Waking up. Going to sleep. Living. What else is there? This is it. This all we experience. Except now.

I was watching the world go by in a blur and I barely felt like I was breathing. I was being chased, but I couldn't tell who and what. Holding on to my hand, was my Zach. My baby brother, age seven. He looked up at me, his light blue eyes danced with fear. I could tell what he was thinking, what's going on? I​ couldn't tell myself. How was I supposed to know. My heart was beating against my chest. I was sure at any moment it was going to break out of my rib cage. Max kept running though, knowing that if he slowed, we would be dead. We both knew it. We ran in the wet streets of a dark New York, and at the end of the dock, we had two choices. Jump or die. We stopped. We turned around and sure enough there he was. I promised him the world, and gave him mine. It still wasn't enough.

I jumped up and smacked my head on the top of the bunk bed. I rubbed my head and looked around the room. It was the same. Dark and scary. I had the same dream every night. I was in a white dress running through the city and ended up on the docks. It was night my brother was kidnapped. The night I became alone in the world. Jameson was snoring. I'm glad I didn't wake her. I didn't know her long, maybe three weeks now? Hell, I don't know. Shes only eight, short blond haired, with bright blue eyes like me. I don't know anything about her, but shes my new foster sister.

Another new start, another new change. I believe this my thirteenth chance at a new beginning. Ha, man am I screwed up. I looked at the end table next to our beds. The bright neon green read 4:20. That's just lovely. I rubbed my eyes, and threw the covers off and stepped out of the bed. The room was dark and the air was cold. I was wearing my black fluffy pants and a long sleeve fleece. I was freezing. I tip toed out of the room, afraid to wake Jameson. The new house was a cabin building the woods, it was ten miles to the closets town, which is where I start school, tomorrow. I just had one foster parent, Melissa. She's a single parent, and her heart is pure gold, I swear. She's too sweet. She went to high school with my mom, and after she heard that I've been through foster homes quicker then a mouse in a mouse hole, she  quickly filed for adoption. This is where I was born, and yet I remember nothing of this town. The only memory I have from it, is the day my parents died. I try not to think about it, but I can't stop dreaming of it, either that or my brother. They assumed he was dead. He would be thirteen as of today. We were unique siblings, born on the same day, three years apart. I am sixteen as of four hours ago.  All I want is my brother back. Its hard to deal with it, but over time the tears stop coming. I slipped my converse and a coat on and slipped out the door. The sun was just barely over the mountains. Mel was at work by now, which meant I would have to get Jam up and ready for school before seven and take her. I had no clue what I was doing. I didn't even know where to go from here. I sat on the stairs of the porch and took a deep sigh. I closed my eyes and opened them again. There he was.

Tall. That was my first thought when I saw him, but then I saw his eyes. Deep brown with a green circle, and then his blond hair, and oh his features. Talk about good looking.  You would think that when a cute stranger appears in front of you, you would be nice, but no I threw a branch at him instead. He caught it and laughed.

"Your Mel's foster kid?" He said. His voice was deep, but light like a feather. A really pretty feather.

"Stella. Who are you?" I asked. I stood up on the step and looked him over. He was wearing shaggy jeans with a blue hoodie. He took a step closer and looked me over. Ok mister, that was not ok. I look like crap. I could just see it, a girl no more then five four and probably weighs less then a puppy and her bright blue eyes smeared with  day old mascara, and her dark hair pulled into a pony tale over her shoulder. Probably looked real sexy, let me tell ya.

"Max. I'm your neighbor." I looked around. What the hell did they consider neighbor? ​

"I'm going to guess you live in that bush over there." What did I say? Did I say that out loud?

"Funny, I like that. Actually just beyond the little hill. I work for Mel, each morning I cut and bring her wood."  I stood on the top step and stepped up on the railing, sure enough there was another cabin house.  I noticed he was laughing and I jumped down.

"Don't laugh. " He only laughed more. Boo. I sighed and turned to the door.

