Mission

The alarm rang, and I hit the snooze again. This happened on a regular basis. My parents had to drag me out of bed for me to wake up. That’s exactly what they did today. I got dragged out of bed, and I finally woke up and did everything like I normally would. I brushed my teeth, put on clothes, did my hair and makeup, and went downstairs to eat breakfast. I had a pretty normal teenage life. I just came back last night, from Atlanta, from visiting my aunt Josephine. I visit her every summer, all summer. My aunt Josephine is exactly like my parents. My parents are people who have worked very hard to get to where they are today. They practically own this town. That’s how people know who I am. “It’s Mae Sharpe. Her ancestors founded this town and now her dad is the mayor while her mom is the supreme judge.” They taught me to only care what I think, not to get the approval of others. In this town, Sharpston, I have to get the approval of others, especially my parent’s. I am the type of person who has to be perfect. That’s the reason I don’t know who, in my life, really knows who I am. I don’t know who really watches for the true me, or who just sees the surface of who I am.
It’s the first day of school, and my parents are about to leave for work.
“Mom, I just came back last night, and I had to take a cab home. The least you and dad could do is drive me home from being away for three months. How does a parent forget to pick up their youngest child from the airport?” I rant.
“Sorry, darling. Your father and I had a tough day yesterday.” My mother stated.
I rolled my eyes and walked out of the kitchen and into the front hallway. I did one last check in the hallway mirror, grabbed my keys and my jacket, and left the house. I drove to school, and when I got out of my car, Chance Hyde, was waiting for me. He was my boyfriend that I had been dating for four years. Although we’ve known each other for all of our lives, we were best friends who decided to take a chance and try what other people urged us to do for a long time.
“Chance,” I yelled when I ran up to him and gave him a big hug. “Oh, I’ve missed you.”
“I missed you too,” He smiled and gave me a kiss on my forehead. “That was a long summer without you.”
“Maybe next summer I won’t go to Atlanta.” I say.
“You better not. I miss you like crazy and so does everyone else.” He holds my hand, and we start towards the school. I see all my friends waiting by my locker, and they all tell me how much they missed me, and how much I missed over the summer. My best friend, Lia Adams, kept avoiding my eyes. She does that when she had a secret that she wanted to keep from me. I ignored it, for the moment.
Classes and school went by in a blur, and it was time for cheerleading practice. I was nominated for captain at the end of last year, so my coaches made me and the other nominee, Kierra Summers, who is a close friend, co-captains. I met the new members, and then went through what they had learned over the summer. I was a flyer, and so we went through all the routines, and then some. After practice ended, I went to talk to Kierra.
“Hey, Key, what’s going on with Lia? She barely talked to me all summer and now she is completely avoiding me.” I say.
“You might want to talk to her about that. I don’t want to get involved with what I shouldn’t be involved in,” Kierra states. “I want to stay neutral in everything.”
“What are you talking about? You make it seem like its bad.” I look at her poker face.
“Oh, just talk to Lia about this. I’m sure you will figure out what is going on, real quick.” Kierra said that she had to go home and quickly said goodbye.
I left shortly after Kierra left, and I stopped by Lia’s house. I knocked on the front door and Mrs. Adams let me go upstairs to Lia’s room. I stop outside the closed door, wondering if I should intrude or not. I was about to knock when I hear Lia’s voice.
“Stop it. We’re supposed to be sneaky. What if someone hears us?” she says.
“Who’s going to hear? Your mother is downstairs and your father is at work,” a familiar voice says. “Besides, it’s not like Mae is standing outside the door listening to this.” It was Chance. My heart dropped. My mind did not comprehend this. How could they be together? Were they together the whole summer? No, no, they couldn’t be.
I quietly said goodbye to Mrs. Adams and left. I drove to Kierra’s house, and sat outside and debated whether or not to ask her. Instead, I left and drove home. I decided not to think of it.
“Hey, anyone home? Hello? I’m home.” I call out into my house.
“Miss Sharpe, welcome home.” Mary, my family’s maid, walked out from the living room.
“Hello, Mary. Are my parents at home? Wait, don’t answer that. I’ll be in my room.” I go into my room and sleep.
I was driving, and I had just left from a party. It was hot…I was in Atlanta. Where was I going? I was driving, but as I looked out the windows, there was nothing but fields of grass. Where am I? My tire blew out, and I was left on the side of the road, trying to call someone, anyone, to come help me. I hated being alone. There were cars that drove by, but they didn’t stop for me. They kept driving. Why wasn’t anyone helping me? I look in the trunk of my car to see if there was an extra tire, and there was, but I had no tools. As I waited for someone to stop, I lay on the roof of the car and looked at the night sky. The stars were trying to tell me something. “Be careful. Your life is going to end shortly.” I gasp and get down from the roof. I get back in my car and think about what that meant. I turn on the radio, and soon fall asleep. There’s knocking on the window. I wake and see that it’s a man. I roll down my window, and he asks if he can help me. I tell him my tire is blown, and I have no tools. He says that he has some in his car. He walks back to his car, and gets his tools. When he comes back, I thank him for helping me. He says that it’s no problem. I sit in my car while the man works on my car. I fall asleep again, and wake up with the man slamming a wrench into my chest, and him walking away. I try to yank the wrench out of my chest, but the air around me is thinning. I gasp and try to cry for help. No one stops, they just keep driving, and the scene around me starts to blur. I cannot see anything, and my heart starts to slow. I keep trying to gasp for air, but it is suffocating. I start to become weak as my tears that are built up in my eyes fall into my lap and my body stills…
“Miss! Miss, wake up!” Mary is shaking me awake.
“What happened? Mary, where am I?” I am crying hysterically.
“Miss, I was fixing you dinner, and I heard you screaming, and crying. You were having a bad dream. But you are safe now. Why don’t you come down and sit in the kitchen to keep my company?” Mary says.
“Sure.” I wipe my face and get up from my bed.
A few hours passed and my parents finally came home. They went straight to their room, and they didn’t even notice me at the dinner table, waiting for them.
“Mary, why don’t you put their plates away? I’ll just eat by myself.” I ate, and finished then I got up, and left. I didn’t want to stay in the house, so I decided to drive around.
I found a little bar, and I went in. I drank a beer, and then I went to walk around the bar. I played pool a bit, and decided to hit the road again. I was driving, and I didn’t notice the time. It was 4:30 am. I just passed a sign that said “You are now leaving Ever Forest”. I guess I was in that bar for longer than I had thought. Ever Forest was two hours away from Sharpston. If I went any further, I would leave Virginia. I turned around and headed towards Sharpston.
When I got back home, it was 7:30. My parents were downstairs, and they didn’t look a bit worried. They didn’t even notice when I walked in, or that I was gone all night apparently. I sighed and went to my room to get ready as fast as I could for school. I left the house soon afterwards. I parked in my usual spot, and go out. No one was there yet, but the teachers and the staff. I walked into the principal’s office and I asked Dr. Accardo if I could spend some time in the nurse’s office to sleep off my sleep deprivation. He agreed, and said that I would have to miss practice tonight to catch up on what my teachers were saying.
I slept all day that day, and I woke up when school had ended. Dr. Accardo had excused me from all classes today. That’s a plus on being part of the founding family. I went to my locker and saw a note. “We need to talk.” There was no name, but it said to meet behind the bleachers after I finish everything. I talk to all my teachers and they said that I didn’t miss much. I left the school and went to the football field and stood behind the bleachers.
“You showed up.” A strange voice said.
“Hello? Who’s there?” I call. Looking around, I see nothing. I feel goose bumps, but it wasn’t even cold outside.
“You can’t see me. I am here to warn you.” The voice said.
“What kind of joke is this?” I say to the air as I start to walk away. As I’m walking away, I feel my feet getting heavier. Then I hit nothing. I slam into thin air, like there is an invisible wall in my way.
“You cannot leave until you have listened to what I have to say.” So this was the voice’s doing. I try to get up from the ground but I can’t.
“What are you doing to me? Let me go! I have to go talk to Lia! Let me go!” I start to squirm, and nothing helps me up.
“Listen to what I have to say. It will be a big help to you as you start your journey.” I start to stop squirming, but nothing is helping me calm down.
“What the hell are you talking about? What journey?” I look at the air around myself. “Oh, my God, am I going crazy? I am, aren’t I? Oh, my parents are going to send me to a therapist! What am I going to do?” I start to think that this is all inside my head.
“Shut up, and listen.” I stop and close my eyes, and think for a while. “What are you doing?”
“I am trying to see you. In my mind, I mean.” I answer.
“Don’t even try. You can only see me if you are in transition.” The voice says with a tone that had attitude.
“What? Transition? What the hell is that supposed to mean?” I open my eyes, and try to look around again. I see the sun starting to go down, and I start to worry. I’ve been gone too long. “Tell me what you have to say. Hurry.”
“Mae, you are to complete a mission. It will save your life. You have received a terrible nightmare that is to come true if you do not complete this mission.” It stops for a bit, as if it is thinking. “You are to complete this mission in a month. Do not procrastinate. Your mission is to leave this town. You must forget this life and start a new one. Where no one will know who you are, and you must be the opposite of who you are now. Cut off all your ties from here. You have one day to get ready to leave. I will be here if you need me.” The voice ends there, all the pressure that was pushing down on me was gone, and a big gust of wind came. I stood up, and looked around. It had gotten much darker and I went home.
Is all of this true? If so, then what do I do? How do I leave my family? How do I leave my friends and school, and how do I start a new life? There are plenty of questions running through my mind, but I have to figure it out myself; there’s no way I will let that creepy voice talk to me again.
I walk into an empty house. It was Mary’s day off, and my parent’s would be late, again. I run upstairs, and get out my duffle bag, and everything I could into every little nook and cranny in the hefty bag. I go into my bathroom, and grab my tooth brush and my makeup. I take one of my parent’s suitcases, and fit everything else that I need in there. I put everything in my car. I leave my cell phone off, and I decide to only use my personal credit and debit card so that my parents don’t cancel them. I call the companies to tell them I will be in different cities and that I am going on a road trip. I tell them not to leak this information to anyone. I take everything out side, and take one look around my room, and house.
I decided to walk instead of drive out of Sharpston. Knowing that I will never be back, it broke my heart, but it also gave me a sense of relief. I would not run this town; my parents would make my older brother Trevor do that. I was free from their constant nagging, from the image of perfection. I am now allowed to be free. I stop near a small gas station, in the middle of nowhere and get out my suitcase and duffle bag and wait for a bus. I get one a random one, not caring where it would take me. It was 10:30 pm. I watch as the bus takes me away from Virginia. I soon drift to sleep, and it was actually peaceful.
There are beams from the sun shining in my eyes as I wake, and I look around to see that there are still two or three people on the bus. I look at the bus’s clock and it says 10:56 am. I slept for almost thirteen hours. Then I turn on my phone to see twenty two missed calls. The majority of the calls were from my parents, Kierra, and Chance. I fight the urge to call my parents back, and so I turn off my phone again. By the time I decide to get off the bus, it was 7:30 pm. I stayed awake for the rest of the time on the bus, listening to my iPod. I am now in New York.
I look around at my surroundings. This is a bus station, and I had no idea where I was going to go next. This was my chance to be free. I walk out of the station, with all my luggage and I go find a little motel to stay at. I’ve been saving up everything I’ve earned since I was little. All my money was in my secret savings. I had to hide everything from my parents. They, of course, had a trust fund for me, but since I’m missing now, I have to spend money wisely.
I call a taxi, and put my bags inside. The cab driver helped me put the suitcase in, and I tell the driver to take me to a cheap hotel. When we arrive, I walk in and ask for a room. The lady at the front desk checked me in and I go up to my room. Opening the door, I finally realized that I was alone. I was in a new city, with no one I know. This realization brought tears to my eyes and I collapse in the bed, and lay there for a while. This was a four-star hotel, and I would have to get a job to pay for the room. I freshen up after I get out of bed and leave to go job hunting. I find a little café nearby and they needed workers. It was a little cute shop with a comforting setting. This shop reminded me of home. I decided to get an application and fill it out in the shop. I thank the worker who accepted the application. I head to a clothing store that had tons of cute clothes and looked like somewhere I would shop, and they were also looking for new workers and I applied. I needed as many jobs as I could get.
I went back to the hotel, and waited for the calls. I applied for an online school so that I could finish high school, and go to college. If I wanted to be successful, and actually support myself, then I would have to go to school.
I fell asleep, and wake up to the lights flickering on and off. I slowly sit up, and the windows open. Not knowing what to do, I get up, thinking that it’s just the wind, which was a ridiculous thing to think. The wind was blowing in and it started to get cold, so I decided to get a sweater instead of closing the window first. Then I realized that I didn’t even pack a sweater. I sighed for my stupidity and went over to the window to close it. Everything after that went so fast. I felt a hand cover my mouth so that I could not scream, and I see the person come out from behind the curtains.
“Shh, I am so sorry for breaking in, but your window was unlocked, and I have a good excuse.” A strange young man said. I looked up at him, and stopped squirming. He let me go, and I sat down cautiously while this man explained. His name was Darren Smith and his girlfriend had just broken up with him, and his parents kicked him out. While walking around to find a place to live, he climbed up the hotel’s balconies and found that my window was unlocked. The lights flickering were due to the fact that the hotel’s neighbors were using too much electricity. Man, did I feel bad for this guy. I could also relate to him very well.
“Would you like a place to stay?” I offered. “I mean, not to sound weird but you have no place to stay, and I have a pretty big room, and can’t afford a hotel like this on my own for too much longer.” I could get him to help me pay for the room.
“Wow, really? I’m honestly really sorry for breaking in while you were sleeping, but are you sure you’re not going crazy from lack of sleep?” He looked at me as if I needed to be checked into a mental facility.
“I’m sure I’m not going crazy. It’s just…I can relate to how you feel. Well, not exactly, but close. Plus, do you expect me, an eighteen year old, to pay this room off by myself?” I looked at him the same way he had looked at me.
“Wait, I told you about me. All I know about you is that you are eighteen. You don’t even know who I am; we know nothing about each other, and you’re saying that you would let me stay here?” He looks at me and scratches his head. “Look, I appreciate the offer but honestly, this is crazy. How about trusting each other first? I mean I can’t just move in here without even knowing your name.” He paces around, obviously not calm.
“Look, I will tell you anything you want to know. In return, I want you to do the same. I will tell you everything, not that there is much to know. Deal?” I look at him and nod, he agrees. “Why don’t you sit?” He does. “Alright, I’m Mae Sharpe and I’m eighteen. I lived in Sharpston, Virginia. My ancestors founded the town and my parents now basically run it. Look, I am going to sound crazy. Honest to God, I don’t even believe this, but just bear with me. I had a dream where someone would kill me if I didn’t get out of town. It was so real, and when I woke up, my chest hurt. I went to school, and I eventually found out that my boyfriend was cheating on me with my best friend while I was visiting my aunt all summer. My parents don’t pay any attention to me, and the only person who actually cared about me was my maid. I had to get out of there, because of that dream, and because of the fact that I could not handle my ‘perfect’ life tumbling down. I took a bus here yesterday, and got here this morning. I am finding a few jobs, I registered for online school, I have my own bank account where all my savings are going into everything I need. Everything is a secret from my parents, though they probably found out when they got home last night. I just needed to get away. I have a brother who my parents are probably going to call to take over everything while they try to find me. That’s it.” I look at him to find him staring at me with sympathy.
“It’s my turn. I’m Darren Smith and I am nineteen. I go to NYU, but got accepted into Stanford. My girlfriend was recently cheating on me as well, but I didn’t run like you did because I loved her so much, and tonight she finally told me that she had no feelings for me at all. I accepted that and walked away. That was the hardest thing I have ever done. My parents just want me to be happy. They don’t know that I had been dumped, and so they told me it’s time to find a place of my own, so I grabbed a few clothes and that’s where I left off. Look, this isn’t a good idea. Shouldn’t you be more cautious?” Darren looked at me with questioning eyes.
“I should be, yes, but I have a good eye when it comes to people. How do you think I knew that my best friend was sneaking around with my boyfriend? I could tell she was avoiding me. I could tell that he was lying about everything. My whole life I was forced to be perfect and get the approval of others, and that taught me how to see the people who are lying from the people who are pure. It’s been a gift to me, so when you say that we should trust each other, in my head that just means that you need to trust me, I already trust you. I may not know your past, or what is going to happen in the future, but what I do know is that I can trust you right now.” I looked at the clock and decided that I wasn’t tired anymore.
“You know, this is crazy. I can’t live with you, I barely know you.” Darren has a worried look on his face; he messes with his hair while pacing around.
“Calm down, we can just be roommates. I won’t say anything to disturb you, and you should do the same. If anything happens between us, it’ll be that we would become friends.” I say like it would be the easiest thing in the world.
“Well, I can’t make any promises. I mean look at you. What guy can’t resist you? You just woke up, and you look like that?” Darren looks at me like it’s the most obvious thing in the world.
“How about you then? Why did your girlfriend cheat on such an attractive guy? You are hot. I mean with your blonde messy hair, muscular build, hazel eyes? You look like a model.” I stand up to walk over to a full length mirror. There a girl I do not recognize, she’s someone who has hurt a lot of people, someone who everyone wants to be, someone I don’t want to be. Her blue eyes meet mine, and they travel down her slightly tanned skin and her somewhat revealing pajamas. They see an evenly proportioned pair of arms and legs. They see a chest that is not too big, but big enough to get people to look at the entire body and land on the chest. The eyes travel up and see a button nose and much pigmented pink full lips, they then look at her messy long straight brown hair. Who wouldn’t want to be her?
“What do you think I look like?” I suddenly ask looking at Darren through the mirror. He has a great build, a head of black hair. He is wearing a black v-neck, and a pair of dark jeans that seem to fit his body perfectly. His face consists of a beautiful strong jaw line; he has a look on his face that I cannot describe.
“You? You look like no one I have ever seen before. I mean, your eyes are beautiful, your body is gorgeous, and you look like someone who doesn’t have to work hard to get what she wants.” His eyes travel from my head to my toe with curiosity. I turn around so that I could walk over to the bed but he starts to walk towards me. Surprised, I stop and he walks to my back. He smells my hair, and he moves it to the right side of my neck. He starts to kiss my shoulder and up my neck. A layer of Goosebumps run over my entire body, and a gasp escapes my mouth.
“What are you doing?” I whisper with clear surprise in my voice. He moves towards my jaw line and up to my cheek, taking his time with each kiss. “We just met. We can’t do this.”
“Shhh.” He reaches my ear lobe, which is ticklish, and nibbles on it very softly. That causes me to twist around to face him with a smile on my lips. I let my eyes travel along his face, and I let my hand make their way up from the v of his v-neck t-shirt, up to his jaw. I gently pull his face closer to my and look into his beautifully colored hazel eyes. He pulls our bodies closer together as I pull his face even closer to mine. Our noses touch, and our foreheads meet, but our restrained lips are so tempted to graze each other just once.
“Let me kiss you.” Darren whispers.
“No, we just met, and we might be using each other as rebounds.” I move away from his touch and move towards the couch.
“Then let’s use each other, and satisfy this yearning for each other. I know you want to kiss me as much as I want to kiss you, right now. I want one kiss, one kiss, and I will stay as a roommate. This one kiss can tell our future together. If you kiss me, I will remain your roommate and nothing more, if that’s what you want.” Darren walks over and sits next to me on the couch. I look at him, and he grazes my cheek.
“One kiss, that’s it.” I whisper as our lips touch. Then, as if some magnet is pulling me towards Darren, my body starts to get closer and closer to Darren’s as our kiss becomes deeper and deeper. My arms are around his neck and my body straddles his left leg. His hands are tangled into my hair, and we pull each other closer. Darren’s tongue grazes my lips, and I open my mouth as he tongue enters it. My tongue enters his mouth, and they finally meet. They wrestle each other while our bodies start to become one. We keep kissing, and kissing until we both run out of breath. I keep my position on top of his as he starts to lie down and he holds onto my waist. I pull my body closer to his and he does the same. Darren’s hand starts to snake up under my shirt and starts to graze my back. My hand finds the bottom of his shirt and it feels the structure of his muscular six-pack. He pulls away and starts to kiss me with single kisses from my lips down to my chest. He kisses the area between my breasts. My nipples harden as he moves the fabric that is getting in his way and he starts to tenderly kiss both of my breasts. His hand move to the front of my body, and his hand replaces where he last kissed me, on my right nipple. He traces the shape gently as it hardens under his touch, and his hand starts to kneed it. I gasp, while he sucks on my other nipple. I open my eyes and I look at him, and when he opens his he looks at me with desire in his eyes. We rotate so that I am on the bottom and he is on top. He moves his arm that is around my waist so that is lies on my stomach. His hand makes its way down to my pajama shorts and his thumb hooks onto the elastic of my sheer shorts and my thong. I close my eyes and his hand moves into my shorts. It explores around my thighs and his fingers start to move up into my body, teasing me. I let out a moan, and he lightly bites my nipple, and starts to move down kissing and licking my upper body. My body’s desire increases and I pull Darren’s head up to mine, and I get on top of him, and unbutton his pants. I move my hand underneath his briefs and start to feel around. He groans while I start to kiss his tender lips again. I take my hand out and put it on his chest. I reluctantly pull myself away from him, and we pant while I start to lie on top of him. He hugs me and I kiss his neck.
Then, I heard a knock on the door.
“Excuse me, Miss Sharpe?” A sound of an employee breaks through the door, as I look up. The employee looks around the room, just as I’ve gotten off of Darren, and look at the worker. He’s a young man who looks about twenty-three. He has dirty short blonde hair that is spiked up and is wearing a suit that fits him perfectly. He stops when he looks at me. I glance down, and see that Darren is lying on the couch to hide that he’s been there. Looking up again, I see that the employee is still staring.
“Yes? Did you need something?” I look at him once again, and see that he’s a bit embarrassed to me staring.
“Oh, I’m Chase Hartman, from the front desk. I am visiting this whole floor to apologize for the inconvenience that we had earlier with the lights.” He says, trying to avoid his eyes.
“No problem. I was fine. Thank you for checking up on me.” I smile, and Chase looks at me one more time before leaving. Once he left, I look down at Darren to see that he was staring at me. “What are you looking at?”
“You are the most beautiful person I have ever seen.” He says simply. I blush, and I don’t quite know what to do after that, so I lean down and give him a kiss on the lips, and walk over to my bed while Darren quietly follows, with a night of lust and intense desire not far behind.

