Ever story, posted :)

Have I ever posted this one before? I don't think I have... but here it is, if you want to read it :)


Ever

Prologue

I've never believed in that phrase. You know, the one in all the fairytales, when the handsome prince falls in love with the beautiful princess. Their love just happens to be instantaneous. In fact... its love at first sight.
How unrealistic can a fairytale be? I guess the name describes it all. Fairytale. A story about nothing but fantasy.
I've never liked fantasy. I love books; I could read for hours upon hours, if its a good story. But fantasy has never appealed to me. The prince-falling-in-love-with-the-princess sort of thing just brought up my hopes, only to make them fall; to make them come crashing down again. Fantasy is hopeless. Who wants to live a life full of impossible hopes?
Love at first sight. What a line. A line that every children's book seems to have; at least in the underlying meaning of it all. All it does is grab little girls' imagination and turn them into starry-eyed dreamers, who know nothing of real life.
I don't mean to be cruel. But you tell me which is worse; being realistic, or being nonsensical?
But what do I know? Never in my life has a dream come true. A fantasy become reality. Never. And it's never going to happen. Life is short, they say. Mine feels like it is never going to end. Ever.

1 -- First Day

“Get up sleepy head!”
I groaned and stuffed my face in my pillow, pulling the blankets over me.
“Gwen! You're going to be late if you don't get up this minute!” My mom exclaimed, ripping the covers off of me. “You slept right through your alarm!”
My eyes flew open. I looked over at the clock and hurriedly scrambled out of bed.
“That's more like it. Now, I'm making breakfast downstairs. You come on down when you're ready.”
My mom closed the door behind her as she left. I went to my curtains and flung them open, revealing a bright, sunshiny morning. I opened the glass door to the patio outside my room and breathed in the salty-sea air.
I turned and nearly ran to the bathroom to take my four-minute shower. Then, pulling my silk robe around me, I speedily raided my walk-in closet. I didn't search for very long, since I had already decided what I was going to wear the night before.
I started styling my hair and putting on my make-up. It didn't take long; it never did.
“Gwen!” my mother called from the kitchen. “Come on! I made waffles! You have to leave any minute!”
“Okay!” I yelled down, barely paying attention.
I turned my head this way and that. I sighed and took down my hair, which I had pulled up into a high pony-tail. It fell onto my shoulders, the curls still perfectly intact.
I parted my blond hair and curled another piece with my curling iron. My hair was never difficult, but it seemed to be refusing to cooperate, today of all days.
“Gwen! I'm serious! You need some nutrition before your first day of school!”
“I'm coming!”
I took one last look in the mirror. The white sun-dress I was wearing seemed too formal for a first day of school; but it matched my white flats, earrings, and silver bracelet perfectly. I quickly grabbed a white headband and placed it in my hair so that my bangs still swooped to the side of my face in the front. I did a quick overlook of my make-up. Everything seemed to be in place.
“Gwen Evere Taylor! If you don't get down here this minute, so help me, I'll make you do your brother's laundry for a week! Don't think I won't!” My mother hollered.
“Alright, alright!” I called as I descended the staircase.
“Oh honey! You look stunning!” My mother cooed, clasping her hands. Her change of mood made me smile.
“Thanks Mom! Where are the waffles?”
My mother pointed. I plucked two waffles from the plate on the counter. I grabbed another plate and started eating, smothering my waffles with syrup and butter.
Mother sighed. “Its a miracle you're still so skinny. You eat as much as your brother. And for heavens sake, I have no idea how you keep your clothes clean! Please do be careful with that dress, Gwen.”
I grunted (elegantly, of course) in acknowledgment. Just then, my fifteen-year-old brother, Jacob, slipped in to the room, taking two waffles as well.
“Morning Mom, Gwen.”
“Morning, Jake.” I said with a smile as he sat down at the table next to me. I took note of his appearance; he was drenched from head to toe, in both sweat and ocean-water.
“Jake, you stink.”
He grinned. “Sorry about that. Went out for a run this morning, then decided to surf some waves. Man, they were thrashing this morning!”
