Note:

Bold = imagination
Italic = past / flashback

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I'm on my way to school, almost running because as usual, I'm late. 

My alarm clock didn't work again. I'm shivering, even though the sun is blazing hot in the sky. The unusual cold September wind touches my bare arms. Because of hurrying, I forgot to bring my one and only jacket. Thanks to my instinct - I woke up ten minutes before the class starts. I just then splashed water to my face, brushed my teeth, and changed my clothes.  There's no time to shower.  After that, I grabbed my things from my three legged desks.

I'm not really looking to where I'm going because I'm running. 
A guy who is also running collides with me. I will fall to the ground - hip first and I bet it'll hurt. 

That didn't happen because the guy catches me on time.

He grabs my arm and straightens me. He also helps me pick my things from the ground and then he hands them to me.

I take look at him and see he's a head taller than me. Sweat pours down from his face. I wonder why he's running. He has brown hair that looks like it's purposely style to appear a little unkempt or maybe it is unkempt because of running. His skin is natural gold tan. He has prominent cheekbones, and cupid bow lips to die for. I wonder what the feeling of touching his soft lips is. The moment our eyes meet, time stops; maybe that's the reason why I save his eyes for last. His blue eyes are magnetic. There's something in them that will make you gaze into them deeply.

He clears his throat. 

That's when I realize I'm staring at him like he's a bizarre creature. 

"Staring at someone is rude," he says amusedly. Oh, what a beautiful voice he has! 

I can feel the burning of my cheeks. I'm so embarrassed, I grab my things from him and turn to walk away. 

"I'm sorry," he calls after me. 

Shouldn't I be the one to say sorry?

I open my eyes and laugh quietly to myself. I don't know why I chose to meet him like that. There are a lot of places, a perfect time. 

For now, I close my eyes and continue our story.

I walk to my first class in a daze, the face of the guy slipping to my mind. I remember the hold he gave me and his soft hand brushing mine. I've lived in this small town since I was ten years old. It's my fist time to see him here.

I open my eyes because the memory of the past floods my mind. I remember the first time I came here.

I grew up in Mount Mary's Convent and Academy. I had no family. No mother, father, brother, or sister. 

I had the volunteer workers whose responsibility was to take care of us. I had friends too; my co- orphans. Of all my friends, I was close to Alex. He was my best friend. 

One day, an unfortunate event happened. I was playing with Alex when the sisters called us and ordered us to go to the lobby. 

There were two strangers there, a man, and a woman. They looked at us for a minute then talked to the administrator quietly. I ignored them and played with my friends. 

Sister Madeleine told Alex that he's going to live with Mr. and Mrs. Smith starting today. The shocking news silenced us. We thought we'll live here for the rest of our lives. 

Some people --monster-- I called them took Alex away from me. I begged to go with them. I made a fit and cried and cried. Alex cried too. 

The woman looked as if she wanted me to go with them, but the man had a hard face, saying, "We only need a son." 

Alex and I hold each other tightly. But the monsters were stronger than us, they broke us apart. 

"I'll come back for you," Alex cried. They walked to their car with a fighting Alex beside them. They left me, crumpled in the dirt.

I didn't eat, I didn't play. My friends stopped playing with me because I ignored them.  

I waited for Alex every day, every night, knowing he will fulfill his promise. 

I sobbed in my sleep, praying that tomorrow will be the day of his return. 

Days, weeks, months passed. No sign of Alex. 

I got tired of waiting. I stopped crying, I stopped thinking about him. I stopped fooling myself thinking that he will return.

One night, a year later after the event, there was a commotion in the orphanage. 

I took the chance to run away. The people were arguing, the guards were nowhere to be seen. 

Walking as quietly as I could, I crawled to the hole in the fence. I noticed a truck parked in the nearby block. I ran to it and climbed in the trunk.

I woke up because of the sudden pain in my back. I fell asleep in a wrong position. The sun was high up in the sky. I climbed out of the truck, silently - afraid that the driver would see me and take me back to the orphanage. I ran as fast as I could and stopped after a few minutes because I was tired and hungry. Looking around to study my surroundings, I noticed that the tall buildings and sights were unfamiliar.