The phone starts to ring, and I reach over Darren to answer.
“Hello?” I answer in a sleepy but clear voice.
“Ah, Miss Sharpe, you wanted me to wake you up at 7:30.” The employee says.
“Oh, thank you very much.” I say then hang up. Darren wakes up as well, and looks at me with lustful eyes. I look at him, and ask, “Do you have to leave? I didn’t ask for a wakeup call.”
“I have school, and you probably have to start your online one and get some more jobs, right?” He says as he rolls over closer to me. He places his hand on my lower back and starts to lightly stroke it.
“Fine, I guess.” I turn my head so that it’s facing him, and I move my arm so that it lays over his abs. He pulls me closer and we cuddle.
About twenty minutes later, I get up, and get in the shower. I close my eyes as the water hits my face and body. Then, I feel two arms snake around my waist. I gasp and look up.
“What are you doing? If we keep this up, then we won’t even be able to leave this room.” I say as he kisses my neck. “Hah, what are you, a sex addict?” I laugh.
He laughs and says, “No, I’m a Mae addict.” I giggle and finish showering while Darren just stands there and tries to touch my body, but I keep slapping his hand away. I finish and get out while he starts to wash up. I blow dry my hair so that it has some volume and is straight. I change into a light blue perfectly fitted t-shirt, a black leather jacket, dark blue skinny jeans, and my converse. I do my make up so that my eyes are defined and very soft. Once I’m done, Darren is done as well.
“Darren, you have to leave through the window. Wouldn’t it look weird if a guy left my room when he didn’t even come in?” I look at him, and he smiles with his perfect white smile.
“I know, I thought of that before.” He walks over to me, and hugs me. “This room is pretty big for just one person, how would you feel in I stayed here to?” His eyes stare into mine, and he gives me a quick peck, walks over to the window, and climbs down. It’s only two stories, and I’m sure no one will see him, after all, I do have a window that faces an alley way.
I leave and tell the front desk that there will be someone coming to live with me. I tell them to get an extra key to the room. I exit the hotel and walk around the busy city for a while. I wait for a call from one of the places I applied to, and I turn on my phone to wait for it. I see over one hundred messages and missed calls. I’ve only been gone two days, and I’m hounded with calls. I delete every call, and call back some of the stores that I applied to. I got a job at the little café, and the boutique. Together, they both pay very well, and they both gave me two days before I start to work.
I spot a nearby café, and order a cappuccino. There is a seat near the window, and the entrance, and I sit and think. For a while I just try to not think about my parents. They might be distant, but they are not the type to notice that their youngest child had gone missing. They most likely got the whole town to go look for me; after all, I was the town’s child. Lia and Chance are probably not caring where I was, but they would pretend like they were. Oh how I wish I could see what every one of them were doing. The pressure I felt behind the bleachers was back. I finish my coffee and head off to somewhere where no one could see or hear me. I do not know the city very well, but I try my best to hurry. There was a dark isolated area where I saw that people would avoid, and I figured that that was my best option.
“Hello? Are you there?” I call out.
“Mae, I thank you for the good job. You left right away. I am here to respond to your thoughts. You can see those people that you think about anytime. You cannot contact them in any way, and like you’ve been doing, do not reply if they send you messages, or if they call you.” The familiar voice answers.
“How do I see them?” I ask in a small curious voice.
“Close your eyes and recall the last time you were with them, anytime you were with them, and the image of them should be able to come up in your mind, and you can follow them. This is only meant so that you can see that they are not near you or when you feel lonely; not if you are bored. You could also see what the new people in your life are like. This also serves as a character reader. It hides nothing from you.” The voice says.
I feel the pressure off of my body, and I close my eyes and look for my parents. The last time I was with them was at the airport before I left for Georgia. Then I see them. They are at dad’s office, and mom is crying. Dad is holding her, and they are on the phone.
“Ed, did your sister contact you?” My father asks in a hopeful voice.
“Alright, can you call us if she does?” He says again after the reply on the other end.
“Be safe, son.” Then he hangs up. “No one knows where she is. Her car is at a bus station, and that is all anyone knows. She didn’t use any of the credit cards that we gave to her. None of her friends know where she is, Josephine says that she isn’t there. Where could she be?” My dad strokes my mother’s hair, and she starts to sob.
I can’t watch anymore, so I look for Chance. The last time I was with him was when I met him after I got back. He shows up with Lia. Lia and Chance are talking quietly. He holds her close and he tries to relax her.
“Lia, it’s not our fault. It’s not like she knew that we were together. Maybe she didn’t want to be here or maybe she got kidnapped.” He says.
I don’t even listen to her response. Does he really not care where I am, as long as I don’t find out about them? Why did I even bother looking for them? I sigh and leave the deserted area. I walk towards Central Park and sit at a bench. Looking around, this city was so beautiful. Then I see a man walking towards me. He stops and he looks at me for a bit. I start to get up and see that he wants to stop me. For some reason, he looks very rich, and he looks like he is very much into high fashion.
“Excuse me, Miss!” He reaches out and grabs my arm.
“Yes? Did you want something?” I ask.
“Actually, I was wondering if you were already modeling for a company already, if you are, sorry if I bothered you.” He looks at my face even more.
“No, I’m not even a model. I- well, this is embarrassing, but I ran away from home a few days ago, and I just got a couple of jobs for a café and a boutique. I really don’t want to be found by anyone in my town.” I tell him. He looks curious for a bit, but brushes that off.
“Well, could you consider taking my card and contacting me? I mean, we could change your name, and they probably would think you were someone else. I really hope for you to consider coming to take a few test shots. You are absolutely beautiful, and I’m surprised you haven’t started modeling yet. Here, my name is David Scott.” He hands me a card with a modeling company.
“I’m Mae Sharpe, nice you meet you, David.” I shake his hand and he walks away. Modeling? I didn’t even consider that. That could be better than working two jobs that I wouldn’t have time for. I could also find a better place to live with Darren. I thought that I should consider this for a bit before calling.
I took a walk through the park, and many people stared. I don’t like that attention, so I sat down again, and I wanted to see what Darren was doing. I thought about last night and a smile appeared in my lips. Then Darren appears and he is walking to a food court with a friends. He has a bright smile on his face and they are talking about something.
“Rachel breaking up with me and my parents throwing me out are some of the best things that has happened to me, guys. I met a girl while trying to find a place to sleep. She’s amazing. I know I just met her and everything, but, God, you should see her. She is absolutely beautiful.” He says. They look at him as if he’s crazy.
“Darren, are you in love?” The girl across asks.
“Maybe. I cannot stop thinking about her.” He says with a smirk on his face.
“Dude, you are so lucky.” A male beside his says.
I stop listening, and smile. Maybe I wasn’t his rebound. Can it hurt this much to smile?pt>

New Life

I wanted to go shopping for new clothes, since I didn’t take a lot of mine with me. Walking around and shopping really seemed to clear my mind. For some reason, many people my age were in the shops as well. I wanted to talk to a few people, though I am that shy type, and I don’t talk to many people often. There were many helpful people while I was looking around, and it seemed as if I already belonged in this big city.
It was about 4:30 when I decided to return to the hotel. When I got to the room, I found that Darren was in there. He looks up and smiles at me as I smile at him. I put the shopping bags down, and take a seat next to him on the couch.
“Hello there, handsome.” I say as his arms pull me in for a hug.
“I have a key now. I didn’t know if you were serious, but you left a key.” He looks down at me.
“Well, after all, you are a roommate, and you need a key to get in. What kind of roommate would I be if I didn’t even give you a key?” I stand up and go over to put my new clothes away. “Guess what? I was sitting at a park today, and there was a man staring at me and he offered me a modeling job.” I tell Darren excitedly.
“That’s great! But do you want to? I mean that by modeling, you could get in touch with your family. They might try to contact you.” He looked at me worriedly.
“I’ll be fine. If they try to contact me, I will just have to ignore it.” I reassured him by resting my hand on his thigh. He grabbed my hand, held it, and smiled at me. I return the smile and say, “Plus, I’ll have you as my bodyguard right?”
He smiles and gives me a kiss. “How did this even happen? My one electric kiss turned into something I cannot give up on, after that one night.” His eyes wandered on my body until it stopped and lingered on my lips. I subconsciously bite it and look away embarrassed. Darren takes his hand and turns my head towards his. I give him a peck and get up. He stares at me while I find my new phone and call David.
“Hello, David Scott’s office. This is Lena speaking. How may I help you?” The receptionist answers.
“Hi, I’m Mae Sharpe, David gave me his card.” I say, suddenly very nervous.
“Ah, I understand, one second.” I wait for a few seconds and the line connects again. “Hello, this is David.”
“David, this is Mae, we met in the park.” I say.
“Oh, you called! Have you thought about my offer?” He sounded very excited.
“Yes, that’s the reason I called. I thought about it, and decided to try this out.” I look at Darren who is taking a nap on the bed.
“That’s great! Thank you for accepting this difficult decision. I understand that you ran away from home, and you have no money or anything, but worry no further. I will make you into a star. We will also keep this a secret.” David exclaims.
“Thank you so much, David.” We hung up after setting up an appointment for a head shot photo testing.
I get into bed, and hug Darren, ready to start this new life.

