Chris came to pick us up after school, making me wonder if Allison used her own car at all. I needed to ask her if I could borrow it to get to Isaac's, so I hoped it still worked. Maybe Chris was just being nice, since I was new here and all.

My theory was proven correct when I followed Allison upstairs to our rooms and she said, "sorry if my dad hanging around annoys you. He doesn't usually drive me to school, but because it was your first day I think he just wanted to do something nice."

I flashed her a smile. "It's no problem. Can I ask you a favour?"

Allison nodded, curiosity clear on her face. "Yeah, sure."

"Would I be able to borrow your car to drive to a friends house to study?" I asked hopefully.

Allison looked surprised "You got homework on the first day?"

"Mr Harris."

"That explains it," Allision shrugged. "I don't see why not. I'm not going to be using it tonight, so your welcome to."

I smiled in relief. "Thank you."

"No problem. Who is it your studying with?"

"Isaac Lahey," I said hesitantly, waiting for her reaction.

There was a brief flash of recognition on her face. "I think I've seen him around before. Haven't talked to him though."

"He's pretty cool," I said, hoping my voice didn't betray how nervous I felt about meeting him later.

Allison nodded, and we talked for a while more before going into our own rooms. I started packing a bag full of any textbooks we might need, a pencil case, laptop, paper to write on, and anything else I could think of.

I was a nervous bundle of energy as I waited for the time to pass, because I wanted to be friends with Isaac but was afraid I'd mess it up. I didn't like how anxious he was making me and stewed in silence about how a boy was making me feel like I'd just run a marathon until it was time for me to go.

I said goodbye to Allison and got her car keys before making my way to the garage. Chris and Victoria weren't there right now, though I couldn't remember where they said they'd be. I drove out of the garage and just left the driveway when I thought I saw something, or someone, on the roof of the house near Allison's window. I glanced back, but nothing was there, so I continued driving.

My nerves only increased as I drove closer and closer to Isaac's house. It was stupid, because we were just studying, yet my heart continued to hammer in my chest until I rolled into his driveway. I took one look at the house and nearly drove away, but I didn't want to cancel on Isaac last minute, and so with a strength I didn't know I possessed, I got out of my car and walked towards the front door.

Even so, I took me numerous deep breaths and silent pep talks before I managed to ring the doorbell. I waited in silence until Isaac opened the door, wearing the same thing he had worn at school, yet looking so different. It was something about being in their own environment and comfortable that changed how a person looked. His hair was messier, shirt untucked, and was only wearing socks, his shoes no doubt discarded somewhere in the house.

He looked gorgeous.

"Hey," he greeted, opening the door wider. "Come in."

I smiled at him and gratefully escaped the chilly air, feeling a shiver of satisfaction when the toasty warmth of the house enveloped me. Isaac led me to his room and I took a moment to look around. He had a double bed in the middle of the room with a window above it, looking out into the front yard. He had a bookshelf on the left wall with his closet next to it. On the wall next to the door he had a desk piled with books, paper, pencils, and other stationary items. There were a few posters here and there on the wall, some of them looking rather new like a lacrosse poster, and some that looked years old, like the marvel comic poster. All in all it was a nice room.

I sat on the ground and started getting some books out while Isaac grabbed his from his desk and settled down on the floor next to me. An awkward silence descended upon us, and I got out my pencil case and rummaged through it just to find something to do.

"You like Marvel?" Isaac asked, gesturing to my Avengers pencil case.

I nodded my head. "Yeah, do you?"

Isaac smiled slightly. "I guess you could say that."

His gaze strayed to the frayed Marvel poster on his wall and I felt heat rush to my face. "Right. Of course you do. Why else would you have a Marvel poster?"

Isaac chuckled. "Don't worry, it's fine. Who's your favourite character?"

It turned out Marvel was a good icebreaker for the two of us, and we started talking to one another a bit more freely. We did eventually move on to studying after analysing everything the Avengers did during the battle of New York, but even then we talked while working on our project.

Isaac was really funny. As we talked, his humour stood out to me. It was a bit dark and witty, yet when I'd told him my thoughts he'd just laughed and said, 'I'm not witty'. After a while Isaac left to get some snacks and I looked around the room once more.

I could imagine him lying on his bed restlessly, trying to sleep as the moons light came in through the window. I could see him sitting at his desk, writing on one of the many pieces of paper stacked there. I could see him getting ink on his fingers, scrunching up pieces of paper and throwing them into the bin, pacing back and fourth by his bed when he was anxious.

"Is my room that interesting?" Isaac asked when he came back, a bowl of food in one hand.

My eyes darted to my hands, feeling embarrassed at getting caught, but even more flustered about what I'd been thinking. Thank god people couldn't read minds. I gratefully accepted the bowl of food and we continued talking, slowly but surely forgetting about our work as we got wrapped up in one another and the stories we shared.

We had just turned to the topic of grades when a door downstairs slammed closed. I looked at Isaac, startled that another person was in his house, and watched as his eyes went wide and darted to his door, fear written plainly across his face. I felt queasy in my stomach as I tried to convince myself that look of fear could be for anything. Maybe he wasn't allowed food in his room, or girls. Maybe he felt guilty for talking and not working. There were so many possibilities, and I kept that in my mind as I asked Isaac what was wrong in an even tone.

