A few weeks had passed, and it was approximately four days before the holidays ended and she started her new school. The worst thing was- she'd made zero friends. She hadn't even seen a glimpse of her neighbours, and she was just expected to 'gel' with people? All things considered, maybe she wasn't the best company- she was awkward, shy, and very picky on who she chooses to associate with. Maybe she wasn't the most approachable person, but was she even trying? So when her mother called her from the living room, Shaylee shot up off the front porch leaving her book forgotten. "Yes, ma?" She entered the house to be greeted by Rex, she bent down and ruffled his ears before he wandered off again. Her mother was sitting in an armchair, reading the newspaper. She set the paper down and turned towards her daughter. Shaylee's eyes drifted down, and saw in bold lettering a slightly concerning headline: 'Bodies found in Drake Bay, some drained of blood.'

"Do you mind going to pick a few things up from the store?" Oh. Shaylee's eyes snapped up and her smile faltered, "Oh ok, of course." Her mother gave her a thankful smile and handed her a stack of cash. "There's a little extra. You should buy yourself something nice." A little!?

"Mum... this is four-hundred-"

"Ok. Maybe not a 'little'." Her mother giggled, "But you've been cooped up all summer, go shopping- meet people."

Shaylee was speechless, "Erm- thanks, mum. Love you." She kissed her forehead, and walked back outside, closing the door behind her. She walked down the porch, stuffing the money in her short pockets. The headline of the newspaper stuck out in her mind, Bodies were found... Some were drained of blood. What would someone need blood for? Maybe someone drank it? She let out a singular laugh, and shook her head pushing the ridiculous vampire thoughts from her mind.

She inhaled deeply and crossed the lawn onto the footpath. Shaylee strolled down the footpath and up to her next-door neighbour's house. Crud. She forgot to ask her mother where the supermarket is. 'Meet people' her mother's words rang in her mind. So breathing in deeply, she nervously crossed her neighbour's lawn and walked up to their porch. Her hands skimmed the railing, as she thudded up the porch steps. Before she could raise her hand to knock, the door flung open. Standing in the doorway was a tall, lanky boy around her age. He had long, blonde, messy hair, pale blue eyes, and a smirk. "What can I do for you?" His accent sounded very British.

"Uhm- do you know where the t-the store is?"

His smirk grew, as he looked her up and down. "Your new right?" He asked, leaning against the doorframe. Shaylee nodded. "Right... Well, I know where it is. I can walk you-" he paused, "What did you say your name was again?"

"I didn't..." She mumbled, "But it's erm- Shaylee. Shaylee Davey." His eyes widened a bit, but only subtly. "Davey huh?" It sounded rhetorical. He closed the door gently behind him and walked off the porch. "You coming?" He chuckled, ushering her over. Oh right. Shaylee smiled sheepishly and trailed after him. Their feet fell into step, and Shaylee shifted awkwardly. "So- do you live there?" She asked as she glanced over at him. He was well dressed, wearing ripped jeans and a denim jacket. He chuckled again, "Uh- no. No, I don't. My friend does." He smiled, "It's kind of like a second home..." He trailed off.

They walked in silence for a moment, soaking the sun in and enjoying the sound of their feet falling against the path.

"How about you? What brings you to Esoteric?"

Shaylee took a moment to compose herself before answering, instead finding comfort in the vibrant, green twisted trees. "My father- he died... I guess we needed a change." She mumbled, her gaze fixated on her feet. One foot, two feet, one foot- she tried to focus on her walking, trying not to trip over or think about her father.

"Oh, I'm sorry." The boy says apologetically, "I'm sure he was a lovely man." Shaylee snapped out of her gaze and turned to him with a warm smile on her face. "Yeah- he was."

After a moment's silence, the boy speaks again.

"Well." The boy continues, "You should be careful."

Shaylee gazed at him, his eyes were now straight ahead. "Esoteric isn't the safest, right now. Especially for people like you." People like her? What was this bloke on about? But before she knew it, they were at the supermarket. Shaylee looked over at him, and he grinned down at her.

"Well, I best be off. Before people start sending a search party." His chuckle was dark.

She blinked. And when her eyes opened again, the boy was gone. "Wait- I didn't get your name..." She mumbled, looking around for him confusedly. How had he walked away from that fast? With furrowed brows, she walked to the sliding door of the supermarket. She truly had the best luck, one person had actually talked to her- and yet she had no idea who they were.

Tying her hair into a bun, she pulled open the freezer and pulled out a tub of strawberry ice cream. She balanced the spoon in her mouth and pushed the door shut with her hip. Bouncing into the lounge room, she flopped onto the couch beside her mother. Shaylee picked up the remote, "Horror marathon?" Her mother glanced up from her book, and set it down, taking her glasses off.