The next day, I wandered around, and tried to relax before my photo shoot. As I sit on the park bench, I a sudden realization came to me. I have no friends. This new life for me has made me give up my popularity, and my family. I sigh and look around. How am I supposed to make friends in a huge city like this? There was pressure once again on top of my body.
“Making a life for you is different, because you grew up in a place where there were already set friends in your life. That is one of your lessons.” The voice spoke, and left quickly. I suddenly felt the urge to see my parents, and I close my eyes and imagine the last time I was with them.
“Where on earth would she go?” My mother looked frail, as if she hasn’t been eating for weeks. She was on the phone with my brother, and he said that he had not seen me since the last time he came to visit Aunt Josephine in Georgia.
“Alright, well, call me if you hear anything.” She hung up and drove to my father’s office. It was about 5:30 and she went up to his office. His sectary wasn’t at the front desk. My mother opened the door, and gasped.
I opened my eyes knowing what was going on right at this moment. My father had an affair with his sectary. I knew it for a few months, but I did not want to acknowledge it. I sighed and wondered if I should just skip the photo shoot, and decided to just go on with it and get my mind off of things. Walking in the cool night of New York City, I finally get to the location around six.
“Mae! Nice to see you! You’re right on time!” He hugged me and ushered me into a chair. People gathered around me immediately and started on me right away. They started to do my hair, my makeup, changing my clothes, and every other thing you could think of. I got a bit overwhelmed but I guess I should get used to it. After an hour or two, they were finally done. I looked in the mirror and noticed a more enhanced me. They had brought out the color in my eyes, made my feature more enhanced such as my cheekbones, my bust, my legs, and my arms. I liked it. David then called me over to the photographer. He looked like he was in his mid-twenties; he had black hair, blue eyes, a lean body, and a slender face. His name is Anthony Sanders and he smiled at me very kindly.
“Nice to meet you.” I say to him. I smile, and look back at David. He was the only one who ‘knew’ my situation besides Darren. He smiled back at me and told me to go start making magic.
“I don’t know what that means, but here goes…” I started and ended on a great note.
A few hours later, Anthony and David wanted to treat me to dinner stating that I had done such a great job. I told them that I had to get back and get some rest, since I had been nervous all day. Truthfully, I just wanted to be near someone who love me, and that was Darren. I returned to the hotel in my hair and make-up and the bell boy from my first night was staring at me. I remembered his face, but I couldn’t put my finger on his name. I said hello politely and he was staring. He didn’t say a thing. I smiled at him and went up to my room.
As I enter, I see Darren sleeping on the couch. I smile and sit down right in front of him. He looked like he would sleep forever, and when he was sleeping he looked so innocent and pure. I wanted to let him sleep forever. I giggled and he stirred a bit and opened his eyes.
“Hey, you’re back.” I smiled and pecked his lips and sat there staring at him. I never wanted this moment to be over. I knew that he would be there, even if I didn’t have any one, no matter where my career went. He looked at me and he smiled. “You look beautiful. Not that you didn’t look beautiful before.”
“Thanks for the flattery.” I say sarcastically. Getting up, I walk into the bathroom and Darren follows shortly after. He gives me a back hug and I turn around to kiss him.
“I missed you today. I told my friends about you, and they think I’m crazy. It’s true; I am crazy.” He said. “I fell in love at first sight. That is crazy.”
I smiled and hugged him. We stood there for a while; we were hugging each other like the world was ending the next day and that there wasn’t enough time in the world for each other. I didn’t know why, but I felt complete with Darren by my side. Even if my family wasn’t with me, I felt as if I only needed Darren. I know that sounds…crazy, but it feels like I’ve finally found my other half, in just one day.
We lay in the bed and watched scary movies and chick flicks all night, while we ordered room service and just enjoyed each other’s company. We talked about everything we could think of and we just kept talking and laughing and enjoying each other’s company. Eventually, we both fall asleep, and the next thing I know, the alarm is going off. Darren reaches over me and he turns it off.
“Good morning.” He whispers in my ear. I smile with my eyes still closed. I think it was about eight-forty. Darren kisses my cheek and I look at him. His short blonde hair has a messy tussled look and his hazel eyes were shimmering. He was gorgeous, and it felt as if everything that happened was a dream.
“Hello.” I look at him and his perfection and wonder what I did to deserve someone so wonderful. I was lost. How could someone I had just met be someone who I could see myself being together with for a long time? I smile at the thought of it and it doesn’t seem real. “This feels like a dream.”
He smiles and kisses my forehead. “Yeah, it’s like having an angel as a girlfriend.”
“Pfft. Whatever you say. I wouldn’t believe that.” I laugh and playfully hit him. He wrestles me a bit and after a while he gets up to go to school while I take a shower. Before I’m done, he leaves because he is late. I get ready for work at the café. I tie up my hair and change clothes into a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt.
I leave the hotel and walk to the café. As I enter, the manager looks up and smiles.
“You’re Mae. Thanks for actually showing up. I’m Mary Kingly.” She smiles and shakes my hand. She has dirty blonde hair pulled back into a pony tail and she had a bright face that almost any guy would go for. I would have to remember not to let Darren meet her.
“Yeah, no problem, I will try my best.” I smile and Mary teaches me how to brew and make everything, and then she teaches me how to work the cash register. I thank her and wait for my very first customer. It’s a young man, and he looks to be about Darren’s age. He looks at me and smiles.
“You’re new.” He smirks as he says it.
“Yes, sir. It’s my first day. Would you like anything?” I ask.
“I would say the usually, but you’re new. I would like regular black coffee with a bit of cocoa powder.” He hands me his card and I follow Mary’s instructions. I sigh and think, ‘This is going to be a long day.’
There were many customers throughout my shift. Many of them were regulars and seemed surprised by a new employee. I smiled and was polite through the whole four hours I worked. After my shift, however, I still had to go work at the boutique. The plus of working at the boutique was that I got a 30% employee discount. I loved the clothes, and everything. My manager, Cindy Lovelace, was super nice and welcoming. The boutique had many customers as well, which meant that both my jobs could give me about $2,000, on average, every two weeks combined. That was a nice perk, I think to myself.
My time in the boutique that day is over and I walk back to the hotel. Darren smiled as I walked into the room, and I lay down. He walks over to me and sits on the bed.
"Are you tired?" I nod and he kisses my forehead. "Go to sleep. I'm going to get us some food."
"Okay, as long as it's not coffee." I smile and Darren chuckles while walking out. I doze off quickly and I don’t even change. I feel like I haven’t slept in a long, long time. I’ve never really had a job, and I’ve had everything handed to me, so working was a bit of a change. I loved earning my own money and feeling like I deserved it though. The other nice thing was that I was actually earning some money.
I hear a phone and I wake up. It was David.
“Hello? David?” I ask.
“Hey, Mae. Did I disturb you?” He sounds like he’s at a party. I can hear blaring music and David is practically yelling into my ear.
“No, I was just dozing off. What’s up?” He is talking to someone.
“Yeah, it’s her….hang on.” He says to the person. “Mae, I want you to meet someone tomorrow. Is that okay with you?”
“Sure, but who is it?” I curiously ask.
“It’s the modeling agency’s president. He saw your pictures and he would like to meet you tomorrow to discuss your contract.” David sound like he is in a private room so he could hear better.
“Oh, alright.” I smile and hang up. As I hang up, Darren walks in with two bags of Chinese take-out. I laugh, “How much did you buy?”
“You’re a growing girl. I am a growing boy. We need food in our systems.” He sets down the food on the little ‘dining’ table and I walk over laughing. Darren pulls out my chair and gets on the other side of the table. We both eat like starved people, and we finish everything. I am surprise at how much we can eat.
“Darren! Now I have to go to the gym!” I complain playfully. He laughs and he runs a hand through his hair.
“No, you’re perfect. I would not even care if you got older and fatter,” He says as he sits down on the couch. I walk over and while he reaches for the remote and I straddle his lap. He groans as I start to kiss his neck. I move up towards his ear, and I lightly bite down on it. “Mae, we just ate. It’s not fair what you do to me.” He reaches up and strokes my back while I bring my kisses down to his jaw line.
“Then, let’s just kiss for a while.” I whisper into his ear. I move my lips up to his and slowly kiss his soft lips. He slowly kisses me and the kiss gets deeper. His lips move in sync with mine while his hands pull my body closer to his. My arms snake around his neck and hug his body to mine. Darren touches his tongue to my lips and they part. Our tongues dance together while Darren’s hand snakes up under my shirt. A trail of fire appears as Darren drags his hand all over my back. I pull my lips away from his and give him a bit of time to breathe while I tug at his v-neck hem with my lips. My arms move his shirt so that I can leave a trail of wet kisses on his chest. He pulls my lips back up to his and kisses me once and pulls my shirt away from my body. The kisses he left on my breasts burn as if he left a lighter on them. I tug his shirt away from his body and go back to his lips.
The physical touch that Darren leaves makes my body burn for more. My body desires Darren in a way that words cannot describe. One touch and my whole body is lit on fire. I open my eyes and glance at the clock. We’ve been at this for about thirty minutes. I’ve had enough teasing; my body and my mind lustfully go after Darren. Articles of clothing falls one by one off our bodies until we’re both completely nude. Darren starts to stand up while my legs wrap around his waist and he moves us to the bed. He lays me down and gets on top of me. We continue until deep into the night.

Darren wakes up first and turns off the alarm. I stir and I settle with lying on my back. I feel Darren start to kiss my breasts, and I smile and open my eyes, but I push him away as he starts to straddle my body.
“Isn’t it a bit early to be doing this?” I ask.
He laughs and shakes his head as he continues. My body doesn’t want to reject him, so it lets him kiss me everywhere. I giggle and tell him that I was right. He doesn’t understand, and I tell him that he is a sex addict. He laughs at me and gets off.
I sit up and stretch because my body feels all tingly. I watch Darren as he picks up our clothes and puts it into a hamper. He gets into the shower while I go into the bathroom to get ready. I really need a shower, but I would have to wait until Darren got out. While I brush my teeth, Darren comes out with only a towel. I spit and rinse and I start to get in the shower when I see Darren taking off his towel to join me.
“You doofus, you just took a shower.” I laugh and give him a weird look.
“I feel dirty...only you can clean me. Come on Mae. Off with the dirt!” That makes me laugh and he knew that he had just won.

Surprises

You know that feeling when you’re extremely tired? The zombie-like state, where everything feels like a dream? That’s what I feel like right now. It’s been three months since I left home, and I have been working super hard at both my part time jobs. I’ve gotten to go to school because of David. Not technically…I’ve gotten a home school teacher and she’s pretty cool. Her name is Daisy Monterey. I have most of my senior year down, and David said that I could even enroll to a regular school if all goes well. He is like my father, literally. Many people who see us together think that we’re father and daughter. David’s taken care of me more than my real father has in a month compared to a whole eight-teen years. He got my fake everything. License, birth certificate, passport, etc., you name it and it says Rachel Scott. Funny, right? Well, he figured the same thing. He told me he’s always wanted a daughter.
It’s October in New York, which is great because of the fact that there aren’t as many tourist and the city has ‘quieted’ down. I walk through the parks with Darren when he and I aren’t busy, which is quite often, recently. Apparently, my modeling agency really likes me because my president, Irwin Johnson, and his family have invited me and Darren over for dinner tonight. I met the president of my agency once, and he was very kind. He reminded me of an old Jim Carey and David Letterman mixed into one person. I doubt he has any idea what he’s doing with models, but he’s good with the legal and business part. David is in charge of the whole model part. Mr. Johnson and his wife, Patty, loved having company over and so they invited us over.
Darren takes about 10-20 minutes to get ready, but I, on the other hand, take close to two hours. I have to get my hair right, my outfit right, my makeup right, everything has to be perfect. But in this case, it took me an hour. That’s pretty darn fast, if you ask me. It was a casual dinner and Mr. Johnson wanted us to wear comfortable clothing. I chose a black cardigan that went over a slightly revealing white dress that cut off exactly mid-thigh, and Darren wore a white collared shirt with a pair of khakis. Darren helped me pick it out...not. He sat there watching me change, while I watched his facial expression. He either had a “She’s beautiful” look on his face or an “I want her NOW” look on his face. I went with the “She’s beautiful” look. I smiled at Darren’s smile that faded when I changed into the white dress. He looked up and sent me a playful glare. I smile at him and I go straighten my hair and do my makeup. I chose to go a bit natural, but not so I look like I’m wearing no makeup. I wear black flats and I wake up Darren from his boredom with a kiss.
“Come on, let’s go.” I smile and lead him towards the door.
We get in his car and get to the mansion. It looks like a celebrity’s house. I gape at the long line of trees leading to a gigantic pair of doors that is soon crushed by my view of the mansion. It looks a million times bigger as we get closer. I see Mr. Johnson and his family out front. I see him smile and wave, so then I wave back. Darren parks near the front and we get out. I meet Mr. Johnson’s two sons and daughter, Jason, Taylor, and Jack. Jason and Taylor seem to be about my age and Jack is about 15. Jason and Jack smile at me, and send little glares to Darren. He doesn’t seem to notice Taylor checking him out, only focused on not staring at me awkwardly. He doesn’t really do formal meetings. He seems to like unexpected meetings better. We walk inside of the house and the Johnsons sit us down. Jason sits on one side of me while Darren sits on the other. This Jason dude kept trying to touch my leg all night. I send him little glares and smacked his hand away several times, but the guy just won’t give up. I have no idea what to do and Darren looks at my twisted expression and he looks down. I see him choke back some words, but he asked if we can switch seats, as it feels strange being on my left side. I thank him silently and I see Jason’s look of annoyance.
Like I said before, I am extremely tired, and I would just like to eat, talk a little with the older Johnson's and go home. Darren looks as if he is about to pass out but the Johnson's are all chipper and cheery. That. Is. Irritating. I mean, not to most people, but to people who are EXTREMELY tired.I’ve been chipper and cheery my whole life, but ever since I’ve moved here, I’ve been more like…work-crazed tired Mae. I’m really only happy when Darren is around. Except for when he’s like this. He looks like me might fall asleep on his food; he’s very annoyed my Jason trying to hit on me. We’re just not in a good mood today. I feel like I should say something so that we could leave early, but it seems like dessert is on its way. After dessert, I promise myself, we will go home and sleep for a long, long time.
We eat and talk a bit more, and what do you know? It’s after dessert and Darren and I are on our way back to the hotel. Darren seems much happier to be out of there.
“Did you not like it?” I ask.
“No, I did. I just didn’t like the fact that it took you two courses to tell me that the kid was trying to feel you up.” I look at him and laugh. It just bursts out of me and suddenly all the tiredness vanishes. I just keep laughing and Darren gives me a WTF look. I smile and kiss his hand.
“Why would you even be mad about that?” I say while playing with his free hand.
“You didn’t say anything.”
“I didn’t need to. I would not enjoy anyone else’s touch but yours. No need to get your panties in a bunch.” I smile and he smacks my hands away. I look into the distance and suddenly this world seems to be much brighter than before.
We pull into the hotel parking lot and I start to get out. Darren stops me and pulls out a tiny blue box. I was not expecting this. It was a Tiffany box with a dainty ring that fit perfectly onto my finger. The thin band was solid silver and the tiny diamonds that surrounded a slightly bigger one seemed liked there were a million stars jammed into the center. It definitely did not look like an engagement ring, but a promise ring.
“Mae, will you take this ring and be mine forever? Not marriage…yet, but until then, will you make me a promise?” He looks nervous but I feel so incredibly happy that I don’t care.
“What’s the promise?” I ask with tears threatening to leave my eyes.
“Promise that no matter what, we’ll be by each other’s sides. Promise that we will always love each other, even if it seems like the world is trying to rip us apart. Promise that we can make it through anything.” I smile and nod. He kisses me and we go up to our room. The tiny ring outshines anything thing that I have ever had. I keep glancing at it, and it feels as if my heart is about to burst from the happiness stored inside. I can’t even remember when I have ever felt this way. I giggle as I get ready for bed. I smile and look at the passed out Darren on the bed. Kissing his forehead, I lay down and think about our future.


