3

The next week passed in what felt like the blink of an eye.

I kept thinking that as I drove to the high school for my first day. The morning was cold, although not as bad as the previous had been. The roads were clear from the snow, and the sun was shining brightly.

But even with the comforting heat coming from the car's vents, I was still shaking slightly as I drove. To say that I was nervous would have been an understatement, and it didn't help that I was wearing brand new clothes and driving my own new car.

A lot of things had changed for me since I'd moved in with Michael. They really started on the day after Christmas, when Gabrielle came to take me shopping. She'd originally been planning on doing this with me because she had felt bad about not having a gift for me when she'd come the day before, but her intentions quickly changed when she'd walked into my room and realized that the only clothes I had were the ones that I'd brought with me in my suitcase.

As soon as she saw this, she'd made it her mission to make sure that I had a full wardrobe, and that had included everything from shirts and jeans to shoes and make up. By the time we left the mall, the trunk of her blue Honda Civic was full of shopping bags.

Of course, this paled in comparison to what happened two days after that. That was the morning that Michael had come up to my room and told me that he wanted us to go out for the afternoon. I had suspected nothing more out of this then a nice father/daughter outing at first. We did that a lot during the summer. Michael insisted on us going out to lunch or dinner, or making a day of visiting different places whenever he had the day off. So I got ready and went out with him.

However, my expectations of the day were completely dashed when he pulled into the car lot down in Preston. I knew right away what this was about, and I was hard pressed to argue against it.

We spent a good hour at that car lot before I finally chose a car. It was a grey Mazda 3 sedan. I really liked that it was smaller, and the dark interior was nice; not to mention I loved the red console and the fact that it had all of the little amenities to it. I didn't dare look at the price tag though. It was enough that my dad was buying me a car. I didn't need to know how much was being spent on it.

All of this led to where I now was, pulling into the parking lot of the high school for my first day. I turned off the engine and sat back, drawing in a long breath. The clock in the car read that it was 7:45.

I was little early, but not too bad. Raziel had told me that classes started at 8:20. I looked around the parking lot, but there was no sign of him or the Lexus.

Of course he'd have to run late this morning, I thought.

My first day and the person who had promised to show me around and help me was running late.

I sat there for a few minutes, debating on what to do. I could wait for Raziel to get there, but I also didn't want to be sitting there with other people pulling in and looking at me. That thought was way too uncomfortable. So, I decided to get out and maybe go into the building by myself.

The morning air was cold as I got out, but not as bad as I thought it would be. I adjusted the strap of my backpack on my shoulder, then crossed my arms and looked at the surrounding parking lot. There weren't a lot of cars there yet, and none looked as new as mine.

My mind wandered as I looked at the large school. I wondered how many of the other kids would be talking about me today. Raziel had mentioned to me that a few had asked him about rumors that his cousin was coming there, but he'd told them that they'd just have to wait and see. If they knew that, then that meant that someone had started the rumor. I wondered if Raziel had done it in a effort to help me make some friends there.

It wasn't like I didn't expect some of them to be checking me out. After all, I was Michael Renaldi's daughter; the one who only came to Madison in the summer before. A lot of them didn't know me, so I didn't doubt that they were curious to see what I was like.

I was so lost in these thoughts that I didn't even notice the footsteps approaching me.

"Good morning."

I jumped and spun to my right to face the person who had spoken to me, and was greeted by the sight of a guy standing near me. He had jet black hair that shined in the bright morning sunlight, and beautiful eyes that reminded me of emeralds. He was fairly tall and dressed casually in blue jeans and a dark jacket.

I stared at him, feeling a little dumbfounded.

This had to be the second most handsome guy I'd ever seen.

The guy looked like he was studying me before he spoke again, "Sorry, did I startle you?"

I managed to shake my head and pull myself out of my stupor, "N-no, not really. I just didn't hear you coming."

"I see. Like I said, I'm sorry if I ended up startling you, but I couldn't help noticing that it looks like you're new here. I don't believe that I recognize you." the boy responded, flashing me a friendly smile.

He talks a little strangely, I thought.

But I let it go, "Uh, yeah. I am. I just moved here two weeks ago."

"I see. If you'd like, I can show you where the office is so that you can get your schedule. It's a little cold out here to just stand around and wait for someone." he offered.

I didn't think too much about his last comment. I was too awestruck by him. He was being so nice too. That was great!

"Sure. You don't mind, do you?"