I laughed, while my mom squealed, “Jacob! Go get ready at once! You're going to make both you and your sister late for your very first day at a new high school!”
He took a monstrous bite out of one of his waffles and bounded up the stairs.
“That boy! I tell you! I'm sorry if you're upset, dear.”
I shook my head. “I don't care. Besides, we have to be somewhat fashionably late. You never want to end up getting there before everyone else. Besides, we have several minutes, and you know how quickly Jake can get ready.”
My mother sighed. “I suppose you're right. Do you have everything you need?”
I got up to get my tote bag, which held all of my books and school-supplies. On the front of the bag it said, PINK VARSITY TEAM! 1977.
I rushed back up our spiral staircase to my room. I grabbed my white sweater and my toothbrush.
Within the next five minutes, both Jacob and I were headed out the door and hopping into our silver Mercedes. I jumped into the driver's seat as Jake helped take the top down.
“Goodbye, you two! Have a great first day!” Our mother called from the doorway, still in her satin robe.
I put on my sunglasses and waved goodbye. Then, we were off, to go to our first day at Chaplain's Camelot Academy.
As we turned the corner, Jacob began to plead, “Okay, the coast is clear. Now please Gwen, please let me drive!”
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah right! Last time I let you do that, we almost ran into a mailbox! You could've wrecked the car!”
“Aw c'mon, you know that wasn't my fault. That squirrel was determined to be hit! It was committing suicide, I swear!”
I laughed. “Doesn't matter to me. You still aren't driving this car, or any car, for that matter, until you get your license.”
“Which won't be for another six months,” he pouted.
“Don't be such a whiner. Those six months will be gone before you know it!”
“Eh, whatever. Lets listen to something.”
He turned on the radio, and we bobbed our heads to the music. Jacob then changed the station, and suddenly everything was being spoken in Spanish. We looked at each other and laughed. I felt wonderful, with the wind in my hair, and my favorite (and only) brother beside me. Even though we were going to a brand new school with whom there was nobody we knew, I knew I still had Jake.
It wasn't long before we pulled up into the parking lot of CCA. It was hard at first to find a spot, but Jake soon located one, probably the very farthest from the school's front doors.
I parked and smoothly got out of the car. Jake was wearing a simple white button-down shirt with the top buttons undone (his white undershirt barely peeping out) and worn-out jeans. His sleeves were rolled up, and he looked awesome.
“I'm glad I have such a good-looking brother,” I smiled, as I took his arm.
“Hey! That's funny. I was just about to say how happy I am to have such a gorgeous sister!” He said with a grin. I punched his arm, and we walked together up to the school.
Now, when I said we knew nobody at this school, I mean we knew nobody. There wasn't a single soul at this academy that we had ever seen in our lives, and that thought alone was rather nerve-wrecking.
We'd moved from Orlando, Florida to San Diego, California a week ago. We still owned the house in Florida, but we'd moved because of my dad's job. My dad has a job that takes him all sorts of places. Lately, all his traveling had been to California, so that he was never home. Even now, he was on a business trip in Northern California. Thus, we all decided it was better for everyone for us to move. It was pretty drastic for me and my brother; but we knew we'd survive.Anyway, we liked new places and new atmospheres. California was just another adventure for us. And the friends we'd had back in Orlando promised to keep in touch, so we knew we'd still see them some time.
We'd moved into a four story beach house, with plenty of unused rooms and dust on every shelf. But the past week had been spent fixing it up, and it looked almost as good as new.
Jake and I finally reached the sidewalk that lead up to the academy. I held on to Jake as we passed so many unfamiliar faces. It was slightly disturbing, since nearly every person we walked by was staring at us. Some were even gaping, their mouths wide open as we passed.
“Okay, this is weird.” I whispered to Jake.
He grinned at a particularly pretty girl as we passed her. She coughed on the soda she was sipping. “Their breath has been taken away by your beauty,” he whispered back.
I fluttered my eyelashes, looking up at Jake with my bright, blue-green eyes. I smiled. “Nah. More likely its yours that has everyone so speechless.”
We entered the school. Every person in the hallway stepped aside as we passed; or they simply stood stock-still.
