Prologue

            The cool night air blew across his face and his warm breath turned into fog. He swept his hair off of his closed eyes and watched stranger’s dreams, waiting for the one he was looking for. His father had not been particularly happy that he was going off in search of his Dream of Dreams but it was too late now. This was the last errand he would run for the god of dreams. Then he would find her. When he focused he could see her dreams. Her blonde hair spilled over her shoulders while she swayed in time to the piano music she was playing. Even though her eyes were closed, he knew that her irises were a mesmerizing deep brown. Her dreams were always about playing the piano and being with her family. Dreams weren’t enough for him though. She was somewhere and if it took him forever, he would find her.

Chapter One

            My alarm clock sounded and I sleepily hit the snooze button. Five times. At seven, I groaned and dragged myself out of bed. Upstairs, I could hear my mom fighting my little sister, Desirae, to get out of bed. I stepped into my bathroom and looked at my sleepy expression in the mirror. My tangled blonde hair hung past my waist and my brown eyes were hazy with sleep. I had always loved the unique combination of my blonde hair and brown eyes. The only thing that frustrated me was the random curls that my hair had. Once in a blue moon it would fall just right but I usually just pulled it up into a sloppy bun or ponytail. It’s the easiest way to neglect it. I took the time to straighten it, and then I threw on my favorite pair of jeans and a dark blue sweater. Hopefully it would be enough to keep me warm on a January morning in Washington.

            “Emma, breakfast is ready!” my mom called down to me.

            “I’ll be there in a second,” I shouted back and grabbed my keys before bounding up the stairs. As I passed my new baby grand piano I stroked the keys, listening to perfect pitch that sounded. It almost made the Monday better. Almost.

            “Pancakes are on the table,” my mom said as she went to wake up Rae. For the third time. Things had been hard since Dad had died but we got by. Monday was still pancake day.

            “You’re the best,” I told her as I grabbed two and rushed out the door. Waiting for me by the curb, was my trusty, rusty car, Bert. His ugly green paint was chipped and peeling but it got me to school every morning. I hopped into the driver’s seat and turned the key. It sputtered but didn’t start.

            “Come on!” I muttered. “Really, Bert?” I turned the key two more times but Bert finally started. Ah, the joys of owning a nameable car but he’d been with me through a lot. It seemed like seconds had passed when I pulled into Cromwell High School parking lot. All around me, my peers went smilingly into the prison they called a school. There were a total of six windows and the food was anything but edible. Yet the students didn’t look at all phased by the depressing brick and mortar structure. I sighed to myself. A few years ago, I had lived in costal California. One of the rooms in my middle school was made of only windows. Then the fire happened and we had moved to the rainy Washington forest area. Now I was going through high school under constant cloud cover and I was only marginally used to it.

            “Well, well,” the thin, red-haired secretary smiled at me, “it seems the ever punctual Emmelyn Parker is late.” When I first moved here freshman year, she had been one the only people I could talk to.

            “It’s good to see you too,” I said.

            “This better be the last time,” she told me and I tried to nod meekly.

            “Hey there, Brookie.” One of my best friends, Keith O’Neill, walked in. His spikey blonde hair was almost white and his eyes were a startling evergreen.

            “Keith, how many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me that?” Miss Brookes scolded but there was a hint of a smile in her voice.

            “Until I decided to show up on time,” Keith smiled and winked at me. I smiled back.       “It seems our Emma showed up late for the first time today,” Miss Brookes told him.    “Welcome to the dark side, darling,” he said ominously. “We’ve been expecting you.”

            I snorted, not deeming the comment worthy of a response. Keith had been calling me ‘darling’ since freshman year when I got a few love letters starting with “Dearest, darling”. It had stuck and I didn’t fight it too often. Just then Juliana Daley, my other best friend, waltzed into the room. Her brown hair flowed half-way down her back and her blue eyes sparkled.

            “Miss Brookes, I’m here to get Mr. Gary’s papers,” she said in a sing-song voice. Miss Brookes disappeared momentarily and came back with a stack of papers that I knew would be my homework for the next few days.

            “Hey there, Jules,” Keith greeted the brown haired girl.

            “Hi Keith!” Jules said brightly and then turned to me. “So you finally caved. How many times did you hit the snooze button, darling?” Juliana help Keith annoy me with the nickname too.

            “Five,” I replied with a smile.

            “It was only a matter of time,” she said solemnly then immediately brightened. “Oh well! Bye, Miss Brookes. We’re off to Physics.” With that Jules dragged both me and Keith out of the office and into the hallway.

            “Bye, Brookie,” Keith called over his shoulder and I could almost hear Miss Brookes rolling her eyes.

            “You are so lucky that she likes you,” I told him.

            “Luck’s got nothing to do with it,” he grinned. “It’s the O’Neill charm. Works on anyone or anything.”

            “Right,” I scoffed.

            “Stop bickering you two,” Jules ordered. “You sound like an old married couple.” Keith and I looked at each other.

            “Ew!” we exclaimed at the same time. Jules rolled her eyes and we walked into Mr. Gary’s physics class.

            “Welcome to class,” he said dryly as we moved toward our seats. “As punishment, turn around in a circle and bark like a dog.”

            “Yessir!” Keith saluted and promptly did as ordered. I rolled my eyes and took my seat.

            “Do it, Emma!” the entire class exclaimed.

            “Woof,” I said as sarcastically as possible.

            “Very valiant effort,” Mr. Gary commented. “Now onto physics.”

            “Can’t we do another experiment?” a student asked. How some of these people got into the AP classes, was still a mystery.

