The front door swung shut behind Jamie, muffling the voices of her parents. Warm golden sunlight flickered through the trees over head, casting fluttering shadows at her feet. A light spring breeze rustled the leaves, sending them spinning like pinwheels. Jamie trotted across the street, her hand mindlessly touching a sore spot on the side of her head, as she walked up a sloped driveway.

"I think hitting that doorknob last night rattled my brain," Jamie said.

The dark haired guy, siting on the hood of a small sports car didn't bother looking up from the book in his hands.

"Whose to say you're brain wasn't already rattled before the accident," Seth said dryly.

"Funny. But I'm being serious."

"So was I."

"Seth."

"Jamie," he mimicked still not looking at her.

"You know how I usually don't remember my dreams."

"More proof of my theory."

Jamie scowled.

"Well last night I had this crazy vivid dream about some older guy with these extremely vivid blue eyes, like the color of the sea."

Seth's posture seemed to stiffen slightly.

"Where did the doorknob hit you?" he asked, finally looking up.

Jamie's light blue eyes met the soft green behind the black framed glasses before turning her head and pointing to the spot.

"You sure it was there?" he asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Yup, pretty sure, I have a lump the size of an egg because of it."

Seth dropped his book and slid off the hood, standing right beside Jamie, his hand reaching up and feeling the spot on her head. A frown formed on his brow as his finger touched the spot and Jamie let out a surprised yelp at the pain.

"Look at me," Seth said.

Jamie turned toward him, as Seth's hands held onto her upper arms, his eyes staring into her's but not seeing her. An annoyed scowled creased Jamie's brow but Seth was unperturbed.

"Hold still," he said.

"What are you doing?"

"Checking for concussion."

Jamie huffed but didn't move.

"Name?" Seth asked.

"Seriously, I'm fine, you're being dramatic."

"Name."

With a blustering sigh, Jamie answered.

"Jamie Lance."

Seth's shoulders relaxed.

"Parents?"

"You're over dramatic."

"Parents."

"Linda and Tom Lance, now am I free to go doc?"

Seth nodded and took a step back, smiling teasingly. Jamie crossed her arms, glaring at him. 

"Was there anything else to your dream that you remember?" Seth asked.

He scooped up his book and rounded to the side of the car. Jamie shrugged and hopped into the passenger side.

"Not really, isn't it enough that I remembered even that."

"Yea." Seth said, though his voice was distracted.

The engine roared to life and the small car pulled down the short drive. Spring flowers dotted the limbs of trees and sunlight bathed the world in a cheery hue. Houses with quaint lawns and white picket fences flashed by as they left the neighborhood.

Seth pulled into a tight parking spot and the car's engine died, as the sound of hundreds of voice filled the air. Clusters of students meandered outside, slowly making their way into the high school as others rebelliously leaned against cars, determined to only enter the grounds once the bell had rung. Jamie tossed on her back pack and fell into step beside Seth as they moved to the main gates.

"How do you even know what a concussion looks like?" Jamie asked.

"Because I know everything."

Jamie gave him a flat look.

"My uncle hit his head at a family barbecue a year back and my father checked him. You look to make sure the pupils are the same size and ask basic questions. Though thinking about it your pupils probably wouldn't be different this far out, even if you had a concussion. Can't be too cautious though," Seth said.   

Jamie rolled her eyes.

"I still think you were being dramatic."

"Probably, you know how I love the theatrics," Seth said, dryly.

Students swarmed around them, freshmen wearing smug looks and trying to look older and more mature than they were, while everyone else smiled at their attempts. A girl with bouncy curls raced up to Jamie, her brown eyes beaming with excitement.

"Have you two heard?" the girl said, her voice wavering with emotion.

Seth and Jamie exchanged puzzled looks.

"What were we suppose to hear Abby?" Jamie asked.

"We got a new transfer student, from New York."

"That's stupid, there's less than three months left in the year, why now?" Jamie asked.

Abby seemed unhindered by this logic.

"I don't know and don't care because he is hot and has these gray eyes that are unreal. His name is Declan Graves, I'm just happy he decided the West coast was better than the East because he is a dream."

"Calm down Abby, we would hate for you to have a heart attack, cause then we would be stranded with no one to tell us all about this new guy; we would be left in blessed silence and that would be tragic." Seth deadpanned.