My brother led me into an office that read, Administrative Office, on the door. As soon as we walked in, it seemed that everything became hushed. A secretary jumped up, staring at us with an astounded look on her face for a split-second before she shook herself and asked, “How may I help you two?”
“Hi there,” Jake said with a smile. The lady blinked. I rolled my eyes, thinking, Always the charmer.
“I'm Jake Taylor, and this my sister Gwen Taylor.”
“Ah yes. You both need schedules, do you not?”
“Yes ma'am.”
She shuffled through some papers before she found what she was looking for.
“Aha! This one is for you, Mr. Taylor, and this one is for Miss Taylor,” she said as she lay two schedules on the desk before them.
“Thank you very much, ma'am.” Jacob said, taking the schedules and handing one to me.
“I wish you were in my class,” I said, looking over my schedule nervously as we left the office.
He shrugged. “Not my fault I was born second. Besides; you'll do fine without me. And if you don't, I'll do summer school or something, and skip a grade for next year.”
I smiled, “Thanks, buddy. But it's okay. You go and be a sophomore now.”
“Okay. I'll meet up with you at lunch, alright? Unless you're sitting with someone else.”
I nodded, taking a deep, nervous breath.
“Hey,” he said, lightly pinching my chin. “Don't worry about it, okay? People would be crazy not to like you.”
I smiled. “Thanks, Jake.”
Just then, the bell rang. Students flocked towards their classes.
“We better go to class.” I said.He grinned and waved goodbye as he walked down the opposite hallway.
I turned to my left, looking down at my schedule, and walked briskly down the hallway to classroom 1121 for my first class of the day, which was Calculus, my very worst subject.
I tried to look determined as I made my way down that hallway. There wasn't anyone actually left to see me, but it made me feel confident anyway.
I eventually came to the right classroom, after nearly five minutes of searching, and gingerly turned the doorknob and slipped inside.
The teacher was in the middle of a lecture; I'd chosen the worst time to come in.
“Ah. Hello there,” the teacher said, almost stumbling over his words.
I smiled. “Hi.”
I heard several people shift in their chairs, or change the way they were sitting.
“I'm Gwen Taylor. I'm sorry I'm so late, I've never been to this school before.”
“It's quite alright, Miss Taylor. I am Professor Gragoravich. Your first class is Calculus, correct?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Well then, you've come to the right place. Please, find a seat.”
I looked over the classroom for the first time. It was a large class, and the only empty seats were the ones in the front row. Every single person was staring at me.
I gave a nervous wave. Some people chuckled, others just smiled at me.
Either this is a freakishly nice school, or I'm missing something, I thought to myself.
I sat down. The professor resumed his lecture, and I got out my Calculus text book.
I tried to focus on the professor, but it was hard to concentrate when the majority of the class was staring at me.
Someone tapped my shoulder. I turned around, but the guy behind me was staring intently at the chalkboard. I looked around innocently before turning back.
Finally, the class ended, and I picked up my things to leave.
“Hey!” I looked up to see a girl standing next to me. “I'm Elli!”
She had big, brown eyes and straight brown hair, with delicate features and fair skin. She was holding a backpack over one shoulder.
“Hi, I'm Gwen,” I said, standing up.
She nodded enthusiastically. “I know!”
We stood there for an awkward second.
“I'm the newspaper editor here at CCA, and I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions, and stuff.”
I blinked. “Sure, I don't see why not!”
“Great! Where's your next class?”
“Um,” I found my schedule and looked it over. “I have Spanish, classroom 341.”
“No way! Me too! We can walk there together, if you'd like!”
“Okay.”
As we walked, Elli chatted. “You made quite an entrance there! Everyone was staring at you!”
“Yeah, I know that was weird.”
She giggled. “Arthur especially!”
“Who's Arthur?”
Elli almost squealed. “Arthur Thomas? Only one of the best looking guys EVER! He couldn't take his eyes off you!”
I snorted. “That's silly. He's never even met me before.”
Elli paused, something I didn't know she was capable of. “Hm.”
She shrugged. “Well, he obviously thought you were gorgeous. And girl, you truly are!”