"You know around here people actually invite people in for hot chocolate or something, especially if they were helping them." I turned and smiled, then glared. I opened the door and gestured for him to go in, but when he didn't move I sighed.

"Mr. Max would you like a sip of hot chocolate?" He smiled and then walked into the house. I already knew I would not like this.

He went to the kitchen and started going through the cupboards, ok so obviously he has been in here before. He made the hot chocolate and I took one.

"Thanks. So if I leave, you promise not to steal anything?"

"Unless that mug is worth a buck or two, no." I nodded and left the room. Back in my room, Jam was already out f bed and dressed.

"Morning, Jam." She smiled and came over and hugged me. For only knowing her a short time we quickly became good friends.

"Morning Stel! Did you meet Max, yet?" I nodded and then she jumped up and left the bedroom. I went to my closet. The room was set up so that we each had a closet on each side of the room, a dresser, bunk bed and a desk. it also had a TV, but I didn't care that much for it, so Jam watched her shows. I read. I pulled a long sleeve black shirt on and put some skinny jeans on with a pair or snow  boots. I felt warm. I washed my face, applied a little make up, not much, and then brushed my hair down. It was flat and useless. It also had a mind of its own, springy into different directions, I gave up. I walked back t the kitchen. Jam was sitting at the kitchen table with Max, both had a bowl f ceral and were eating.

"So, you just work here?" I asked. He looked over at me.

"You dress nicely. Ya, but Mel and my mom are good friends, so we are often over here. I learned to make myself feel at home. The reason you haven't met me yet was because I just go back from New York." Weird. This is not the city.

"Well, sunshines, better get going. Lets go to school, huh Jam?" She smiled. I frowned.

After thirty minutes of driving with a complete stranger, we reached my doom. Jam was lucky. She didn't have to sit with a complete stranger for thirty minutes, her school was only two miles from the house, mine was thirty. William's High. I was not excited for a brand new school, that and it's two weeks after second semester so I'm the late new kid, which means all attention would be on me. Gulp. The school was bigger then my last one. It was three stories and two separate buildings, one for the core classes and the other was extra curricular classes, at least that's what Max said. When we parked his SUV, we parked next to a friend of his, at least I assumed by the way he opened Max's door and hugged him.

"I beat you! I win!" He said. He looked like Max, but with dark black hair, his eyes where almost purple. He was especially creepy. Once he noticed me he eyes widened with surprise and then narrowed and looked me over. I arched an eyebrow. Weirdo. That was what he was marked as in my book. Weird.

"You  must be Stella Weaver. Mel's new foster kid. Might I say you look very good." I nodded and then hopped out of the car.  I looked at Max, "Where is the office?" Max gave his friend a weird look and then back at me, and then back at his friend and then nodded slowly. Strange. Mark in my book, Strange and weird? Yes.

"This is Wess. His first class is right next to the office, so he will show you. I promised Mel, I would give you ride home, so meet me at lunch?" I nodded, and followed Wess a.k.a the demon.

"Where are you from?" Wess asked. He was wearing skinny jeans and a black hoodie. It was a mix of a jock and an emo kid. I walked along side him.

"The town before now was Las Angela's." I said, keeping my eyes on my 99 cent notebook. Mel took me shopping last night, so I had a bag and a few notebooks and tons of pens.

"I meant where were you born?" He said laughing. We walked into the school. Black and red colors every where, I guess they were huge about their sports. The demons.

"Oh, I was actually born here, but I've moved a lot around New York, California, Colorado, and then back to the outskirts of New York, here." He nodded and then turned, I chased after him. He stopped a few feet ahead of me and gestured to a sign the read, OFFICE. I nodded and went in. He didn't say anything, he just left. Rude. Two ladies sat at a huge desk. One was skinny and black. Her name tag read, Teresa, the other one was plump and looked like a great aunt, brown hair with a little bit of grey in it, her name was Tammy. When the door closed behind me both their heads popped up.