Jamie moved to elbow him in the ribs but he shifted fast enough all she jabbed was air. Abby gave Seth a scathing look.

"Why do you hang out with this doofus?" Abby asked.

Jamie gave a careless shrug.

"I don't know, he gives me rides to school."

"I'm the only thing sane in her world." Seth said.

"He helps me with homework."

"She would be helpless without me."

"On certain days he's tolerable."

"She has a thing for glasses."

"You're right Abby, I have no idea why I do. Come on, walk me to my locker and tell me more about hot stuff." Jamie linked her arms with Abby, starting to walk away. "By the way, I need you to post a announcement that we are having a prom meeting this Thursday."

"Got it, are we choosing the music, because I am all in favor of being over that decision." Abby said.

"I'll think about it, Davis also wanted to do that."

The stones walls of the school vibrated with the sound of pounding footsteps, while groups of students sat sprawled on the grass in the center courtyard. Jamie stopped at her locker, spinning the dial, as her lips mouthed the numbers. The door swung open, as Abby let out a small squeak.

"That's him," she said.

Jamie turned around, her eyes locking on the crowd of girls mobbing a tall, black haired guy with classic features. With a breathless wow, Abby leaned against a nearby locker, eyes pinned on Declan.

"Please Abby, get a hold of yourself, its one guy."

"I know but he's just perfect for one guy."

Jamie studied Declan more closely, titling her head, her eyes taking in the strong jaw line, charming smile and relaxed stance.

"I guess."

She turned back to her locker and pulled out her physics textbook.

"Maybe if you're lucky you'll have a class with him." Jamie said, closing the locker door.

"If I had a class with him, I would die of happiness."

"What would be the point of that, you would be dead and then he wouldn't ask you to prom."

Abby's eyes widened at the prospect.

"I would really die if that happened."

"Death, is that your only reaction to good things happening, because it seems a bit extreme to me, you would miss out on all the rest of the good things in life."

"Abby's a pendulum you have to remember that Jamie, life is not simple, but extremes." Seth said, moving to his locker beside Jamie's.

Abby's face went bright red and she crossed her arms furiously.

"I am not." Abby said outraged.

Seth and Jamie exchanged quiet smirks. A gangly, freckled face boy approach the group at that moment, a nervous smile playing on his lips.

"Hey Jamie, are you still looking for a partner for your physics project?" the boy asked.

Jamie gave him a sympathetic look.

"Sorry, I got one yesterday."

The boy nodded vigorously and gave a shrug that looked more like a nervous twitch then a shrug, before walking away.

"And another one falls at the feet of Jamie the beautiful." Seth quipped.

Jamie glared at Seth.

"Ha. Ha."

The bell rang and groups burst apart like fireworks, students dispersing to find their classrooms.

"Library, free period?" Seth asked.

Jamie nodded and fell into the onslaught of people, quickly swallowed up by the rising tide.

**************

The library was filled with the sounds of pages rustling, whispered voices and the typing of keys as Jamie pushed through the large doors. A round faced librarian looked up as Jamie walked passed the front desk and gave a heart felt smile, which Jamie returned. Rows of tables crowded the center of the building, students dotted through out.

Pausing in the center aisle, Jamie scanned the tops of heads, looking for a specific mess of short tangled brown hair. Seth was slouched in his seat, a thick book curled in his hand. A playful smile slipped across Jamie's face as she slowly tip toed down the carpeted lane, treads lost in the hushed noise of the surrounding crowd.

"Its not nice to sneak up on people." Seth said, to his book.

Jamie froze inches away from him. Scowling, she slid into a chair on the opposite side of the table.

"How'd you know?"

"You walk with the grace of hippo and you've worn the same perfume since your 15th birthday and the same shampoo since your 10th."

Jamie took a piece of her auburn hair and sniffed it, a smile creasing her lips.

"I love this shampoo."

"I know, because its tropical and makes you think of Hawaii, though Hawaii smells nothing like that."

"And I do not walk with the grace of a hippo."

"Sure you don't and I have super hearing."

"That could be true, are you an alien?"

"Elf but we prefer the term woodland creature if you must know."

Seth looked up at Jamie at the moment, his eyes locking on her. She shook her head in amusement.

"You read too much, puts things in your head." Jamie said.

"Yea, knowledge, its such a terrible thing, I understand why most people avoid it."