I was surprised at her compliments. “Thanks.”
“So anyway! Questions!”
She led the way up some stairs as we talked.
“Where do you come from?”
“Orlando, Florida.”
She gasped. “No way! Wow! That's crazy!”
I nodded. “Yeah.” I didn't say anything else, so Elli continued.
“So, why'd you move? And when?”
“We moved in just last week. It was cause of my dad's job. He was having to go to California so much, we thought it would be best if we just moved here instead of him having to travel around so much.”
She nodded. “I see. What are your parents names? Any siblings?”
“My parent's names are Leslie and George Taylor. And my brother, Jake, is a sophomore.”
“Cool! What does he look like?"
I laughed. “Um, that's kind of weird. But he's definitely good-looking."
Elli squealed again. “This is so exciting!”
“I don't exactly see why.”
“I always like a good story!”
She wouldn't stop talking until we got to Spanish class, and even then she whispered to me almost constantly.
There was a similar reaction to my entrance in Spanish. The teacher looked at me, obviously surprised, and then told me where to sit. The whole class, yet again, stared at me like I was some sort of extra-terrestrial creature from a far-off planet.
As soon as that class was over, I stood up and said goodbye to Elli as quickly as I could without being rude. I rushed to my next class, Literature, and actually tried to get there on time, so I wouldn't make a scene.
I sat down towards the back of the room, so no one would really be able to stare at me that way. What is with these people anyway? New people come every year! This is ridiculous!
Soon, everyone took their seats and Literature began.
“Hello class, I am Mrs. Burns and I'll be your Literature professor for this year!” Our teacher began enthusiastically.
She had everyone stand up and state their name and their favorite thing to do. It took up most of the class, but no one seemed to mind. Soon, it was my turn.
I stood up, attempting to keep myself elegant. “Hello. I'm Gwen Taylor, and my favorite thing to do is...” I knew exactly what I was going to say; but it was hard not to pause for dramatic effect. “...probably going surfing with my brother.”
A few people cheered. Others applauded. I smiled, and again everyone seemed to react in a different way; some changed the way they sat, others moved their fingers through their hair. One person even whistled, but I didn't know if that was a delayed cheer or something else. I sat back down.
The rest of class, we learned very little. But Mrs. Burns was energetic and passionate, and she was my favorite teacher yet.
When class was over, Mrs. Burns pulled me aside.
“Welcome to CCA, Gwen!”
“Thanks, Mrs. Burns.”
“How are you adjusting? Did you just move here?”
I nodded. “Yes. Everything's been fine.”
“The people here... they're being good to you?”
“Yes. In fact, they seem almost too nice, in some ways.”
She frowned.
“I'm not complaining or anything,” I insisted. “Everything is just fine!”
She nodded. “Alright. I hope you have a good first day.”
“Thanks.”
I turned to go. Outside of the classroom, everyone was bustling around to go to lunch. As I walked down the hallway to my locker, I saw that some people waved to me as I passed.
I found my locker. I stuck my books inside. It was shabby and plain; but I'd be able to decorate my locker later.
I took out the lock I'd brought with me and fastened it onto my locker. Then, with my tote bag still in hand, I went to the lunch room.
I entered the cafeteria, expecting a musty, low-ceilinged room with too many people. Instead, I found the lunch room to be quite pleasant. It was a large room, with bright windows and many round tables to eat at. I'd figured out the name of the CCA football team; The Knights. They were all sitting around a particularly large table, with their big letter jackets that read, Knights, in fancy writing.
Knights of the Round Table. Nice. I thought to myself.
I scanned the room, looking for Jacob.
“Hey Gwen!”
I groaned internally as Elli came charging towards me.
“Hey Elli. Whats up?”
She shrugged. “Eh, you know. English Grammar is never very fun.”
“Hey! Elli!”
Both Elli and I turned to look at who was calling. A guy, wearing worn-out jeans and a plaid button-down shirt, was waving across the room. He started towards us.
Elli turned back to me and whispered through her teeth, “That's Arthur!”
