The rest of Anen's summer had been spectacularly uneventful. Probably because she had been grounded for the rest of it and hadn't been allowed to leave the house.

Anen knew she had no right to complain about her punishment. She'd disobeyed her mother and snuck out to a party where she'd almost drowned. The consequences were her own to deal with. And really, being grounded wasn't that much different from her life before? She read her books and since she wasn't allowed her laptop; she wrote in notebooks to pass the time. The short stories she wrote were mildly entertaining.

At least today she would have a bit more freedom. She waited for the school bus with her little sister, who was bouncing up and down, excited to see all her friends again. Soon the yellow bus could be seen chugging up the street, brakes squealing as it made stops at houses along the way.

Once it finally stopped for them and they climbed aboard, Anen wrinkled her nose. The bus smelled of stale sweat and leather. Kids were half asleep on their seats or rambunctiously throwing things at others. The bus driver paid no attention as Anen and Lila made their way to their seats. Lila sat with a friend and Anen slid into an empty seat when she found one.

The bus surged ahead, making a few more stops along the way before they reached the school. Anen waited for everyone else to clear off the bus before she stood, slinging her backpack over her shoulder. She could barely see Lila's red curls as she merged with a crowd of elementary school kids and entered her building.

Anen headed off with the older kids into the high school, flowing with the crowd. Inside, the halls were loud. People milled about around their lockers, setting up decorations and unpacking their belongings into the small spaces. She found her locker and shoved her things inside. Before she could even shut the door, Isabelle was by her side.

She leaned against the faded purple metal and gave Anen a small smile. "I'm surprised to see you. Thought you'd still be in jail."

Anen rolled her eyes in response. "The warden gave me some yard time for good behavior."

Isabelle picked at her nails nervously, watching a pair of girls who looked at Anen and pointed. She glared as they started snickering to themselves. "I'm sorry I talked you into it. I shouldn't have. We shouldn't have even gone."

The look on Isabelle's face said she was sorry about more than just Anen getting grounded for sneaking out. "What happened, with me and the pool—."

Isabelle looked like she was in pain. "It was a stupid idea. Pools and alcohol don't mix well." She glared at another group of people who were looking at Anen and snickering. Isabelle's face went blank for a few seconds before she snapped out of it. She avoided Anen's eyes. "Look, I gotta go. I, um, have to see the counselor about classes or something."

"Okay," Anen said, though she frowned a little at her friend.

Anen walked away from Isabelle and towards her first class, silently shaking her head. Something was definitely off about Isabelle.

The classroom was empty when she arrived, not that she really expected anyone to be here yet. There were still a few minutes until they had to be here and they were probably still talking to their friends, caught up in all the first day reunions.

Anen kind of hated the first day. They always filled her with a nervous anxiety that churned in her stomach like she'd eaten too many cookies and was about to hurl. She never really understood why though, especially since she'd known all her classmates since grade school. In a small town like Oakdale, everyone knew everyone and their parents, grandparents, and probably even their great-grandparents, too.

There was no secret that could be kept in Oakdale. Someone sneezed and at least four people knew all about it. Despite how disturbing that prospect sounded, it was also slightly comforting. She didn't have to have all these awkward explanations of her family, because everyone already knew all about it. Even if their version was skewed from the reality.

Soon, all the rest of the students filed into the classroom, buzzing about their summer lives and whining about how they were over. The back-to-school bonfire was thrown around quite a few times. The bonfire was the funeral of the summer, -- everyone went to raise a glass to the end of carefree, school-less days and to get plastered on cheap beer.

After the incident at the pool, Anen was sure her mother would ban her from attending, but Isabelle was insistent she ask her mother, anyway. But considering the events at the pool party, Anen wasn't even sure she wanted to go. What if someone tossed her into the bonfire?

Anen watched as Ben entered, laughing with one of his friends. He didn't look at her as he sat down. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting. Sure, he'd been friendly enough after Mia had bashed her face in, but that didn't mean he was into her.

The bell rang, pulling Anen out of her thoughts and signaling class was starting. Anen turned her attention to her English teacher, Mrs. Heyward, who was making a stack of books on a table in the room's front. The class whispered while she worked, waiting for her to tell them to be quiet.

Most people hated Mrs. Heyward, mostly because she had a no-nonsense attitude and wasn't afraid to send someone to the office for their unacceptable behavior.

While the teacher worked, Anen read the familiar posters plastered on the walls. A large image of Emily Dickinson stared down at her, those unmoving eyes seeming to pierce through Anen's soul. There was a brief excerpt of a poem written under her image:

"Because I could not stop for Death —

He kindly stopped for me —

The Carriage held but just Ourselves —

And Immortality."