"Of course not." the boy replied. He gestured for me to follow him, "Come on."

I followed him to the school building, taking note of how large it really was. From the distance it hadn't looked that big to me. The outside was white brick, and there seemed to be quite a few places to enter and exit all around it.

We went in through one of the double door sets, with the boy holding it open for me. There was a large open area as I stepped inside. To my right were three sets of double doors that looked like they led into the gym, and straight ahead to the left were two doors with several glass panels in the middle that led to the main office.

Our footsteps echoed on the checkered linoleum floor as we walked, proving how empty the school was at this time. I felt a little nervous as I looked at the boy near me. Why was he helping me like this? He couldn't have guessed who I was just by looking at me. But I tried to stay polite.

"Thanks for this. I really appreciate it." I spoke up.

The boy stopped and turned to face me, "It's no problem. By the way, I'm Sean Morrison." he introduced himself.

No, I didn't recognize his name from any that Raziel had mentioned before, but I could always ask him later. Maybe Sean was new there too.

Sean smiled at me as he continued, "And I'm going to take a wild guess that your name is Mia Renaldi."

Now he had my attention, "Yeah. How'd you know?"

"It wasn't that hard to figure out. I had heard that Michael Renaldi's daughter was starting here soon, and you do look a lot like him; although I have to say that you're very pretty as well." he explained.

My cheeks grew warm as he said that, though I'd admit that his words did make sense. I did look a lot like my father, and the rumors had been flying about me.

But I couldn't deny the feeling inside of me. Something felt very strange about all of this. I couldn't explain what it was, but there was something about Sean Morrison that felt unnerving. But I tried to brush it off. There was nothing wrong with someone being nice.

Sean glanced at the nearby office, "Why don't we get your schedule for you?" he suggested, offering me a hand.

I nodded, slowly reaching over and taking it. His hand was soft and warm and didn't feel that different from anyone else's that I'd held before, yet that nervousness remained within me.

Sean opened the door for us and we stepped into the office. It was quiet in there, just like the school had been when we'd entered it. In front of us was a large desk with a smaller one next to it on the left side. A door beside us led to a mail room for the teachers, and I could see past the front desk to where there was another hallway, probably leading to more offices.

A skinny older woman with round glasses and short permed dark hair looked up from the desk.

"Good morning. Can I help you?" she asked us.

Sean walked over with me to her desk. I could now see a name plaque there. Ms. Haney. She must have been the secretary.

"Good morning Ms. Haney. This is Mia Renaldi. She's supposed to be starting today and I brought her in to get her schedule." he told her.

"Ah yes. Mia Renaldi. Give me just a moment to find it." Ms. Haney said, standing up and shuffling over to the filing cabinet by the back wall. She opened the middle drawer and went through the folders, looking for my new schedule.

I turned to Sean as she did, "Thanks for the help. It was really nice of you." I said, forcing myself to smile.

But honestly, I was kind of hoping to get away from him now. He made me way too nervous.

Sean returned my smile, leaning on the counter as he faced me.

My God he's got a beautiful smile, I thought.

"Like I said, it's no problem at all. I have time, so I can show you to your first class too. There's nothing else that I need to do this morning before class, so I'm free for it." he offered.

"Um, well..."

The far door to the office banged open before I could say anymore, the sound echoing in the office. I spun around to see Raziel barging in there. But he wasn't paying attention to me. He was after Sean.

"Just what the hell do you think you're doing?!" he demanded as he came over to him.

Sean didn't seem concerned about it, although his smile immediately faded, and he took on a more passive look.

"Good morning to you too Raziel. Running a little late this morning?" he responded.

"That is none of your business! What do you think you're doing here with Mia?!" Raziel snapped.

"Nothing at all. I was just showing her around, beings you couldn't make yourself be here on time to do it on her first day." Sean countered. He still seemed very unconcerned about Raziel being so mad at him for whatever reason.

"Don't give me that shit! Nothing you do around here is ever without a reason behind it!" Raziel accused, grabbing the front of Sean's shirt.

"Raziel?!" I yelled in disbelief.

I wasn't sure of what to do. Raziel had never acted like this in front of me before, although I was well aware that he'd had his share of fights throughout his school years. But Sean hadn't done anything to warrant him acting this way.

Ms. Haney hurried over there, "Raziel Renaldi, let him go this instant! Do you want me to call the police on you?!" she threatened.

