Chapter One - New boy.

Rain, a soft wet continual tapping. Endlessly cooling the air. It had dissolved our summer, causing an continual cold loneliness that took over my body. School was a month off summer break, i couldn't wait to get away from everyone. To be by myself. Not completly, I'd be with Virtue, my only friend. Don't get me wrong, it's not like i've not had friends before, i have, i just ended up by myself after they experience my secret.

It had to be the coldest day so far, frost was settling over the windows. My mind drifted off as I lost myself in the details. The icicles slide down the glass, in beautiful webs, too heavy to stick. Leaving a trail of droplets. Soon the room warmed up and hid the outside with its misty embrace of condensatoion.

"Attention everyone!," startled out of my mind set, I glancied up at Mr Doe as he entered, but it wasn't him that caught my attention, it was the boy behind him.

"We have a new student to the school, i'd like you all to give him a warm welcome, Jasper why don't you take a seat."

My body tensed all over, this boy, Jasper was marked, his arms where scared with witch burns. Witch burns were not visable to the human eye, unless they had 'the vision' or were of supernatural decent. These burns, raw red, with orange circles within eachother where he was touched. Flecks of oozing yellow puss and dried ruby blood scattered like freckles over the wound. I felt his glance skim over me as he passed to take a seat at the back of the room. Shivers went up my body from the heat the burns produced. The burns were fresh, at least a month since he was affected. Since they had touched him.

My attention was distracted, by my instincts. I found it hard to keep my attention on my work. The time had slowed to a fatal level of impatience. I didn't want to be near Jasper, didn't want him in the same room, and yet i was intrigued by him. I hadn't seen wounds this bad before or so many. Too often I had found myself looking over my shoulder to inspect his wounds and too often had he caught me staring. This wasn't me, I was letting my wall down for interest. What am i doing? Catching myself again looking at his flicky, chocolate brown hair. It was evident he wore a hat often. God d****t. I was loosing my zone, i needed a distraction, glancing at the window, to force myself to get lost in the frost again, but instead the window was covered in arrogant and repulsive images drawn into the misty glass. The bell sounded and I skidded out of the room, needing to collect my thoughts. Grasping at my necklace for comfort I made my way to the disorganised car park. I need to fix my interest with this boy, this mysterious Jasper. As i walked through the crowded car park my eyes fell on a shinny black bike. A kawaski ninja 650 i had to tear my gaze away from the bike as a crowd formed, a new ride was a rare sight.

Picking up my speed, i found my way through the maze of cars until my 1981 toyota Hilux came to view. Running to the rusted four-wheel drive, eager to be alone inside my truck. I fummbled in my pockets, with my freezing hands searching desperately for my keys. A chinking sound made my eyes flash to the ground only to see my keys lying there teaseingly. Get it together. Scrambling into the cab, I slammed the door closed, desperate to be alone. What was happening to me? I ate my lunch in the old beast, putting up walls in my mind to stop this persistant distraction. Soon the day passed by , and to my luck, I hadn't seen Jasper again.

The last month off school went by painfully slow, it got so hard to avoid Jasper, he seemed to be everywhere, walking around the halls with girls swinging of him, he was the start of every conversation and on everyones mind. I forced my way out of these situations without much luck. It seemed that everywhere I went jasper was there. So when the last day of term came and he was standing by my truck, i had to choke down my squeal of shock before any attention fell on me. Walking the last steps to my car was like having concrete blocks attached to my shoes, slowing me down to a welcoming level. I had obviously made some noise because he looked straight into my eyes sending endless shivers down my spine. I was completly lost, his eyes held mine with impossible strength. why am i so interested? The light caught his eye as he watched, only one eye twinkled brightly, his left, deep blue, the colour of the ocean, dark and mysterious. MY attention was caught by the other eye, a dark brown, innocent and trusting. I couldn't move during the effect of his watch. It was like being under a spell, only this wasnt a spell because i would have been able to sense it. Right at that moment I felt for the first time in a year, self concious. Fluttering my eyes to the side i broke the contact,

"uhm....," was all I could manage.

"Oh right," he said casually, seemingly unaffected by the gaze. "I was hoping you could give me a lift?"

My jaw dropped, WHAT!, everyone in the whole of (choose a school name) knew that i avoided everyone and this boy, this new kid, was asking me for a lift.

"You want a lift?" was all i could manage after the shock settled deep. "No."

At that moment a drop of rain landed on his right cheek, then slid gracefully down his jaw. i tried to catch his eye, to give me a clue to whether he was joking or not but he seemed to avoid it.

"Well I was hoping what everyone said about you wasn't true. You know?, that you avoid everyone. Its going to rain, and i have a flat tire. Your the only one in the school who has a ute that my bike could fit on." Right then he looked up at me, catching my startled off put expression.