I wake up early and I don’t see Darren around me. I call out his name, but I don’t get an answer. Sitting up, I realize that he was gone. It feels like a dream. I was back in my room at home. I don’t know what’s going on. Darren was a dream? My modeling career and David and Chase and…
What on earth is going on?
Maria comes in and has a look of sadness on her face. She gasps when she sees me.
“Miss! What are you doing here? When did you get home?” I look at her questioningly and don’t answer. I look at my hand for the ring, and it’s still there, but why was I at home? I feel the pressure.
“We want to see you go back to your old life, knowing what you know. It might just be temporary and it might be permanent. After this, you might go back to your life in New York, or you may stay and everyone in New York will remember nothing about you. No one will be looking for you at the time being. They will think that you are on a trip. The people in your old life will remember everything, if you choose to stay. If you choose to go, they will remember nothing about you coming back. They will think that you are still missing. Do well.” The pressure and the voice leave and I look at the calendar. It’s October 7th; it’s the day after Darren asked me for the promise.
I want to call Darren, but I guess I’m not allowed to. I look at Maria, and she runs and calls my mother. I sit there still confused and my mother comes running in. My head snaps up at the sound of her voice. She looks like a walking skeleton. My mother comes in and hugs me.
“Mae! Mae, I’ve missed you.” I hug her back and she sees the confused look on my face. “Mae, where did you go? Why did you run away?” I look at her and refuse to answer. She keeps hounding me with questions and I look away.
I go to school, and everyone looks at me like they’ve seen a ghost. I see Chance and Lia, though, they do not see me. They hear people gasp and look around for the source of the surprise. I ignore their eyes and Kierra stops talking to look at me. No emotion shows on my face and everyone could tell that something about me has indeed changed. Everything has changed. I look down at my schedule and sigh. I go to history, and learn that Daisy had taught me everything.
I went through the day and at lunch my father came to see me. He made a huge scene and I stayed emotionless. He laughed and smiled, as if nothing was wrong.
“Dad,” I look at him, “Can we go somewhere to talk?”
“Sure.” He smiles and takes me out to a restaurant. We order and I don’t speak for a while.
“Dad, I know.”
“I know.”
“Why?”
“It just didn’t work out. We were always apart from each other. Lucy was always near me.” Lucy Anderson is his assistant. “She loves me.”
“So does mom.” I got up and I left. He didn’t chase after me like I thought he would have. He just sat there and watched me walk away. I sighed and sat on a park bench. I wasn’t ready to go back to school. My mind ran through all the possibilities of what could happen if I stayed here. There’s no reason to. The only reasons were because of my mom and Maria. My dad, as far as I could tell, was far gone from my life.
I closed my eyes and looked for Darren.
He was smiling and talking about me. He was with his friends again. I smiled and his friends seemed genuinely happy to have him have me. There was a girl, though; I saw her staring at him. She looked as though she wanted to go up to him and kiss him.
“Look, there’s Rachel.” One of Darren’s friends says.
He looks over at her and smiles and waves. She looks away quickly and continues walking. “She seems happy.”
‘Are you kidding me? She looked miserable.’ I thought which is the same thing his other friend said.
“Well, that’s her life, and there’s no me. I have Mae, and I’m happy, which should make her happy. That’s what she told me to be, and I am.” He shrugs and smiles.
I open my eyes, and walk back to school.
I sigh and walk into the next class that I had and sit down. There were ten minutes before class had started, and I sat there looking at my phone. I get a call from Darren, and I answer. I hope to the heavens that I don’t get in trouble for this.
“Hello?” I say.
“Mae! How’s your trip? Did you get there safely?” He asks.
“Yeah, everything went well. I’m just glad to hear your voice.” I tell him.
“I miss you. Come back soon, okay?” He sighs and I sigh along with him.
“I honestly don’t know how long this trip will take, but I’ll be back as soon as I can.” I tell him I love him and hang up. I look to see most of the people I’ve known since kindergarten staring at me as if I was an alien. Lia walks into the class with Kierra and Chance on her toes. They stop dead when they see me. I give them no emotion. Since I have chosen to sit in the back, they all go towards the front of the class. Somehow, I feel relief wash over me. I want nothing to do with them. The class starts and everything is like review for me. I sigh and look out the window. The teachers and students seem scared of me. That gave me a chance to avoid all their eyes. I can see why they seem that way. It looks like I’ve joined some type of gang, with my emotionless face, dark clothing, and dark brown, close to black, hair. In New York, I dyed my hair darker as well, because David said that it would make my skin stand out. I have my natural medium brown hair as my base color, but for the most part, my hair is really dark brown. I have on my leather combat boots, and my motorcycle jacket. Everything about me, right now, screams ‘REBEL’.
The day is almost over, and not one person has said hello to me. There’s sadness in that, but it quickly escapes when I feel pressure while looking in the mirror in the bathroom.
“Mae, you have done well. You will not get in trouble for taking the phone call from Darren. You have to maintain both covers, and that means making everyone in New York think that you are on a extended trip.” I smile and thank the voice.
The pressure is gone, but I hear footsteps coming into the bathroom, so I quickly go into the stalls.
“I can’t believe she’s back.” Lia’s voice fills up the room.
“Yeah, I wonder what she was doing. She was gone for almost three months.” Kierra’s voice follows.
“She…do you think she knows?” Lia asks.
“Do I think she knows about you and Chance? Honey, even if she didn’t, someone is going to tell her or she will find out soon enough anyway. Plus, I don’t think she wants to be near any of us. Have you seen her? She’s been…distant and…something has changed her.” Kierra said.
“I miss her.” Lia whispers.
“Honey, she was your best friend. When your best friend suddenly disappears and doesn’t tell anyone where she’s going, then shows up one day at school…I would want to talk to her. I would want to know what happened to her.” The start to leave, and that’s when I decided to stop hiding. I come out of the stall and they turn and stare at me in shock. I give them the same emotionless look I’ve given everyone all day, wash my hands and leave.
“Mae!” Lia runs after me and grabs my arm, but I yank her off and continue walking. I honestly don’t care about her relationship with Chance, I just don’t want to talk about it when a hundred peers are watching. I walk and since the day was over for me, I leave the school and walk to a place behind the school and in the forest that I’ve actually missed. It was the place where I would go to think. There was no internet, no phone service, nothing. It gave me a sense of peace. No one knew about it but me. I sit there staring at a little pond. The sun reflected off of the surface of the water. I think about New York and Darren. I think about David, about the hotel, about the first night in the hotel. I think about that night I lost my virginity, and I smile, suddenly wanting to leave Virginia and go back to Darren, no matter the consequences.
“I haven’t seen you smile all day.” A voice comes barging into my thoughts. My smile vanishes and I stare at the figure across from me in the pond. Chance smiles and looks at me sadly. “You know, you look gorgeous. All the guys have been telling me all day. They told me you look like a model…more than before.” I stare blankly at him. He scratches his head slightly, and sighs. “Look Mae, I know you know. I know you know about me and Lia. I understand that you’re angry. I understand all your feelings. I understand—Mae, are you even listening?”
“Yes. I am. I just don’t understand what you’re saying. I don’t understand the things you are telling me. Tell me, how could you possibly know my feelings? How? You’ve never been cheated on, your first official girlfriend was me, and I never cheated on you. You don’t understand my feelings.” I say.
“Maybe I might if you would just talk to me a little. Tell me how you knew. Tell me everything. You weren’t only Lia’s best friend, but you were mine too. You didn’t have to be dramatic and run away from your problems.” He says.
“Now I know you don’t understand. You cannot possibly understand how sick I am of this place. You cannot possibly know how a person feels when they find out that their best friend and boyfriend are cheating behind her back. You cannot know the sick feeling I feel when I see the both of you. You cannot know the feelings I feel when I come back and see that everything is the way I left it; everything is broken and corrupt. I want to go back home and leave all these feelings behind, but how can that happen when I know there’s unfinished business here?” I sigh and feel tears sneak out of my eyes. I look at Chance and see the hurt in his eyes. I get up and start to leave. I walk past Chance, and he stops me. He pulls me in and hugs me tightly while I just stand there unmoving. He cries into my shoulder and it takes all of my will not to cry into his. We stand there for a long while, when I finally pull Chance off of me.
“Don’t look for me again. I am not angry at you or Lia; I am disappointed and hurt. I didn’t run away to be dramatic. If you truly understood me, you would understand that I cannot tell you why. I want to be far from here, and hopefully I will be again soon. Please don’t be hurt by anything I do, and tell Lia the same. But please try and understand that I don’t want anything to do with this town any longer.” I say. I walk back and I go home.

Atlanta

Mom and Maria were waiting until I got home. I sat and talked with them, and they hounded me with questions. Understanding that they missed me and haven’t seen me since August, I don’t mind their hovering. They wait until I finally go to bed when they finally start hugging each other and crying. I sigh and take a shower. I think of Darren, and New York. Nothing right now could be better with us, but then I get transferred back home.
Don’t get me wrong, I love my family, but there are way too many problems in this household and there are way too many problems with the people at school. Throughout my whole lifetime, never once have I complained about going to school. I’ve always love the attention people gave me. I loved the guys flocking around me, the girls following me, the teachers who loved me in class…
Now, everything is different. There was a world that I didn’t know about then, but I know about now. I know that things can’t be the way they were back then. I know that the love of my life is in a completely different state, and the family I’ve always wanted gave me a career, an image, a lifetime of happiness. To think that this was the life I loved, I must have been completely sheltered. I was spoiled, I was conceded, I was selfish.
My life in Atlanta with Aunt Josephine was much like my life in this small town. There were tons of guys and girls whom were my great friends. They were all kind, and they were much like my friends in Virginia. There were cliques, of course, but they were the same people who I have known since I was six.
I started to come to Aunt Josephine’s house every summer since I was six. I know most of the people in the town, and Aunt Josephine introduced me to all the rich kids. They were the kids who introduced me to my party side. Every summer, I would come from the airport to Aunt Josephine’s house, and there would be a group of kids outside of her house, waiting for me. I had a really good friend, Liz Harleton, who was like me, only southern. She was the most popular girl at her school, and when we met as six year olds, we became inseparable in the summers. The summer before I started to date Chance, Liz invited me to a party and wanted me to sleep over at her house afterward. I agreed. Aunt Josephine was thrilled that I was out of the house, since she wanted to invite her friends over. I laughed about it, and went to the party.

“Mae! I’m over here!” Liz called. I looked around at the kids with the red cups, and I found her. Liz had gorgeous blonde hair that fell right to the middle of her back. He bright green eyes held cheerfulness that could infect anyone.
“Liz, this party is crazy!” I yelled since the music was so loud. I wore my yellow dress that flowed and was sexy and cute at the same time and kept my hair down. Liz, however, wore a revealing tank top and really short shorts. I looked her up and down, and smiled at the carefree nature, but frowned because of her carelessness.
“Hell yeah! You don’t think that I would have invited one of the most sheltered girls I know to a prayer circle party, would you?!” She laughed and introduced me to a few of her friends that I didn’t know yet. This was all so strange for me. I wondered how these kids could get the drugs and alcohol. Liz started to dance with a few friends and I stood in the kitchen looking for a soda. A boy came in, Steven Louis. He smiled and gave me a coke.
“I’m not into partying either.” He smiled at me, and I smiled back. “I’m Steven.”
“I’m Mae, nice to meet you.” I shake his hand and he invited me outside so that we could get away from the drunken teens. I smile and we sit outside of the house.
“How come I’ve never seen you around here?” He asks.
“I’m here every summer with my Aunt Josephine. This is the first that Liz invited me to anything. We just usually hang out at my aunt’s pool.” I say. We keep talking for a while. We talk about how he should have met me sooner and how much fun we could have had. It turns out that Steven was pretty popular. A lot of his friends come up to talk to him. He introduces me to a few of his friends. I smile and greet all of them, and they tell me how pretty I am. I laugh and start to feel comfortable enough to flirt. Once they leave, Steven and I accidently turn into each other. Our lips meet, and my eyes grow bigger in surprise. We pull away quickly, and he laughs really awkwardly. I smile and look away.
“That’s not how I wanted that to go.” He says jokingly. I laugh and glance at him. He had a nice build for a thirteen year old. His boyish were turning strong and firm, looking more mature than most of the kids our age. I could help but smile and pull his head into mine. He seemed pretty surprised, but he relaxed and started kissing me. My first kiss was taken by the sweetest boy I had met. I was happy.
That summer, Steven and I had a fling. He taught me how to kiss, how to play poker, how to be carefree. We decided to stay friends before I went back home for the school year. We spent most of the summer together, avoiding parties that Liz invited us to, and become each other’s first loves.

I think about Steven, and wonder how he was doing. Every summer, we grew further and further apart. At first, we hung out like best friends, the summer after I started dating Chance. That was freshman year. Then, we would hang out with a big group, not having Stevie-Mae time like we used. The distance between us grew larger and larger, then I would see him around town with some new girl, and I would wave, but I got a nod in return.
I am a terrible person. Ever since Chance came around, Liz had slowly stopped inviting me to parties, Aunt Josephine would get out of the house more, and Steven and I has stopped talking all together. It was my entire fault, wanting to talk to Chance more than spending time with my second family. I wanted to go back and fix my wrongs. I want to be Liz’s summer sister, Aunt Josephine’s adoptive daughter, and Steven’s best friend. Was everything I did that bad? I was terrible. I was horrible. When Chance and I started dating, I made no time for anyone. I made Chance the most important thing in my life, which he wasn’t. I understand that there were things that I can’t change; however, there are plenty of things I could do and change before everyone starts shutting me out.

