~ Preface ~
Who knew love could be such a battle field? Or how someone you trust could be so…vile.
Having no one to talk you through it all… Life is hard and struggling. My life was hard with the high school drama, the “evil” girls, the boys, or the horrible past of my family. Who can control that without the help of someone you love and trust when you don’t have it.

Gravel on the bottom of my feet and a black, ripped, old book bag thrown over my left shoulder. My face covered by my hair as the wind blew its hardest. As I looked to my right I began to see my school, Smithsonian High, its dull coloring and unattractive windows. As I was reaching my school I saw, Lara, my friend for years. Seeing her pretty, compared to mine, face. She began to run towards me waving and screaming.
“Keila! Over here!” she sped up, embracing me.
“Hey Lara, Did you add something to your cereal this morning? You’re so…ginger.” I said my voice so sarcastic. I merely smiled to show her I was just kidding. Lara was the type of girl you could joke around with and have some actual fun. We began to chatter and soon enough we were on the front steps of our school.

Pushing the front doors, the first things you spot with your eyes are the dented, scratched, faded blue lockers with different looking teenagers surrounding them. Their laughter rang in my ears as Lara and I reached our own lockers. Surprisingly, they were right next to each other. As Lara kept speaking about some boy I just quickly looked in the small mirror in my locker, which Lara had made me put in there, and saw this ,a teenage girl with ice blue eyes and long light brown hair covering a little of her eyes. Whenever I saw this I always wondered who was she and what she was going to become. You see, I wasn’t an ordinary girl who only thought of lipstick and boys. I thought the more complex and brain stopping questions. I was the curious one.
“Keila? Hello? Keila? Are you paying attention? Snap out of it!” Lara screeched as she tapped my shoulder.
“Oh sorry, I was just…Thinking again.” I slowly sighed giving one more glance to the girl in the mirror. Wondering once more as Lara pulled me away with dramatic effect as I pulled my textbooks and slammed my locker door. Lara and I walked into our homeroom. Our amazing teacher, Mrs. Levro, was smiling as Lara and I walked in rushing to our seat before the bell rang. I began to do the usual, think. Something was wrong, I felt it in my gut but I had no idea why. I was concentrating as first period bell rang and destroyed my thoughts. I jumped out of my desk and ran out of the classroom. As I ran I bumped into something, something strong. As I looked up I saw a familiar face, Vince. My cheeks flushed a burning red as I stuttered an apology.
“Ohmigosh, I-I-I’m sorry Vince. I-I-I wasn’t looking at where I was going and I-I…” I said as my musical voice was shaking.
“Keila, chill nothing happened we just bumped into each other.” Vince spoke as he shoot a gorgeous smile at me which sent my heart fluttering. You see, Vince was not only a good friend but my crush. As I kept quickly thinking about him I flushed more. Then Vince cleared his throat as he looked at me.
“So Keila, Want to walk with me to gym? Since we’re both going there?” He said as he lifted his right arm and placed it behind his head as if he was nervous, but why would he be nervous around me? I threw off my mental thought as I walked with Vince down the noisy hallway, yet I felt as if Vince and I were alone in the hallway. I dreaded when my heart would beat so hard. It was like he could hear it and it made me flush some more. Thankfully, after about 3 minutes, we reached gym, my nightmare. Not only did I dread when my heart would “pop” out of my chest but I also dreaded gym. I looked at Vince as I smiled at him and swiftly turned and walked to the Girl’s Locker Room, tripping as I walked in. I sighed as I saw them. Who were they? The so-called “queens” of Smithsonian High: Heather, Leila and Nicki. In my opinion, I really didn’t understand how these three girls were actually put in the category called “popular”.

I rolled my eyes I saw them speaking about pink nail polish, of all things. I went to my changing locker and slowly slipped out of my navy striped shirt and ripped jeans to matching light blue shirts and shorts with knee socks. Pulling my hair into a high ponytail I rushed out to the gym and slipped into a bench where the girls sat as I saw the boys stretch. Coach Neiare grabbed her whistle and called for the girls to join the groups. All of the class had to participate in this activity: dodge ball and some running. Coach Neiare blew her whistle and the game began. After a while of playing I began to feel a pain in my lower leg and all of sudden I was on the ground, pain all around my body. Vince was at my side saying “Keila—Keila—Keila,” and slowly his voice faded as my eyes gently closed.














