Hello! Welcome back to the story.

Enjoy!

MAJOR EDITS AND CHANGES HAVE BEEN MADE.

--

"And I want you to stay!" I sang in the shower, scrubbing my hair with the nice-smelling shampoo. "Ooh. The reason I hold on, ooh-"

"Stop singing, Foreigner!" A familiar, screaming voice rose from my bedroom despite the bathroom door being shut. I grinned when I recognized the voice that belonged to none other than Lucy. "It sounds like a cat's in there dying!"

I didn't reply for a long moment, and instead decided to sing even louder as I washed the shampoo from my hair and moved on to conditioner. Lucy's loud, long groan mixed with my singing making call out to her, "Don't be so mean! You love it when I sing, admit it!"

Lucy yelled something in return, but I wasn't able to catch it. I did not ask her to repeat it, so I continued my shower in silence and stopped my singing for my friend's sake. When I finished my shower, I stepped out and wrapped a towel around my body.

It was around five thirty AM when Lucy came running down he stairs to wake me up. It was three days after she and I had our movie night, so it was Monday. I've always disliked Mondays, because that meant the weekend was over.

When she came downstairs and woke me from my peaceful slumber, I nearly went crazy and clawed her eyes out for daring to wake me at such an unholy hour.

"Faye, wait, before you do anything stupid," Lucy said quickly, sliding off the bed with her hands in the air, "your mom told me to wake you up, aye? She woke me up to get you up."

I was attempting to comprehend her words, but my still sleeping-mind simply passed them by. I squinted at her and mumbled, "What?"

She crossed her arms and explained to me again, this time I understood. "Why the hell would she want you to wake me up?" I demanded.

Lucy laughed nervously, twirling a strand of hair on her index finger. "Well, you see," she started lightly, "she said she wanted to get you back into school.."

I had fallen off my bed. And here I am now, after much protest and finally getting my mother to confirm the words that had come from Lucy's mouth. Mom said it was a last minute decision, and she had called the school earlier that day, but didn't bother to even tell me. Great.

"Are you almost done in there?" Lucy hissed, slamming on the door which snapped me from the memory of only a little bit ago. "Because we don't have all day!"

I pulled open the door and nudged by her, rolling my eyes. I made my way to the closet and glanced back to see Lucy watching me with a stern look and her hands on her hips. She had gotten dressed while I was showering, wearing dark ripped jeans, high heels, and a black tank top.

"That's what you're wearing?" I questioned, gesturing to her outfit as I slid into my closet to sniff out my own outfit for the day.

"Mhm. Got a problem with that?" she drawled.

"No, not at all," I hummed, pushing hangers of clothes aside as I scanned each shirt. "I was just asking, is all."

"I thought so."

I snickered to myself and shook my head, studying one of the shirts I fairly liked. It was a long sleeved ruffle shirt, a baby blue color. I decided to wear that with a white scarf, white long boots, and light jeans.

Once dressed, I made my way back to the bathroom to dry my hair. After I dried it, I straightened it and let it fall on my back and shoulders, then brushed my teeth. I looked at myself in the mirror one last time before smiling and going back out to Lucy.

"Nice," my best friend stated when she looked up from her phone and studied my outfit. "I like it."

I grinned and did a little turn for her. "Really?"

"Yeah." She nodded, smiling back.

I took a seat next to her, and she typed something on her phone before turning it off and setting it on her knee and looking at me. "So. You nervous?"

I propped the heel of my foot on the bed and fiddled with a buckle on my boot, shrugging. Before she brought it up, I wasn't really thinking about how I felt returning to school. But now..

I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and said to her, "Honestly, I don't know. Maybe a little?" It came out as a question rather than a statement.

"Just a little?" she repeated, her head tilted curiously. "I've been silently freaking out for the past thirty minutes," she added with a soft chuckle. "Going back to that hellhole isn't exactly a blessing."

I mustered an amused smile and managed to chuckle myself. "Well, that's true. But it's not like discovering I'm from a family of magical dragon riders."

Lucy's grin made me feel a little better and she nudged her shoulder with mine. "I guess not, but it's just as scary." There was a long pause. "Before Ken and I left, there were rumors about your sudden drop."

I couldn't help the smirk that made it's way to my face and I rose an eyebrow, setting my foot back down on the ground and placing my elbows on my legs, leaning forward. I turned my head to look at her. "Let's here 'em."

She laughed and rubbed her jaw. "Well, let's see. Some people think you've gone to some expensive private school," she said.

"That's not bad."

"And then there's the pathetic ones," she continued, rolling her eyes as she said it, "such as you being pregnant, having an STD-"

"An STD?" I interrupted, making a time-out sign with my hands and then throwing them in the air. "Are you kidding me? Is that seriously what people are thinking? We've known these people since like first grade!"