Raziel reluctantly let go. "No. I'm good. I won't do anymore." he assured her. He snatched my schedule from her desk, "Excuse us."

He then grabbed my hand and forced me out of the office.

Thankfully Ms. Haney didn't pick up the phone, but I had the feeling that she might have been writing a note to address the principal about this issue.

I didn't get much time to think about it as we came out to the large area outside of the office. Sean had followed us and apparently wasn't about to let any of this go.

"You really object this much to my just talking to her? You really are overprotective." he scoffed.

"You stay away from her. You've already been warned about trouble." Raziel snapped. He still sounded angry, but was trying hard to control his temper.

"I don't intend for any trouble to happen. I was simply being a nice guy and showing the new girl around. You should try the nice thing on for size. It would complement those pretty looks of yours."

Raziel scowled at him, "Shut up and stay away from her, unless you want to make trouble for your mom too." he warned him.

That one got under Sean's skin. I could see it in how his eyes narrowed slightly. But he didn't respond to him, only turning and walking away down the nearby hallway. I stood there in shock. What in the world had just happened?

I faced Raziel, "Okay, seriously, what was that?" I asked him.

Raziel let out a long sigh, trying to completely regain his composure, "Sorry about that. I just can't stand him at times, and I really wasn't thinking that he'd actually show up today. I should've been more careful about running late." he apologized.

"Do you know him or something? You almost got yourself in huge trouble in there. That lady thought that you were about to get into a fight right in the office." I pointed out.

"Don't worry about it. She'll mention it to the principal, but they won't do anything because it was resolved quick and no fight happened; and don't worry too much about him. He knows better than to cause trouble. Right now let's take a look at your schedule and get you to your first class." Raziel responded. He glanced at his watch and nodded as he double checked our time.

I knew this tactic pretty well. This was how Raziel avoided subjects. He simply changed them. But I wasn't about to argue with him about any of it. I'd seen enough already to tell me that, for whatever reason, he had an incredibly strong dislike of Sean Morrison. So I looked at the paper with him, pushing my sweeping bangs back from my right eye. The schedule was pretty easy to follow, just a list of classes, teachers, and times, all going down in a row.

"It looks pretty simple." I commented.

Raziel nodded, "Yeah, they usually are here. It looks like you've got Mr. McCready for your first period class. Good. You're in there with Anna."

"You mean Anna Smith?"

I knew this girl from last summer. I'd met her through Raziel while I was up there with Michael. She'd met up with us a few times in town and we'd hung out. She was one of Raziel's closest friends and very sweet and open girl. Although, to be completely honest, I had the feeling that she was more than just a friend to him. The two seemed way too close.

"Yep. That Anna. It looks like she'll have morning classes with you, and I'll have the afternoon. Awesome. Let's go."

It wasn't a very long walk to my first class. Going down the hallways, I took a good look around me. The walls were white brick, and most were lined with something or other for the classes. There were a few posters advertising prom already, and passing by the art room we could see students' artwork hanging on the walls around the door. A lot of the pictures were really good. I couldn't help peeking at the art room as we passed. I couldn't wait to get in there and start working.

Art had always been my favorite subject and I was excited that I could take a studio elective for it there. The art room had a bunch of pictures in there depicting different famous paintings and I could see easels on the back wall and trays filled with tubes of paint. Yes, that was definitely going to be a good class.

My first class was World History, and the classroom certainly reflected that. All of the walls in the room were covered from top to bottom. Three with the usual world history things like posters of the constitution and different places around the world that affected government and people.

But the wall on the left-hand side was very interesting. It was lined from top to bottom with covers from Time magazine.

"Wow, now this is cool." I commented as Raziel and I stood by that wall.

"It's Mr. McCreedy's favorite hobby. He's been reading Time for years and he likes to collect the covers. So he started hanging them in here. I had him last semester for this class and got to hear all about it. It's pretty cool though." Raziel told me.

By then we had another person coming into the room; a very familiar girl with long strawberry blonde hair and expressive brown eyes.

"Hey Raziel!" she chimed, hurrying in there. As soon as she saw me, she was over there hugging me, "And Mia! It's so good to see you again!"

Yes, this was Anna Smith. She hadn't changed that much since the summer. She was still just as pretty, although she'd left her long hair down and was now dressed in a light blue sweater and dark jeans.

"Hey Anna. Looks like I'm here with you now." I responded.

"It's about time! I was hoping you'd come to stay. So did your mom finally figure out that it was better for you up here?" Anna asked.

