I mean who are they?” I asked stuttering.
I didn’t expect them to know. “Gorgeous isn’t he? That is Drew Giver, and his sister Melina. They just moved here from Long Island New York. Melina is really weird, and Drew is totally hot!”
She squealed. “Yeah, but she is gorgeous. And I would seriously want to be as pretty as her.” I pointed out. “I would die if I had looks like her. She is so gorgeous it’s pathetic.
I mean she has the walk, style, and a whole lot of other stuff. Any ways, like ten girls have already asked him out, and nothing!
Apparently he needs the girls on the next level.” She rolled her eyes and went back to eating.
I nodded. “Oh and that is Carson Giver. He is incredibly hot! And behind him is Elanor. She is really pretty. Apparently from what I know her and that Carson guy are together.
Like, I have no idea why they don’t take anyone. It’s like they don’t think there humans.” She said laughing.
I nodded again. “Wait how do you know and I don’t?” I asked confused. “My mom works here remember? Duh that’s the obvious.” She said smugly. She rolled her eyes and went back to eating.
I raised my eyebrow and looked back. Kaitlin had always been a friend of mine, but she sometimes got somewhat of a smug attitude with me and everybody else she was friends with.
Her shiny blonde hair was the main point of her attractiveness, and she was quite aware of that. She was always trying out new ways to improve her hair. Today she wore a pony tail that was braided and twisted into a tight bun far up on her head. It was quite elegant in my opinion.
Her eyes sparkled as she looked around her facial features were never really identifiable. She rarely grimaced or frowned. The most she would do is keep her face straight if she were upset. No one really would know how bad the situation was. Right now she was smiling at what they were talking about.

I looked back at the mysterious boy, newly christened to me as Drew. He hadn’t been looking at me for a while. I concentrated, my eyes wrapped into his mesmerizing focus. He was looking at his full tray of food. He was picking a granola bar apart carefully piece by piece.
He looked over at me. I didn’t realize it until he concentrated into the gaze. But he looked at me as if it were a stare. He looked at me as if I had four heads and seven eyes.
His stare grew deeper and more concentrated every second. It was as if he were trying to find something in me. As if he was thoroughly examining me searching for it. I tried to keep my eyes closed, but I could only manage to flicker and keep the stare.
He almost smiled, but it ended up to be him curling his lip almost in disgust. He grimaced and turned away to look at his family. It looked as if he were being scolded.
He shook his head and looked back at me. “Oh don’t waist you’re time Aaralyn seriously. He is really…I don’t know. I don’t think he is really your type at all. You so deserve better.”
I looked back at them remembering how smug they could be. “Riley you don’t know. Besides I wasn’t looking at him that way. Really.” She grimaced and looked away.
I coughed lightly and looked back at the handsome young man. He immediately looked back at me again. His face was concentrated and stiff almost. Melina, his sister, slapped him on the arm. He looked away and covered his face.
I got up and walked into the lunchroom. I shoved my tray in the trash can and placed it on the top.

After lunch, I walked to my locker and pulled my things out. I walked, and didn’t notice who was in front of me. I slammed into somebody, and our books fell.
I looked down, and there was Drew Giver. “I am so sorry I wasn’t looking at where I was going.” I stuttered. He smiled. “No problem. I am Drew…Giver.”
He extended his hand and I took it. “Aaralyn Harding.” I smiled and blushed. There was an electric shock between our two hands and we both pulled away quickly.
“Umm, I know you’re new, is there any class I can help you find?” I questioned quietly. “Well, I am looking for Mr. Livingston, for history.” He replied looking hazily at his schedule, than back up at me.
“I am going there to. But we are so late there really isn’t a point of going.”
I sighed. “Well then, what do you suppose we do?” His tone was calm and quiet. Very serine and relaxed. “Well, a place that is kind of empty is outside, where we ate lunch.
We can talk, only if you want to.” I proposed the idea very gently. He nodded and followed me quietly through the back doors and into the open groggy area.
We walked silently over to a table, somewhat damp from the never ending mist. I threw my book bag down, and put my hands on the table top as I swung myself up.
He sat down next to me and began a conversation. “So, have you lived here your whole life?” He sounded reluctant and uncomfortable, but still relaxed. I nodded.
“Yeah, once you’re here for a while it gets kind of boring.” I shook my head. “I can assume it’s always this groggy.” He stated. I nodded and sighed.
“So, this is just a random question, do you have a…boyfriend?” He asked shuddering. I shook my head and smiled. “I have had a few, but there was never really…”
“Importance, truth, feeling, something real.” He finished. Then all of a sudden, I slipped into his bright green eyes. “Until now I never felt that way, no.”
Then I realized what I just said. He smiled. “Ugh…I am so sorry I didn’t know what I was saying, I didn’t even mean it that way. I am so sorry.” I shook my head and covered my face.
He laughed a little. “No, you’re right, it’s there.” I smiled in confusion. “Really?” He nodded. I laughed and pulled my hair to the side, and looked to the left.
Drew jumped back a little. “What?” He shook his head. “Your neck is,” He placed his hand on my neck, and I shivered, “Sorry; it’s just the mark on your neck,”
I had a strange birthmark on my neck. It was almost like a burn, but it was a neatly curved heart. “It’s just a birth mark.” I tried. “It’s called a fire heart.” He muttered.
“You know,” he started sitting up again staring back into my eyes. “When you have a fire heart, it takes effect when you’re really in love. And it causes a fire heart in here.” He gently pressed his finger on my heart. He smiled and clenched his jaw.

For the first time, I really felt importance. I felt somewhat important, yet already he was important to me. I felt true everything with him, yet we just met.
The feeling was that itself. I wasn’t sure what it was yet, it was a mystery. I didn’t know if it was that I actually liked him, or something else, but it was really there. It was real, and that feeling would stay with me as long as he did.