Mrs. Heyward straightened and held up the book she'd been stacking. "This is your book for the quarter. We will have a test on it and the end of the quarter, so make sure you read it. SparkNotes will not hold all the answers you seek." She gave a pointed glance towards a group of guys in the back corner of the room, who all snickered quietly.

"So why don't you all—" All our attention turned to the entryway of the room, where the principal stood with two figures lurking behind him.

"We have some new students," he announced and stepped aside to let them enter.

Anen felt her heart drop into her stomach. There was a girl and boy, both of whom looked like they just stepped off a runway.

The girl had a nice olive skin tone, which was complemented by her brown hair that fell in soft waves around her. Her cheekbones were high, which accented her mysterious, nearly silver eyes. Anen had never seen an eye color like that before.

She gave a blinding smile, which showed off her perfect, white teeth, and said, "My name's Catia." Her voice was strangely melodic.

Anen wanted to sigh. A perfectly exotic name to go with her perfectly exotic exterior. Her insecurity rose as she remembered she'd only thrown her strawberry blonde hair into a messy bun and slathered on some lip gloss that morning before leaving. Suddenly, she wished she'd done more.

The boy was equally, if not more, stunning, at least to Anen. His skin was lighter than his companion, and his dark brown hair was in messy spikes. And he had a simple grin that lit up his startling blue eyes. "And I'm Skye."

Despite herself, Anen's heart fluttered in her chest as if she were little more than a grade schooler with her first crush. But that was ridiculous. She didn't even know him. Her fluttering heart needed to listen to her head. Besides, she couldn't be crushing on the new guy. She already had a crush on Ben.

After their introductions, the two made their way to a set of free seats near the front of the room, walking with a grace Anen wouldn't have thought possible of normal human beings.

You are being ridiculous today, she chided herself. What on earth would make her think they weren't normal people? Just the fact that they were great looking? Lots of people were good-looking in this school and her brain didn't accuse them of being abnormal. She must have just been on edge after Isabelle's weird behavior this morning.

Once the class finally settled down again, Mrs. Heyward cleared her throat and picked up where she left off. "As I was saying, this book will need to be read before the end of the quarter, when we take the test. Come on up and grab a copy and write the book number next to your name on the check-out sheet."

Dutifully, Anen rose with the rest of her fellow students and headed towards the stack of books. She reached for one, not expecting someone to reach for the same book. A small electric shock ran up her arm as they connected and she jerked back her hand, making a small sound.

"Sorry," a soft voice spoke, and she looked up into the blue eyes of the new boy. He said nothing else as he grabbed the book from the pile and turned away. Slightly puzzled by the shock, Anen slowly reached for a new book, but her gaze was on Skye in front of her as he wrote his name on the paper and signed.

He turned and handed Anen the pen, careful not to touch her this time. She muttered a small thanks and went to mark her book number down. She didn't mean to look really, but her eyes caught his messy handwriting anyway: Skye Smith and above that in delicate script was Catia Smith.

So, they're siblings. That made sense. Anen wondered briefly if they were twins. Then she realized she'd been standing there for a smidge too long and she turned to hand the pen to the person behind her. Ben was there, all smiles, as she handed over the pen. Anen's heart thudded heavily in her chest as she returned to her seat with her book.

Mrs. Heyward passed out the syllabus once everyone had returned to their seats. Then, much to everyone's dismay, she read it line for line, out loud.

Anen did her best to follow along and listen, even though Mrs. Heyward had been reading this same syllabus for the last three years. The only changes were the books that they would read and the papers they'd be writing. Little else ever changed in this class.

But as much as she tried, Anen couldn't keep her eyes off either of the new students. Or Ben. She chided herself every time, but her eyes were always drawn back to one of the three.

Mrs. Heyward had finished reading the syllabus nearly ten minutes ago and Anen had read their book, but she just kept reading the first line repeatedly. "We are at rest five miles behind the front."

By the time the bell rang, she was frustrated with herself. She packed her things and left the classroom, wondering why she felt so drawn to so many people. Sure, Skye had been cute, but she liked Ben. Catia was what she wished she could look like. And Ben... well, Anen had never kept her eyes off Ben.

When Anen went to put away her English things and grab her math notebook, Ben was waiting for her next to her locker. Her heart picked up speed and she could feel the blush already creeping into her cheeks.

"Hey, Anen," he said when she was close enough to hear.

"Hey, Ben," Anen replied.

"I was wondering if you were going to the bonfire tonight?"

Her heart skipped a beat in her chest. Breathless, she replied, "I want to. I just have to ask my mom."

"I hope she says yes. I'd love to see you there."