"It's a long story that we don't need to get into right now. Just make sure that Mia gets around okay this morning, alright? I've got to get going before I'm late." Raziel told her.

"No problem. We'll make sure to have some fun too." Anna agreed.

I didn't feel comfortable with him leaving, but what could I say? Raziel had different morning classes then me, and it wasn't like I didn't know Anna at least a little bit.

Taking our seats towards the back, the two of us watched as the other students began filing in. A few looked over at us, but didn't say anything.

Anna smiled at me, "It is really great to see you again Mia. I had a lot of fun meeting you and hanging out last summer."

"Yeah. It was fun to hang out like we did. But I have to ask you now. Are you just Raziel's friend or are you his girlfriend?" I replied.

Anna shrugged, "Well, I'm supposed to be his girlfriend, but he's got a habit of not saying a lot about it around his family yet. His dad and mine kind of don't get along. It's no big deal though." she admitted.

"I see."

I nodded and watched the teacher as he walked in and over to his desk. He was a tall, thin man that looked like he was maybe in his mid-forties. He also had a prominent mustache on his face.

Glancing at my watch, I saw that we still had a few minutes. So I decided to ask her about what I'd seen earlier.

"By the way, do you know a guy here named Sean Morrison?"

Anna immediately perked up, "Oh, you saw Sean? He actually came back today?" she said, sounding excited. I wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing.

"Yeah. I saw him when I came in this morning. He helped me out in the office with my schedule." I explained.

"Really? Now that's interesting. I didn't think that Sean did things like that. Must be because you're pretty. Maybe he just likes pretty girls." Anna commented.

I was about to say something to that when we heard the bell ring. The class sat down and the announcements came on. I reflected on Anna's words as I listened to them. Sean apparently wasn't that social with a lot of girls. I wondered why he'd spoken to me. He'd obviously put two and two together about me being Michael's daughter. Was it because of that?

The class went on as usual and I was able to follow fairly easy. I was kind of glad about that. Even though this was my first day, I could follow along with what the rest of the class was learning. I'd always been interested in history, so I was listening closely as Mr. McCready went on about the struggles of England during the restructuring after the Dark Plague. As morbid of some of it was, it was also very interesting to me.

The next class wasn't too bad either. It was Biology. I was glad that I actually liked the subject. Anna also showed an interest in the class and partnered up with me right away.

I was starting to find my comfort zone with her again. Anna had been one of the only female friends I'd ever had in my life, and like Raziel, she was like another sibling that I'd never had.

I'd dare say that my first day of school had gone by pretty smoothly by that afternoon. Even after that strange event that morning between Raziel and the boy named Sean Morrison. By the time I got into my last class, I was trying to forget about it. Obviously Raziel had his reasons for not getting along with Sean. Maybe he really hadn't thought that he'd actually talk to me.

But as usual, that was easier said than done. That would be proven at the end of our day.

The bell finally rang for dismissal. I shook my head as I noticed Raziel, who was sitting at the desk beside me. He'd been sleeping through most of our English class, and from what I was seeing while I was there, he probably did it a lot. There were several times when I saw our teacher, Miss James, glance at him from her desk. But she didn't say anything to him. Instead, it seemed like she was writing something down. It very well may have been a note to send to his father about his sleeping habits.

Raziel blinked his eyes as I gently shook him awake.

"Is it over?" he asked groggily.

"Yes, but I think you're going to have a note sent home." I replied.

"Again? Doesn't she ever give it up?" Raziel complained as he stood up and stretched.

"You always pick this class to sleep in, don't you?" I guessed. I gathered up my books and walked out into the hallway with him.

Raziel huffed, "What better class to sleep in? It's so boring in there. I hate going over all of those old dead authors, especially when she's talking in the same tone all day long."

I giggled, "Okay, I could get that part. But you know that there are at least some good older books out there. You told me that you like Shakespeare."

"That's because Shakespeare actually had some action in it, not all of this love mush and politics. Who give a damn about a woman being independent in the eighteenth century and then falling in love like an idiot?"

We had made it to our lockers now. The one I had been assigned was close to his. The lockers of this school were kind of weird to me though. They were set up in stand-alone rows and arranged in twelve rows of ten in the commons area. They were also painted three different colors: orange, red and yellow.

I opened my locker and put my books in, then stuffed what I needed into my backpack. I walked over to Raziel when I was done.