            “Mr. Gary is all for it,” my slightly—okay, extremely—eccentric teacher replied, “but the evil Dr. G is another matter entirely. He wishes to make you suffer and take notes. Perhaps even do a work sheet or two. Mr. Gary is no match for Dr. G.” With that, he cackled maniacally and pulled out the papers Jules had put on his desk. Science wasn’t my thing but it does help to have an amazing teacher. The rest of the period was spent talking, passing notes, texting and doing our work, in that order. Afterwards Keith and I went to computers while Jules went to her drama class. Usually whatever class Keith and I have together is interesting but nothing could make computers interesting. Nothing. So we spent the ninety minutes doodling and texting each other comments that made it hard to keep quiet.  Then it was lunch.

            Jules ran up behind Keith and me as we walked outside after eating to soak up the rare sunshine. She was obviously excited because her entire 5’2” frame shook.

            “I do believe Jules has something to tell us,” I said to Keith in my most pompous voice. He glanced over her shoulder and smiled.

            “I quite agree with you, Emma,” he remarked in the same voice. “Jules indeed has something to tell us.”

            “Shut up and listen,” Jules said. “They need more actors for the play and I kind of signed both of you up. Isn’t it great?” Keith and I gaped at her.

            “I tried acting once, remember?” I exclaimed. “I couldn’t even step foot on the stage.”

            “You do it all the time now,” Jules countered.

            “Piano recitals are totally different,” I protested.

            “No they aren’t,” Keith commented. Jules got a smug look on her face.

            “She signed you up too,” I reminded him.

            “But I will do my best friend a favor and be in the play because she needs me,” Keith said wrapping an arm around Juliana’s shoulders.

            “What do you want, Keith?” she asked in exasperation.

            “We’re all going to dinner this Friday and Jules has graciously volunteered to pay,” he said.

            “Sounds like plan,” I said and bit into a carrot, “but I’m still not going to be in the play.”

            “Please Emma!” Jules broke away from Keith and grabbed my arm. “Please, please, please!”

            “Are you done?” I inquired.

            “Not yet,” she replied. “Please, please, please, please, please!”

            I groaned. “You know that I hate you, right?”

            “Yep,” she said brightly.  “Rehearsal is today after school.”

            “You still owe us dinner,” I told her. She crossed her heart and I smirked.

            “Speaking of dinner,” Keith started slyly, “how’d your date with Henry go?” I made a face and they laughed.

            “He kept asking me if he could kiss me,” I told them and they laughed harder. “He’s really, really nice but he’s looking for serious and I’m not.”

            “Right,” Jules and Keith drawled at the same time.

            “Hey guys,” Mike Jensen came up to us and saved both of my so-called friends from a beating. “Did you hear?” Mike was a nice guy but not exactly a social butterfly. Keith, Jules, and I make an effort to talk to him whenever we see him.

            “About what?” Keith asked.

            “The new kids,” Mike replied. “They say that they transferred from a fancy school in Philadelphia.”

            “Then why would they come here?” I inquired.

            Mike shrugged. “Something about knowing a teacher really well. Anyways, be on the lookout for them.” Then he walked off, leaving us in confused silence. Mike was…strange to say the least.

            “That was strange,” Jules echoed my thoughts as we sat down to eat our lunch.

            “Really strange,” Keith agreed. Then I notice Jules staring at something over my shoulder. I turned to see an extremely tall, muscular, and handsome boy standing behind me. His amber eyes glinted as he looked at me and his black hair was short and spiked.

            “Hello,” he said as he gave me a half-smile. “I’m new. Can I sit here?” His voice was silky and sure. Like a door to door con artist’s. Something more than his voice made me uneasy but I couldn’t place my finger on it

            “Please do,” Jules gushed. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

            “Of course,” I said. He smiled slightly again and sat in the seat right next to me.

            “I’m Emmelyn,” I said to fill the silence,” but you can call me Emma. This is my friend, Jules.”

            “It’s nice to meet you,” he said. “My name’s Jesse but you can call me anytime.”  When he said this, he looked straight at me. To my embarrassment, I just stared at him for what seemed like hours.

            “What?” I finally choked out. “Was that supposed to be a pick-up line?”

            He smirked. “I suppose that’s what you’d call it.”

            “Uh, Keith come walk with me,” Jules said as she stood up.

            “But I don’t want to,” Keith protested. She kicked him and he finally got the message.

            “Actually, a walk sounds great,” he said with an apologetic glance at me.

            “You two have fun,” Jules told us with a pointed look in my direction. I’m going to kill you, was my only thought and she must have read it on my face because she smirked as she walked away.

            “Don’t worry, we will,” Jesse called after her and smirked again at my open mouth expression.

            “There is something definitely wrong with you,” I said. “Are you crazy or just stupid?”

            “Both,” he grinned. “I’m crazy about you and I’m assuming that’s pretty stupid.” I stared at him in astonishment.

            “Yep. Defiantly insane,” I said and turned back to my lunch.

            “Want to go out with me this Saturday?” he asked with a half-smile.

            “Nope.”

            “Come on. Just a little date.”

            “No.”

            “You’ll change your mind.”

            “No I won’t,” I told him, looking straight in his honey eyes. Then I glanced over his shoulder and saw a new person. I stared him and he stared back. His eyes were a mixture of gray and black almost like charcoal. He kept sweeping his blue-black hair out of his eyes but his gaze never left mine. He was just as tall and handsome as Jesse. Although he was definitely muscular, it was a more subtle form than Jesse’s muscles. I was vaguely aware of Jesse tensing next to me but I couldn’t take my eyes off of the boy.  

            “Hello,” he said, giving me a small smile. “I’m Aiden.” His voice was just as strong as Jesse’s but it was warmer and richer; it was inviting.

            “I’m Emma,” I replied.

            “I see you’ve met my cousin,” Jesse said, dryly.

            “You two are cousins?” I asked.

            “Yep,” Jesse answered. Just then Jules came back with Keith. Both of them look Aiden up and down but didn’t say anything.

