It was Pageant Day at school, but I was not enjoying it as much as I had hoped to. The Eights were dressed in cute little costumes - some were cute enough to put actual pageants to shame - while I was trapped in a boxy blazer and a dull, grey school skirt. Now, I usually did not mind the blazer, or its complimentary pullover, in fact, I preferred them to our regular uniform, but it was 24˚C at ten a.m. and it was making me cranky. Reason number three, for those counting, was that it was Monday - need I say more? And the second Monday that, reason number four, Justin was not at school.

I hadn't visited him that Sunday, despite the trustworthy advice I'd been given to do so, and I didn't visit him the next Sunday. And for the week in between, he was neither at school nor was he on his phone, so all attempts to find out what was going on were abysmal. Lou said I should leave him be, that he will come back to school in due time and hopefully explain himself. It had better be one damn good explanation.

"Guys, I'm in love," I heard Graeme say in this nonchalant way, as if he was talking about the weather. It's so sunny today. I'm so in love today.

I hadn't seen him just yet because he was walking up to me and our EC group from behind, and I was signing an Eight's booklet. Besides the schedule, each booklet also had photos, year-book style, of every council member, followed by a dotted line on which we would place our signatures. Getting every single signature was another one of the tedious tasks all Eights thought they had to complete in order to be accepted into the school, which amazed me when I thought about it. It seemed to work every year, as though the fact that our parents had already paid our school fees wasn't enough insurance.

But anyway, Graeme was 'in love.'

"Who's the unlucky girl?" asked Candice, one of our committee friends. She was joking, of course.

Graeme gave her a look, but her words did not faze him for long. "There was a girl in the office who's, I think, enrolling here. She's so hot!"

Hot, huh? I thought solely. No, today is hot. You really are getting 'love' confused with the weather.

"She had black hair - naturally black," he continued, "and these bright, beautiful eyes. They were, like, purple."

Candice and I exchanged glances before I finally replied, "Okay, now it sounds like you're imagining things."

"Nope, I saw her, true as day," he grinned. "Don't worry; she's gone now, so you don't have to be jealous."

I laughed at that, but it was lacklustre, this new laugh that had been chilling in my throat cavity for the past week. "As if, Graemeister."

"No point in denying it," he told me - what he was referring to, I did not know. Candice rolled her eyes on my behalf.

When the bell rang for the end of first break, we went our separate ways; Candice had (something) and Graeme and I had double English.

Graeme sat in front of me - well, not directly, he was to the right of his friend, Deonte, who was in front of me - and I could see him playing Sugar Crush on his phone below the desk. I did not blame him. Ma'am Groenewald was reading Othello and although she was trying her best not to make it boring, it was near impossible to pay attention. We were a class of toddlers being read to sleep - she could have read us 'The Shades' and would be no different. And it was so damn hot outside!

We'd reached Scene I of Act II when the intercom buzzed. There was always an announcement before break, but we still had one more class to go, so we listened, wondering what this could be about. Ma'am also shushed the class, even though none of us were really speaking.

"Juffrou Groenewald?" the secretary sang sweetly.

"Yes?" she sang back.

"Is Leslie Rowe by you?"

Ma'am looked at me, as if to make sure I was there. "She is."

"Can you please send her to the office when the bell rings? Die Hoof wil haar voor pouse sien."

"Dis rêg!"

"Dankie!" the secretary finished her song and the broadcast ended, too.

The principal wanted to see me before break. Reason number five.

The only plus side of being called in by the principal right now was that if my yet-to-be-known duty occupied me for long enough, I could miss Maths for the day. Maths was different this year; by all means, I was enjoying it - or maybe it was the teacher that I preferred - but after Othello, Mr. Miller would not be getting any devotion out of me.

Once the bell rang, I swerved down the stairs and through the masses of students in the corridors. When I neared the office, I was hit by another memory. It was a sneaky little thing, one from some months ago, when mine and Justin's love was still green. He was also a sneaky one that day, creeping up behind me and Graeme in that very spot before class.

"Aah!" he'd called over my shoulder, scaring the heck out of me, and I had smacked him on his thereafter. Then, I gave him a kiss - because those green eyes and that tousled brown hair - and he gave Graeme a whaddup nod to try and make it less awkward. Needless to say, it was still awkward, which was probably why Graeme left us in privacy even when I told him he didn't have to.

When he was gone, Justin game me this gorgeous smirk and a hug. "How's my favourite person in the whole, entire world?"