"By the way, how come you've never told me that Anna is your girlfriend?" I asked him.

"Huh? Did she tell you that?" Raziel asked, stopping for a moment to look at me.

"Yeah. Was I not supposed to know or something?" I asked him, giving my best pout face.

"No, it's not that. It's kind of complicated." Raziel admitted. He finished shoving his books in his locker then grabbed his back pack and slammed it shut, "I have my reasons for not talking about it too much right now. But it doesn't really matter that you know now. You two seem like you're good friends anyway."

I leaned against the lockers and studied him. He seemed relaxed now, so I decided to try and approach the subject of Sean again.

"Hey Raziel, why do you hate Sean so much?"

I saw him visibly freeze. That was unusual. Raziel typically always had an answer to anything I asked.

He finally answered, "You really need to ask me that?"

"Is there something I should know?"

This was getting kind of weird. What was bothering Raziel so much about Sean being around me?

Raziel shook his head, looking around. It seemed like it was just us in that one area right now.

"It's not that he's really bad. He's just dangerous at times; and the only interest he's showing in you right now is because he knows that you're Michael's daughter." he told me.

"Really? I'm dangerous?"

We both turned to find Sean standing near him. Neither of us had even noticed him walk over. He didn't look that concerned about the conversation he'd apparently overheard, although he was looking at Raziel with a bit of distaste.

Raziel glared at him, "You know it's the truth, so just stay away from her."

"So you say, but I don't see where I'm any worse than you, and I certainly wasn't doing anything to cause any harm this morning. I was certain that I was being a nice guy." Sean informed him.

"You're full of shit. What do you thinking you're doing here? I know you came looking for us, so what do you want?" Raziel demanded. He was getting mad again. I held onto his arm to keep him in check.

"That is true. I was looking for Mia." Sean agreed, "I was going to ask her how her first day was, if you really must know. I trust she didn't have too much trouble."

I shook my head, blushing again. It didn't matter what Raziel said about him. Sean Morrison was still gorgeous.

"No, I didn't." I managed to answer.

"There. You asked and you were answered. Now go away." Raziel ordered.

"You know, you're far too uptight about this Raziel. I'd never do anything to hurt her. I was actually hoping to ask her out sometime. She's very pretty and seems like a sweet girl. I think we'd have a great time together." Sean told him.

"Not happening! So get out of here!" Raziel yelled.

I was shocked. I barely knew Sean and he was talking about asking me out? There couldn't have been anything good about that. Maybe Raziel was right about him being nothing but trouble.

Sean shrugged, "Very well. Guess I'll be seeing you two around." he relented. Then he walked away.

Raziel huffed as he watched him leave. He was really mad now. But he managed to keep it together. Turning back to me, he took my hand.

"Come on. Let's get out of here before I decide to really hurt him." he growled.

I followed him out without any protest. I felt so confused now. I was glad that we didn't see a sign of Sean as we walked out to the parking lot.

I didn't get any of this. What was Sean up to with all of this? By now I was certain that it wasn't a coincidence that he'd come up to me that morning. What I didn't know was why he was now going out of his way to cause this kind of trouble.

Stopping at my car, Raziel took another deep breath and ran his hand through his hair. It was an action he typically did when he was trying to calm himself down.

"Okay. I'm sorry. I'm better now." he breathed.

"It's okay. That was kind of weird back there. Why is he doing this?" I asked him. I unlocked the Mazda and tossed my backpack in the back seat.

Raziel shook his head, "I don't know. He's never really acted like this before. But you should be careful now. Something's up with him."

"Is he really that dangerous?"

I glanced around us as I spoke. I didn't really want Sean to sneak up on us again.

"Kind of. Let's just say that he's not that good to be around. I can't really tell you why right now. Just trust me on it." Raziel answered, letting out a long breath.

He looked like he was grasping at straws on what to say. That was unusual. Raziel had always been very confident, even as a child.

I let out a sigh, "Okay. I guess I can take that for now."

Raziel smiled at me, putting an arm around my shoulders and giving me a quick hug.

"Just trust me on this, and don't worry about any of it. I won't let him keep bothering you." he promised.

"Okay. But don't get suspended for it." I requested.

"Me? Never. Hasn't happened yet and I don't plan on it happening." Raziel assured me. He peeked in the window of the Mazda, "You did pick a nice little car too. You need to let me drive it some time."

"Maybe this weekend, if you take me to check out the mall."