~.~.~.~.~

My eyes fluttered open as I heard a beeping noise and I slowly arose from the white bed and saw Vince asleep on a chair and my Grandmother by my side. She was smiling as she saw that I had awakened. Where was I, a hospital? What happened to me? Why do I feel so…different? I looked around the cold, white room. My thoughts were spinning around my head as I stuttered once more.
“Wha-wha-what happened? I just remembered being in gym and-and I fell and everything got dark,” I was blabbing now as my grandmother looked at me.
“Keila love, it’s okay. You were playing something in gym and your legs just spazzed out.” My grandmother comforted me. It was only Vince, my grandmother, and me in the tiny room. You see, when I was 6 years old my parents and I were driving in the car. My parents never really cared about me and that day they were drinking as they drove. My parents had dropped me off at my grandmothers because they were going to some party. They were on a bridge and suddenly drove off the side and the car fell in. After days and days we didn’t hear from them I had found out that they were gone. So from that day on I only had my grandmother by my side.
“Keila? Oh, you’re up!” Vince yawned as dragged his feet to stand by my side and the doctor walked in. He said that I was ready to go home and everything was fine, but I know in my gut that something was wrong and that everything was going to change in good and yet bad ways. I gulped as they lead my grandmother, Vince (who I wondered why stayed with me) and I out of the hospital room, into the hallway, and out the door. I glanced back at the mysterious doctor, knowing something was wrong.





~Chapter Two~

A few days later I felt watched and I began to have nightmares waking up at three o’ clock in the morning almost every single day. Weird enough they were all about that mysterious doctor and with Vince in pain. By the time the dream was over, I was screaming, sweating, and breathing hard as my grandmother would slowly run in comforting me as I stained her shirt with tears. I didn’t know what to do, it was strange. At moments I felt pain and others happiness. I asked my grandmother and Lara, they both said it was silly old puberty…yeah right.

I was walking out of gym on a regular school day, going to science. As I walked in I saw that Ms. Hails wasn’t here. The sub was so familiar…he looked exactly like that doctor. Again I did the same as usual, think and wonder. Why did I keep seeing him? Is this some sort of sign? Paying no attention at all the dismissal bell finally rang and I grabbed my books and ran. I was outside running to a secret spot, a little opening in the middle of the forest. I laid my head against a nearby tree and shut my eyes, beginning to think. My mind drifted for a few minutes or an hour or two. Suddenly, I felt a tap on my shoulders. My eyes slowly opened and what I saw shocked me. I saw four people surrounding me, all staring. I jumped to my feet and began to back up.
“Who are you?” I screeched.
“Hello Keila, love.” The figure said as he came forward.
“How do you know my name? Love? Why do you look like that strange doctor?”
“Relax Keila. We’re here to help you.” Said another voice, this time a girl was speaking.
“Is this some kind of hell?” I spurred out, shocked at my reaction.
“Keila, please relax. We’re here to help you understand who you’ve become.”
“What are you talking about? What do you mean ‘what I’ve become’? Explain now.”

I was completely and utterly lost. Was I in some weird dream again or was this actually occurring to me? They were looking at each other as the man looking like the doctor stepped in front of me with a half smile. I back away once more, regretting that I even came here. Then it all started clearing into my mind, slowly. The pain, the nightmares, everything just hit me. Had they caused this to me?
“What did you do to me? As if I wasn’t a weird enough as it is!” I yelled as they just stared at me as if I were some animal. I was breathing loudly and strangely growling.
“It’s fine we’ll explain. But Keila, I think we introduced each other badly. I am Master Kelso, this is Eric, Shelly and Ibel.”
I paused. I looked at all of them, I felt connected to all of them in a way. So I was right about them causing the nightmares and pains but I was still confused.