"Faye-" Lucy started.

But I paid no attention, I continued my rant, "Of all the pathetic accuses they could muster up in those tiny teenage dirtbag brains of theirs, they decide, 'Hey I bet Faye left because she's a slut who had STD's!'" I stood up from the bed and began to pace. "I mean come on, for God's sake, I can easily handle the pregnancy rumor, but this?"

"Faye.."

"I'm not done Lucy! Everybody at that fricking school knows who I am, and that I'm not a-a-!" I gripped my hair in frustration and let out a breath of air through my nose, as if a dragon was blowing smoke.

"Hey!" Lucy's sharp voice made me snap my head to her and she got to her feet, walking up to me and placing her hands firmly on my shoulders, looking at me in the eyes. "You need to take a deep breath, and calm down okay?"

I glared at her, clenching my fists tightly. "Luce, I can't show my face to those people if they think I left because I have a disease like that! People-"

"-are stupid," Lucy said, cutting me off and shaking her head. "We'll put a stop to those rumors the instant we get there if we have too."

I close my eyes and slowly loosened my fists, bringing them up and curling my hands around Lucy's arms for comfort. "It's just .. I don't know why this pisses me off so much, you know?"

Lucy smiled a little sadly. "Faye, you've always been the good girl. Nobody had ever thought twice of you badly, besides the bitch Stacey and her lackeys," she told me, her tone deeply honest. "And then, out of the blue, you suddenly just stop coming to school."

A sigh escaped my lips as I looked down at our arms, nodding slightly. "I know, I know," I mumbled, shrugging weakly. "I'm not used to the fact that rumors like that about me.."

"I know." She hugged me tightly, then said softly in my ear, "And don't worry. I'm sure I'm in the same spot as you right now. Who knows what rumors about me might be flying around?"

"Yeah, but you'll just kick their asses," I replied, giggling a bit and feeling relief.

"So will you."

--

Lucy and I walked into the school, where the halls were crowded as usual before classes started for the day. I exchanged a glance with my best friend and gripped my bag tighter, and she gently squeezed my arm before letting go and lifting her chin up. She indicated that I should as well, and so I lifted my chin slightly and pushed down the building unease.

My eyes raked the crowd of people, who had seemed to have yet to notice our presence, thankfully. However, I was looking for Manny. And, with a feeling of guilt, I was secretly searching to see if Ken had returned as well. After the talk we had, he told me he needed time..I still wanted to be his friend, but so far I've not seen or talked to him.

"See," Lucy whispered with a slight shove, snapping me from my thoughts once more, "nobody notices us."

"Yet," I murmured under my breath, glancing to see if she had caught it. It seems she hadn't, for she still walked forward, face on the crowd, emotionless. I wish I could look like that, swipe all the feelings from my face like she could.

I felt eyes. People started noticing us now, and my muscles stiffened all over my body and I urged myself to keep looking forward, and not meet anyone's surprised gazes. Ignore them, get to class, I told myself.

Soon, they were making space for Lucy and I to be able to pass through. I was so relieved that nobody had blocked us, commanding we tell them of our disappearance these past couple months. Some people watched with curiosity, shock, others just gazed at us oddly.

Then the whispers started, and they didn't bother to keep it as quiet as they could have. It was almost like they wanted Lucy and I to hear what they were saying to each other.

A girl murmured to her friend, shooting me glances, "I thought she went to a private school now. That's what you told me, isn't it?" Her friend simply shrugged in reply.

A guy said, "Dude, she isn't even pregnant."

His friend grunted. "Maybe she had it aborted."

Why that.. I thought in frustration and pain. Why did these rumors hurt so much?

The whispers, to my rising dismay, became louder than murmurs by this time. I tugged at Lucy's arm and glanced at her, begging her with my eyes to help me. She bit her lip and murmured, "I know. Don't pay attention. Block it out."

"How?" I whispered, but she didn't respond. I was on my own.

"Lucy's back, too?" One person mumbled. "What the hell's going on?"

I wanted nothing more than to rip away from Lucy's side and run out the way I walked in. I wanted to go home, and just cry. Yes, I wanted to cry. I've never felt so insulted in my entire life, not even when my dragon riding was kept a secret for a while.

"Okay, what's going on?" A loud, stomach-twisting familiar voice snipped. Stacey. She was usually the only person who made me hate school. "Move away, all of you for gosh sake. Ugh!"

There was no way now I could leave. I wouldn't make myself look like a wimp in front of Stacey, or these people. I had to stand my ground and kill these rumors, just like Lucy told me to do in the pep-talk on the way to school.