            “Miss Brookes is looking for us,” Keith informed me. “She told us to hurry.”

            “Okay,” I said. “Do you two want to come and meet Miss Brookes?”

            Jesse smirked as we walked. “We already know Miss Brookes pretty well. She’s our aunt.”

            “I didn’t know Miss Brookes had family,” Jules said.

            “She doesn’t have much,” Aiden replied. “Just us and her sisters.”

            “That’s so sad,” Jules said as we walked into the little office.

            “I see you’ve found my nephews,” Miss Brookes smiled. We all smiled back. I noticed that Aiden smiled warmly but Jesse had more malice in it. It terrified me.

            “Are either of you interested in theatre?” Jules inquired randomly.

            “I’ve never thought about it before,” Jesse replied. “I’ll try anything once.” His voice was strong and sure. Jules wasn’t done speaking yet.

            “What about you, Aiden?”  she asked.

            “It sounds interesting,” he said.

            “Perfect,” Jules squealed. “Can I see your schedules?” Aiden and Jesse both handed her their schedules and she read over them quickly.

            “Do they have classes with us?” Keith asked, craning his neck to see over Jules’s shoulder.

            “Jesse has PE with Emma next hour,” she answered. “Aiden has English with me, and then we all have history together.”

            “How convenient,” Keith said dryly. “You didn’t have anything to do with this, did you Brookie?” Miss Brookes blushed and I chuckled quietly.

            “So I might have tweaked their classes a little so they could have at least one of you in all of their classes,” she admitted, “but that’s not a crime. I just wanted my nephews to have friends here.”

            “You can count on us,” Keith told her. “Why didn’t you tell us you had nephews our age?” Miss Brookes opened and closed her mouth a few times but never answered. I was about to question her silence but just then the bell rang.

            “So are you going to be leading me to PE?” Jesse asked, standing up. His amber eyes were dark and mesmerizing but I couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling I got when I was around him.

            “Yeah,” I said. “Come with me.” All of us went out the door but Keith, Jules, and Aiden went the opposite way of Jesse and me.

            “See you next hour,” Jules called to me and I waved back.  Aiden smiled at me and I felt myself blush.

            “I see you’ve already fallen victim to my cousin’s charms,” Jesse remarked and I jumped, blushing deeper. His lips turned up into an amused smile.

            “Not at all,” I said as strongly as possible.

            “Did you know that when you lie you bite your lower lip?”

            “I do not!” I exclaimed and Jesse smirked again.

            “Sure you do. It’s a tell-tale sign. But let me warn you,” he said suddenly serious again, “you should stay away from him.”

            “Why?” I inquired as we walked into the gym.

            “He’s a way too good an influence,” Jesse whispered as Coach Patterson called roll. “A girl like you needs to let her hair down.”

            I snorted. “Please just stop talking.”

            “Am I wrong?” Jesse muttered as Coach went around passing out a hand out.

            “Listen Jesse,” I mumbled out the side of my mouth after Coach had moved on, “I’m as outgoing as I need to be and I’m positive Aiden will do nothing to change that. Especially when I just met him.”

            “But you want to get to know him better.”

            “Of course but not for the reasons you’re thinking of. I just want to be friends with both you and Aiden but if you keep talking I’ll be forced to ignore you.” Jesse made the motion of zipping his lips and I smirked.

            “Go get dressed!” Coach boomed and the class dispersed to opposite sides of the gym.

            “Coach, this is a new student,” I said, coming up to him.

            “Good to meet you,” Coach practically yelled. “I’ll get him some clothes to wear for today. Go change, Parker.”

            “Yes sir,” I muttered and walked toward the girl’s dressing room. When I came out in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, I nearly fell to the ground laughing. Jesse was dressed in a shirt that was three sizes too big and his shorts weren’t much better.

            “Not a word,” he whispered and I hid my laugh by coughing.

            “Let’s get to work,” Coach shouted. Jesse and I didn’t talk again until the bell rang.

Chapter Two

            “How was PE?” Keith asked in history. Luckily Jesse was across the room and couldn’t hear our conversation. Although by the way he stared at us, I wasn’t so sure about that.

“Strange,” I replied in a whisper and repeated my discussion with Jesse.

            “That makes no sense,” Keith said.

            “What doesn’t make any sense?” Jules inquired when she walked into the class room with Aiden.

            “I’ll tell you later,” I muttered and she nodded slightly.

            “Come on, Aiden,” she said. “Let’s go introduce you to Mr. Harris.”

            “So what’re you going to do?” Keith whispered.

            “About what?” I asked. “Aiden and Jesse? I’ll treat them like I treat you guys.” Keith scoffed lightly.

            “Please. I saw the way you looked at Aiden. It’s only matter of time.”

            “Shut up, Keith.” I nudged his shoulder and smiled at Jules when she came back.

            “Explain,” she ordered.

            “Where’d you leave Aiden?” Keith questioned with a sly glance at me. I glared at him.

            “In the back of the room,” Jules replied. “Now tell me what you were talking about.” So I repeated my story for the second time and at the end of it, Jules shook her head.

            “It makes perfect sense,” she said. “Jesse obviously finds you attractive and he wants you ignore Aiden.”

            “You’re right,” I told Keith. “It makes no sense.”

            “For once, I agree with Jules,” Keith said. “You’re just so blind you can’t see it.”

            “I wonder which one she’ll pursue,” Jules mused.

            “Pursue?” I echoed with a snort at the same time Keith said,

            “Aiden. It’ll be Aiden.”

            “Really?” Jules asked. “I would have guessed Jesse. He’s much more attractive. Maybe it’s the bad boy thing.”

            “I never really got that,” Keith remarked. “Why are girls so into bad boys?”