"That depends; how's the best boyfriend in the world?" I queried as I tilted back and wrapped my hands around his neck. We were pretty gag worthy, I know, and I make no apologies.

"So lucky," he whispered, before leisurely kissing my lips again - those short but passionate kisses. And then he held my hand as we walked down the hall, our arms swinging like we were skipping through a field of daisies, and I could not take my eyes off of him for even a second.

"Sorry, Leslie?" the secretary released me from my reverie.

"Yes, Ma'am?"

"Where is Graeme?" she asked.

I was confused, but I replied, "In class. He should be by Mr. Miller."

"Did I call him to the office, too?"

"No, Ma'am."

"Oh, crap," she bit her lip, scrunched up her nose and repositioned her glasses with the tips of her fingers, and I just had to laugh a little - it was pretty cute. "The principal is waiting for you in his office," her eyes gestured me upstairs, and then she was operating the intercom again.

"Mr. Miller, please send Graeme Crawford to the office," I heard her say as I climbed the stairs. Principal Wickers's office was two flights up, second door to the left. No one was waiting on the couch outside his door - some called it death row when they wanted to be funny - so I figured I could go right in, but the moment I did, a chill shot up my spine, and I could not yet decide if it was the good or the bad kind.

There were five figures in the office, besides the principal himself. Not the Levines, but just as... strange. Principal Wickers had been talking to them when I came in, and then he was talking to me.

"Ah, Leslie, have a seat," he gestured, and I sat down in front of him. "I wanted to ask you and Graeme - uh, where is Graeme?"

"On his way, Sir."

"Okay then," he frowned, cleared his throat. "I wanted to ask you two to show our new students around the school. Just to their classes on their rosters, and any other places you think you can include in the tour." He slid their rosters across his desk, towards me. As I picked them up, my eyes roved in the direction of the five students, and I got that chill again - it was not the good kind.

They followed me out of the office. One of the boys, there were three, hid behind the shoulder of another, while the third boy ignored me completely. But I could not ignore him; a mullet the colour of dark chocolate, and eyes like kaleidoscopes of greys that as a whole formed something spectacular.

"Heathe, was it?" I asked him, not quite looking him in the eyes - I don't know how I hadn't noticed them before.

"Leslie," he nodded nonchalantly.

"You've met?" There was indeed a girl with choppy black bangs and purple eyes - though they were more like lavender or mauve - and another with long, chestnut hair. Now, when she spoke, her voice was delicate, as if she had been practicing those words and was hoping she had pronounced them right. Not the Levines, but strange.

"Just once," I replied, and at the same time Heathe said: "Not really."

I gave him a look, realising that he probably wasn't going to explain that he had seen me stalking my boyfriend a week ago, and I tried not to care. I sucked in a breath, put on a smile and turned to face the five.

"I'm Leslie Rowe, your head girl this year. Welcome to Raven High!"

The chestnut haired girl gave me her hand and thus began the introductions, "My name is Saffire (S-A-F-F-I-R-E) Johannsen. This is Serra, and -" she pointed at the other two boys; the shy one still well-hidden behind the other, more approachable boy, who spoke up for them both.

"Excuse my brother; he gets uncomfortable around new people," said the boy - boy, again, it didn't feel like the right word. "I'm Eric, and it is a pleasure to meet you." I had to stop staring at their eyes, but his eyes, they were pouring into me, marine blue orbs framed in fine black eyelashes, and when he took my hand for a kiss...

What the heck is happening right now?

"Uhm, I-I-I am glad to meet you, too," I stuttered. This would all be so much easier if he would let go of my hand and stop staring at me like we're Romeo and Juliet. "Eric."

"Lancer, say hi," he spoke suddenly, to his brother, I presumed, since he was still looking at me when he said it.

Eric finally took a step back and brought Lancer out of his shadow, but he was reluctant, so reluctant that Eric resorted to literally pushing him in my direction. He flew forward, he flew so far forward that his nose stroked the bridge of mine and at the same time, he exhaled on my lip. When I stepped back - it felt like it took me forever, but I eventually took a step back - he inhaled and held his breath in his mouth. He took his breath back.

But he took mine, too.

A/N:
Oooh, I smell trouble for Leslie! Who are these people, and why do they have such an effect on her - especially Lancer? Could he come between Leslie and Justin, does he even need to try? ;) Only one way to find out...

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'd really like to know your thoughts so far!!! Chapter Thirteen will be up in the first week of Feb, so stay tuned!

Love ya!
Ziyanda