Where was I? How far was I from the orphanage? This looked a different world entirely.

A nearby sound made me jump. A second later, I realized it was my stomach grumbling. I searched for a food shop. I spotted a bakery and walked there. I fished three coins and handed them to the baker. He gave me a bread, and when he looked at me, he gave me another one. I wondered what he saw in me? I thanked him and continued on my way.

I only ate the one bread, and saved the other one later.  I walked aimlessly in the streets, not knowing where to go.

I didn't have a home anymore.

When the sky darkened and it turned to night, I had no idea where to sleep. I already ate the other bread a few hours ago. I had no choice but to sleep in the street. It was a cold night so I searched for some newspapers I could use as my blanket. When I found some, I lay on the shadowy part of the street. If I were to sleep in a nearby light, people would see me and would take me to an orphanage again. 

But I was scared. I chastised myself silently for running away from home. I felt so alone. My stomach was grumbling, and my head hurt. I forced myself to sleep.

In my dream, someone was waking me. I opened my eyes and saw a shadow looming over me. I cowered in the darkness and let the newspapers hide me. 

"Its okay, I'm not going to hurt you," a soft voice said. "Where is your family?" 

I blinked my eyes to see clearly, but it was so dark. I could only see a silhouette. 

"I don't have any," I said.

"I'll take you to my house," she said, offering her hand. "You can rest there." 

I hold it, and we walked hand in hand to her car. 

The moment I sat in her car, I fell asleep once again. She woke me when we reached our destination. 

The first thing I saw was a two-story house.

"What is your name?" The lady asked. 

"Annalise," I blurted out without thinking. It was the first name that came to my mind. 

My name was Alyson; Alyson--no last name.

That's how it was when you're an orphan. The administrator picked the name Alyson; they assumed it's my name because of the necklace I was wearing when they found me. It has a heart shaped locket that has engraved "A" in it. When I was eight, I lost it in the beach while playing with Alex. We searched for it but we never found it. 

I didn't know why I chose Annalise as my name. I liked it though, and maybe it really was my real name. 

Alyson - no last name - was dead. 

"Welcome to your new home, Annalise," she said. "I'm Margarett Caine, and now, you're going to be Annalise Caine." 

I blink my eyes, and here I am in the present again. 

I'm no longer in the mood to dream about him. I'm tired too - from crying and reminiscing my past. Besides, I have to sleep. I need it. I can't just live in my own world. Even if I can control everything around it, I have to live in the real world. I set my alarm clock; I don't want this part on my imagination to be true. But if I'll meet the boy in my dream, I think being late is worth it. 

I close my eyes and let the exhaustion consume me.

"What is that?" Alex asked, pointing to my back, beside my right shoulder.

"What?" I asked. I couldn't see.

Today was Alex's ninth birthday. We celebrated it with our friends. The sisters cooked delicious meals. We ate cake too - a vanilla one - because its Alex's favorite. 

We're reading 'Around the World Fairy Tales' in our room. We're exhausted from playing games all day. 

He peeled something off my bare back. He was scratching it, and he was hurting me.  The pain was unbearable.

"Stop!" I yelled. "What are you doing?!" I turned around and scowled at him. I touched my back and saw blood. My hand shook, seeing blood made me want to vomit.

"I thought it's a sticker," he whispered.  

"Stupid, it's a birthmark!"

He wiped my bloody hand in his shirt. "It's shaped like a star, so I thought. ." He trailed off and frowned. "Sorry," he said in a small voice. 

I shouldn't be mad at him. First, it was an accident; he didn't know it, and second, it's his birthday today. He's really sorry; I could see it in his face. He really thought it was a sticker. 

"It's okay," I said, forcing myself to smile. I hated seeing him sad and I hated it much when the reason was me. 

He walked away. 

"Where are you going?" I called after him. 

"I'm going to get a band aid." 