I studied him as he neared us and felt a strange sensation come over me. It was almost like my heart was fluttering around in my chest, while at the same time, a warm feeling took over the pit of my stomach. He was just like Elli had said, no doubt about it. But his features were gentle, as were his movements. He had his sleeves rolled up, just like Jake had, and he was wearing aviator sunglasses. I caught my breath as he came up, smelling his sweet, mild cologne.
“Hey Elli. Who's your friend?”
“Hey Arthur! This is Gwen Taylor. She's new to San Diego.”
He took off his sunglasses, staring at me intently. I was determined to stare back. I couldn't help but noticing his eyes, which were the clearest blue I'd ever seen.
“That's cool. Where you from?”
“Orlando.” I felt stupid for not saying more.
His eyebrows rose in surprise. “Seriously? Whoa. That's pretty extreme.”
I nodded. “It's not too bad though. So far, I love California.”
He nodded, smiling. “That's great. I heard you especially like the waves here at Cali.”
How fast does word get around at this school? Geez! “Yep. My brother and I can't stay away from the beach.”
We were silent for a moment. Then, “Do you two want to sit at our table?”
“Sure!” Elli said, obviously excited.
“Um...” I looked around the room for my brother and spotted him not too far from where we were standing.
“Jake!” I called. I sprang towards him.
“Hey gorgeous!” he said. He took me up in a bear-hug.
“How were the first few classes?”I shrugged. “Eh. A little weird. Were people treating you abnormally nicely?”
He thought for a second. “I don't know. I guess a little bit, but I think that's pretty normal for people on their first day and such.”
Nodding, I turned back towards Elli and Arthur, who were staring at us with surprised expressions. Elli had her mouth open wide, and Arthur was frowning.
“Come on,” I insisted, pulling Jake along behind me.
“Guys, this is Jake.”
Jake waved, smiling. “Hey!”
“I'm Elli,” Elli managed to squeak.
“Arthur.” I wondered at Arthur's change of spirit. He no longer wore an easy smile.
“Nice to meet you.” Jake replied, easy-going, as usual.
“Can we still sit with you guys?” I asked, hoping to break the obvious tension.
Arthur shrugged. “Sure, I guess so.”
As we walked towards the table with the circle of Knights, Elli whispered to me, “Dang! Your boyfriend is as gorgeous as you are!”
I blinked, unaware of what she was talking about. Then, it dawned on me, and I started to laugh.
“Gwen? What is it?” Jake asked, turning around to face us. Arthur turned too.
I giggled. “Nothing. It's just that, Jake's my brother, remember Elli?”
Comprehension appeared on Elli's face. “Ohh!” She laughed along with me.
Arthur seemed surprised as well. He said, “You mean, he's not your boyfriend?”
Jacob was laughing now too. “Dude! No way. Gwen's just my favorite little sister in the whole world.”
“What do you mean “little” sister?” I asked, crossing my arms.
“Well, you are little.”
I shook my head. I noticed Arthur's face seemed strangely relieved.
We finally arrived at the table that was surrounded by so many people.
People called out Arthur's name as we neared the table.
“Arthur!”
“What's up Arty?”
“Hows it going?”
“Who are the two beauty pageant winners?” I smiled, blushing at this comment.
“Hey guys!” Arthur called out, giving some people high fives.
“This is Jake and Gwen. Say hello.”
A chorus of a singsong “Hi Jake and Gwen” rose up from the small crowd.
Both Jake and I smiled and waved. Several guys nudged one other, and the girls whispered and giggled with each other.
“Alright, alright enough drama. Give 'em some room.”
Everyone shuffled aside. Barely anyone was actually sitting on the benches. Most were sitting on the table itself; others were simply standing or goofing around.
“My knights!” Arthur called out. Instantly, three boys stood up from where they were settled. They walked around the table to where Arthur, Elli, Jake and I stood.
“This is Grant, Kyle, and Brian.”
They all raised their hands in greeting, murmuring a “hello”.
“They're three of my best friends. Not to mention three of the best football players for the Knights!”
Everyone cheered at the word, “Knights”.
“Wow,” I said amusedly as I sat down on the table, “You guys have some serious school spirit.”
One of the three football players Arthur had introduced sat down beside me.