"Sure, can you get me a spoon?" Her mother batted her eyelashes and began to laugh. Shaylee rolled her eyes but grinning, got up and moved to the kitchen again as Rex leaped onto the couch.

"So, should I get her a spoon, spoon, or miniature spoon?" She ponders, measuring them. "Eh, they're all spoons." Shaylee bounces back into the lounge room, "So- it was a toss up between a spoon, another spoon and a miniature spoon. Sadly you don't get the miniature-" Her words died in her throat as she saw her mother sat up eerily straight, her mouth agape and eyes glued to the tv. "Mum? You alright?"

"Shh!" Her mother beckoned her over, and turned up the volume.

Shaylee lowered herself onto the couch slowly, and listened as a news woman with flowy blonde hair, voice grew louder as the volume grew. The woman was battling, speaking over pouring rain, and held an umbrella high over her head. "Forty dead bodies found at Drake Bay, Costa Rica. Three of which are drained of blood. Other DNA such as hair, has been found at the scene. Even some of it being ruled out as not belonging to any of the victims." The front door opened, making the rain seem louder. Antionette walked through the door, and pulled her coat hood down. Puddles of rain began to form on the floor, and she pulled off her drenched coat and boots.

"Hey ladies, what y-"

"SHH!" The two women on the couch hissed back in unison, and Maya beckoned her over.

"-The lead detective on the case, has yet to make a statement."

Antonioette sat on the arm of the couch beside Shaylee, and listened intently. "There are no witnesses to the mass murder of these individuals. We'll be updating and following this story, as it develops. I'm Sarah Boulard and this is Seven Chronicle News."

"What was that about?" Antonioette turns to the other two with a confused expression.

Maya had an odd look across her features, "Bloodbath at Drake Bay, three individuals- drained of blood."

Antonioette pauses, her expression neutral. "Odd." Was all she said before receding upstairs, her long black hair falling over one shoulder. A weird sort of tension settled in the air, and Shaylee found herself with her appetite lost.

Missing posters began to paint the poles, trees, and businesses of Esoteric. Girls and boys of all ages were gone, and nobody knew where. It was a stormy day today, and her aunt Ant decided to drive her to the first day of her new school. Apparently, her mother was 'catching up with some old friends.' Ant started her car and instantly turned the radio up. One of Dolly's songs was playing, which meant her auntie was probably going to be singing annoyingly loudly. Shaylee sighed her head resting against the passenger window, as she watched the rain droplets slide down the glass and splat onto the floor. As they drove past her neighbours, she saw an orange-ish Ute with a blonde girl honking rapidly from inside. "Hurry your asses up!" She called, "Or we're gonna be late!" Laughing and pushing each other out the door, and towards the car was the boy that'd walked her to the shops the other day. Beside him, was a tall boy, with jet-black hair, almond piercing green eyes, and fully tattooed arms. He wore a plain black shirt, and black ripped jeans with chains hanging from his waist. Ant followed her niece's gaze and smirked. "Quit ogling, and sing with meeee!" She chirped, turning the song up more. The pair's gaze found her, and they stared for a split second and then hopped into the girl's Ute. Godammit. Shaylee thought, hiding her face with her oversized jumper sleeve. She sighed and wrenched her eyes away as they drove past.

"Isn't that the Davey girl?" Ryder asked as he watched her drive past with an older, tanner woman. The girl's face was half-hidden by her jumper sleeve, and she looked quite embarrassed. "Yeah, it is. She's quite nice." Calador smiled and gave her a small wave to which she didn't see.

"Can you hurry up! We can talk about little miss half, later." Ember rolled her eyes.

"Where next?" Ryder asked, as Calador wound his window down and kicked his feet on the dashboard. "Ryan's." And with that Ember cranked up the stereo, and hit the pedal as hard as she could. Calador chuckled, as he watched Ryder latch onto the bottom of his seat for dear life. Calador's ability to stay as still as stone really played to his benefit. "Hey, Vincent, how do you drown a dumb blonde?"

Ember chuckled, "How?"

"Put a mirror at the bottom of the water."

"Can't say I've ever heard that one before."