"No," I finalised "It is true, I don't need anyone." I stormed to the drivers side, yanked the door open and dived in. Shoving the key into the egnition, starting the car. As i took off i caught his surprised expression, obvious that he thought he'd acheive a lift. The way home was long, it poured with rain, blurring the windscreen in its fury. Guilt burned its way through my stomach. Whats wrong with me. Jaspers expression was glued to my mind. HIs eyes wide with surprise, lips parted. Pulling up in the driveway of my grans place I finally exhaled. Holding my breathe usually got me through any sort of feelings. A loud thumping made a scream escape my lips, glaring up I see Viertue smiling at me from the bonet.

"God d****t Virtue!"

"I could sense your frustration from the tree," She laughed at me, slinking closer to the window, gracefully sitting to lick her paw. "You should take your contacts out, I don't like the colour of them."

"Yeah, they sting my eyes," Sweeping them out of my eyes, blinking to get the itch out, "i;ve had a horrible day,"

"But now your on break?"

"YES! Lets celebrate with some jewwis shots shall we?" i celebrated, every trace of jasper escaping my mind.

Soon enough I was out shopping with money that my father had sent to keep me entertained with. His job bringing in enough money he sends me enough to last for months. This breaks surprise was a pin up dress that was sent with the cash caught my eye instantly. I picked it up comparing it to my figure. Black with white spots, it was a halter neck and had a bow belt around the waste. The skirt of it flaring out with an inbuilt petticoat. It fit in all the right places and i loved it. Belly jumping onto my bed i reached for my phone to text my thanks to my Father. I rolled over and started to count the cash he'd sent, I stopped counting when it got to $2000 and was only half way through the pile. Sighing I bunddled up half of the cash in a elastic band and threw it into the top draw of my desk. At the mall I walked past a coffee shop and crained my neck back to see a couple laughing and froze. Cold sweat trickled down my back, it was Jasper. Over the week at home with Virtue i'd forgotten about my facination with him and now I felt my heart stop when I recognized a girl from school hanging off his shoulder laughing at something he'd said. Leave. Every instinct told me to leave, insistead I got out of there but something about him made me loose myself. It was his eyes. He turned and looked at me, holding me there, glueing my feet in place. He shrugged off the girl and started towards me. My hairs stood on edge. He closed the gap between us fast, with his long legs stridding cooly, holding my eyes.

"Rebakah Dawn, right?"

"uh...," I'd lost my voice, "Yeah,"

" I was wondering ....," he began, eyes shining with interest, but was interupted when his female friend decided she didn't like being left behind for some other girl, ran over and grasped on his arm, giggling flirtatiously.

"Oh Jasper, shouldn't we be going?" She glanced at me obviously annoyed I'd interupted their date.

" Right, i've gotta' head anyway, i've been needing a new docking station for my Iphone anyway," i shrugged of his pleading eye, happy to leave this situation. As I walked away my stomach clenched and my throat tightened. Why is my heart racing? I didn't understand what i was feeling, and was eager to get the dock and leave. Once i'd gotten home I went straight to helping Gran Louise with dinner, too keep my mind off thinking. Gran was nice enough to try to get me to stop but i needed the distraction. I knew Gran didn't trust me completely. She knew about my secret and i think it scared her not knowing, that I could loose myself in it. Often she'd flinch at my touch, especially when i was in a mood like this. She'd stiffen at my frustration while peeling the potatoes, i could peel it all in one long stream, but it kept breaking everytime I tried. Slamming it into the sink, i sighed,

"Sorry Gran," I grummbled and walked to my room.

Soon I lost myself in Bring me the Horizon's song "Crucify me," Singing word for word, effortlessly daydreaming.

If we make it through the night, if I make it out alive,
Lord have mercy and pray for the dead.
And you say that you can save me,
Don't hope to ever find me,
I fear I'm too far gone.
Pray for the dead

I was lying back down on my bed staring up at the ceiling, looking at marks on the roof I'd never noticed before, they looked a lot like foot prints. probably another one of dads jokes. A motorbike sounded, still to far for human ears to hear, I could hear it turning onto our street. I sat straight up and held my breath. As the sound closened I became more and more freaked out. What am I doing? We lived in such a small town that everybody knew where everybody lived, but Jasper was only a newbie' in this town, he couldn't know where I lived. What am i thinking? why would he want to talk to me anyway? As the bike flew past the house I couldnt help but look out the window. It was Jasper, but he'd driven past so fast my fear drifted away quickly. Letting my breath out finally I got up. Turning my music to overload, I tried to distract myself with no success. I layed down again and soon was so deep asleep I didn't hear the bike come back.