I returned to Atlanta with a whole new body. I had grown into my bust, my hair was down to my waist, my skin was tanned; everything about me looked perfect. I knew this because I noticed the changes that happened to me and because girls started to hate me more and guys started to hit on me.
“Mae! You’re back! Guess what? Steven’s been asking about you! I’m not kidding, when did you guys—you know, never mind. I’m so happy, what has been going on with you?” Liz was super excited. I laughed and told her about Chance, and her mood went down. “Damn, that means that you and Steven won’t be getting back together. You guys were so cut together. What am I going to tell him? He will not be happy.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll tell him. I’m sure he won’t be happy, but I can’t help that.” I say. That evening, Liz invited me to a party, which I gladly accepted. I got ready in a mini dress that was white and had sequins at the chest area which hugged my body perfectly. It showed some cleavage but not too much to make me look like a hooker. The dress was definitely something that I would get attention from, which is something that I needed since I was away from the people who gave me the best attention, my friends and Chance. I wore heels that toned my legs, and I went to the party.
The party was in full swing and there were kids already getting drunk. I smiled and looked around for Liz. I found her making out with a boy whom I didn’t know. Heck, there were tons of people that I didn’t know. I laugh at a boy who tries to hit on me. I look at my tanned arm and see that there is water on it. I sigh and I walk to the kitchen. I wash my arm, but my hair kept sliding over my shoulder. I sigh, and try to flip it, but it’s too long so it stays where it was going to get wet. I groan in frustration.
“Whoa, are you okay? Let me give you a hand.” A deep voice calls. I turn and see Steven. He doesn’t recognize me, but I can see his boyish features hidden behind his new masculine build.
“Sure, that would be helpful.” I smile and tell him to just keep my hair back. He listens and once I’m done, I dry my arms and look at him. My waist length hair is soaked on the bottom, and I sigh and grab a paper towel to squeeze out the water. I glance at Steven and see that he has started to talk to a few of his friends. I grin and thank him. I walk past him and his friends and hear whistles and hoots from his friends.
I walk to the front of the house and see that there is a spot on the couch. Sitting in between a couple making out and a dorky kid with glasses I sigh and watch the people grind on each other. The dorky kid offers to go get me a drink and I smile and thank him. I needed something to calm me down, and fortunately, after my first party, I started to drink more with my friends in Sharpston. They, too, had started partying that summer, so I got used to drinking. The dork came back with a red cup, and Steven came in right after him. I accepted the cup from the kid, and gulped some down. Steven came and told the kid to leave. The kid hesitated and left after Steven threatened to kiss his ass. I started to get dizzy and Steven took my arm and led me out to his car.
“What’s happening to me? I feel all weird,” I say.
“The kid put a pill into your drink. I knew something was going to happen. What’s your name?” Steven asked.
“Steven, don’t you know me? I’m Mae…”I sigh, and look at him with a dazed look. Steven looked at me with surprise. He didn’t recognize me one bit. I knew that would happen, since I lost all my baby fat, I’ve looked like a completely new person.
“Mae? What happened to you? You look like a whole different person!” Steven said, voicing my own thoughts.
“Steven…”I stated to say, and then I blacked out.
The next morning I found myself in an unfamiliar room. It was definitely a boy’s room. I did not recognize it, but when I looked beside me, there was Steven. He was sleeping, but he was still fully clothed but instead of the clothes he wore the night before, he was in pajamas. I, then, looked at myself. I was in a pair of boxers and a baggy t-shirt. I look inside the shirt and see that I am not wearing my bra. I didn’t wear panties last night, so I didn’t look down there. I see my dress on the ground, along with my shoes. I sit up, and Steven stirs a bit, then wakes up.
“Mae, you’re up.”
“Steven…what happened?”
“The kid date raped you. I brought you here.”
“No, I mean…did you see my naked?”
“Yeah…but you wanted to change but you were so drugged, you and your body weren’t functioning well. So I changed you. I hope you don’t mind. I didn’t do anything to you though. Don’t worry.”
“I’m not. It’s just…I’ve never…”
“Don’t worry Mae; I would never take advantage of you, especially if you were drugged like that.”
“I’m saying I’ve never been naked in front of anyone, since I was four.” I laughed and Steven laughed along with me. I took a shower, and brushed my teeth, and Steven went to Liz’s house to get the clothes that I brought over to her house. I changed and Steven took me to Aunt Josephine’s house. She was out, and I Steven to the kitchen. We talked for hours, literally. He smiled when I started telling him about home, but his smile faded when I told him about Chance.
“What?” I ask.
“Nothing, I was just hoping that something would happen to us this summer, but I don’t want to get in your way. You know, I don’t want to come in between you and your boyfriend.” He said with a look of regret in his eyes.
“Steven, this thing between us…doesn’t give you the right to give up hope. I mean, you never know, it might not work between me and Chance. I still have feelings for you, believe me, I do. I just don’t want to be the girl who cheats on her boyfriend a month after they get together.”
Steven smiles and suddenly I feel regret. I want to hug him and kiss him, and tell him that I would break up with Chance right away. I mean, Chance and I have known each other our whole lives, and that could mean that we could stay friends.
The pang of my heart flares up with ever last word Steven says to me before he leaves, and within the blink of an eye, he’s gone. That summer, Chance started to call more, therefore, Liz stopped hanging out with me more and more, the parties I attended were less frequent, the friends I had in Atlanta became non-existent.

Detatchment Stage

The next day, I walk into school a little less dark. I wore colors and put a little effort into what I looked like. The people still stared at me all around, and I still ignored them all day. I passed by Kiera, Chance, and a weepy Lia, but I walked right passed them; I go to my first class. The day went by slowly, and with every passing second, I wanted to get out of this town more and more. My father came to pick me up at lunch, and this time, I actually stayed the whole time.
When he drove me back to school, I went to my classes and there were no weird looks. I wasn’t Miss Popularity anymore, but I was not a total social reject. I guess that could be good. The thing I needed to worry about most is whether or not I wanted to stay.
There’s no possible way that I can make that decision. All my family is here. Darren, though, is in New York with my career and David. I am so conflicted right now. How do I choose between two things that I love the most? I don’t understand how I can choose between them. I stayed in my room when I got home. The world looked so confusing in that moment, I passed out. Thinking back to the day I got my mission, I remembered the voice had said something.
“You can only see me if you are in transition.”
What did this mean? I didn’t understand. What am I?
I don’t even know what I am, how I’m going to choose, or what I’m supposed to do. My mind goes blank, and my body goes numb. I fall on my bed and everything in my mind disintegrates until there is just darkness. All my senses are missing, and a part of me feels like at am trapped and cannot move.
“Mae, you are the one who triggered the transition phase. You thought about what you are, and you are not human.” The voice enters my ears and I can hear it loud and clear. “You are very important in our world. Your journey affects us all. This transition period will be difficult, but you must bear the pain and suffering. We will all be here to protect you.”
“What am I?” I hear myself whisper.
“You must not find out until the end of this transition. There are three stages to this transition period. You are now in the first stage. This is the detachment stage. You will look like you are asleep on the outside, your body will have a fever, you can feel nothing, talk to no one except we who protect and guide, and you will learn the way of your people. You will be in this stage for the longest. It takes about three days for this stage to be over.”
“I am going to learn what kinds of things?”
“The way of our people is different from humans. Think of us as ancient people; we are much like the Greek royalty. The way we dress, the way we walk, the food we eat.”
“So I have to learn a whole new life? Just like what I was doing in New York?”
“Not exactly. You are just learning the basics.”
Everything in my life is so strange…

Three days passed and I was ‘recovered’. I learned that the only difference between the Greeks and these people were that they had wings and powers. I don’t know what could be stranger, me being a weird non-human with wings, or the fact that I was cooped up in the dark part of my mind for three days.
My mom was there when I woke up. I also saw that I was not in my bedroom. I was in the hospital. It looked to be midnight and I heard footsteps coming toward this room. My father enters with some coffee, and I close my eyes quickly, just to make them think I was still asleep. He sits on the couch behind my mom and she sat next to me holding my hand. I stayed absolutely still.
“How are you in a coma? I don’t understand.” I hear my mom whisper. My heart breaks, but I feel as if I have to stay like for a little while longer. Good thing I don’t move much in my sleep because I started to drift off.
I slept for a few hours and I woke up to a few people talking to my parents. They were Kiera, Lia, and Chance. What are they doing here? I didn’t want to wake up while they were around. I wanted to wake up with only my parents. Darren wasn’t here, and the closest people to me, after Darren and David, were my parents. I want to laugh at the absurdity of them coming to visit me because I was in a ‘coma’. I want to understand why they would still come and see me even after what I had said.
The feeling of betrayal is still fresh in my mind, but for some reason, I want to forgive them. My parents let them in and they all gathered around me. I feel a hand on my hair, stroking it. I feel someone grab my hand, and I hear my parents tell them that they would go home for some clean clothes.
“How did this happen? Is she sick?”I hear Kiera ask.
Some one sits in the chair that my mother had occupied. The lay their hand into mind, and I can tell it’s Lia. I feel a tear on my arm and I have the urge to wake up and comfort her.
“Chance, what did she tell you? That day in the forest, I mean.” Lia asks.
“I already told you.” His voice sounded like it wanted him to break down.
“I just can’t let her feel like this. I want my best friend back.” Lia starts to sob, then. “I just want her back. I want…”
“Well, I don’t think you can win her back that easily.” Kiera says softly. I can tell she is feeling uncomfortable because I can hear her shifting. “I’m going to go find something to wipe her face.” Her footsteps leave and I hear Chance walk to stand next to the nightstand by the bed. I guess now is a better time to start to wake up. I open my eyes slowly to the scene in front of me. Lia is resting her head on Chance while he strokes her head. As if she can feel my eyes on them, she glances at me and gasps. She breaks out of Chance’s arms and takes my hand.
“Mae! You’re awake!” She smiles through her tears. I don’t know how to respond.
“Uhm, what happened to me? Where are my parents?” I look at the both of them.
“They went home to change and they’re going to come back soon.” Lia says. Chance just stares at me, and just then my cell phone rings. My body feels weak, so Chance grabs the phone, I stare at him in horror, and he sees and so he hands the phone over. It’s Darren.
“Hello?” My voice sounds tired, and I don’t know how to control the shakiness in my hands. Lia looks like she wants to help, but doesn’t know a way to.
“Mae! What happened to you? The other night when I called, someone picked up and said you were on the way to the hospital! I know you’re in Virginia now, and I’m coming with David.” Darren rushes through what he says and I don’t even get a word in when he hangs up.
I sigh and put the phone down. Chance and Lia are told to wait outside while the doctor checks up on me.
“What’s the next part of the transformation?” I ask the voice silently.
“Your physical appearance will start to change. Not dramatically, just little things. Your hair color will start to become a lighter shade, even when it is dyed, like you have. It will probably be a dirty blond shade in a few months, somewhat like your human mother. Your breasts will become slightly bigger, along with your bottom side. Your nose will become straighter. All of these will happened gradually, but it will not change what you look like over all. You will still look the same.”
“Darren and David are going to know, so is my family.”
“That is what we did.”
“What do you mean?”
“You could not choose one or the other of your lives, and our doing was to bring them together.”
“Is that okay?”
“Mae, you are very important to us, and since you went through the first part of the transformation process, we have to keep you happy.”
“I don’t know how to explain though.”
“We are going to have you not talking. One of us will use your voice and move your mouth so that we can explain. You might slip up if we let you explain.”
“Oh, I see. I still don’t understand.”
“You will. Just act as you normally would.”
“No, I want to explain myself.”
“Can we trust that you will not reveal anything?”
“Yes.”
My parents arrived right after the doctors told me that I was completely fine now, and they did not know how I even got into the coma. They were so relieved to see me awake. I could see it in their eyes. I sighed with great relief, and even smiled when Lia and Chance came back in. After about a half an hour after my parents came, I hear frantic voices outside the door.
Darren and David had come. They rushed in and my heart started to beat like a jackhammer when I saw Darren. I didn’t realize how much I missed him until I saw him. He paused a little in the doorway, and then he rushed in and stood next to me. It was like we were the only two in the room. He kissed me so passionately that I heard David cough.
I looked up and smiled at him.
“Hey there, kiddo. How are you doing?” He ruffled my head like he always did.
“Much better now.” I smiled at the both of them, but then I hear my dad grunt. Oh, God. I turn toward them and I see the surprised expression on all their faces, and the flustered look on Darren. I grab his hand, and I know that is the best time to explain to them. The only thing I can do now is to tell them the truth without the weird stuff.
“Mom, dad, Chance, Lia, this is Darren and David. The truth is I ran away to New York after I found out about Chance and Lia.” I say quietly. They look at me with despair in their eyes. I continue anyway. “I met Darren on my first night and we ended up seeing each other. He’s probably the best thing that has happened to me.” He smiles at me and I look at David. “David is like my fairy god father. He gave me a career, an education, and a family in New York. I was going to Europe, but somehow, I ended up back in Virginia, and I had no place to go but home, that’s where this all leaves us.”
The four of them stare at me in shock, and that’s when Kiera comes back with the wipes. She stops in her tracks when she sees me awake everyone else staring at me.
“Um, it’s great to see that you’re awake, Mae, but I think I’m interrupting something, so I’m just going to leave these here.” She places the wipe on the chair next to the door and walks out. I look around awkwardly, and just squeeze Darren’s hand harder. He smiles down at me and I give him my cute smile I always do when he’s around.
“Nice to meet you two.” My dad walks over and gives them firm handshakes and tells Darren that he had better not hurt me.
“I would never hurt her, sir.” I smile and look at my mom. She gives me a hurt smile, but she still greets them, followed by Chance and Lia, who look at Darren strangely.
“Alright, are you sure you’re better, sweetheart?” David asks. “I’m only asking because of the press conference next week. You don’t have to do it, yet.”
“Press conference? What are you talking about?” My dad asked. Right before David answered, I interrupted.
“I’m a model. I’m the new face of Sandra Cass.” Sandra Cass is the creator of a fashion, accessory, makeup, and jewelry line. She is one of the most successful designers in the world. While doing a shoot for Harrison Lancer, a small designer, Sandra visited Harry and she asked me to be her model.
“What?”
“Yeah, my spread will be in Sandra’s magazine, and she wanted to do a press conference to introduce me as the face of her lines.” I say, in a tone full of fact.
“When did you become a model?” Lia asks.
“On my second day in New York, David found me in the park, and he asked me.” I answered all their questions, and when my mother asked me where I was living, Darren answered.
“She’s living in with me and my parents at the moment. We’re looking for an apartment.” He saw my face full of relief, and squeezes my hand.
“I think after I get out of the hospital, I have to go back to New York.” I say. Everyone in the room but Darren and David objects, even Lia and Chance. After about two hours of debate, my parents finally agree to let me go, promising that I had to call both of them every few days. I made that promise to keep. I was so glad that I could take that off my shoulders and that day, I got released from the hospital, and went back home to grab a few clothes. We got a late flight to New York, and when we landed and got back to the hotel room, I couldn’t help but kiss Darren.
He kissed me so passionately; I felt it in my bones. I felt nothing but desire for him. I wanted him to take me, but then the passion turned to carefulness. He pulled away from me and looked at me with a worried expression.
“What is it?” I breathed.
He stroked my hair and said, “I heard that you were in a coma for three days.”
“So?”
“So, I think we should be careful. You need to rest.” He kisses my forehead and I sigh.
“I think that I’ve had enough rest.” I tell him. “I need a shower.” I get in the shower and I hear Darren walking around the room. He’s talking to someone on the phone. I wonder what happened when I was out. I was out for three days and I could check on him. I got out of the shower and looked at Darren with wonder in my eyes.
“Who were you talking to?”
“Mae, put some clothes on and dry off. My parents will be here in an hour.”