"Sounds fun. We'll have to do that."

I looked around one more time, watching as most of the other cars pulled out of the parking lot.

"Hey, I'm gonna head home. I want to be there when Michael gets back so that I can tell him my first day went okay."

"Sounds good to me. I've got to get back and get this stupid homework started. My dad's gonna have my head if I end up failing Chemistry. I'll give you a call later." Raziel agreed.

I stood there for a moment and watched him get into his Lexus, which was parked only two spaces away from my Mazda, then got into my own car. The engine hummed to life as I turned the ignition and I made my way out of the school parking lot.

But even as I drove down the long country road towards my house, I kept thinking about what had happened at the school. I was starting to doubt Sean's intentions in being around me. What was he up to? Why was he egging on Raziel?

I wasn't too sure that I was going to get those answers anytime soon. I didn't really want to mention any of this to Michael for a while either. He was already concerned about me being comfortable there. The last thing he needed to hear was that I was having boy trouble.

Everything was normal as I pulled up to the house. I'd always thought this was such a beautiful home. But then again, all of Michael's homes tended to be. When I'd first come back to stay with him for the summer when I was eight years old, Michael had lived in Washington D.C. He'd had a really nice condo right in the heart of the city. But he didn't live there much longer after we met again. Within two years, he'd moved down here to Madison. As for why, well, he'd said that he was just tired of the city. Not that I blamed him. Madison and D.C were like night and day.

Madison was a very small, very quiet town. The whole Eastern Shore seemed that way to me. But I wasn't complaining. It was a beautiful place to live.

Of course, nothing Michael did was ever small either, and that included the homes he bought.

Michael's house was one of the nicest in town. It was fairly big, with two floors and a full, finished attic that he now used as a studio for art and photography. In the artistic sense, Michael and I were a lot alike. I'd even dare to say that I inherited my artistic talents from him, and he'd once told me that his came from his father, who had passed away right before I'd come back to the family.

The house looked as beautiful on the outside as it did on the inside. It was done in faded red brick, with a large bay window in the middle of the front that showcased the stairs leading up to the second floor. There were two windows on each side opposite of this that also extended from floor to ceiling, with long silky white curtains adorning them on the inside. The lawn and plants around the house were neatly kept as well, completing the house's picturesque look.

I shivered a little in the cold January air as I walked to the front door. I was careful on the two cement steps leading up to it, considering they could get slick with the snow and ice. Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out my key and unlocked the door.

The inside of the house was nice and warm. I sat my back pack down and put my coat on the coat rack by the door, then pulled my shoes off and walked to the kitchen to fix myself something to drink.

The kitchen was as clean and neat as it always was. Opening the refrigerator, I pulled out a Pepsi can and opened it, then grabbed a glass from the nearby oak cabinet and poured it in there. I then looked through the frig and cabinets to try and figure out what I could fix for dinner. I'd always enjoyed cooking and I was thinking that maybe I could surprise Michael with a homemade meal when he got home.

Finally settling on some pork chops that I could stick in the oven and two smaller sides, I got them ready then walked up to my room to look for a book to read while I was waiting. I'd never been much of a TV kid. I preferred reading to that any day.

But as I walked up the stairway and down the short hall to my room, I kept reflecting on what had happened with Sean. If I was completely honest about it, I should've known that something was up. After all, most of the time, boys had never even bothered talking to me before. Even when I was in Madison before, most of them hadn't seemed that interested in me. Of course, I was now sixteen and my looks had matured a little bit.

But even so, for a cute boy to walk up to me out of the blue and start trouble on purpose with my cousin was a bit more than strange. Something was definitely up with Sean Morrison's behavior.

My room was on the west end of the house and was very big. Even with my full bed, my desk, three bookshelves, a stand with a 27 inch flat screen TV and a vanity, there was still plenty of space to walk around in there.

As I stood in front of the bookshelf and scanned the books, I shook my head as I thought about how good looking Sean was. I really needed to make myself get over that. He obviously wasn't going to be any good for me and liking him should've been out of the question.

But as I thought of that, another face popped into my mind. It was of a boy I'd known in Miami for a while; a boy that I could've called my first love.

I think that all girls, no matter where they come from, experience at least one time in their lives where they're sure they've fallen in love. For me, that time started in the fall a year before. I had taken an outside art class after school and it was there that I met a handsome guy named Zane Hedel. I'd never seen anyone like him before and had immediately developed a huge crush on him. He had pretty dark green eyes and ash colored hair that swept around his handsome face.