"My dad's back," Isaac explained.

I glanced at his room. "Well, you can't get in that much trouble, can you? I mean, we were just studying."

Isaac nodded absentmindedly, staring at his hands as they clenched into fists. I stared at him, at his handsome features contorted into fear, and tried not to feel sick, reminding myself of my earlier thoughts. So many possibilities to why he was upset.

"Do you want me to leave out the window?" I asked out of guilt, because I was the reason he was looking so scared.

Isaac looked up at me, seeming to consider my offer, when his bedroom door opened. Both our eyes shot to the entrance, where Isaac Lahey's father stood. He had a brown receding hairline, circular glasses, and brown eyes. There weren't many similarities between him and his son, aside from the way they were both built, but even that was different as Isaac seemed to shrink before his father, slouching and keeping his eyes downcast as he fidgeted with his hands.

"And who is this?" Mr Lahey asked, his eyes resting on my figure.

I glanced at Isaac, noticing his tense posture, as if ready to bolt, and tried to swallow some of my own panic. I was an overthinker. Having lived with someone like Kate, I usually went to the worst conclusions, and I tried to convince myself I had no reason to think of the worst in this situation.

"I'm Y/n Argent," I said in a falsely cheery voice. "Isaac and I were just working on a school project."

Mr Lahey raised his eyebrows and looked to his son before back at me. "In his room? Alone?" I kept silent, unsure what to say, and Mr Lahey barked out a laugh. "I'm just joking. I know the only action this one gets is through a screen, right Isaac?"

He laughed, gesturing to Isaac who was grimacing at his father's words. I pushed down my disgust for Mr Lahey and pasted on a fake smile, nodding along as if humoured by his revolting words.

"Well, you'd best be going now," Mr Lahey said. "It's getting late and all."

I nodded my head and glanced at Isaac to say goodbye. I gave him a little wave, and he managed a tight smile in return. I felt sick as I left his room, walking down the hallway while a sense of dread filled me.

When I left the house, I got into my car and just sat there. I felt self-hatred surge up inside me as I sat there, clutching my steering wheel tight enough for my knuckles to turn white. Had I just done something horrible? I'd ignored my gut and left, but what if I'd been right? What if something horrible was going on in that house right now, and I'd let it happen.

No. I forced myself to back out of their driveway and put my foot on the gas, urging myself to leave. There wasn't anything going on. I was overthinking; projecting my own fears of my childhood onto others.

I drove home, feeling myself calm down as I put more distance between myself and Isaac's house. I was sure he was fine. I'd given him my number for the project, so he'd call me if anything was wrong or if he needed help. I couldn't do anything more than be there for him if he needed me. Right?

I got home and parked the car when I noticed two silhouettes in Allison's room through the window. Wondering who she had over, I entered the house and made my way upstairs to where my room was when Allison opened her door, looking frazzled with messy hair and bee stung lips.

I smirked. "Who you got over?"

"What?"

"I saw someone through the window, and you look like you've had someone over," I explained.

Allison tried flattening some of her hair down. "I don't know what you're talking about."

I rolled my eyes. "So who is it? Is it Scott?"

Allison's eyes darted around the house, as if her parents were going to magically spawn when I said the boy's name. I raised my eyebrows questioningly at her reaction and how nervous she'd gotton when I'd said Scott.

"I won't say anything about you two if you guys are a secret," I said. "I'm perfectly capable of keeping secrets."

I heard a muffled "thanks!" come from Allison's room and grinned. Allison rolled her eyes but flashed me a smile, gratitude written across her face.

"Thanks," she said sheepishly.

My grin widened as I saluted her before going into my own room, closing the door quietly. I went to my bed, about to get under the covers and take a well needed nap, when I found a book on it. The book was bound in an old, fraying leather, and the pages looked yellow, crinkly, and ancient.

I frowned. How did it get there? Did Allison put it there as a sort of gift? The front cover, which was facing up, had no words splayed across it, giving me no clue to what it held inside. Carefully I moved forward and picked it up, brushing my fingers along the old spine. I was about it open it when all of a sudden I felt this shock.

It was unlike anything I'd ever felt. Like an electric current shooting through my veins, filling them with an ancient, dangerous power I was helpless to understand. It felt like being a whole other person, like I could do anything, be anything, with the force running through my body.

I dropped the book hastily, and the feeling fled my body, leaving me feeling empty and hollow. I rubbed my arms, remembering the mind numbing power I'd felt mere seconds ago. I had no idea what it was, and frankly I didn't want to find out either.

I carefully wrapped the book in a piece of clothing and shoved it in the bottom of my closet, vowing to never touch it again. I felt myself shiver as the remnants of the book's power racked my body and decided to go get some dinner instead.

A/N:

just letting you know, i'll probably be posting regularly now (which is every friday) bc i've got a few chapters pre-written

hope you enjoyed this chapter <3