Oh, Goodness

I started to panic. “WHAT?! Oh, goodness. What am I doing standing here?” I start walking around and find clothes and trying to dry my hair. To sum it up, I looked like a maniac rushing. Darren tried to clean up while I got ready.
“Why are they coming?” Darren and I talk about his parents. They were rich folk who didn’t think that Darren’s dream was ‘practical’. Darren had two older siblings, Nick and Annie, who were both in the medical field with their mother, and Darren’s father was a big shot lawyer.
“They heard from one of my friends that I was dating and living with you. They don’t know what you do, and they want to see if you’re suitable to my needs. By that, they mean, if you are perfect enough to be their future daughter-in-law.” He sighs.
Worrying, I ask him, “What do I wear? How do I act? What do I do?”
“Wear what you would normally wear. Act the way you normally act. Do what you normally do. You’re perfect the way you are. The thing I’m more worried about is that they are probably going to make us go live at their house. They don’t think a hotel is suited for me.” He picks up the trash he left lying around. Once I finish drying my hair, I change into a loose blouse that looked appropriate and some skinny jeans that went really well with it. I also changed into some flats. I turned to see if Darren would approve.
“Now you’re just too good for me.” He said. I laughed and helped him clean up.
“Jeez, what did you do while I was gone? Have a wild party?” I joked.
“Yeah, it was a “Mae, I miss you party.”
“Ha ha, very funny, Darren. You probably had a blast for that one week.”
“No really. I seriously missed you like crazy. When I called and that person picked up, I knew I had to come and see you right away, and I couldn’t let you be by yourself.”
“You’re so sweet. I don’t know what I would do if I had to stay with them a minute longer.”
“Your parents are nice, though.”
“Not them, I mean Chance and Lia.”
“Oh, you mean Abercrombie and girl.”
“What?” I laughed, and threw his sock at him.
“Yeah, that guy looked like her hated my guts, and the girl looked like she wanted to be you.” We finished cleaning and we sat on the couch facing the window. Darren put his arm around me and I rested my head on his shoulder. It was about seven and the city was still bustling.
“That was the best friend and the cheater.” I sigh.
“Oh, those are the kids who let us meet! I should really call them to thank them.” I laugh and hit him playfully.
“Well, Chance and Lia are regretting what they had done. You know, if they had just told me they liked each other, I would have backed off, but if they did that, you would be sleeping in your friend’s apartment.” I say and glance at him.
“Yeah, well, I should call them up sometime.”
“Oh, but you should meet Steven! If I was still with him, he would have loved me even more than you do.”
“Who is this kid?” Darren pulled me away and looked me in the eyes seriously.
“Darren, I’m kidding.” I say. He relaxes and laughs a bit.
“Seriously, who is he?”
“He was my first kiss, and my first boyfriend. He lives in Atlanta.” I smile and remember the old memories once again. Two knocks on the door snapped me out of my thoughts and I look at Darren.
“I’m going to have to meet this kid, but that’ll have to wait until after you meet my parents.” We get up and he opens the door.
They looked like my parents. The way they carried themselves, the way they greeted Darren. Man, they would get along well. After they greeted Darren, they saw me standing behind him. His mother, Tracey, looks me up and down while his father, Vincent, shakes my hand and I introduce myself to them. I, then, shake Tracey’s hand and I hear voices coming into the room.
“You brought Nick and Annie?” Darren asked, shocked.
“Well, we wanted them to meet this girl you’ve been seeing, for three months I must add, for themselves.” Vincent strikes.
‘This girl?’ I must not make a very good impression. I worry and look at Darren. He takes my hand in reassurance. His parents look at me and look at Darren. There’s an unreadable expression on both their faces. Right then, Nick and Annie walk in. Tracey and Vincent walk inside and look around the room. I introduce myself to Nick and Annie, and Nick looks at Darren in approval, while Annie is much like her parents, unreadable.
They follow Tracey and Vincent into our room. I sigh and Darren tugs me along. The feeling of acceptance is high in my list of emotions. Wishing that they would accept me, I decide to do my very best. Darren shoots me an encouraging look and that, alone, gives me the confidence to make it through this night.
“How did you guys meet?” Annie asks. Her voice sounds sweet and light.
“We actually met here.” Darren answers. “I was coming to stay here for a night after mom and dad kicked me out, and I was planning on moving in with Rick. I accidently go this key and walked in on Mae sleeping. She’s a light sleeper, and woke up right when I opened the door.”
They all stare at him in shock.
“Well, that was our first time meeting, and I was very open to meeting new people. It may seem weird, but I even introduce myself, even with the chance that Darren was a rapist.” I bluffed, and the story went on with both of us adding on to what each other said. They took it all in and they believed it. It was just too detailed to be made up.
They all wanted to eat at a restaurant that they apparently went to quite a bit when everyone still lived at home. Darren agrees for the both of us when I get a call from David. I step into the hallway to answer it. David was telling me the details of my new photo shoot. It was supposed to be a surprise for Sandra; a princess concept was the idea, in order to give Sandra the childhood she never had. I was ecstatic. Sandra treated me like her second daughter. After my lessons, I would often go to Sandra’s office to follow her around, watching her work and keeping her company. My happiness was like no other; I knew Darren has always imagined me as royal, after I told him about my parents. I get off the phone and start towards the door. I hear Darren’s family talking to him about me. Feeling wronged, I stand outside and listen.
“Don’t you think she’s a bit young?” Annie asks. Tracey agrees, while Vincent stays silent.
“Nah, she should be a bit younger so that she and Darren are on the same maturity levels.” Nick says. I smile and I hear Darren laugh.
“I think she’s too flawless. Did she get plastic surgery?” Tracey asks.
“No, mom, she looks the same way she did since she was little. I saw some pictures.” Darren says.
“Oh, well, can you explain why she isn’t in school or living with her parents?” Tracey asks.
“Mae is a model. She works for Sandra Cass, and she gets an education through something like homeschooling. Mae ran away after her life got really complicated in Virginia, and Mae and her parents had a falling out. A week ago, Mae was supposed to go to Europe, but she ended up in Virginia, and her and her parents are back on good terms. They found out about her career and they let her stay in New York.”
“Well, that is good. What do her parents do?” Vincent asks.
“Her father is the mayor of Sharpston, and her mom is the head judge there.” Darren says.
“Wait, so she’s rich too?” Nick asks. I hear someone whack him through his sharp gust of air that left his body.
“Nick, that’s rude!” Annie says. I finally decide to walk back in.
“Alright, I’m hungry!” I announce cheerfully.
“Let’s go, then.” Darren grabs my hand, and we walk to the lobby. Tracey and Vincent brought a car, and they wanted us to ride with them. I accept when Darren was about to refuse. I shoot him a glance and smile. Nick and Annie would meet us there. Darren and I sit in the back seat while Vincent drove. The car ride was quiet with the occasional questions that came from Tracey and Vincent. They asked me what I liked to do in high school, what I was like when I was a child. They drove us to the place where David took me to eat after my first real photo shoot with Sandra for the magazine.
“Oh, I’ve eaten here with David before!” I squeal to Darren excitedly. He smiles at me and squeezes my hand.
“You’ve eaten here with whom?” Tracey asks.
“David is the new vice president and an important director of Mae’s agency.” Darren says.
“I see. Mae, dear, I heard you were a model.” Tracey says.
“Yes, I am. I was walking in the park and David found me and offered me a job.”
“How did you know he wasn’t scamming you?” Tracey questions.
“Well, I don’t know if Darren told you, but I ran away and when I got to New York, I decided to take chances, no matter how bad that may seem. I guess I’m just good at reading people.” I give Darren a shy smile and turn to look out at the cars in the long line.
We get to the valet parking and we all get out. The valet parker gave me a longing stare, and I just smile at him. Tracey laughs at his expression when we get away from the busy people. Her laugh is full of joy and she tells me that she used to get that all the time when she was my age. I laugh and Tracey guides us to the table.
“Annie was never much of a social person, although she was the prettiest girl in her school. She was the smartest, earning the number one spot in her class. Tons of people fell to her shy charms, and she got the cutest boys in her school.” Tracey tells me. I smile, thinking back to when I got all the cute guys, when I was the smartest, when I was cheerleading.
“She seems so nice.” I tell Tracey. She smiles in acknowledgement. I could feel her starting to accept me. Vincent smiled at us whenever we started to talk as well. I craved their acceptance, and when I could feel the acceptance, I relaxed more. Nick and Annie showed up, and they made their way to the table.
The night went by fast and I successfully got all of them to accept me. Nick took us home, and I was grateful to have my comfy bed back. I changed and cleaned up myself when Darren was taking a shower. I smile to myself, thanking the voices for everything I’ve ever wanted. I hear them laugh, and they welcome me. I look into the mirror and I notice that my nose was slightly different from the day before. It was cuter. Perfect. It wasn’t something you would notice if you even looked close enough, but I notice it because it is my own body. I poke it and once I get bored, I plop into bed, and I fall asleep instantly. I feel a kiss on my forehead and some say goodnight to me.

It’s been a week since I just got back to New York; today was the press conference day. I grimace at the thought of having to answer so many questions. It felt as if I was being put on trial. I smile and think that this was part of my transformation. If I was meant to be something important, something that the voices had to train for three days, then this would just transform me into a person with great composure. I met the male who was the new face of Sandra’s line, Trevor Halls. Trevor had messy black hair and gorgeous blue eyes; his body was six feet tall with perfect muscles. He was flirtatious with me, and I just gave him my best smiles.
“Come on, Mae. This won’t be as bad as you think.” David takes my hand and gives me a reassuring smile. “I have to find myself some time to find you a publicist and manager.” I laugh along with his good-hearted laugh.
“Don’t worry about it. I can manage today.” I smile and look at the platform with the long table and three chairs. Sandra appeared at my side and hugged me.
“Sweetie, don’t be nervous. You’ll do fabulously.” Sandra smiled at me and they announced that the three of us could now be seated. My name card was place on the right side of Sandra while Trevor’s was on the left. When we walked on the platform, there were tons of lights from the press taking out pictures. I tried not to let it blind me. We were seated and the announcer said that the reporter could start asking questions.
Sandra led the entire process, because all the questions were directed towards her. I was relieved, but then when the questions started to land on me and Trevor, I panicked. Sandra held my hand under the table, giving me encouraging squeezed, and that gave me the courage.
“Mae, are you and Trevor a couple?” The reporters were really blunt. I wanted to laugh, but I suppressed it.
“I just met Trevor a little while ago. I think that an acquaintance is the right way to start off this friendship.” I glance at Trevor and see him nod in agreement.
“What do you feel toward Mae right now, Trevor?”
“Mae seems like a very sweet and likable person. Of course, I would never do anything to cost us this job, so I would like to become friends outside of work, but nothing more.” Trevor answers. After a few more questions, the press conference was over.
“It was nice meeting you, Trevor.” I say we get off the platform.
“It was my pleasure. You are quite a beauty.” Trevor takes my hand in his and kisses my knuckles tenderly. I panic and laugh nervously. Unfortunately, I hear a click go off at that exact moment. Surprised, I snatch my hand back, and Trevor laughs.
“Don’t worry about that. Only we will know the truth.” Trevor gives me a lazy smile as he walks to the people waiting for him. I curse my stupidity, and I try to find David.
“David? Where are you?” I walk around the area and I find him with Sandra. They seem like they are in a deep conversation, so I find an empty chair and sit there. The scene with Trevor replays in my mind, and I start to curse him too.
“That poo face, snot brain. Try to trick me again, blubber butt.” I actually thought his butt was quite attractive, but I would never admit that to anyone else, but myself. “Now I have to—,” I was cut off by soft lips that caressed mine. I push the person responsible away, and end up falling over on the chair. “Oh, gosh damnmit!” I curse, and look up to Darren laughing at me. “Help me up! That’s not funny!” I whisper-yell, while he take a hold on my hand and pulls me into his embrace. He takes my face and kisses me while I hear clicks going off, again.
“Mae, you are too funny.” I smack him playfully.
“You scared me to death! You made me think that you were Trevor.” I say.
“What? Did that guy do something to you?” He looks around, ready for a fight.
“No, he just kissed my hand. The reporters got pictures of that too.” I take his hand in mine, and drag him to an emptier place. “When the pictures come out, don’t be surprised if I smiled, that was before I even knew what was going on.”
“Mae!” Darren whines.
“What? I’m just stating a fact. Take it or leave it.” I sigh and lean into his chest. I breathed in his scent while his arms wrapped around my body. “I don’t want to move. Just take me home like this.” I mumble into his chest. He laughs and stokes my hair.