From that first day when he sat down and talked to me, we'd been able to become good friends, and by the beginning of the year, he'd become my boyfriend. We started going out to movies and doing different things and had a great time together. He'd even bought me a pretty ring with a pink diamond as a gift. I still wore it on my ring finger.

Of course, when you're only fifteen, things often don't last. Although I had a really good and even somewhat serious relationship with Zane, he'd ended up having to move right before I was to leave for the summer to stay with Michael. It was a sad goodbye for me, and I think I knew on that day that I had to watch him walk away that I'd just lost my first real love.

Even to this day, I hadn't thought that there could ever be another guy as sweet and kind as Zane had been. A part of me was always hoping that we'd meet again in our later years and reconnect. Maybe, if it really was meant to be, then he'd come back to me.

I tried to shake off those thoughts again and wiped my eyes with my sleeve. It was silly of me to stand there and cry again over the past. My life was starting over now, and it was going to be a good life with my dad. There was no sense in letting myself get upset over a lost love. So I pulled myself together and grabbed a book off the shelf, then headed downstairs.

I ended up spending the next hour down there on the couch reading and checking on my dinner. Thankfully, doing those things helped me take my mind off of everything I'd been thinking about.

I was setting the table at around five when I heard Michael's car pull up in the driveway. I smiled as I finished putting our dinner on the table. Now this was going to be nice.

Michael looked pleasantly surprised when he walked in there and saw what I'd done, just as I'd hoped.

"This is a pleasant surprise." he commented.

I returned his smile, "I thought it would be. How was your day?" I asked as we both sat down to enjoy our dinner together.

"Not too bad. We've been negotiating some expanding with the shipping company, and the talks have been going pretty smoothly. But enough about work. How about you? How was your first day or school?" Michael responded.

"It was okay. I have my morning classes with Raziel's friend Anna, and she was really excited to see me." I answered.

"That doesn't surprise me. She seems like a very nice girl. Of course, convincing Raphael that letting him have a girlfriend is okay has been like pulling teeth." Michael admitted.

So that was why Raziel didn't like talking about his relationship with Anna. Raphael wasn't that comfortable with it yet.

"But she's really nice. At least, from what I've seen." I pointed out.

"She is. It's just him being over protective. That's all." Michael assured me. He took a quick drink of his iced tea, "So, anything else interesting today?"

I felt like there was a double meaning to that question, but far be it for me to ask him about it. Instead, I decided to stick to the subject of Raziel.

"Well, I have English with Raziel, and he slept through the class. I think the teacher's sending a note home."

"Again? It seems like that happens a lot with her. But I don't believe that the woman's ever liked us either. Raphael and I had her class in high school too, and although we never slept through it, we certainly didn't pay attention like we should've." Michael admitted.

"Well, she is pretty monotone." I agreed. But then I realized what he'd said, "So you grew up in Madison? You never told me that."

Michael smiled at me, "Sorry, I guess I forgot to mention it, but that's why I wanted to come back here. I've always liked this area, and so do your aunt and uncle. It was only natural for us to want to come back to the original place we called home." he explained.

"I guess I could get that." I agreed, taking another bite of my own food. It had turned out really good. I had to pat myself on the back mentally for that.

"Anyway, it sounds like you had a pretty good day. I'm glad to hear that." Michael commented as he ate as well.

"Well, it was good for the most part, but Raziel almost got into a fight this morning." I admitted.

That one caught Michael's attention, "Really? What happened?"

"I don't really know. He was running late this morning, and this guy offered to show me to the office and help me get my schedule. Then Raziel barged in there and was telling him that he had no business talking to me. But thankfully he backed off before anything really happened." I explained.

I really had no clue of how else to explain this. I didn't get what had happened with Sean either.

Michael became quiet, like he was thinking things over.

"That is unusual for Raziel. Who was the boy?" he finally asked.

"He told me that his name was Sean Morrison. Raziel said that he was new around here too." I answered.

Michael nodded, "Ah yes. Sean Morrison. That explains it."

"So you know about this?"

With the way he was talking, Michael must have known exactly what was going on between Raziel and Sean, and why they didn't get along.

