In the daytime in a small town in the middle of nowhere, outside of a large school, students of all age and all class, boy and girl, were walking along the lawns outside of the school.

As the school said, the school was named Merriam Park High School.

Two of the girls walking along the school grounds were best friends Alexa Smith and Nicole Barclay.

Alexa had long, beautiful strawberry blonde hair that some would call red or orange, and each time, she would correct them in annoyance. She had beautiful, deep, gem like green eyes. She was small and petite, but she had an attitude that could be considered killer. She was always a loner compared to everyone else, and she normally didn't take many friends or get close to much of anyone after everything that had happened to her and everything she had lost, but she got close to Nicole because the two girls seemed drawn together to become friends, though they didn't know why, and they didn't know how to explain it because they were completely different from each other, most of the time balancing each other out.

Nicole had long, brunette hair, just down to her chest, and deep, beautiful, earthly green eyes that showed just how down to earth she really was. Her skin was tanner than Alexa's, as Alexa was always really fair skinned, but Nicola wasn't very tan either. She was also thin but not too frail, always looking and being sweetly innocent and down to earth, always outgoing and willing to lend a helping hand, having many other friends, and being very involved in school and town activities, mostly being in charge of them, but never striving to be popular as that was not what she wanted. She just wanted to be involved in things and wanted to help people in any way she could, even if it was just to make sure that people around her had fun. 

Alexa and Nicole were both sixteen, and while Alexa had been moved all over the place and had gone through many traumatic experiences, Nicole had just been in one town her whole life, even though she just had her mother who didn't live with her, but kept close eye on her either way. Alexa was damaged and sometimes angry, and Nicola was sweet and always caring. 

And neither of them knew what was to come for them in the future.

They walked inside the school, through the hallway with other students.

Nicole looked at Alexa, smiling. "So, this weekend, there's a party."

"A party?" Alexa repeated in a bored tone.

"Yeah," Nicole answered. "Friday night. You should come."

"Yeah, I would, if the party people were my people and the party scene was my scene," Alexa told her, stopping at her locker, working the combination.

Nicole stopped next to her, chuckling. "Oh, come on. When have you ever been out to an actual party?"

"Never, because I hate them," Alexa answered.

"And why would you hate them if you haven't even been to one?" Nicole asked.

Alexa opened her locker, putting in her backpack. "Because I'm that one loner, weird, creepy chick that the one nice, preppy girl that's kinder than anyone else and is not annoying takes pity on and becomes their best friend."

"Alexa, you're not creepy," Nicole told her.

"You're not gonna say I'm not weird?" Alexa asked.

"No, because you are weird," Nicole answered. "But it's a good weird, because being like everybody else is not as good as you might think it is. I'd rather be weird than the same."

Alexa closed her locker. "Well, you're in luck. You are weird."

Nicole smiled. "I know I am. Thank you."

Alexa and Nicole smiled, walking down the hallway.

A man's voice came over the PA. "Students, please remember that PSAT testing today. Juniors please report to your testing stations. Students who are not taking the test report to the auditorium, where you'll stay and not disturb the students who are taking the test."

The bell rang.

Students who were taking the test groaned in annoyance and dread, not looking forward to taking the test, but others were excited, and others just wanted to get it over with, all starting to go to their testing stations, walking out of the hallway, leaving.

The students who weren't taking the test were making their way toward the auditorium, including Alexa and Nicole.

Nicole started to walk away in a different direction.

Alexa turned after her, using her thumb to point at the auditorium doors behind her. "Nicole, the auditorium's this way."

Nicole turned back. "No, go ahead. I gotta drop by Mrs. Thomas' for an assignment that I missed."

Alexa nodded. "All right. See you."

Nicole nodded, walking away, leaving.

Alexa, not minding that she would have to be alone in the auditorium because she was used to being alone, but also disappointed that Nicole wouldn't be there because she didn't always like to be alone, she stepped into the auditorium.

✴

Students in the auditorium were watching 'Shark Tale'.

The room was dark, filled with movie theater-like seats in perfect rows, the two seats in front of you allowing you to see past the other people that would be sitting in front of you.

All of the rows were filled, except for Alexa's.

Alexa was sitting in the back alone in her own row, being alone in the dark like usual, and not minding for the moment, her feet propped up on the seat in front of her, her arms crossed and her head tilted back as she tried to tune out the cartoon child movie, but trying not to fall asleep either, opening her eyes, raising her head to try to wake herself up.

Two girls were sitting in another row, looking toward Alexa, whispering to each other, gossiping.

Alexa, noticing the two girls gossiping about her, sighed in annoyance, rolling her eyes, looking at the screen to watch the animated movie to try and ignore the two girls.

The Jamaican purple and blue jelly fishes were singing. "Don't worry / About a thing / Because every little thing / Will be all right."

There were other girls gossiping, glancing at Alexa, looking away.

Alexa gave up in trying to watch the movie or just sit there by herself, not liking having to be there at all, standing, walking past the empty seats to her right, to the aisle, up the ramp to the double doors, pushing them open, walking out without another look.

  ✴  

No one was outside of the school, all seeming clear and quiet and calm.

Alexa was walking outside of the school, texting on her phone.

The person she was texting was named Jacob. 

Alexa: Skipping school. What are you doing?