The rain was falling heavily now, and the thunder boomed in the background. Lightning shot across the sky wildly, making the school illuminate and flash white every few moments. "Alright, we're here. Esoteric high. Home to the 'Griffins'." Her aunt turned to her and flashed her a cheeky smile, "Now out of my car. I've got lots of people to annoy today. Very busy work." Shaylee gave her an awkward smile, and with one strap slung over her shoulder, she stepped out of the car and into the rain. Her aunt wound her window down, and with a huge grin began honking the horn rapidly. "HAVE A GOOD FIRST DAY HON!" She yelled over the honks. Everyone in the car park had turned to stare at them, Shaylee frowned and turned her head to see people whispering about her. Her embarrassing aunt gave her one final wave before honking more and swiftly pulling out of the car park. "I am seriously debating my love for you right now," Shaylee mumbled as she watched the car slide down the road. With everyone still eyeing and whispering hotly about her, she pulled her hood over her head and walked through the rain and up to the entrance of the school.

After asking about four individuals for directions, she finally found her way to the office. The office lady was short, with stringy greying hair and a cigarette in her hand. She was talking rapidly on the phone and jotting onto a notepad. Shaylee pushed the door open, and pulled her hood down. She walked towards the office desk, and stood there awkwardly for a moment. "-Yes Tom, I know." She caught the words of the lady. "Hang on a second Tom." She covered the phone with her hand, "Can I help you?" She asked bitterly, eyeing Shaylee. She felt uneasy to stand in the presence of this woman, the scent of smoke was clinging to the air; it was practically oxygen in the office. Shaylee tried her hardest not to breathe. "I- Well I'm new and I need my homeroom number." Shaylee muttered.

"Speak up girly, I can't hear ya when you're mumblin'." The smoke from her cigarette blew rudely into Shaylee's face. She cleared her throat. "I'm new and I need my homeroom number."

The woman's eyes narrowed, and she rolled her eyes. "I don't need your whole life story." She said putting the phone back on her shoulder, and ripping a corner of the paper she was scribbling on. "Teenagers. So self absorbed." She muttered.

Shaylee inhaled a sharp breath.

"Name?" She asked, glancing up at Shaylee again.

"Shaylee Davey."

"Shaylee Davey." The woman mimicked in a childish tone, clicking on her computer. Shaylee resisted the urge to scream at the woman, and instead smiled fakely. The old lady scribbled on the paper, and handed it to her. "Now out of my hair!" She ushered, making Shaylee awkwardly shuffle out of the room. "Yes. Still here Tom- oh just some bratty teenage girl, didn't even say 'thank you.' I don't get paid enough. Can I get a raise?" Was the last thing Shaylee heard the woman say, before closing the door behind her. She pulled her hood up again, and glanced at her torn paper.

It read; Room 201. And beside the number was also something else, Tom's "yoga class," 5.10pm. Has ordered Chimichangas for lunch, be at his office by exactly 12.30pm. No sooner. Well, whoever this Tom guy was, he was surely going to be disappointed considering Shaylee had his demands and not that rude woman. Shaylee was certainly bamboozled when she entered the school and saw a big crowd of teenagers moving together in one direction. The aroma of body odour, cafeteria food, and a used joint clung to the air. Apparently, there was a 'start of year assembly' so it was probably best to follow the crowd. "GO LONG!" oh crud. A jock threw a football over her head, and the boy in front of her lurched forward in an attempt to catch it. The jock bumped into her, nearly knocking her clean off her feet. He caught the ball with one hand, and her upper arm in the other to prevent her from falling backwards into someone else. "Sorry there, love." He had a thick British accent. He steadied her, "I'm Cooper. And you are?" He asked, tossing the ball over her head again. "Shaylee." She muttered, giving him a small smile.

"Davey right?" He asked, as they got pulled along by the crowd of people. His eyes were a pearly blue, and his charm unwavering. Shaylee nodded, and the boy ran a hand through his blonde hair. "Maybe I'll see you later, Davey." and with that they separated in the crowd, him joining his jock friends. Heat rose to her cheeks, and she tried her hardest to ignore it. Cooper glanced back at her, he smirked as a few of his friend's heads turned around too. He winked, and turned back towards his mates who began to shove him playfully.

"That's the Davey girl?" A voice from behind her muttered. She turned her head around to see a boy with shaggy, blonde hair and green eyes. With an identical almost translucent boy next to him. "She's quite the looker." The translucent boy nudged his brother's arm. His brother swatted him away, realising that his and Shaylee's eyes were locked. She gave him an awkward smile, and turned around. "And you wonder why people think I'm crazy." The non-translucent boy hissed.

"I don't wonder. I know." The now, translucent, orange coloured boy grinned.