"Well, I know a little bit about it." Michael verified, "I've heard some things about the rivalry between Raziel and Sean since that boy moved here from Raphael, not to mention what I've heard from Sean's mother, considering she works for me. Those two haven't gotten along since day one, although it's more on Raziel's part that they don't. Their personalities seem to naturally clash, and Raziel doesn't like that Sean has upstaged him on just about everything. This morning was probably just another chapter in that. But you shouldn't worry too much about it. It's only a competition between boys, nothing serious."

A competition between boys. That did make a little bit of sense when I gave it some thought.

"So, Sean's mom works for you too?" I asked. I wondered what she was like. If she was anything like Sean, then she must have been beautiful.

"Yes. Her name's Sara, and she's the manager of the antique shop I own in Cambridge. She's been working there for me for the last four months, and she's very good at what she does. I've been feeling pretty lucky to have found her." Michael explained.

"Does his dad work in town too?" I probed.

Michael shook his head, "No. Actually, their situation is a little similar to ours, except that Sean tends to leave town here and there to visit an uncle he's been close to since he was a child. His father was killed about three years ago in an accident. His uncle has been like a father figure to him ever since."

"Oh. I see."

That made me feel a little bit bad for Sean. It was one thing to have parents who were permanently separated, but a complete other to have a parent actually die.

"Either way, I wouldn't worry too much about Sean or how Raziel acts around him. He's a nice boy at heart, and I'm sure he was only trying to help you out, no matter what Raziel seems to think." Michael assured me.

I nodded, "Okay"

I let the subject drop after that. In fact, I decided not to say anything else about Sean for the rest of the evening. Instead, I just hung out with my dad and enjoyed being there.

I kept these things to the back of my mind as I took my shower that night. All of the bad was behind me now, and with what Michael had said, I was feeling a little more comfortable over Sean too. The almost fights between him and Raziel were normal. Their personalities just clashed a lot.

However, I did tell myself that I didn't want to allow Sean to ask me out either. Whether he was serious or not, I didn't want that to happen anytime soon. Not after the heartbreak I'd experienced with Zane. No more boyfriends for a long time. Being single was much easier, no matter how good looking the guy was.

Stepping out of the shower, I quickly dried off and blow dried my hair, then got ready for bed. It was nearly ten, and I had to be up early for school the next morning. I was actually looking forward to it now. I'd get to see Anna again and talk to her, and maybe I'd be able to start talking to some of the other kids more too. A few had spoken to me some in our classes, and that felt nice. I was actually being noticed, and they wanted to get to know me. I'd just have to make sure through Raziel about which ones to hang out with if that started happening more.

Climbing into my bed, I sighed in relief at the warm, soft sheets nestled around me. It felt nice to lay down and rest now. I clicked off the lamp beside my bed and closed my eyes, trying to allow my mind to relax along with my body.

But turning off one's thought process is always easier said than done, and I found my mind drifting to the incidents with Sean one last time. Was Michael right about it just being a personality clash between him and Raziel? And even if that was the case, why was Sean trying so hard to provoke him that afternoon? I just didn't get it.

I finally ended up drifting off, although it was to those thoughts. But suddenly, it was like I snapped awake. Lying still, I opened my eyes and glanced at the red numbers of the digital clock on the nightstand beside my bed.

2:30 a.m.

I felt like I couldn't move. My heart was racing, and I curled up tighter in my covers. Even though everything looked normal around me, I had the distinct feeling that I wasn't alone in there. It was very uncomfortable, frighteningly so.

Straining my ears, I listened for any sounds of the ordinary, but there was only the night's silence that was interrupted by the ticking of my nearby wall clock.

Am I losing it? I wondered as I laid there.

I was never afraid of the dark before, but for whatever reason, I felt absolutely terrified at that moment. I just knew that someone or something was watching me. I wasn't alone in there.

I slowly worked up the courage to control my fear and try to figure out where this feeling of terror was coming from, and that was when it dawned on me that I wasn't feeling this from inside of my room. Instead, it seemed like the feeling of being so intensely watched was coming from one of my windows.

The one right above my bed.

I shivered and curled up tighter in my bed as I realized this. Even though I knew that this was completely insane, I was certain that something was watching me from right outside of that window. Closing my eyes tightly, I began to pray.

"Please go away. Please go away. Please go away."

But sadly, it seemed that it wasn't going anywhere. In fact, I ended up lying in my bed like that for a very long time before exhaustion finally overtook me, and I was able to sleep again.

But even as I did, it was with that terrifying feeling that whatever I'd felt when I'd first come there was now watching me closely.

And would maybe even continue to stalk me throughout the coming nights.