            “Well it’s that danger,” Jules started.

            “Enough,” I ordered. “Both of you.” They didn’t listen to me, of course, but I tried my best to ignore them. Yet I couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching me. When I turned around, I realized I was right; Aiden was staring at me from the back of the room. Ours eyes met and he smiled slightly. I blushed and looked down. This was going to be a long class period. Half-way through it, I got a note. The hand writing wasn’t Juliana’s or Keith’s and no one else passed me notes. If they wanted to talk to me, they would just text. There was only one way to find out who it was from. I unfolded it and ground my teeth together.

Take my advice. Stay away from my cousin.

                                                            -Jesse.

            When I looked up, Jesse was smiling at me. I crumpled the paper and glared back at him. He just smirked and my glare deepened. Who did he think he was? He didn’t have any right to tell me what to do.

            “Emma, please recite the preamble to the constitution,” my teacher, Mr. Harris, said.

            “Sure,” I answered, “but what does that have to do with the lesson?”

            “Just making sure that you were paying attention,” Mr. Harris smiled and went back to teaching. I spent the rest of the class smiling.

It was thirty minutes past the final bell and yet I was still at school, sitting in the little auditorium. Silently I curse Jules for making me come to this. There was a reason I quit Drama after one semester.

            “You’re glowering, Emma,” Keith pointed out. “It really isn’t that bad.”

            “I don’t act,” I growled.

            “Maybe you won’t even have to,” Keith said. “Maybe they have enough people.” I scoffed.

            “Welcome to the audition for the school play,” the drama teacher, Mrs. Bingham, said dramatically. I know. Bad joke but unfortunately accurate. I turned to glare at Juliana.

            “Audition?” I mouthed. She just shrugged and pointedly didn’t look at me. I muttered under my breath and I felt Keith chuckle beside me. Just then the auditorium doors and Jesse, followed by Aiden, walked in.

            “Hello gentlemen,” Mrs. Bingham smiled and spread her arms in welcome. “You must the new students Juliana told me about.”

            “That’s us,” Jesse grinned. “We would like to tryout but first we need to know what play we’re doing.” His grin grew wider but it wasn’t a grin that made you think he was happy. He looked a lion about to pounce on his cornered prey.

            “This year we will be preforming a revision of Romeo and Juliet. It’s set in the nineteen forties. Our very own Mason Powers rewrote it,” Mrs. Bingham announced. Mason was the top Drama senior in the school and the state last year. He was now studying Drama at the local university. Remember the guy who wrote me love letters? Yeah well that’s Mason. When I was in theater, Mason had been the highlight of Mrs. Bingham’s existence. It made me want to gag. To make it worse, I absolutely hated Shakespeare. Jules would definitely pay for this.

            “In that case, I would like to try out for the part of Romeo,” Jesse told her.

            “As would I,” Aiden said.

            “Who would like to read Juliet opposite to him?” Mrs. Bingham asked. Keith and Jules stood up.

            “Emma would!” the exclaimed together. I stood up quickly and glared at them.

            “No I wouldn’t,” I informed Everyone.

            “Ah, come on, Emma,” Everyone replied with a groan. Man, I hate Everyone.

            “I’m glad to see you back, Emma,” Mrs. Bingham commented with a raised brow. “I think that you would be perfect for Juliet.  In fact, I believe Mason suggested you for the part. Please step onto the stage.” I tried not to scowl as I stalked up to the stage. It didn’t work. Jesse winked at me and I intentionally ignored him.

            “Would anyone else like to try out for Juliet?” Mrs. Bingham asked.

            “I would,” a familiar voice said from the back of the auditorium. Brittany Neilson strutted up to the front of the auditorium. Her black hair was cut short and framed her narrow face. I gritted my teeth. She had been my bitter enemy since I moved here and her boyfriend looked at me once. Now I had to get the part, just to spite her. She could not win; I wouldn’t let that happen.

            “Excellent,” Mrs. Bingham exclaimed in her theater voice, which isn’t much different from her normal voice, and clapped her hands together. “Emma will read with Aiden first. Action.” I looked down at my lines and let Romeo (Aiden) start.

            “My dearest Juliet,” he said with feeling. “It has come time, darling, to go to the church to be married.” His voice flowed over me and I just acted like there weren’t forty people staring at me.

            “Romeo, I cannot do it,” I read with equal fervor, staring into his charcoal eyes. “My father is suspicious of us. He has spies watching my every move.”

            “I believe that we can make it if you hurry, darling.” He had a slight smile on his face and my heart fluttered.

            “I’m afraid,” I whispered. “I do not want to abandon my family in this time of war. You are an Italian Nazi solider and I am a Rabbi’s daughter. The Gestapo will find us if we run.”

            “Juliet,” Romeo/Aiden said as he took a step closer, “I love you and that’s all that matters. I will not allow a war that I do not believe in, tear us apart. True love only happens once and it deserves to endure.” I hesitated slightly as if pondering his words.

            “You are right. Wait only a moment and I will be ready. Our love will rise above this war and its prejudices. I will love you no matter what happens.” I announced and thus ended the scene. For a moment, the auditorium was filled with silence. It was broken by Jules yelling out, “That’s my girl!” I laughed and the entire room burst into applause.

            “Very nice,” Mrs. Bingham said with a smile on her face. “Now Jesse and Brittany.” I took my seat next to Keith and smiled at him when he squeezed my shoulder. Jesse and Brittany did the exact same scene as Aiden and me but their performance didn’t elicit the same response. When she didn’t get as much applause, Brittany huffed and stormed off the stage. I tried very hard not to smirk at her as she passed. I really did. But I couldn’t resist giving her a gloating grin. She sniffed and tossed her head. I wondered why she decided to cut her hair so short when she was obviously used to using her river of raven hair as a way to tick people off.