Lucy's breath sucked in and she stared blankly at Stacey as her eyes landed on us. Her eyebrows rose and her mouth opened in disbelief. It was quickly masked with a smirk, a taunting one. I straightened myself and lifted my chin, hoping my face was as blank as Lucy's.

Stacey cocked her head tapping her perfectly curved fingers against her hip in thought as she regarded us coldly with that smirk. Finally she said, "Well. I'm surprised to see you two back."

The halls fell oddly silent. Some people had scrambled away from the scene, but most people stayed to watch if all hell was going to break loose. Lucy blinked and shrugged. "Yeah, and?"

"What happened to you two?" Stacey asked snottily, her nose rising. What a spoiled brat. "And which one of the rumors is true?"

"Do you know what a rumor is, Stacey?" Lucy retorted, her eyebrows now up. "Rumors are usually never true, and I have a feeling you created every single one of them."

"I'm not denying it," Stacey said, no shame in her eyes. Only amusement, sick amusement. "Besides, you had to have left for such a long time due to something big. You don't just disappear, you know?"

I found the courage to speak, feeling proud that my voice was without fear. "How do you know I didn't change schools, hmm?"

Stacey curled her upper lip in disgust. "Then what happened to her?" she gestured to Lucy.

"She might have gone to the same school I went to, you never know," I shot back, feeling the boiling rage rise in the pit of my stomach. I wanted to punch that bitch right then and there.

Stacey laughed loudly, lowering her head and shaking it. She wiped a fake tear from her eye then stopped laughing and smirked cruelly. "Oh, honey, I doubt that. After all, they had to pay for her father's bail with Lucy's college money .. didn't they?"

Lucy's eye twitched and she sucked in a breath, her hand suddenly grasping my arm again and squeezing it tight. I winced, but didn't comment on it because I knew Lucy was trying very hard to control herself right now.

"I thought I told you not to talk about my father," she hissed through gritted teeth, eyes burning with an unmistakable rage that made everyone back away slightly.

Stacey hesitated, but then cleared her throat. "I can talk about whoever I want, dear Lucy," she retorted, then said loudly to everyone, "Oh, and by the way everyone, did you know Lucy's father was in jail for a long time? Her family had to, yes, use their child's college money to get him out. Poor daddy." She pouted and used her knuckles to fake-wipe her cheeks.

The moment Lucy's hand released my throbbing arm, the moment I knew something inside of my best friend snapped. Seconds after releasing me, she had Stacey pinned up against the lockers, people scrambling out of her way. Stacey's body made harsh impact with the metal with a painfully piercing noise.

"You just can't keep your damn mouth shut can you?" she snarled, her fist swinging back. A lot of bystanders glanced at me, expecting me to run in and stop Lucy. But I didn't. Not this time. I simply watched, because Stacey deserved whatever she had coming to her.

Lucy's fist didn't meet Stacey's face, but instead in collided with the locker inches from the whimpering blonde's head. It made a surprisingly deep dent in the lockers, and Lucy's gaze was cold and full of hate.

"If you ever," Lucy seethed, her jaw clenched and voice strained, "talk to me about my family again I will not hit the lockers next time. It will be your face, stomach, and possibly your throat." She shoved Stacey into the lockers again before releasing her and backing up with flaming eyes.

"And all of you!" she yelled, turning slowly so her eyes raked over all the people watching. "Faye's and I's disappearance from school is none of your damn business, so keep your rotten noses out of it and stop the rumors! Am I clear?"

There were a few murmurs, which fueled Lucy's anger and rage more.

"Am I clear?" Lucy roared, stepping forward threateningly.

Scared replies and nods were quickly shot back to Lucy, and soon the crowd spread out to their normal groups, keeping away from Lucy and I. Stacey, however, was rubbing her arms shakily. Good.

"Damn, girl, you showed them," Manny cried, walking up with his arms spread out. Despite Lucy's rage, she let him hug her. I joined the hug and the three of us just stood in the middle of the hallway like old times.

--

The rest of the day went by without much trouble to face. Lucy and I had some classes we did not have together, but nobody gave me trouble. The teachers and some of the students were very nice and welcomed me back without question.

I was happy when I walked into art class near the end of the day, my last class. I was exhausted and ready to just go home and sleep for the rest of my life. Jen looked up from her desk and waved at me, her smile lighting up her face. Jen was my cousin, and she was one of my best friends.

"Hi," I breathed when I reached my usual table. My heart was racing from climbing up to sets of stairs to get to the main floor, and I tugged the white scarf off my neck.