Normally this shy, hooded, red-haired girl would recede into the darkest corner of the room and fade into the shadows. But much to her dismay there was already a small group, situated in that dark corner. The shaggy haired boys behind her, jogged up the steps towards them, the translucent one seeming to hover through the steps. Shaylee's eyes must be adjusting to the light, making an optical illusion of some sort. The group consisted of the denim wearing boy that walked her to the supermarket, the green eyed boy, the blonde girl, a girl with raven, chopped hair and a sour expression that matched the red haired, freckle faced boy beside her. A tall boy, with curly brown hair that went past his ears sat beside the blonde, both of them in a stand-offish state as they glanced around the hall as if looking for something. 

There was a girl with long, brunette hair and a sandy haired boy, they sat beside each other and talked amongst themselves, looking anxious. The boy in the denim didn't look worried at all, his expression was stone cold and his eyes fixed in no particular spot of the room. Everyone seemed to be looking in the same direction, they were stance-like and seemed to be protecting something- or rather maybe someone. The green eyed boy's gaze shifted, and his eyes met hers. His gaze was piercing and cold, but oddly mesmerising. His gaze shifted back towards the spot everyone seemed fixated on, obviously none of them really wanted to be here. But something about that particular spot, and the reaction from that particular group of people intrigued her. The green eyed boy muttered something, nodding his head subtly towards the corner. The blonde's and the stance-like boy's gaze snapped to where he gestured. Their faces seemed to drain, and soon all the group's eyes were trained in one spot.

Her gaze shifted around the crowd of already seated people and landed on a rather large group of boys, who were situated relatively close to the 'weird group'. They too were fixated on the same corner, a few of them looking fearful. Her gaze shifted over the student body, and she saw that jock Cooper. His expression was stiff, his gaze was fixated on the corner, across from the weird group sitting in the shadows. He looked as if he was debating something in his mind. His eyes were conflicting, it seemed as though he wanted to run but knew he should stay in his place. Her eyes shifted towards a dark skinned girl, with tied up bushy hair. She too was fixated on the corner, and seemed to be whispering something inaudible under her breath. Shaylee began to panic, her pulse quickened and she felt faint.

A shiver ran down Shaylee's spine, and the lights above her began to flicker. The hair on her arms and on the back of her neck stood on end, Goosebumps began to form all over her body. She shuffled along the crowd, and the lights flickered again except this time they shut off for a moment. When the lights came back on, a shadowy mist fanned out from the corner and stopped in front of her. The shadowy figure's face was one of a man, with a beard and an evil grin. Shaylee screamed, and fell backwards as the figure began to swarm her. The lights were flickering more rapidly now, and she began to thrash around pushing and kicking the shadow off her. Behind the dark, shadowy mist she caught glimpses of the green eyed boy, and his group getting swarmed by another one of the shadows. Nobody had seemed to notice the shadows were there. A purple light enveloped her, and the next thing she knew the lights were back on and the shadowy man was gone. 

The whole hall was looking at Shaylee wide eyed, and startled. Shaylee looked around rapidly, Cooper had stood from his seat and was jogging his way down to her. The group in the corner of the hall were all staring at her with a mix of shock and mystification. They all were standing, their arms outstretched as if to cover the denim wearing boy. The dark skinned girl in the crowd gave her a worried expression, like she knew what Shaylee had seen. Cooper pushed through the now circle of people from the crowd that stood around her, and lent down to help her up. "Are you ok?" Her head swung around in every direction, she was looking for him. The shadow man. Shaylee cleared her throat, and turned to his blue, pity filled eyes. "Y-yes fine." She glanced behind her one last time, before walking up to the bleachers with Cooper and sitting beside him. "Sorry folks, minor black out." A tall, pale man in glasses strutted onto the stage and tried to downplay the events. He put his index and middle fingers to the side of his head, above his ear and spoke softly into the microphone. "Any Quotidian in here, will forget what has just happened. Forget the purple light, forget the screaming." The man spoke softly into the microphone. Confused, Shaylee turned to Cooper. "What's he doing?" But he just turned to look at her in slight shock, and pressed his lips together. 

The man gazed around the crowd, almost all the students were in a sort of trance and stared blankly at him. The man lowered his hands, and tapped the microphone twice. "Is this on?" A few chuckles raised from the crowd. The man flashed a grin, and everybody seemed to have forgotten the whole encounter. "Hello to all you newbies! I'm Principle Thomas Calso. Or Tom, as all of you have decided to call me." He chuckled lightly, "Much to my dismay of course." The principal's eyes fluttered over the crowd, and he lent into the microphone more, his grin faltering. "I hope we can all move forward, and adapt to our current situation." He was looking directly at her when he said this, which made a lump form in the back of Shaylee's throat. "Meet me at five sharp, on the football field." Cooper whispered beside her. "I'll tell you everything." Her gaze snapped to him, but he just stared expressionless at the man standing on the stage.