            “Before we go on,” Mrs. Bingham started, “is there anyone else who would like to audition for Romeo or Juliet?” No one said anything. “Good,” she continued. “I would like our Romeo and Juliet to start learning their lines, so let’s take a vote. Jesse and Brittany or Emma and Aiden?”

            “What about Jesse and Emma?” a girl, I think her name was Annette, shouted out. My stomach tightened. Please, not Jesse.

            “Excellent point,” Mrs. Bingham said. “Okay let’s try it this way. Emma or Brittany for Juliet?”

            “Emma, Emma, Emma!” Jules and Keith started to chant and soon almost everyone joined. Perfect. I would have to kill Jules later. If Brittany didn’t get me first

            “Quiet down,” Mrs. Bingham yelled over the noise. “Emma will be our Juliet and Brittany will be her understudy. Now for Romeo.”

            “Please suggest Aiden,” I whispered to Keith. “I don’t want to act with Jesse.”

            “I nominate Aiden!” Keith shouted.

            “I second that nomination,” Jules said.

            “As long as we’re officially a democracy,” Mrs. Bingham smirked, “are there any objections?” No one said anything and I sighed in relief.

            “Good,” Mrs. Bingham said. “Aiden and Emma please come and get your script. I expect scene one memorized by the end of the week.” I trudged up to her and snatched the script, all the while muttered less than kind words under my breath. When I looked up, I almost stopped in my tracks. Jesse was glaring at me and it was more than a normal glare. Behind it, something burned fiercely. I couldn’t tell what it was, but I knew that I wanted to avoid it at all costs.

            “Can I go now?” I asked Jules when I sat down.

            “Not until Keith and I audition,” she replied. “Now start memorizing.” I stuck my tongue out at her with a smile and opened my script. By the time both of them were done, I was half asleep. It had been a long day and I just wanted to get home to play my new baby grand piano. I used to have a full sized but it burned like everything else in my old house. I heaved a sigh. I missed the sun and my grand piano and windows. Oh well. It’s not like I had much of a choice.

            Jules decided to stay and watch everyone else but Keith and I started to leave the theater. As we walked into the aisle, Jesse stepped back onto the stage. He was auditioning again, this time for Paris. I didn’t want to stay and watch but the entire time he was reading, his eyes stayed on mine. I shivered.  

            “Let’s go,” I whispered to Keith. He nodded and put his arm around my shoulders. It felt comfortable but not in a romantic way. Keith had been my best friend since freshman year and now all three of us, Jules, Keith, and me, were closer than to family. He was my brother in all aspects but blood.

            “See you tomorrow,” Keith called as he walked to his car. Snow was falling lightly and it stuck in my hair. I looked up and smiled. I grew up in California and had always dreamed of snow. Now that I lived here, it didn’t lose any of its appeal.

            “Emma?” a voice said from behind me. I jumped and dropped my keys. When I bent down to pick them up, a hand was already there. Our fingers brushed and I looked up into a pair of black-gray eyes.

            “Hi,” I said and stood up.

            “Hello,” he replied and just stood there looking at me. What seemed like many hours was probably only a few minutes.

            “Was there anything you needed?” I asked, trying to move the conversation along.

            “Would you like to have lunch with me this Saturday to go over our lines?” I open and close my mouth like a fish. Sure, it really isn’t as shocking as I thought it was but that didn’t stop me from exclaiming,

            “Lunch?”

            “Yes, lunch,” he smiled. “Shall I pick you up at noon?

            “Sure,” I squeaked. He bowed over my hand and kissed it.

            “Fino ad allora, il mio tesoro,” he whispered. I blushed at the serious undertone of his voice.

            “What does that mean?” I asked. His lip quirked up into a small smile that made my heart flutter.

            “It’s in your script,” he told me. “Mason was gracious enough to give us tranlations.” I pulled my script out of pocket and started to open, but Aiden’s long fingers stilled mine. My brown eyes met his gray ones and I coudn’t look away.

            “Or you could sit by me in English tomorrow and I’ll tell you what it means,” he murmured. I chuckled nervously.

            “How do you know that we have English together?” I asked and pulled my hands away.

            “Jules might have let something slip,” he smirked. I laughed but it soon died away when I noticed Aiden wasn’t smiling anymore.

            “Hello, Emma,” Jesse said, coming up to us.

            “What do you want?” Aiden asked in exasperation.

            “I just wanted to talk to my leading lady,” Jesse smirked at me.

            “I’m most definitely not your leading lady,” I said. “You didn’t even get the part.”

            “Such harsh manners,” Jesse said as if offended. “I expected more, Emma.”

            “What do you really want, Jesse?” I  asked. “I’m really tired and I just want to go home.”

            “You, me, Saturday aftertoon,” he smiled dangerously. “What do you say?” I heard Aiden snort beside me.

            “I already have plans,” I informed Jesse. “Thanks anyways.”  His jaw tightened and I was almost afraid of him. If I wasn’t sure that I could kick his butt with my self-defense, I’d be tempted to cower behind Aiden. Jesse wasn’t used to being rejected. That much was obvious.

            “Move on,” Aiden ordered. “She has plans with me and I would not like you to ruin them.”

            “Really?” Jesse inquired. “Where’s the common courtesy? I asked you first!”

            “Are you complaining about this?” Aiden asked. “Your father will not approve.”

            “Actually, he has already approved,” Jesse smirked. “It’s only a matter of time.”

            “Okay guys, I’m flattered by this battle of manliness but I really need to go home,” I said, stepping in between them.

            “I’ll see you tomorrow, Emma,” Jesse said. “Maybe you’ll come to you’re senses and agree to my offer.” With that, he walked away.

            “Are you okay?” Aiden asked in concern. “You look a little pale.”

