One week earlier...

"Bails, turn the music down! And if you're gonna sing at least do it normally!" My best friend, Charlie, shouted from the passenger seat.

It just about registered in my brain because I was too busy jamming out to Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol while I make the depressing drive to school.

"FORGET WHAT WE'RE TOLD!" I screeched-sang. Charlie chose that exact moment to violently abuse my car, by depriving it of my, may I say, beautiful singing by turning the song off.

"Hey! If I'm driving, I choose the music, alright?" I smack her hand out of the way and turn the volume dial right up. "BEFORE WE GET TOO-"

A hand slapped across my mouth muffling the words that were so gracefully leaving my mouth.

"That's fine as long as you promise to not ruin every song that plays on the flowerin' radio!" She removed her hand. Very reluctantly, I might add, I would be offended but it's too early in the morning.

See the thing with Charlie is she is a very swear-scared child and refuses to say the actual so-called "bad" word by replacing them with similar words. Fucking annoying if you ask me because they are the epitome of sentence enhancers. I gave up on her actually swearing a long time ago but there's still hope as it is the first day of our second year of Sixth-form at Saint Liberty School.

Charlie is completely the opposite of me as where I have dark brown hair she has blonde and where I have blue-grey eyes, she has hazel. I have pale skin that sizzles in the Summer and never tans, whereas, Charlie has olive skin that just gets darker throughout summer. Can you sense my jealousy yet? So basically I look like a burnt tomato where she looks like a golden goddess. The mysteries of life! Well, not exactly a mystery it's just sun cream. She is the embodiment of the perfect student and good girl. Whereas I...not so much.

Let's just say my sarcasm gets in the way of me being on the good side of Teachers. However, I usually get out of detentions because I just never go. It's pretty easy when Mr. Fox falls asleep and always forgets to register us. It's not my fault the Teacher prefers to sleep in the comforts of a classroom than his, you know, bed.

I flick my indicator on to pull into the school car park and find a space away from the school in my usual spot.

As I pull in, Charlie says, "Are you ready for another year?"

"As I'll ever be." I sighed. Just one more year and I'll be out of this hell hole.

We got out of the car and I locked it. Just as I turned around my eyes landed on the hood of my beat up Chevy, where a large onyx crow perched and its eyes cut through me. It's size comparable to a cat, so I guess you could say it was bigger than average. We so love that. However we do love the possibility it could be Damon Salvatore, am I right? Knowing my luck, probably not. Sadly ending my fantasy of Damon saving me from school. Damn.

Its eyes were as black as it's feathers and were as piercing as a knife. His head tilted almost contemplatively and-

"C'mon Bailey we've got 5 mins since you decided to be late, again. What're you looking at?" Charlie's voice jolted me out of the trance I was in as she nudged my arm.

"Um, don't you think it's weird that this crow is just perched on the car? And you know giving me death glares?" I emphasise my point with expressive hand gestures.

"It's just a crow, Stupid. It's weirder that you think a bird is capable of death glares!" She giggles nervously as her eyes flit between me and the feathered creature. She must be nervous for the first day back I surmise, "Come on! We've got 4 minutes now."

"Okay, eager Beaver because I know how much you love school. A bit too much in my opinion."

She snorted and replied, "You would enjoy school way more if you just followed the rules because then you wouldn't get shouted at and then wouldn't complain to me about how much of a female dog Miss Jezebeth is."

I give her a bored pointed look. "Just call it as it is Charlie. Now repeat after me. Miss Jezebeth is a bitch. It's that easy. Now, your turn."

My head swung around as a caw ripped through the air and the bird shook out his wings, almost as if he was laughing.

No birds don't laugh. Stupid Bailey.

My legs carry me towards the school and Charlie huffs as she catches up and she starts to talk about everyone at school and I nodded every so often to look like I was interested. I was far from interested but I didn't want to hurt her feelings but apparently Brad and Emma are back together our famous on-off couple.

I just don't get relationships like that.

Surely if you are that committed to someone you stay with them and always want to be with them and not need "your space" every two weeks. You can have your own space and be in a relationship but then again what do I know about relationships? I've been on a solid 3 dates for all of my 17 years of life and I can say I can't picture myself ever being tied down to one guy and never be bored of them. But yet again, maybe I just don't want to open myself up and waste my time, when I could've been better off on my own.

My mind still lingered on the crow and the curiosity was killing me. Good job I am not a cat as the famous saying goes curiosity killed the cat.

I turn around and see that the crow is still there watching me. Then his head clicks up straight and his eyes flash...red?

Was that red? Oh shit.

It's only Monday and I'm officially going insane. Even my alarm was against me making me wake up late. I just turned it off instead of pressing snooze but it can still take a tumble down Mount. Everest and then get eaten by sharks. Yes, I'm dramatic, get used to it.

Suddenly the crow spread its humungous wings and flew up as my eyes followed its movements.

My gaze was rudely interrupted by Charlie clicking her fingers in my face. "Hello? Anyone in there? The wheels are turning but the hamster is dead."

I bat her hand away and say, "Ha, very funny. In fact, you are so funny you should consider joining the Circus." I smirked. As I hid my emotions of being freaked out and pull my brown leather jacket closer around me.

"I already have, didn't I tell you? Meet the new Clown of St Clownsville!" She said dramatically while flourishing her sentence with a bow.

I let out a small chuckle. "Come on let's get to class, Clown of St Clownsville AKA Pennywise."

"Hey!" I get a smack on the arm but I'm too busy laughing at my quick wit.

As we make our way to our form room I can't help but let my mind wander to the red-eyed crow.

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This is a shorter chapter but its only background story.

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