“Yeah, we get really psyched when it comes to sports.”
He stuck out a hand. “Grant Spencer.”
I took it. “Good to meet you, Grant Spencer.”
He grinned. He was enormous; his broad shoulders and tall demeanor suggested bully characteristics. But his smile told otherwise.
“I hope you like it here in California. CCA is probably not what you're used to.”
I shrugged. “It's definitely different. But I like new things.”
He nodded. “That's good. I myself moved here not too long ago. Wasn't easy, I can tell you that.”
Just then, someone called out, “GET DOWN MR. PRESIDENT!”
Suddenly, the entire football team was tackling Arthur, who was laughing and groaning at the same time underneath their weight.
I looked at Grant, bemused. “What just happened?”
He laughed. “It's a silly thing the footballers do. If everyone is talking in a circle, and one person randomly puts their hand to their ear, it means they've started the Mr. President game. The last one in the circle to put their hand to their ear is the president, and well...”
He grunted. “You saw what happened.”
Laughing, I replied, “Sounds like a footballer kind of game.”
“And everyone just likes tackling Arthur.”
I smiled, watching Arthur goof around with the other boys. “He seems pretty popular.”
Grant nodded. “Definitely. Arthur's the king of the school. We're voting class president at the end of this quarter, and no one has any doubt as to who's gonna get it.”
I watched Arthur curiously. He didn't seem like a footballer; he was much more slim, and after all, he was to be a candidate for class president. Yet he hung out with them the whole lunch time.
“Grant!” A girl called out. She was walking towards us, a gleam in her eye. She was tall and slender, with plaid shorts and a bright smile. Her sandy-colored hair was long and curly.
“Hey Lindsey! Hows it going?”
I noticed several things at once. First, that when Grant saw Lindsey walking towards us, his eyes brightened, and he said her name like it was the only name a girl should have. Another thing I noticed was that Lindsey was tall enough to be the perfect height for Grant, so that when she came up to us, Grant was able to stand without looking down so far.
“Who's this?” Lindsey asked. She raised an eyebrow, but her voice held a twinge of teasing in it.
“This is Gwen. She's new to California.”
Lindsey studied me. I gave her a slight smile and said, “Hi! Your name's Lindsey?”
She nodded, smiling now too. “Yep. Lindsey Carlisle. I see you've made friends with people quickly.”
I nodded. “Yes. Everyone's been really nice so far. I thought I'd be sitting around at a table with my brother at lunch period for the first few days.”
“Hey! What's wrong with that?” Jake called out. He was already fitting in with the other guys on the football team, laughing and eating with them.
“Jacob!” Grant said. “This is Lindsey. Lindsey, this is Jacob.”
I took note of how eager Grant was to introduce Lindsey to people. I smiled, but decided I wasn't going to assume anything. After all, they may be just friends. But the way they looked at each other told otherwise.
“Lunch is my favorite period so far!” Jake cried. Everyone cheered and agreed heartily. Speaking of lunch...
The bell rang abruptly.
“Shoot!” I hissed. “I forgot to eat!”
Grant laughed, helping me up. “That happens. What class do you have next?”
I pulled out my schedule. “I have... Geography, with Mrs. Parker.”
“Don't worry about it. It's a piece of cake to slip in some lunch during Mrs. Parker's class. Just go buy something really quickly. You've got five minutes to spare.”
“Okay, I will. Thanks!”
“No problem.”
“See ya around, Gwen!”
“See ya Lindsey!”
I followed Grant's advice and grabbed some lunch to take to Geography class. Mrs. Parker was easy-going, and let us play around, since it was the first day. Then I went to Physics, in classroom 783 with Mr. Brooking.
As I entered the classroom, I spotted Arthur sitting in almost the very center of the room. He spotted me as I walked in and grinned, motioning to the desk in front of him.
I walked up to the spot he had gestured to and set my stuff down. He'd saved me a seat? Curious, I asked, “How'd you know I was going to be in this class?”
“I didn't. Have a seat.”
I sat down. Physics class began.
It's the very first day, and all I'm hearing is blah blah, blah, I thought to myself.