            “I’m just naturally pale,” I told him which wasn’t completely a lie. “I’ll, um, see you tomorrow, Aiden. Goodbye.”

            “Goodbye, Emma,” he whispered and as he walked away, he seemed to melt into the shadows. I stared after him for a while but eventually got into Bert and drove home.

Chapter Three

            “How’d rehearsal go?” my mom asked when I sat down at the kitchen table.

            “I’m Juliet in a rewrite by Mason,” I informed her. She smirked, blue eyes twinkling.

            “It’s not funny, Mom,” I exclaimed even as my lips turned up in a smile.

            “Yes it is, sweetie,” she said and stroked my hair. “Playing the character you can’t stand convincingly is difficult but I’m sure you can pull it off.”

            “It’s not the character I hate,” I said. “It’s the whole love at first sight thing. It’s cliché and it doesn’t really happen.”

            “Emma, just remember that it was the first cliché,” my mother told me with a smile. “Every cliché following was just a cheap knockoff of the original.”

            “I guess you’re right,” I sighed. Mom laughed and kissed my head.

            “Of course I am, sweetheart,” she said. “I’m a mom.” I smiled at her until a thought occurred to me. Something was missing from this picture.

            “Where’s Rae?” I asked, looking around. Mom heaved a sighed.

            “Sulking in her room,” she said. “She got in another fight today at school.”

            “That’s the third one this semester!” I exclaimed. “Should I talk to her?”

            “Go ahead and try,” Mom said. “Maybe it’ll do some good.” I stood up and walked down the hallway to Rae’s room. The door had a sign that said “Keep Out”. I hoped that I wasn’t this anti-social as a fourteen year old but I probably was. It took a few moments of knocking before Rae opened the door.

            “What do you want?” she demanded angrily, clear blue eyes flashing. “I was reading.”

            “Can I come in?” I asked. When she didn’t answer, I pushed my way in and sat on her bed. Her room was pretty plain. The only thing covering her walls were a few posters of books and one that had to do with her favorite sport, softball. Books littered the small room and I could see that some of them had corrections in them. That made me smile. Rae had always wanted to be an editor.

            “Are you just going to sit there or are you going actually say something?” she asked sarcastically.

            “What’s going on Rae?” I demanded. “You’ve been unsociable, angry, and just plain annoying. Why are you getting into so many fights?”

            “The one today had a really good cause,” she defended herself. “The little bi…” She caught my look and stopped. “The jerk wanted to know why I didn’t have a dad and when I didn’t answer she turned around and told her stupid little friend that Dad must have cheated on Mom and that’s why he was gone.” She told me this entire story in one breath and by the end of it her eyes were filled with tears. I walked over to her and wrapped her in my arms. Sure, she was annoying and rude, but she was my baby sister. She sobbed into my shoulder and I stroked her auburn hair. Almost everything about her reminded me of Dad. She had his hair, and talent for sports. The only difference was the she had gotten Mom’s blue eyes and I’d gotten Dad’s brown ones. Sometimes it hurt to see him in her but right now she needed me.

            “It’s okay, Rae,” I murmured. “I know it’s hard but you don’t need to use violence.”

            “You’re such a hippie,” she chuckled wetly. I laughed quietly.

            “Next time just tell them the truth,” I said. “Then tell them to shut up and leave you alone.” She smiled up at me and I smiled back.

            “Deal,” she grinned. “Now get out so I can get back to fixing mistakes these incompetent editors made.”

            “Fine,” I sighed. “I can tell when I’m not wanted.” I walked out the door feeling a sense of accomplishment. As I walked down the hall towards my room, I called, “Good night” to my mom and Rae.

            “Sleep well,” they called back right on cue. This was our tradition that helped us sleep and be able to get out of bed the next morning. Some days were harder than others but this ritual always helped.

That night I dreamed of the fire. My talk with Rae must have brought up the memories that I’d tried to bury away. I had fallen asleep on my windowsill again as I watched the waves break across the shore. When I woke up, the fire had already reached my room. The red and orange glow was strangely beautiful but I knew that I had to get out of the burning room. Not knowing where the fire had started, I tried the door, but it was much too hot for me to touch the metal doorknob. The only way out was through my second story window. Smoke was clogging my lungs and blurring my vision but I eventually found the latch on the window.

            “Emmi!” Dad’s voice shouted from outside my door. “Emmi, are you okay?”

            “Daddy, I’m here!” I called back. “I’m okay but I’m going to jump out the window. The door’s too hot.”

            “I know, sweetie,” he yelled. “I’m going outside. Jump and I’ll be there to catch you.” So I did. I trusted my dad completely but he wasn’t there. The ground rushed up to meet my feet but the minute I landed, my legs gave out and my head hit the ground. I saw stars. My leg was most definitely broken and I could feel blood seeping out of a gash on my head which was probably cracked. I couldn’t move or cry out and I was preparing myself for death. For a girl not yet fourteen, it was hard to do. Then a hand grabbed mine and another was placed on my head. This part was new.

            “Just hold on,” a strong voice said.

            “Dad?” I asked, trying to see past the black dot that was in front of my eyes. As it turned out, it wasn’t a black dot; I was blind due to the fall.

            “Your father is still in the house. Now drink this,” the voice ordered and I felt a cool thick liquid enter my mouth. It was bitter and I tried to spit it out.

            “You’ve got to swallow,” the voice whispered.  I tried to but the liquid got caught in my throat and I choked. My rescuer swore under his breath and shouted at someone I couldn’t see.

            “Please just let her swallow. She’s the one I’ve been looking for.” Instantly the bitter fluid in my mouth became easier to swallow. As I did a surge of energy went through me and I started to shake. The mystery person held my hand and whispered soothingly in my ear as I shook.