"What are you reading now anyways?"

Jamie reached forward to snatch the book from Seth but his hand moved quickly and the book leapt from her grasp, a smug look brightening his eyes.

"Too slow Jamesie."

Jamie scowled and leaned over, pulling out her binder from her back pack along with a notebook with the words Prom Details written across the front. Though she could have as easily kept all the details on her phone, she had a fear that she would drop it in water one day and all her hard work would be washed away, so she settled for a hard copy. She flipped the notebook open, the long list of preparation details staring back up at her, empty boxes sitting beside most of the items.

"Are you coming to the prom meeting Thursday?" Jamie asked, looking up.

"Do I need to?"

"You said you would help with decorations and I feel I'm already losing people."

"Sure I'll come."

Jamie rubbed her forehead, glaring back down at the taunting list, a frown skipping across her face.

"If you think too hard your brain will explode." Seth said.

Jamie head jerked up and she made a face.

"You're so encouraging I don't know how I would survive without you," Jamie mocked.

"You wouldn't survive by yourself, that's why I'm here."

"You are just such a delight, you truly light up my life."

"Anything for you Jamesie. Seriously though its just prom, you're stressing too hard."

"But if I don't do it right so many people will be pissed at me and regret electing me senior class president."

"Who cares, you'll graduate and never see them again."

"Do you care nothing for one of the best nights of our high school existence?"

"I merely understand that putting too much weight on a single night is futile thing and will always end in disappointment."

"I have a pessimist for a best friend, how did I get so lucky?"

"Luck had nothing to do with it, location and transportation were the bigger factors. And the fact that you really would be lost without me." Seth smiled tauntingly.

Jamie let out a loud groan that got her a few harsh shushes in return and dropped her head into her arms. The library doors opened and Jamie raised her head, watching as Declan sauntered in, his gray eyes roaming over all the tables' occupants before choosing one with a cluster of junior girls. Giggles floated up from the table seconds later. Jamie started when she pulled her eyes away from the scene and found Seth staring at her.

"What?" she asked, trying to not look guilty but looking like nothing else.

"You were staring at Declan, I merely found it amusing."

Jamie straightened, doing her best to look affronted.

"I was just curious what girls find so attractive about him?" she said, casually. 

"Yes, that's what was going through your mind. And why would girls find a good looking guy from an interesting place like New York who shows up out of the blue attractive is beyond me, its really a question for the ages."

Seth smirked, as he removed his glasses, cleaning them on the end of his t-shirt. Jamie's eyes narrowed as she looked at him.

"Did you know your eyes seem to change color?" Jamie asked.

Seth replaced his glasses on to his face and looked at her puzzled.

"What?"

"I don't know, it might have been the light or the angle, but sometimes without your glasses on, your eyes look a lot darker."

Seth shrugged and lifted his book carelessly, opening it and starting to read.

"Interesting, I have changing eye color."

Jamie shook her head and laughed.

"Yea, that does sound stupid."

"Well no one has ever accused you of being bright."

Jamie glared at him and Seth's mouth curved into a wide grin, his eyes still glued to the page.

"What are you smiling at now?" Jamie asked, annoyed.

"Nothing, I just have a feeling about the look you're giving me." He looked up. "And I was right."

The glare vanished and Jamie rolled her eyes.

"This is what I get for a 7 year friendship, I am no longer a surprise, even my facial expression are predictable."

"Don't worry, mystery has never looked well on you anyways, best to stick to being average."

"Well we all can't be brilliant know-it-all woodland creatures like you Seth, the rest of us have to actually try to succeed."

"But that's why you got me."

"So you'll help me with my physics homework?"

"What kind of brilliant woodland creature would I be if I didn't help out the common folk."

Jamie's laugh brightened her face and got her a chorus of shushes.

****************

Hello Beautiful! (Yes, I apologize if the Jonas Brother's song is now stuck in your head.)

This is the story about a girl who believes she knows how the world works but when she's attacked out of the blue and saved by her best friend she realizes that nothing is like it seems. The is another world of people hiding behind the scenes saving the world from falling part and she just might help them do just that.

How did I get this idea? It actually started with an idea about elves, random I know, but it morphed from there. It then became about a group of people that looked like us but were better in every way. It's kept shifting and changing, so who knows where it will end up.

What do you think? Something you would read?

Vote, comment, follow!