A piece of paper suddenly appeared on my desk. On the front it said, Gwen Stefani. I could only guess it was for me.
I slowly opened it, trying not to make a sound. It read:

Do you have any clue what this guy is saying? Please tell me you're good at math and science. I need a tutor desperately.
~Arthur

I smiled at his frankness. I replied:

Nope, sorry. Don't understand a word.

I skillfully and discreetly passed the note back to Arthur. I heard him sigh behind me, but I dared not look back.
School was soon over. Both Grant and Elli waved goodbye to me, but Elli looked slightly exacerbated. Lindsey actually came up to me.
“See ya later Gwen!” She said, giving me a slight hug. “Maybe we can hang out some time this week.”
“Sure!” I said with a smile. Lindsey had been the kindest yet.
I hopped into the car and pulled it up to the front of the school to wait for Jake to come out. Instead, Arthur walked out the two front doors, his fan club following close behind.
He saw me in the Mercedes and jogged towards me.
“Sweet!” He exclaimed.
“Thanks. Need a ride?” I asked.
He shook his head. “No, I'm good. I'll see you tomorrow?”
“Yep. See ya.”
He waved and jogged through the parking lot towards a truck that must've been his car. I watched him drive off, curious.
Jake finally came out, followed by several girls (and a few guys).
“I see you have your own little fan-club,” I teased on the way home.
He grinned. “As do you!”
I heard mischief in his voice as he said, “So Arthur... pretty nice guy, eh?”
I glanced at him, raising my eyebrows. “Yeah. So?”
“You like him, don't you?”
“What? No! First of all, Jake, unlike you, I get to know someone before I go out with them. Not that I've gone out with many people, but...” The fact was, I hadn't gone out with anyone. I considered it a waste of time, unless you knew they were “the one”.
“I do that!”
Again, I raised my eyebrows at him. He shrugged.
“What can I say? I'm a charmer.”
I ruffled his hair, and he started to tickle me. But he stopped after we started to swerve off the road.
My mother was being her nosy self when we got home.
“So,” she began. We said nothing. I glanced at Jake and we both suppressed grins.
“Hi Mom. How was your day?” Jake began.
“Fine, fine. But I want to hear about yours!”
Jake shrugged his shoulders. “Eh, nothing too special. Yours, Gwen?”
“What Jake said. Not too great, but it wasn't so bad.”
We both started up the stairs to our rooms.
“But... but... kids! You have to fill me in on every detail of your first day of school!”
We stopped on the staircase. I looked at Jake and laughed.
“Honestly Mom, nothing happened. Jake and I sat with the football players though.”
“Ooh! And was that fun?”
“Yes, Mom. We had a blast. Gwen and I are tired. We're gonna probably start on homework. In fact, it would probably be best if you left us alone until dinner.” Jacob said, dismissing the conversation.
“Homework? Already?”
“Yep! Boatloads!” Jake said. He winked at me before he closed the door to his room.
The house we moved into had all sorts of cool features. For instance, Jake and I had found a secret passageway that connected my room and his. The third or fourth day of staying there, I'd been inspecting my room, searching for anything cool or new that I might find. I found myself looking into the mirror, playing with my hair and making silly expressions. Randomly, I saw a thin line that stretched across the length of the mirror. It was towards the more left side of the glass, and I began to inspect.
I moved my fingers up and down the line. My fingers finally found a kind of small switch that I wasn't able to see, but I could still feel. I fiddled with it for a few seconds before I turned it to the left. The mirror suddenly opened to reveal a dank, musty corridor. The floor was made of wood, but the walls were built of stone.
I found I'd been holding my breath. I let it out, slowly. Excitement filled my every limb, and I fearlessly stepped inside.
I'd left the mirror open, and the light from my room made me able to see mostly everything. I felt my way along the walls. I imagined all kinds of horrors; rats crawling along the floor right beside me, slime covering my sneakers, and skeletons hanging from the walls and ceiling.
Then, I heard something coming from deeper inside the corridor. I almost laughed at myself. You really get caught up in your imagination, Gwen! I said to myself.
But then I heard the sound again. I was unable to see anything in front of me. But whatever it was, it was coming closer.