            “The elixir will make you strong again,” he told me. “You won’t remember any of this but you’ll never be the same.” Eventually the shaking stopped and I managed to open my eyes. When I did, I saw…the white plaster ceiling of my bed room. I groaned. The dream was going to haunt me for a very long time. This was the first time that I had dreamed of a rescuer. Usually, I would jump and then wake up as my head hit the ground. I wanted to know whether he was real or whether my subconscious had made him up.

            When I looked at my clock, I groaned again. It was five in the morning. Knowing sleep was not an option anymore, I got out of bed and dragged myself to the bathroom with a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. I put them on then focused on my hair. Its thick natural curls were out of control and I tried to brush it out. Finally, I just gave up on trying to make it look nice and braided it. It hung all the way down my back. I studied myself in the mirror. Unblinking brown eyes stared back at me. Mason had once described me as doe-eyed but I thought the color was more like mud. It was a more realistic description and I liked mud. Then I noticed the dark circles that were under them. My cheeks were pale as if I hadn’t seen the sun in decades. What was wrong with me? I was pretty positive that I hadn’t looked like this yesterday. I was an average height for a senior, at 5’ 5”, but I was also extremely slim. It looked almost unhealthy and the dark circles under my eyes didn’t help. I sighed and left the bathroom.

            My piano was calling to me. I just wanted to sit and play a Chopin that would make my life seem less horrible. But as I sat at the bench, I didn’t play a Chopin. Instead, I played a long ago memorized song by David Lanz. It was called Cristofori’s Dream and it was beautiful. The lilting melody reminded me of day dreams of a better world and a better life. Whoever Cristofori was, he certainly had high hopes. My fingers flowed over the ivory keys and I felt the music inside of me. With every note, I thought back to my dream. Who was the rescuer? Why was he there? Why hadn’t my dad been there? I could answer that last one pretty easily even though I didn’t really want to think about it. My father had gotten trapped under a burning beam and died in the fire. He had been trying to save me and didn’t make it out because of it. The guilt had gnawed at me for years but I’ve realized that it wasn’t my fault. He was my father and he just wanted to protect me. I was positive he didn’t want to die but that he wouldn’t have regretted it. My music helped me realize that. It never ceased to amaze me how much the music could move me. By the time I was finished with Cristofori’s Dream, I felt calm and just better in general.

            I drove to school and rocked out to the music on the radio. When I got out of the car, Jesse was standing right next to my door. I jumped and held a hand to my heart.

            “Jumpy today, are we?” he smirked.

            “Shut up, Jesse,” I muttered and locked Bert.

            “So you’re really going on a date with my cousin on Saturday?” he asked.

            “He does have a name,” I snapped.

            “Well, well, well,” Jesse grinned evilly. “Jumpy and snippety. What happened to my well-mannered Emma?”

            “I’m not yours,” I told him. “I am not a possession.” As I stalked away, I thought I heard him whisper, “Yet.” It sent shivers up my spine.

            “Hey there, darling,” Jules said as I opened my locker. “What’s up?”

            “I have a date Saturday,” I told her, knowing I had to tell her sometime.

            “You what?” she exclaimed. “When did this happen?”

            “Last night after auditions,” I said, my head in my locker. “I didn’t know how to refuse politely.”

            “Who asked you?” Jules questioned.

            “Aiden,” I answered.

            “And you wanted to get out of it?” Jules asked incredulously.

            “Yes,” I muttered.

“Take my advice,” Jules said. “Go on a few dates with him, see if he’s a good kisser, and then if you still can’t stand him break it off.”

            “Jules,” I groaned, “I don’t want to find out how good a kisser he is! I didn’t even want to say yes to him.”

            Juliana snorted. “You suck at lying. You probably immediately said yes.”

            “I did hesitate,” I retorted. “A little.”         

            “That’s what I thought.” I could hear her smirking at me.

            “Emma, what did you do to Jules?” Keith’s voice reached me from inside my locker. “She’s thinking.”

            “Shut up, Keith,” Juliana said. “Emma has a date with Aiden.”

            “Well that was fast.”

            “Shut up, Keith,” I snapped.

            “I want to join in the ‘Shut up, Keith’ game!” Jesse’s voice exclaimed. I groaned and resisted hitting my head against a wall.

            “It’s not a game,” Keith said seriously. “It’s a lifestyle.”

            “Why’s Emma in a locker?” Jesse mock whispered.

            “None of your business,” I called.

            “Emma, get out of there,” Juliana ordered.

            “No,” I retorted. Then hands gripped my shoulders and dragged me out of my locker.

            “Nice to see your smiling face,” Keith smiled as I glared at him. His grin just grew wider.

            “Where’s that cousin of yours?” Jules asked Jesse. His jaw tightened slightly at the mention of Aiden but he hid it quickly.

            “Probably off flirting with some cheerleader,” Jesse answered with a shrug. He glanced at me and I raised an eyebrow at him. I highly doubted that Aiden had to resort to flirting with one of those bimbos when he had a date with me. Wow, that sounded really conceited. Moving on…

            The first bell rang and I said goodbye to my friends and Jesse. As I walked to English, I was hoping I wouldn’t have to sit anywhere near Aiden. It was way too distracting. Not that he distracts me…I mean, he’s not what’s distracting…um…never mind.

            “Hello,” Aiden greeted me as I tried to get up the stairs in one piece. Of all the rotten luck! I’d forgotten how terrible the traffic is at this staircase and hadn’t prepared properly. Now I was stuck.

            “Hi,” I smiled at him. He swept his blue-black hair out of his gray eyes. When he smiled back, his eyes lit up and my heart stopped momentarily.

            “Did you look up what that line meant?” he asked, smile still in place.

            “No,” I admitted. “I forgot.”

            He shrugged. “Oh well.” Then he walked into the class. Not a single word more.