Betrayal

It was time for the photo shoot. Darren was with me and I was dressed in a large elegant dress. It was cream and there was no room for me to breathe. The stylist matched Trevor in a cream suit with a ‘royal’ sash that hung across his upper body perfectly. He was the royal prince, and I was the princess that was meeting the prince separately, secretly. I smile at the idea. Today was the jewelry shoot for Sandra’s new line, ‘Royally Sweet’, and we both modeled the jewelry. For Trevor, it was mostly watches and rings, and I had everything from necklaces to earrings, rings, bracelets, and more that I couldn’t even look at. They were so beautiful and along with the jewelry, I had a ton of dresses that I must say, were all a bit too revealing, and Trevor had a ton of suits.
We had to have a lot of chemistry for the eyes, and there was even a point where I had to pretend to be on a bed sleeping, for the dainty jewelry while Trevor was shirtless and next to me super close to my face going in for a kiss. The photographer wanted an intimate kiss, and Darren even encouraged us because he said that the shot would be better. He turned away for that whole part, and I was…uncomfortable. Trevor kissed me down to my neck, and I was still ‘asleep’. I was certainly not sleepy; I was wide awake, thank you. We went over to look at the shots, and the intimacies made the jewelry stand out even more, with our shadows, the jewels shined.
Darren waited until I was all done changing, and walked me to the car. I could tell he was a bit uncomfortable, and I didn’t know what to do. He held my hand and led me away from Trevor who was about to say goodbye. I turn around to smile and wave. He smiled and turned back to what he was doing. Glancing at Darren, I suddenly feel nervous. When we get to the car, Darren turns to me and grabs my face and pulls it towards his. I and shocked, but I want to laugh. I smile against his frantic lips and I kiss him back and pull away. I smile at him, and he starts to smile. I could tell that he thought that he was being stupid.
“Sorry, I didn’t know that I would react like that.” He said, scratching the back of his head.
“Don’t worry. You are the only one I will enjoy kissing.” I smile at him innocently.
“Still, though, I knew that that would have happened anyway. It’s probably going to happen at every photo shoot.” He sighs, and starts the car.
“Darren, you are the love of my life. I would never do anything to hurt you.” I tell him quietly.
“I wouldn’t hurt you, either.” I peck his cheek. He was the only person I could imagine my life with, and I don’t know what I was supposed to do without him. I sigh and relax into my fantasy world that I escape to. The transformation process was happening. I saw it and now Darren was starting to notice it too. My nose was a button nose, cute and sweet. My hair was light and close to blond, not my dark locks that I missed. I asked the voices once, if I could keep my dark hair, and they said I could, but not during the transformation process. I didn’t even know what I was, but I knew I had to follow the rules until I found out what I was. The second stage of the transformation was called the Alteration Process. My chest got a bit bigger than the last time, and my body started to become toned. I didn’t work out, but this process was making me turn into a close to perfect creature.
I loved my life the way it was, but unfortunately everything was going to change, and I could feel it. It started with the changes on my body, and I could not do anything else. I had to follow what I was told, by everyone around me. Life was going to soon change into something I was not prepared for. Perhaps the voices told me that I was, but I knew that this was going to be trouble. The fantasy world I escape in comes in handy. It feels as if I am actually there, but I am not. I laugh a bit at the thought of escaping into my fantasy meadow filled with exotic animals and plants. I am completely alone without the human contact, but that just makes this place more of a utopia, more than anything.
This place was a place I could hide at for days, and I would be happy. Don’t get me wrong, I am completely happy with my life now, but for the days where the stress comes and piles down, I escape, much like right now. The stress of Darren worrying, the stress of my parents calling every hour, the stress of all the events I attend. This may be a life millions of girls die for, but sometimes it’s a nightmare.
Darren carries my sleeping body into our room, and he leaves for work. I was exhausted, and he must have been too. I stir and wake up when he is putting on his shirt. Sitting up, I watch while he puts on a belt and looks for a pair of socks.
“Darren, can’t you stay with me, just for today?” I ask quietly.
“Mr. Daniels will be on my ass if I miss today. It’s the day where they are shooting all the special effects. I need to be there to help.” Darren got a job as Michael Daniels’s assistant, and that was huge. Michael Daniels shot some of the biggest movies in the world, and this was a chance of a lifetime for Darren. I was ecstatic that he got the chance over the fifty thousand that applied. We were both on our ways to our dream careers.
“Fine, but when you get back, you cannot be surprised if I’m at Mr. Johnson’s house. They keep bugging me about going over there. Apparently Jack needs a tutor, and since I am a genius, they asked me.” I sigh and lay back down. I was told by Daisy, my teacher and tutor that I was due to graduate in December. She told me that I was more than ready and I already took the practice GED test that she had put together for me.
“Okay, but don’t be surprised if I don’t come home tonight. This shoot may take…well, a long time. When you’re over there, don’t talk to Jason. He might be thinking dirty thoughts about you right this second.” Darren smiles and kisses my forehead. Once he leaves, I change into jeans and a v-neck shirt and put on my winter jacket. It’s October here, and it was so cold. I call a cab and grab my purse.
Jack was waiting outside when I got there.
“Jack! What are you doing? It’s freezing outside!” I yell once I see him.
“Mae, thank God you’re here! Jason went to go get you something, and I am not going to tell you what, but we have to hurry and get this tutoring over with so that you can be protected from that pervert!” He drags me inside to his study room.
“Alright,” I say once we get settled down, “what is the first subject?”
“Algebra…it takes me a lifetime to understand.” He says. I help him and he actually starts to get it once I write out examples for him. Half an hour into the tutoring, Jason walks in with a little pink bag. I look up, but then I look back at Jack’s work. He’s doing well.
“Hello there, beautiful.” Jason smirks at me, and I sigh.
“Hi, Jason…oh, Jack, you have to substitute the x’s with the solution you just found! Here, let me show you.” I go back to focusing on Jack’s work, when the little pink bag lands in my lap. I sigh and put it next to my purse. “Jason, I am trying to help your brother!” Jack looks up and gives Jason a little glare and goes back to his work.
“Well, once that’s done, could you try on that little piece, inside my room?”
“No.” I say simply.
“Why not?” Jason whines.
“You are acting like a weirdo, Jason.” I say while correcting Jack’s work.
“Come on, woman! Give me a chance!” Jason stomps his feet.
“Jason, you are acting like a child. You know I am with Darren.” I say. “Jack, you forgot to multiply here.” Jason stomps back to his room, and slams his door. Mr. Johnson comes in and asks what the big commotion was. I told him that Jason gave me the pink bag and Mr. Johnson takes a sheer black lace bra and thong out of the bag. I said that I wouldn’t accept it, and the flustered Mr. Johnson couldn’t agree more. He goes up to Jason’s room, and by the time the yelling started, the lesson with Jack ended. I hug him and tell him he’s doing great, and get into the cab.
When I got back to the hotel, it was 10:30, and I was extremely tired. Darren said he wouldn’t be back and I went to sleep without him. When I woke up, David called me to tell me about the photo shoot we would have at 7:45. It was a dark concept today. That meant that Sandra was getting into the vampire stories, much like the rest of us. I smiled at the thought of being a bit gothic. I’ve always wanted to try it. It was 6:04, and I got up and got ready. Darren stumbled through the door, and headed straight for the bed. I smile and kiss his forehead. He wraps his arms around my waist and I struggle out of his grip.
“You left me alone last night for work, now it’s my turn.” I kiss his hand and grab my coat and leave. David picked me up, and Trevor was waiting in the back seat. “Good morning.” I smile and look at the coffee that David had in his cup holder. He saw me eyeing it.
“Go ahead. I wasn’t going to finish it anyway. They gave me the wrong thing.” I give him a grateful smile and drink the coffee.
“Hey, Mae, is your skin like that already?” Trevor suddenly asks. I turn so that I could see his curious face.
“Like what?”
“Your skin looks so soft and smooth.”
“Hmm, I guess. I mean I’ve never really gotten breakouts or anything.” I say.
“Oh, so you’re just naturally perfect.”
“Hah, not even. You haven’t seen me in the mornings.”
“Well, that would be a sight.” Right then, we arrive at the photo shoot location. It’s in a warehouse today, for that dark feel. We get to the makeup and clothes station, and I see my choices of clothing. They are all dark red, purple, or black and they are all very revealing, and just in time for Halloween, a week away. There are people rushing around and they usher me into a seat. I got used to this kind of thing, so while people were doing my nails, my hair, and my makeup, I sat silently and watched the television in front of me. After two hours of the team trying to perfect me, my eyes have a very dark look to them, while the white makeup and my blondish hair make me look perfectly pale. I wear a dark velvet red dress that is floor length, but has a very large slit down my thigh and it has a very deep v-neck. The stilettos I have to wear have faux red snake skin. I curse Sandra for creating something so beautiful, yet so, so revealing. Trevor wears a leather vest showcasing his washboard abs and black skinny jeans and a motorcycle jacket while he goes first.
When I get there, I lay down as they instruct me, and notice that Trevor has fake fangs. He straddles me and leans down toward my neck and I have to pretend to be unconscious. I feel Trevor’s breath against my neck. Sandra is here and instructs Trevor to kiss me. I feel his lips against mine, and she instructs me to kiss him back. I really have no choice and kiss him back. His lips are soft and cautious. He and I slowly get into the kiss and I hear snaps going off.
“Nice! You guys are doing great!” David says off to the side.
“Okay guys enough! Now, we are going to take pictures with that lipstick all over you guys while you guys lay there, just stare at each other.” The photographer starts again. I look into Trevor’s eyes and he looks into mine.
“Darren might kill me now.” He jokes with a serious face.
“I think he might.”
“Well, I must say that you look rather daring today.”
“Tell me about it. I feel almost naked.” The slit of the dress requires me to wear a very small thong, and the deep v-neck threatens to expose me.
“Darren would like it.” Trevor states simply.
“I bet he would.”
“You are a fantastic kisser by the way.” He touches my lips with his fingers and close my eyes.
“This is for the pictures.” I state dryly.
“Yeah, yeah.” He ignores me and touches my face.
After the shoot was done, I went back to the hotel with Darren still sleeping. I smile, and let him sleep.

The week passed by and it was suddenly Halloween. I was excited to dress up, and be myself again. After the press conference, the pictures had come out of Trevor kissing my hand, then of Darren kissing me. Both made me look extremely happy, but only the people around us knew the truth. That had become a hot topic and suddenly I was followed by paparazzi because of the fact that I looked like a two-timer. I, honestly, thought that this was stupid, because whenever they followed me, I was with Darren. The pictures from both the royal and dark photo shoots are the pictures in the Sandra Cass stores all over the country. I explain to Darren about the dark shoot, and he was pissed at me for a few hours. I told him that it was part of the shoot, and he gives in to my adorableness. David had found me a publicist and a manager, just like he promised me. Darren thought it was funny, since I was a model, but I thought that it would help me arrange my schedules more.
“Darren, you can’t look at my costume yet!” I scold him as he tries to pretend that he is going to look for a ‘belt’ for his preppy boy costume. He wanted to look like he belonged at Yale, not NYU. I smile at him sweetly and he slumps over to the couch. Finishing my hair and makeup were easy, and now I change into my white dress that was flowed like a Greek tunic. I add my gold accessories and look in the closet mirror. The scoop neck of the dress exposed the perfect amount of cleavage and the length of the dress was about four inches above my knees. Darren looks at me as I come out, and his jaw hits the ground. I smile and twirl in my gold peep-toes, and he walks over.
I tell him that we were late for Sandra and Mr. Johnson’s party, and if we were late to their parties, we would be late to Michael’s. When he heard that, we left immediately. Darren didn’t want to be late to Michael’s party because that was his chance to show me off. I smile at the thought, but I can’t really show Darren off since he already knew everyone.
“This is going to be so fun!” He smiles and nods in agreement.
“Well, I can’t wait to meet all your work buddies.” I smile.
“Work buddies? What kind of phrase is that? Who says that anymore?” He looks at me with amused eyes, obvious because of the out of date term that I had used. We joke about that some more as we make it to Mr. Johnson’s house. Full of older people with costumes, we stay for about an hour, and I tell Mr. Johnson that I would have to leave early. I smile at all the people congratulating me and leave with a more than bored Darren.
“Off to Sandra’s party!” I smile because there were more people I knew there. I had met a bunch of other models more or less my age, and we all cliqued. Most of them were also models for Sandra or other world famous designers.
“This will be so fun, talking to male models, especially Trevor.”
“Now, now, are you showing your jealous side?”
“No, I am simply stating my excitement to see him after he made out with my girlfriend so passionately.” His eyes darken, and I couldn’t help but burst out laughing at his deep sarcasm. “Not funny, miss ‘it meant nothing’!”
“I already told you, there is nothing between us, even if he wanted there to be, it wouldn’t happen.” We arrive at the hotel where Sandra is having her party, and I went in to greet everyone I knew and meet people I didn’t know, dragging Darren with me. They all stated that he was super handsome, and I smile while he, like usual, looks bored.
“Darren, please lighten up. I mean, you could be a bit more excited.” I tell him while walking toward Trevor. “Everyone keeps praising you, yet you just stand there.” I was quite aggravated with him, and he could tell.
“Look, I’m sorry this isn’t my scene. I’ll try to be a bit more…happy.”
“That’s all I ask.” I whisper as Trevor approaches us carefully. “Well, hello there, doctor.” Trevor went with the doctor look we talked about one day while waiting for the equipment to be set up.
“Hello goddess and Mr. Smith.” He smiles at Darren and then he takes my hand and gives me a twirl. I giggle like a little girl, and Darren finally cracks a smile.
“So what have you been up to since our last photo shoot, Trevor?” Our last shoot was one after the dark concept. It was an evening out concept, and Trevor and I had to go to a club with people in full swing of things. It was a bit crazy.
“Let me tell you, I am never going to go to that club again. There were just too many girls trying to grab my man parts. I’m not that kind of guy.” He jokes.
“I know, right?” I laugh, Darren gets into the conversation too, and we spent probably a good hour and a half talk to Trevor and the other people at the party. I smile, and was quickly reminded of the fact that we had to go to Michael’s party. I leave Sandra’s party and we drive to the club where the last party is at.
“This is so exciting.” I smile as we approach the club. There was valet at the front, so when we got out, there were many people waiting outside to get into the club. Darren got us in immediately, and we went to the VIP area where Michael Davidson was having his party. People greeted Darren the second we got there, and he introduced me to some of them and led me over to the bar. Apparently, they already knew who I was, even Michael Daniels.
“Well, look at this two timer model. Of course, I know you are dedicated to Mr. Smith here, everyone does.” He smiles and Darren laughs. They talk while I stand there, looking awkward, but I am still enjoying the party. I sway to the music and close my eyes. The music pulses through me, and my body responds. I am asked by a few girls to go dance with them, and I graciously accept. This girl, Sophie Wild, smiles and loops her arm through mine and drags me to the bar.
“Mae, what would you prefer? Vodka or tequila?” Sophie asks.
“I’ll just have a shot of tequila please.” I smile and she orders and pays for the drinks.
“I’m so glad I get to finally meet you, Mae. Darren talks about you quite a bit.” She slurs a bit and I smile at her. Who is she? Darren has never mentioned a girl before. “You know, I wish I had someone like Darren. He’s just so…” She twists her blonde hair around her fingers and trails off.
“Yeah, he’s so…” I didn’t finish my sentence, mocking her a bit, while I down my shot. It burns the way down my throat, and I take the other and down that as well. I haven’t had alcohol since July. I’m no addict, but it felt so good to have some back in my system.
“Well, you better keep that man, or I’ll just have to take him.” She smiles sweetly, and walks back to her friends leaving me there utterly confused.
I order a few more and the bartender tells me that he had just heard the conversation and gave me the shots on the house. Feeling bad anyway, I take out a twenty and put it down on the bar and down the shots. This was not enough to get me drunk, but to get my body relaxed.
I sit there and watch as Darren has fun talking and drinking with his friends. Sophie sees me watching and makes her way over to Darren. She starts flirting and whispering in his ear. He looks at her and smiles. Something he says upsets her a bit, but she continues. I tear my eyes away as Darren strokes her hair and stare straight ahead. I can’t help but feel jealousy coming. Glancing over again, they are centimeters away from each other’s faces. They get closer and closer, and I can tell Darren is drunk, but I cannot believe he was still going to kiss her. I laugh at myself for falling for a guy who I met the day I got into New York. I smile bitterly, and walk over to the front entrance and see that Sophie is on Darren’s lap and they are full on making out. I go to call Trevor to pick me up, and stand outside to wait. Tears threaten to spill, and I glare at the club’s lights.
The bouncers keep the guys who are hitting on her away, and I stand outside in the cold, waiting for Trevor. I hear Darren calling my name as he gets to the front entrance, and I don’t look at him. Trevor told me he would be here in a few minutes because this club wasn’t far from the hotel Sandra had her party at.
“Mae, what are you doing in the cold?” I glare at Darren through my lashes. “What? Why are you glaring- oh. You saw.” The color drains from his face and I see Trevor’s car pull up. Darren holds onto my arm, and pleads for me to stay, but I honestly have no words for him so I rip my arm out of his hold, and get in the car with Trevor. “Mae, give me a chance to explain!” Darren begs while I stare straight ahead in Trevor’s car, and the valet shuts the door.
“Trevor…” I whisper shakily.
“Come on, you are coming to my place.” I nod gratefully, and go to his apartment. “You know, it’s not good for you to live your life in a hotel. Maybe you could get your own apartment, and live on your own for a while. No boys or parents to interfere.”
I nod and stare out the window, and think about what he had just said. I really haven’t lived alone, and it would be a big change, for me to become fully independent. I fall asleep in Trevor’s car.
The next morning, I wake up in a spacious room that is completely white. I look and see that I am in a large oversized t-shirt. I look up and there is a large picture of Trevor. Right then, he walks in and sees me super confused.
“Morin’, sunshine.” He says brightly.
“How did I end up in your t-shirt?” I ask, sitting up.
“I changed you into it. I swear though, I didn’t try anything on you. Plus, I slept on the couch.” He smiles proudly. I hear my phone go off, and I look for it. “Don’t bother. It’s been ringing all night. It’s probably Darren, for the millionth time.”
“Oh, right. Hey, I was thinking…do you want to go apartment hunting with me?” I ask quietly. He looks at me and smiles.
“Sure, why not? Then we can hang out afterwards.” I smile and he hands me some shorts so that I could go to the hotel room to change. We arrive at the hotel and there’s Chase. I haven’t seen him since that night when Darren and I…
Trevor waits outside while change and freshen up. I see a note from Darren.
Mae,
I’ve gone to work. Hopefully you see this, and hopefully you can see how much I care. I’m sorry about last night. I know I made a mistake, but…
I really need to talk to you. Maybe you’ll see this and be back tonight.
I love you.
Darren.