I tried not to panic. I pressed myself up against one of the walls. It was wet and slightly slimy, and I felt like gagging.
A light appeared down the passageway. It was a flashlight, I could tell that much. As the figure neared me, I was able to make out it's shape. He was tall, average size...
“Jake?” I called out.
“Gwen?” He called back.
I let out my breath, relieved. I'd never been more happy to see him.
“Thanks a lot for scaring the daylights out of me!”
He laughed openly. “Aw, sorry Gwen! Hey, isn't this neat? It's some kind of secret passageway!”
“Yeah, like I hadn't figured that out.”
We both walked towards my room, which was still allowing light to come in. We stepped out into my room and Jake turned off his flashlight.
“Cool!” He cried. “How'd you find it?”
“I don't know. I was just looking at the mirror, and I figured out how to open it. How about you? Where does it lead?”
“My room!” He exclaimed. “Behind my bookcase! But that's not the best part,” his eyes were glowing with excitement. “The corridor keeps going! In the other direction! I just chose this way instead. I wonder if the passageway goes throughout the entire house!”
Thus began the adventures and explorations of our new mansion. We found that the passageway did indeed lead all throughout the house, going up and down and all around, always parallel with the walls. We bought Chinese lamps at the store and set them up all throughout the passageway, so we would never need a flashlight. Jake was even able to hook them up to a parallel circuit after several days of hard working, so we could turn them on with a switch, and the whole corridor would lighten up.
Anyway, the point is, when Jake gave me that wink, I knew he meant, “I'll meet you in your room.”
I closed the door behind me as I walked in. I threw myself on my bed, breathing in deeply. Today had been a good first day.
I heard a knock from behind my mirror.
“Enter!” I called dramatically.
Jacob slipped inside, closing the mirror behind him.
“Hey. Want to catch some waves before the sun sets?”
“Yes! Definitely.”
“Okay. You get ready. I'll meet you at the fork.”
He left, and I changed into my bathing suit and wet suit. I grabbed a towel and stuffed some other beach-supplies into a small tote.
Jake and I had our own individual ways of sneaking out of the house, and this time I used my balcony as the escape route.
I walked onto the porch and swung myself over the railing. I then inched over to the wall and grabbed onto the vines that tangled up the side of the house. I'd already practiced climbing up and down this wall, and found all the strong footholds. I lowered myself to the ground.
I met up with Jake at “the fork”. The fork was a spot that split in three directions, one road leading up to our house, another to town, and one more to the shore. We took the path that lead to the beach.
Jake was holding two surfboards and his own towel. He also wore a wet suit.
“Ready to go for a swim?”
“Ready!”
The dirt path soon became sand as we walked onto the beach. We both charged towards the water, laughing as we went.
The water was cold, but I soon got used to it. The waves crashed against the shore, roaring so loud, a lion would blush just to hear it.
Jacob and I surfed until the sky started to darken. Then, we lounged on the beach, watching the sun set. I sighed and laid my head on Jake's shoulder.
“Jake?”
“Yeah?”
“I'm glad you're my brother.”
I could hear the smile in his voice. “Is that so?”
He grabbed me by the waist and dragged me towards the water. I laughed as I screamed and struggled, but his grip was too strong.
He threw me into the water, just as a wave was coming in. The wave hauled me onto the shore, and I lay there for a second, laughing uncontrollably. He sat down beside me and followed suit.
“You jerk!” I said, shoving him.
“You asked for it!”
I stuck my tongue out at him. I sat up, then said hurriedly as I stood, “Race you to the fork!”
We both raced back the way we came, running as if the whole ocean had gathered up into a tidal wave behind us.


Notice the references to real people? ;) Anyway, I hope you get the jist of the story. Gwen Evere Taylor? Arthur? Knights of the Round Table? Camelot Academy? Yep. Lance soon comes into the story, and everything gets pretty messed up after that. Anyway, this is the first chapter. I've written the entire second chapter as well, and a little bit of the third. Anyhow, I've tried to make it like a real high school without adding anything unnecessary. :D Hope you liked reading it. Comments are appreciated. :)