            “Wait,” I said and followed him into English. “Aren’t you going to tell me what it meant?”

            “You’ll laugh at me if I do,” he told me. “Aren’t you going to introduce me to Mrs. Frank?”

            “If you tell me what that line means,” I answered. “Or we’ll both be on our own.”

            He sighed. “Fine. All it meant was ‘until then, my dear’.”

            “Thank you,” I said and turned to the teacher. “Mrs. Frank, this is a new student.”

            “Hello,” she said. “It’s nice to meet you. Emma, please get him a book, and a syllabus.”

            “Okay,” I replied. “Where do you want him to sit?”

            “Where ever there’s an empty chair,” she answered dismissively.

            “Come on, Aiden.” I motioned for him to follow me. “Let’s get you a text book.”

            “Have you been talking to my cousin?” Aiden whispered as I handed him a book.

            “Do you two even know each other’s names,” I hissed.

            “Names are powerful things,” Aiden said, “but you didn’t answer my question.”

            “He ambushes me sometimes,” I admitted and walked to my seat. What I forgot was that there was an empty seat right behind me.

            “Hmm,” Aiden mused. “Interesting.”

            “What’s interesting,” I whispered.

            “Nothing,” he answered and leaned back in his seat. I growled under my breath and tried to pay attention to the lesson. It was a lot harder that I had originally thought. I was painfully aware of Aiden behind me and I was almost positive he was staring at me, not the teacher. The ninety minutes dragged on but finally the bell rang. I couldn’t get out of that class fast enough.

            “What class do you have next?” Aiden asked coming up to me.

            “Calculus,” I answered simply.

            “What a coincidence,” he chuckled. “I do too. I will be in my aunt’s debt forever.” Silently, I cursed Miss Brookes to the darkest pit of Hades. At least it wasn’t Jesse. Calculus was boring as always and lunch was nothing special. My next two classes were electives and I had them all to myself. Then the day was over and I was able to go home. The next day it started all over again. Jesse annoyed me and I avoided Aiden. Mrs. Bingham had to ask us to act like we enjoyed each other’s company and didn’t want to bolt for the door. The only problem was I did want to bolt for the door. Eventually she gave up and told us to act as best we could. That suited me just find until, on Wednesday, I found, not Jesse but, Aiden waiting by my locker.

            “Hello,” I greeted him.

            “You’ve been avoiding me, Emma,” he murmured.

            “No, I haven’t,” I lied, biting my lower lip. “Where would you get such an idea?” He gave me a look and I blushed deeply. Darn my horrible lying skills.

            “I would really like to get to know you, Emma,” he said.

            I laughed nervously. “Isn’t that what the date is for?” His lips curled up in a small smile.

            “If I know nothing about you, how would we converse?”

            “Touché,” I mumbled and closed my locker. “Okay. Ask your questions.”

Over the next couple of days, Aiden and I started to get to know each other. I found out that he played the guitar and was an artist. He was amazing at both although his drawings were a little more amazing. We became good friends and Mrs. Bingham no longer asked us to get to know one another.

            “So why did you even come here?” I inquired Friday as we walked to calculus. “It’s not like this is a five star school. Heck, I don’t even think it’s a two star school.” He didn’t say anything for a long time. I grew a little impatient but I knew he would answer in his own sweet time.

            “Is family important to you?” he finally asked and stopped walking.

            “Of course,” I answered, also stopping. After losing a family member, family is a lot more important to you.

            “What about love?” he questioned. Now it was my turn to pause. What about love? I never really thought about it before. It’s not like I’d been in love before. I was only in high school. Yet I felt these answers weren’t what he was looking for.

            “If I ever found love,” I said while thinking about how we’d never talked this seriously before, “real, true love, I’d never let it go. If I lost it, I’d find it.”

            “Hmm.”

            “You do that a lot,” I noted. “You keep changing the subject and then you ‘hmm’ at me. Just answer my question.”

            “I was getting to it,” he said, lips turning up slightly. I stood there tapping my foot impatiently. When the bell rang, I was only vaguely aware of it. Aiden remained silent.

            “Well?” I inquired.

            “Patience is a virtue.”

            “Not when we’re late for math.”

            “I can fix that,” Aiden smiled. I raised my eyebrow in invitation. “If we never go, we can’t be late.”

            “Ditching already?” I said. “Not exactly the way to impress colleges.”

            He shrugged. “Blame Senoritis. Now make your choice. Answers or math.” I hate hard choices. Especially ones that hard to refuse.

            “And Jesse said you were a good influence,” I snorted. He stiffened when I mentioned Jesse. What was with this family? Why did they react so strangely to names?

            “Aren’t you supposed to be in class?” a familiar silky voice asked. Jesse was coming toward us with a gloating grin on his face. This was the first time, I’d seen him that day and I wasn’t looking forward to a reunion.

            “I don’t see how that’s any of your business,” I snapped. Jesse’s grin grew wider.

            “It is if I talk to my aunt about it,” he said.

            “Stop making petty threats,” Aiden growled. “Go to class.”

             “You’re the ones ditching,” Jesse grinned.

            “We weren’t ditching,” I said. “Aiden was talking to me and we lost track of the time.”

            “Talking, was it?” Jesse replied with a quizzical look. “Is that what they’re calling it now?” I blushed deeply and started to retort but Aiden beat me to it.

            “Shut up,” he snarled. “Get away from us. I believe I will talk to our aunt about your behavior, cousin.”

            “Now who’s making petty threats?” Jesse taunted. For the second time, I stepped in between the battling cousins.

            “Stop it now,” I ordered. They glared each other for a moment longer but then Jesse broke away.

            “See you around, Emma,” he said as he walked down the hallway. “Try not to get caught.”

            “Caught doing what?” I called but he was already gone.