Chapter 2: Katie

My eyes shot open and my hands clenched my bedsheets. My entire body trembled and my face felt clammy with sweat. I realized that I was having one of my episodes. I wasn't able to move my body, the only movement was my involuntary shaking. I hadn't had my episodes ever since my father died. Maybe because my body felt the monster leave my life. Even after all that my father had done to me, I felt like a bad son thinking that way. Instead, I tell myself that my aunt Addison is the reason I have not been having my episodes.

  My father was a useless man who lived off of my inheritance money from my mother. My lovley mother had died at my birth, so naturally, as any good father would, mine accused me of her death. At one point I had even accepted that as a fact, so I tried to impress him. I did my chores, stayed on top of my grades, made a good impression, and scrubbed the house clean until it was shining. When I would show him my work, and ask for some appreciation, he would say "Appreciate you boy? You are lucky you even have a home. You are not my son, you are an obligation, and it is your privilege that you ate my obligation."

  Then either of two things would happen: I would just keep my face down and mouth shut, or I would talk back to him. If I talked back, then I would get beaten or sent out to sleep in the concrete backyard, with only a strip of grass. All those years I had suffered from my episodes, with no one to comfort me. I would wrap my arms around myself, why a continuous stream of tears would escape my eyes. If I told my father, then he would yell at me even more.

  My sleep problems and anxiety had gone away over the past seven years from aunt Addison's care. She nourished me back to shape and immensely loved me. In return, I helped her take care of my younger cousin, Kayla. Kayla is two years younger than me. She is extremely energetic and outgoing, and she sleeps like the dead. Just as I finished that thought, Kayla's alarm rang. I knew, that if I didn't turn it off for her, it would continue ringing forever. Kayla had the ability to sleep through all alarms, she wouldn't wake up until someone physically pulls her out of bed.

I walked out into the hallway and headed the opposite direction from the stairs. I passed Addison's sleeping figure. Then made my way into Kayla's room. As expected, Kayla was sleeping with ease, and meanwhile her alarm continued screaming. I picked it up and pushed the stop button, then I tossed it into the heap of clothes in the corner of her room.

"How is she still asleep?" Addison groaned in disbelief. I didn't notice her standing behind me.

"At this point, I really don't know."

"Well you got here first, so you wake her up." With that Addison turned and went to the bathroom.

I already knew what to do, so I gathered Kayla up in her blanket like a swaddled baby. Then I dumped her on the cold wooden floor.

"HEY!" Kayla's eyes flew open and she sat up.

"Rise and shine sleeping beast-I mean beauty." I said teasingly.

"Ugh! Get out you jackass!" And she kicked me to the door frame. I was sprawled on the ground, laughing my face off at how ridiculous Kayla's hair looked.

"Stop laughing!" Kayla then threw a pillow at me, causing me to burst out with laughter again. She then started wrestling me all the way downstairs. She dragged me to the couch and pulled out two couch cushions. Then she stacked them one on top of the other on me, and then settled herself at the very top.

"AAGHH! Get off!" I screamed.

"Seriously? You guys are in high school, act like it." Addison ordered while stepping down the stairs. Kayla scrambled off the cushions, and I rolled over, gasping for air.

"You too Noah, get up and get ready." I jumped up and stretched, before I headed up the stairs and into my bathroom.

After I got dressed, I looked into the mirror. I caressed my hair with my hands while I applied the gel. It took me years before I finally found a hair style that I really liked. I was always very fond of my hair, and not only me, but many others did too. The popular girl at my school, Jessica Stanley, calls me "the hair".

The rest of the girls in my school call me "McDreamy." I am never pleased nor repulsed. I find it very amusing. How girls, even with my pale complexion, admire me more over my friends. My popularity actually increased in the past two years. Before, I wasn't that much if a hot topic of gossip. Just two years ago, I started gaining muscles and my height increased. I am very proud of it, I reach an impressive 6'2".

I grabbed a banana and I ran out of the house. Addison's car was gone, and Kayla was waiting for me in my car.

"Took you long enough, now get in before I drive off without you." Kayla's face was still twisted in anger from being dumped out of bed. I shook my head and got in the driver's side. I then pulled put of the driveway and made my way to Mystic Falls High School.

As soon as I stopped the car, Kayla jumped out and ran to her group of friends. I stepped out and wasn't surprised when Jessica and Lauren came my way.

"Hey Noah!" Jess said, all excited. Lauren smiled.

"Hi guys." I said unenthusiastically.

"So, did you know that a new student is coming today? I wonder how she looks..." And just as usual Jess trailed off. I then made my way with squabbling at my side and Lauren talking every now and then. That's when I saw her. A girl, she was walking out of the office and she stopped to look around her. Her hair was long, straight, and black. Her skin was pale, and wow. Her features we're sharp as a knife. Her eyes searched the halls before they met mine. Her piercing gaze sent chills down my spine, before her look softened, as if she recognized me.

A group of students stepped in between us. When the mass moved, she was gone.

"Hi!" I jumped. The girl was standing right next to me. How had I not noticed her weave through the crowd.

"Oh, um, hi." I said still shaken at her sudden appearance.

"My name is Katie Pierce and I am new here. I was wondering if you could-"

"I'm Jessica, I do all the showing around for new comers." The cold look on Jessica's face sent chills down my spine. She must have been jealous, but what was there to be jealous of? I barely new the girl.

"Oh ok." Katie replied with a shrug. Jess then led her away through the crowd, already pretending to be her friend. I knew that this "friendship" wasn't going to last very long. Some part of me wanted to protect Katie from Jess. I knew how mean Jess could become sometimes.

"Well, see you in trig." I had almost forgotten Lauren was beside me.

"Yeah sure." I said.

Lauren looked at me as if she wanted to say more, but blushed and walked away instead. I headed to English, looking forward to seeing Katie again today.