Changes

8

Trevor and I went to breakfast at the ever so famous Breakfast Fast. I smile at the simple name while Trevor orders for us. We are going to forget about what Darren did, and we are going apartment hunting. Realizing that I never grew independent, I suddenly got very depressed. There was the pressure on me again, but this time it was as if there was a presence with me.
“Mae, you can feel me near you right now, am I correct?” The voice asks.
“Yes.” I answer silently.
“You are still going through the second phase of your transformation. I cannot reveal myself yet, but as you know, we must keep you happy.”
“Yes, but I highly doubt you can fix my pain.” I pout a bit. Trevor notices and he smiles at me. I lighten up my mood, and I tell the voice that I could get better in time. The pressure from my body is relieved and I try to not think about Darren.
Trevor knew some good areas in the city where I could find an apartment, and most of the apartments were very expensive, but so spacious. I am the type who doesn’t mind the space, but I do mind the money. Although I am Sandra Cass’s face, I don’t get paid a ton. I get a little pocket money, and enough to pay for the hotel room, but that’s with Darren paying as well. If I wanted to become independent, I would have to make sacrifices.
I decided to get a small apartment that was perfect for me. It had a big closet, a pretty small kitchen with a decent sized living area, a small bathroom, a small bedroom that fit a desk, vanity, and a bed set. I was glad I didn’t have to go furniture shopping since the apartment came fully furnished. The only down part about it was that it was mid-town. I would have to get Trevor or David to pick me up for shoots.
Trevor drove me back to the hotel so that I could start getting my things to bring to my new apartment. I realized that things have been going so fast. Yesterday, I found Darren making out with someone else, and today I was getting out of this relationship and into my new independent life. We entered the room to find Darren with Sophie, getting into it. I stop dead in my tracks causing Trevor to bump into me. They look up and Darren curses. I let my face be void of emotions while I walked slowly into the closet and take down my big suitcase that I used to get to New York and start to throw my clothes into it while Trevor helps with my shoes. Darren looks shocked but Sophie looks triumphant. Ignoring their stares, I let Trevor finish in the closet so that I can collect my bathroom things. I grab all my stuff like my makeup, brush, my jewelry, and more and put it into their little bags or containers. Putting it into the ready suitcase, I start to leave.
“Mae! Where are you going?” Darren asks, clearly torn.
“Dude, just let her go. Look, I know you wanted to work things out, but look what you’re doing now.” Trevor says quietly.
“Let the bitch leave. You should have known about this since before Darren got this job. I found him, and guess what; he was only using you to have a place to live.” Sophie remarks. I turn around and look at Darren.
“Dare, I have to leave. It turns out that I really was your rebound.” I start to tear up, and Trevor ushers me out of the room. I thank him and make my way to Trevor’s car.
“Mae, you will be fine. You don’t need a person who tricks you for something. You don’t know how much he will regret losing you. I promise.” Trevor comforts me in the car.
“Pinky swear?” I whisper, holding out my pinky. He smiles and takes in my pinky with his.
“Promises are things I like to keep.”

I haven’t seen Darren in two months.
I heard from his mom once, thinking that we were still together. She wanted to go take me out. I declined.
Today is December 19th. It’s my graduation party. I wasn’t going to walk in any ceremony since I was starting to attract attention. Trevor, David, Daisy, Sandra, and the Johnsons were here. I made more model friends and shop owner friends as well as college student friends. They all showed up to my party and the best part was that I got my mom and dad to fly in as well, with Aunt Josephine and Ed. They were excited. Everyone was. Things have been going well since I decided to leave Darren and actually become independent. It turns out that I am more responsible and I can take care of myself just fine.
It also turns out that Trevor was right. I was fine. I have to learn to be less trusting, or that’s what Trevor thinks. I smile whenever I think of him now. He’s my best friend. He was my savior and that makes him the hole in my heart. With him around, I had nothing to fear. I wasn’t rushing into anything, and that made Trevor happy to be able to make me realize that I didn’t need anyone but myself.
Things have been going well at work too. I get extra pay for when I tutor Jack, and I get a pretty nice pay now that I have done a thousand shoots for Sandra and other designers. There have been offers for me to start acting, but I definitely wasn’t ready. In time, who knows what I could do.
I’ve been talking to my parents more and more, through my land line while my cell phone is for people in New York. I’ve been getting more and more attention when I go out. There are pictures of me and Trevor everywhere. That’s where my parents come in. They want me to get out of the city and go to a more…conserved area, but my life is in the city.
Ed, my older brother comes to visit sometimes. He wasn’t thrilled about my departure, but he was happy that I was happy. Ed was going into the NFL, but he was also going to law school to do something practical after he retired from football.
“Mae! What are you doing sitting on your bum?” Kasey MacLean, a close friend I met through Travis asks.
“Thinking about things.”
“Well, this is your party after all. You need to get up and have some fun.” She and I now have matching hair colors since mine is now blonde with golden streaks. Kasey loves that we have the same hair color and the fact that she is now the main photographer for Sandra. I get pulled to my feet and Kasey starts to dance with the other people.
“Kasey, you are too…” I trail off.
“SHUT UP AND DANCE!” I smile and start to swing my hips to the beat. All the other girls start to dance with us while the adults start to leave. I see my family heading towards the door and I start to feel bad. They were flying home tomorrow morning. I leave the big group of dancing crazies and meet my family at the door.
They tell me that they are all proud of me and what I’m accomplishing, and they tell me to check my bank account in the morning. I smile and know that they had given me some money for ‘graduating’. Some isn’t that much but just enough so that I could buy myself a new wardrobe and makeup. I smile and thank them for coming. They tell me that they would call me when they got back home. I watch them leave and I can feel myself hit a peaceful state of mind.
I’ve never felt this content in my life.
Things were going well for me, but not for long, I expected. The ‘transformation stage’ is done. Apparently, the third stage was a painful one. I laughed and thought that it wouldn’t be that painful. That stage is one that comes after several months of the second stage. I can’t wait for these stages to be over. Things changed, and I did too. The things that I want and the things I want to do are changing, and I need to figure out what I’m going to do when I complete the three stages. I need to fit that into my plans too.
“Mae, what are you doing?” Jason Cather asks. I met him during a photo shoot with Trevor. Jason is now an intern at Sandra’s office.
“I just feel bad that I didn’t get to spend much time with my family.” I smile at him. He’s been around me a lot lately. Trevor thinks that he likes me, but I don’t want a relationship.
“Well, Trevor was looking for you.” I thank him and follow him inside.
“Mae Penelope Sharpe! We have been dancing without you this whole time! Come and have some fun!” Trevor has obviously gotten drunk, and I laugh. From the corner of my eye, I see a glint from the promise ring Darren gave to me. I’ve never taken it off because I think back to the old times when there was one person that I wanted and needed to please, but I thank him when I realized that he wasn’t it anymore. I sigh and look at the people around me. Sometimes I wish that I had never met him, but other times I thank him for the life he offered to me. The people here are my families who I can never let go of.
The party ended two hours later, and I need to drive Trevor to his apartment. He lives far away from me but he also lets me crash at his place when I stay late. Thankful that he keeps some of my things there, I change him and brush his teeth, like I do every time we go clubbing. Trevor is the wild type who counts on me as his designated driver. I on the other hand don’t get drunk due to my high tolerance level, and because of the fact that I am still underage. This was routine for us now, every time we went out at least.
Laying him down on the bed and tucking him in, I grab the spare clothes I have and shower. I brush my teeth and towel dry my hair and go lay down in the living room. I try and fall asleep to the TV but there are so many thoughts in my head that I decide to go outside to take a walk. It was about two in the morning so it wasn’t that crazy outside, but still busy as always. Central park was about four blocks from Trevor’s apartment, and I sit at a random bench. I keep thinking about things. The thoughts that flood my mind are questions with ‘what if’ in them.
What if I had stayed in Sharpston?
What if I never ran away? Would I be dead?
What if I never went to that party with Darren?
What if…
What if…
After an hour I decide to go back to Trevor’s apartment. I use the spare key he gave to me and I sleep on the couch.

Girl's Night

“Mae! Wake up! We’re going to be late to the shoot!” Trevor tries to make toast and pour orange juice. I groan, regretting my decision to walk around last night. “Mae, I am the one with the hangover. Be quiet and go brush your teeth.” I sit up and look around, and then I silently drag myself to the bathroom to brush my teeth. We leave after I finish the toast and juice.
“Trevor, you should stop drinking the nights before a shoot.” I joke quietly.
“Mae, you should stop talking. It sounds like you’re screaming.” He smiles and pats my hand.
“Well, just wait until Kasey starts.” Kasey was one who liked to yell. Although she was an amazing photographer, she needed to work on the very loud commands.
“She got drunk before I did. She will not yell today, I promise.”
“You never know.” I shrug. When we arrive, I find that we are doing a casual winter theme. It was freezing outside so I was happy about the clothing choices. They were all long and warm, except for the jeans and leggings. Though they were long, I was still cold. The photo shoot was in an alley that was set up to look like little shops and boutiques. Thank goodness we only had to act like a happy couple walking back and forth, keeping each other warm. The only down side to the shoot was that since we were in an alley, we had to change outside in little booths they set up for us. Even though there were heaters, we were still freezing. I could see that the staff got to wear thicker jackets than the ones that Sandra made, and I was happy that they were, but I just wanted to be warm.
Trevor was right about his promises. He always kept them. That meant that Kasey was extremely hung over and decided to give us a break today. The shots that she got were perfect the first hour and every single person just wanted to stop and go inside to a warm area, so the shoot ended an hour early. Trevor drove me back to my apartment with Kasey and dropped us off. We decided to just stay there and watch movies.
“Mae, can you find some very large and warm blankets in this magical apartment of yours?” Kasey asks hanging up her jacket on my coat rack.
“Just find some sweat pants in my closet and sit in my bed. That’ll warm you up while I turn on the heater.” I say walking into the kitchen and get the Rocky Road ice cream out. Kasey and I had many lazy girl days. Today it was at my apartment, and I knew we would be watching chick flicks and I bought Kasey’s favorite ice cream. We always spend hours in my bed or her bed just watching TV or movies or on our laptops. This is what I liked, and Kasey and I got along very well. Kasey also lived a block away from me, which I realized when she had a house party a month after I met her.
“Mae, you need to stop shopping!” She calls from my closet. “It’s like a mall in here!” She grabs a pair of gray sweat pants, and hops underneath my large comforter that was super warm. “Ah, this is the life. I never want to get out of this cloud bed of yours. It’s just too warm.” She says. I laugh and change into sweats, and bring the ice cream. “You bought Rocky Road, right?”
“Yes, your royal highness.” I mock.
“Hey, I’m just asking an innocent question.”
“Yeah, but last time you chewed me out for getting plain chocolate.”
“Well, now you know that I do not enjoy ‘regular’ chocolate.” I laugh at her air quotations, and then I feel the heater come on. “Oh, my goodness, I seriously think I want to sleep over.”
“Go ahead. This is a large king sized bed. Plus you are probably too lazy to walk back home, especially after the ice cream and popcorn, and let’s not forget the hot chocolate.” I say.
“Damn you, tummy. I will hate you forever.” She says, pointing to her stomach. I laugh and start to put in the movie. We watch several movies, ate all the food and then it was suddenly night time. I laugh as Kasey called some of our friends Annabelle, Eve, Sammy, and Macy for us to go clubbing.
“I guess it’s a girl’s night.”
“Yeah, it’s going to be fun. On the plus side, there is no shoot tomorrow!” I laugh as she sings. I walk over to Kasey’s apartment with all my things to get ready and she turns on the heat to her cold empty apartment. Since she moved in, she hasn’t stayed home a lot. She told me it meant that we could make a gigantic mess, and she’d be fine. I laugh as we dance around in our curlers and sing in our underwear. Life was good.
“Mae! You’re wearing you silver dress with black tights right? I think we have the same dress, but I have it in red.”
“Then we could be twins, except that red looks better with black lace tights.” I smile as she takes a picture of me trying to put on my tights while I’m still in my panties and bra.
“Whoo! Work it girl!” She laughs as she snaps some more pictures, but this time with me in the back posing while she smiles or makes silly faces. We’re both still not dressed and I nag her to hurry or the girls would be pissed off again. She smiles and puts her camera down in its case, and laughs as she changes.
Two hours later, we’re done, and we bundle up in our jackets and gloves. The four others met us in front of the VIP club. We all had high paying jobs which let us into many VIP places. The thing about us is that we are all very talented, smart girls who decided not to go to college, but focus on our careers. I smile and think that they are like myself, and they have also learned to be very independent.
“Wow, you two look like sisters. I’m not joking.” Macy says to me and Kasey as we sit in our little booth that we always go to.
“Well, I will take that as a compliment, and I will take that compliment to buy our first round.” Kasey smiles as she heads for the bar. We are all the same age of eighteen, but we all have that high tolerance for alcohol. We also have a career that let us do whatever we wanted, even at this young age. The owner of the club knows us well enough so that he can give us the drinks. He comes and talks to Kasey, and they walk over together.
“Emmet! We haven’t seen you in the longest time!” I say as the other girls hug him. I hug him last, and he smiles at all of us.
“How are you girls doing tonight? Mace, are you still looking for the vampire hunter?” He asks. He watches her show, ‘Rolling Deep’, where she plays the main lead girl who is a vampire who is trying to kill all the vampire slayers.
“You know it! The writers are trying to write in some stunts that I could do.” She smiles.
“Annabelle, how’s your shop?” Annabelle’s parents helped her start a clothing store in New York that carries Sandra’s line, which makes her quite a bit of money. Her parents live in South Carolina, and they trust her.
“Fine.” She isn’t fond of Emmet, but she still keeps her southern hospitality.
“So Eve and Sammy, what are you guys doing now?” Eve and Sammy work together in a production company that they started. They are the main producers and they have a lot of projects out, most of them still being pitched to Sammy’s dad’s network. They want to make a reality show of our lives. I had to admit, our group was a very…well financed group.
“We are currently pitching new ideas to the old man.” Sammy says.
“Who knew that he’s actually letting us get a show?” Eve jokes.
“You girls are all so successful. Hey, let me know if you want to use my club for one of your shoots, Kasey. I see Mae’s pictures everywhere now.” He smiles as he walks away.
“Anyway…Let’s get drinking!” Kasey yells.
We all down our shots and start to dance with each other. The club is full of upper class people who just want to have fun, but there are always those ones who sneak in from the back. They are the ones who hit on our little group, and they are the ones Emmet tells security to get rid of.
After a few hours of shots and dancing, we leave, buzzed, but fully aware. We decided to walk to our favorite diner which was opened twenty four hours. They loved serving us because of the fact that we were all very outgoing.
We all ordered and we were all joking and laughing. Everything was great.
“Mae?” I turn to see the person I least expected.

Impressum

Tag der Veröffentlichung: 02.05.2012

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