"You look utterly worn," my cousin stated with a light laugh, setting her pen down and standing up. She walked over to me and gave me a tight hug. "How're you doing?"

I smiled weakly and shrugged my shoulders. "I'm living, but I don't want to be here. I'd rather just be home-schooled." I sighed and sat down, running my fingers through my hair. "It's so hard being back."

"I know," Jen replied, pulling up a stool and sitting down across from me. She gave the door a long look, but people had yet to enter and then her gaze turned back to me. "You found your dragon, right?"

I lowered my head closer to hers so we had less chance of being heard and nodded, smiling. "Yeah," I breathed. I knew I could trust Jen, plus she was family. So I said, "She's a Crystal."

Jen's eyes flickered with shock and her mouth dropped slightly. "Wait, really?" she breathed in amazement. "I thought they were .. "

I smiled at her reaction and beamed, nodding my head again. "I know. Leto's the sweetest dragon ever. I'm so happy I found her." We fell into a silence for a moment, then I asked, "What kind of dragon do you have?"

"Air," she replied, eyes brightening with pride. "Her name is Eris, she's really protective, and she can be a bit short-tempered."

I thought back to the reading over air dragons and cocked my head, fiddling with the scarf resting on the table. "I thought air dragons were really peaceful?" I asked her.

"Yes, they are, but so are most dragons," she pointed out, blinking back at me with a lopsided shrug of her right shoulder and crossing her legs over each other. "Eris is a different personality, though." A soft laugh left her lips.

I giggled. "I'll have to meet her one day, then," I said.

Jen nodded in agreement, cupping her chin with the palm of her hand and giggling as well. "She'd love you, I think. I've told her about you and she insisted you two meet."

"Now we have to meet," I exclaimed in happiness, tapping my hands on the table cheerfully. Lucy entered the room, followed by some other students, instantly stopping our conversation.

"Talk later," she mouthed, before sliding off the stool and standing to the front of the class, greeting the students as the filed in. "Hello, everyone," she chirped.

The class returned the greeting with just as much cheerfulness. That's the thing about Jen, when you're in a room with her you feel bright and happy. She just had that effect on everyone around her.

Lucy took her spot next to me and groaned out loud. "I'm so glad I get to end my school day with this class," she mumbled to me, sighing. "It's the only one I look forward too."

"Me too," I agreed, yawning.

Jen told us what we were doing today and when we all started getting to work, something caught my eye. I tucked my bottom lip between my teeth and gazed at the person, and I knew instantly who she was. It was Lucy's sister, Amanda. Her brown hair tumbled down her shoulders in waves and her amber eyes glinted evilly.

Amanda was here to attack. She was a Slayer.

I nudged Lucy and when she looked at me, I jerked my pen at Amanda. Lucy growled under her breath. "Could this day get any worse?"

I stood up from my seat, and made my way to the classroom door. I met Amanda's gaze and a smirk curled her lips, her eyes holding a challenge. Jen walked up beside me. "Hey, you need to go to the-" She stopped short and stared at Amanda.

"Get back to your seat," Jen ordered under her breath, narrowing her eyes at Lucy's sister, who simply raised an eyebrow as if to say, 'You going to just stand and stare?'

I didn't move, and I felt Lucy come to my other side of me. She let out a curse and put her hand on the door handle, but Jen stopped her. Lucy shot Jen a glare. "I need to talk to her."

"I told you to get inside," snapped Jen, who hadn't moved, jaw clenched and her body completely still. "Now. Don't raise suspicions with the rest of the class."

"Lucy may know what to do," I retort, gesturing to Lucy.

Lucy's eyes narrowed and she straightened up, nodding. "I do know what to do. I'm sorry, I mean no disrespect, but I'm going to talk to my sister."

"Lucy," Jen warned sharply, making my classmates start to give us suspicious looks. I waved them off, as did Jen, and turned around to see Lucy making her way to Amanda.

"She's going to get herself killed," Jen hissed so quietly, I almost didn't hear it.

I rubbed my arms, trying to soothe the uneasy goosebumps that were popping up on my skin and mumbling, "It's Lucy. She might know what to do more than us you know?"

Jen sighed and watched, as did I. Amanda and Lucy were so alike, in the face area. They had the same face and body structure, but their eyes and hair were completely different in every way.

They were yelling, and Amanda pulled out something bright and silver. Was that a -

"Dagger," Jen said in horror. "Holy shit."

Lucy and Amanda slammed against each other as if fighting, and as Lucy pinned her to the wall, Amanda reached back behind her and pulled down the handle to the fire alarm.

--

This is horrible, I'm so sorry guys. It's not very good but I wanted to get it up.

The next chapter will be better, I promise!

-Grace xx