"I'm sure she'll let me go," Anen said, though she wasn't sure why. She was technically still grounded, and she doubted her mom would unground her just to let her attend a party. "So, I'll totally be there."

"Awesome. I guess I'll see you tonight."

Ben walked away and Anen took a deep breath, trying to keep the grin off her face. With shaking hands, she opened her locker and stuffed her English book inside. Her stomach bubbled with happiness, and she felt like she could float. Ben wanted to hang out with her at the bonfire tonight. She couldn't believe it.

"So, is this bonfire for everyone, or do you have to be invited?"

Anen jumped at the unfamiliar voice. She turned to see the new kid, Skye, standing behind her. He was still holding his English book in his hand and had a slight smile on his face. Up this close, Anen could see a small scar running through one of his eyebrows.

"Um, it's for everyone," Anen told him.

"So, I'm allowed to go then?"

"If you want to, yeah. It's out at the old Winlett farm."

"Oh cool," Skye replied. "I'm Skye, by the way."

Anen tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. "Yeah, I was in your English class. I'm Anen."

"It's nice to meet you. I guess I'll see you at the bonfire tonight?"

Anen hesitated. Was he trying to ask her out or something? Because she'd already told Ben that she would see him there. Or was he just trying to be friendly?

Before she responded, Skye added, "As long as you're going, right? I guess if you're not going, I won't see you there."

"Um, I don't know if I'm going or not yet," Anen said.

"Oh, okay. Well, I guess if I don't see you tonight, then I'll see you around then."

"Sure," Anen said.

With that, Skye walked away from her. There was an odd sensation in her stomach. Were there two guys interested in her? Butterflies fluttered in her stomach. No, that was wrong. She liked Ben, not this Skye.

Feeling strange, Anen grabbed her math notebook and ran to the bathroom, wanting to splash some water on her face before class.

She pushed open the bathroom door, only to run into the new girl, Catia.

"Oh, sorry!" Catia said as she reached out to steady Anen.

Up close, Anen could see Catia's perfect skin and her strange silver eyes. Jealousy ran through her instantly.

"Are you okay?" Catia asked her.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Anen replied.

Catia had a frown on her face, but she left the bathroom, leaving Anen alone once again.

She walked over to the sink and turned on the cold water, feeling more frustrated than before. If Skye was going to the bonfire, that meant that Catia was going. What if Ben wanted Catia? The girl literally looked like a super model. Who wouldn't want her?

Anen splashed herself with water, then looked at herself in the mirror. Her simple green eyes were boring compared to Catia's silver. Her pale, freckled skin was pasty compared to the beautiful olive that Catia was.

Why can I never be good enough?

Immediately after that thought, Anen heard a distinct creaking noise from the wall. She took a step back, but there was nothing but the sink.

God, first she wasn't pretty enough, and now she was hearing things? This day was just fantastic.

The wall creaked again and Anen's heart beat faster in fear. What was that noise? And why was she so freaked out about it?

She felt like her heart was going to explode out of her chest. It was beating so fast. Was she having a panic attack? Why was it so hard to breathe? Her hands touched the sink, ready to splash water on her face again. But the sounds of creaking were louder now, almost deafening.

The faucets seemed to shake and with a loud crack, the porcelain split in half and water sprayed everywhere, soaking Anen in seconds. She shivered as the cold water clung to her skin, mixed with the air conditioning blowing from the vents. Goosebumps flared over her skin.

Anen screamed, the bloodcurdling sound echoing around the cement room. After about a minute, a teacher ran into the room.

"Oh, my god!" She quickly grabbed Anen and pulled her out of the stream of water and into the hallway. She left pools of water from the bathroom all the way to the front office, where the secretary stared at her in confusion. The teacher told her that the pipes in the bathroom had burst and soaked Anen.

Soon the secretary had grabbed a few towels and was wrapping Anen in them as she shivered from the air conditioning and her wet clothes. She told Anen to dry herself off the best she could while she dug some clothes out of the lost and found for her to wear. While she was waiting for her to come back, Anen noticed some open file folders on the secretary's desk.

Trying to be discreet, Anen peered at one, her eyes trying to focus on the small words. It was a transfer file for Skye Smith. And she could see part of the name on the other. Catia. Skye and Catia Smith.

When the secretary came back and Anen had changed clothes, she asked if she could go home, since she wasn't feeling very well. The secretary nodded mindlessly as she took the wet towels from Anen. She went to grab her backpack from her locker and saw Isabelle talking with someone down the hallway. Her gut clenched with nausea as Isabelle turned and waved at her.

Anen gave her a small smile that she didn't mean, and walked away.