"Oh. New student." They said, at the same time. Are you kidding me? The firs day and already two creepy old ladies had noticed I was the new kid, great. I was going to be the new kid for a very long time. Tammy handed me three pieces of paper.

"One is your schedule, locker number, combination and the rules for lockers, the other is a list of extra curricular classes, you need to choose four to make up four classes on your schedule, since you took extra classes in new York, you only have three main classes." Oh, cool. I said thanks and then left the office. My first class was Calculus, room 101 with a Mr. Pots. Ok, I can do this. I took a deep breath and went cluelessly down the hallway. I found room 101, by the office, which means first hour is with creepy Wess. Great. I opened the door, and the room suddenly went quiet. Oh, god. It's happening. I looked down to check if I had my fly up. Am I wearing underwear? Is to much boob showing? Nope, I'm good. I raised my head and smiled at the really thin math teacher, who looked to be at least thirty and had no hair.

"Welcome, Miss Weaver," then to the class, "This is Stella Weaver. She is most defiantly smarter then all of you. Take this mental note, Stella Weaver is better then me, I am not perfect, Weaver is. I'm kidding,' back to me, "Sorry, Miss Weaver tell us something about yourself." I nodded and faced the class. Wess and his buddies smiled at me, and some blond chicks talked about me.

"I am Stel, I moved from LA. I'm originally born form here and yes, I probably have a higher IQ then most of you." Some students laughed, some looked scared, and then there was Wess.

"Oh, I know you most defiantly are perfect." Every one laughed, and I knew my face turned red. DAMIT! Mr. Pots glared at him and then gestured me to sit by him. I sighed and moved down the rows of desks and sat down. Wess sat to my left, he  leaned in a whispered in my ear. What he said made me want to scream and cry.

"Born thy two at midnight, while one be dead the other bleed." Horror masked my face. He couldn't possibly know that.

The whole class went by and I sat horrified, to scared to move. By the time the bell rang, I was pissed. I ran out of the room and waited for him. When he came out, I graved his hand and pulled him in a room. I bumped into a mop, so I knew it was the janitors room. I pressed him against the door. He didn't struggle, he didn't do anything.

"How the hell do you know that?" With that, he turned me and pressed me into the door. My heart was racing and my stomach twisted.

" I know a lot of things, Stel. I know your brother went missing, your parents died, and I know what you are." I gave him a confused looked.

"You, obviously have issues. Get off of me." He smiled and kissed my cheek. My cheek going hot.

"What is wrong with you!" I struggled to get him off of me.

"Nothing. I just know you. You should know me. I mean I do haunt your dreams." I stopped struggling. He was the he. I took a deep breath. Before I screamed his lips were on mine. Their were so gently, and the kiss made me want more. I pushed him off.

"There is something wrong with you, freak. Leave me alone." I opened the janitors door and bumped into one of the blond girls from first hour.

"Watch it, freak!" She said. I lost it. I pushed up against the wall of lockers.

"Just go away!" I closed my eyes. Her body disappeared from my touch. I opened my eyes to find her gone. She just went away. I backed up from the wall and went back into the janitors room with Wess.

"Ok. What the hell just happened? Where's my brother? Why did you kiss me? How did you know what the note said?"

"Zach?"  I screamed. I turned towards the water for only a second. When I turned back he was gone and the man was gone to. Replaced with an envelope. I picked it up, written in cursive was my name. I opened the envelope and carefully unfolded it :  "Born thy two at midnight, while one be dead the other bleed."  I screamed. I didn't know how to react. I felt shattered, mad, confused and scared. It was like my heart was ripped out of my chest. My world was spinning, I was falling. On my hands. I looked up at the sky. I blamed all of them. Whoever them was. I screamed. Tears rolled down my checks and I knew I was bright red. I wiped the tears away, and I felt the chapped, swollen skin underneath.