I took a cloth in my drawer and wiped the blood on my back. Alex came back after a few minutes. 

He stood behind me and said, "Don't move."

I heard him peeling the band-aid off.  He put it on my back. I controlled myself not to wince on the sudden pressure. 

"It's okay now, right?" he asked shyly. 

"It is," I lied. 

As soon as I wake up -- with the help of my alarm clock-- I realize that it's not a dream; it's a memory, it really happened. Because of thinking about him last night, I dreamed about him.

I do what I usually do in the morning -- I eat cereals without milk, I wash the dishes too. I have to do the laundry later. It's a good thing the sky is high up in the sky; the clothes will easily dry. 

I take a bath, and afterwards, put on some decent clothes. By decent, I mean jeans, sweatshirt, and my overused shoes. 

I grab my things and walk out of the house. I lock the door; I know Margarett is already at her office, working.

I think about the guy in my dream. Can I meet someone like him in the school?  I doubt it. There are more than a thousand students studying there. Not one of them makes my heart beats fast.

I cross the street to my school - Hamilton High School - it's a three story building, with a huge gym. Our school even has its own pool for the swimming team, and for our P.E.

Walking to my first class -- Literature -- I sit inconspicuously to my chair at the back of the room. While waiting for the instructor to come, I get my notebook and pen, and then I doodle. 

My classmates are talking animatedly to each other, some are teasing, and some are making paper planes. It's only the third day of my senior year. I know I'm supposed to be excited, but I'm not.

I know when Mr. Benitez arrives because of the sudden silence and the scrapping of chairs.

"Class," he says in his poetic voice, "this is Caleb Vandom. He's a transferee, and he's joining us in this class." 

There are whispers everywhere, mostly from girls. I catch some of it. "OhmyGosh! We have a cute classmate!" 

"Move along," someone whispers, "so that he can sit beside me." 

I ignore them and continue to draw. 

"You can sit in the empty chair in the back beside Annalise," Mr. Benitez says.

I roll my eyes at that. As if he knows who Annalise is.

I hear groans, and someone says, "I wish I can sit beside him in other class." 

I stop and look around. Some of my classmates, girls to be precised, are looking at me enviously.  

And then I see the reason; the guy - Caleb - is walking towards me.  Maybe someone pointed him to  the right direction.

He sits on my right. I look at him, as in really look. I finally understand why my classmates are acting like this. Caleb is well, for them -- handsome. He has a nice jaw, sandy brown hair with blonde streaks that falls to his green eyes. He even has this freakishly long eyelashes. I'm jealous.

My classmates are having a hard time looking at him at the back. I laugh quietly which makes Caleb glance at me. I look away with a smirk on my face and listen to the discussion of Mr. Benitez.

As soon as the bell rings, my classmates introduce their selves to Caleb while I stand up and walk to my next class -- Music. 

I sit with my friend Kamille here, in the middle of the room. I get my pen and book and doodle again. Almost all my books have drawings in them. Kamille talks about the last movie she watched, I listen to some of it. 

She stops talking when Mrs. Dorothea enters the room. 

"Look," Kamille says. I hush her and continue my work. "He's the most handsome guy I've ever seen!"

I roll my eyes at her. Almost every guy is handsome for her. 

"Introduce yourself," Mrs. Dorothea says in her lovely southern accent. A transferee then? I shake my head at the sounds of girls' giggling like in Literature. I think it's Caleb again. 

"I'm Alex Vandom," I hear a soft voice says. 

I freeze. My heart is pounding hard, trying to burst out of my chest. It reacts on its own when it hears the name. The point of my pencil breaks in half. 

Did I .. did I hear him correctly? 

"Alex," Kamille says dreamily beside me. So I heard him right.

I look up slowly and meet his eyes. 

Is he the Alex from my past?

*****

The first part was her 'dream/imagination'. There are two Alex's -- the one from Annalise's past, and the other from the present. The two new kids are Alex, and Caleb -- from the present. The orphanage is 'real'. 

The song is called Twilight by Vanessa Carlton.
If you have questions, you can ask me :)