Jacob: Same. Wanna meet me?

Alexa smiled a small smile.

Alexa: Sure. Where?

Jacob: Krug Park

Alexa smirked, putting her phone away, looking around to make sure no one saw her as she snuck off campus and left the premises.

  ✴  

Krug Park was not a normal park.

It was an Italian Renaissance reminiscent structure with extensive landscaping and flower beds.  

The park was 163 acres. There was an ampitheater, a lagoon, rose gardens that included gazebos and greenhouse and fountains, picnic areas, an Italian castle, scenic walking trails, and various playgrounds. There was a featured animal exhibit including buffalo, deer, and longhorn cattle.

The park was mostly empty due to the fact that school was in session and no one was supposed to be there.

Alexa was walking along, finding a bench to sit on, sighing, sitting down. She was looking around the park, smiling at the beauty of it, tilting her head back, closing her eyes, just feeling the sun on her skin while she was sitting there in the beautiful park all alone. She waited there for a moment, seeming to sense something strange, feeling as if something was wrong, opening her eyes, looking around in confusion and paranoia. She slowly stood, looking around suspiciously, not sure why she felt as if something bad was going to happen, but sure that something was wrong. She looked at a nearby greenhouse, walking toward it, slowly stepping inside.

For a moment, Alexa didn't see anything, slowly walking further inside, not sure what she was looking for, but sure that there was something in there that she needed to see, though not sure what it was. She slowly looked around, walking around a table, sensing something, turning to look behind her in the other direction. She saw a teenage boy's body lying on the ground, completely stunned and in shock, not knowing how to react upon first seeing the body, frozen in place. "Jacob?"

Alexa, once she had unfrozen from her shock, walked toward Jacob's side, kneeling next to him, feeling for a pulse on his neck. The body was facing away from her, so she hadn't seen that his throat had been slit.

Alexa pulled her hand away quickly in shock and horror, seeing blood staining her fingers. She started to panic, freaking out, standing, turning to run.

Three men were waiting for her, making Alexa stop in confusion and shock, grabbing her to try to take her away.

Alexa struggled angrily in fear, trying to pull away. "No!" Another boy behind her grabbed Alexa's arm, pulling her away from the other three man. His name was Christopher Moore. Alexa tried to pull free. "Let me go!"

Christopher had short cropped brown hair, his eyes a piercing brown that could feel like he was staring right into your soul, fair skinned, sarcastic but caring and willing to do anything to save others like him, having an air of mystery around him. "Come on, we need to get out of here."

Alexa seemed to realize that Christopher was trying to help her, but was completely confused as to what was going on. Christopher took Alexa by the arm to lead her out of the greenhouse at a run. Alexa was stumbling slightly but trying to keep up.

Another boy stayed behind to stop the three men that were following Alexa. His name was Kyle Robin. He had tanner skin, short, dark brown hair, and chocolate brown eyes that showed how sweet and caring he was, but also how hard as a rock that he could be, down to earth but very dangerous if you messed with someone that he cared about, in which that he would turn on the enemy viciously. He faced off with the three men, holding his arms raised at his sides.

It was as if the earth was responding to what Kyle wanted it to do, causing the greenhouse to shake as if it was in the middle of an earthquake, making glass shatter everywhere and causing objects to fall all over. The earthquake was building in size minute by minute, making sure that the three men couldn't get to Kyle, or follow Alexa and Christopher. The earthquake became enough to make the greenhouse start to fall part, debris falling toward the three men, making them fall unconscious, pinning them underneath the debris.

  ✴  

Outside in Krug Park, Alexa and Christopher were running through the trails when the earthquake tremors reached them there, shaking the entire ground around them. They had to come to a stop, trying to regain their balance, trying to keep going but the shaking ground made them stop in place.

Christopher was used to this, but Alexa wasn't, clearly terrified, trying to figure out what was going on, but with her mind going 100 miles per hour, she couldn't focus, especially when she felt like everything was shaking and crashing down, not just because of Kyle's powers, but because of finding Jacob's body and why the three men were after her.

Christopher grabbed a nearby statue to help him stay standing, groaning at the effort it took to not fall.

Alexa had nothing to hold on to to keep her steady during the earthquake, falling to the ground, hitting her head on the trembling concrete, instantly falling unconscious.

Christopher was worried and concerned for Alexa, annoyed with his friend, rolling his eyes sarcastically. "Nice going, Kyle."

  ✴  

In the greenhouse, once the three men were unconscious and buried underneath the debris from the greenhouse, Kyle smirked smugly, lowering his arms.

The earthquake came to a stop slowly but surely.

Kyle ran out of the greenhouse to follow after Alexa and Christopher.

  ✴  

Outside in the trails of the park, the earth had stopped trembling.

Christopher let go of the statue, walking toward Alexa on the ground, still unconscious from the earthquake knocking her out. He looked at her in concern for a moment, regretting what had just happened, kneeling down to lift her into his arms in a cradle to get her to safety, standing.

Kyle ran to catch up to them.

Christopher turned to face him. "You are one badass S.O.N, Mr. Kyle, but did you have to go that far and knock out the new girl?"

"Didn't really have much of a choice, Christopher," Kyle replied. "Let's go. We don't have much time."

Kyle and Christopher continued down the trail quickly toward a van.

Kyle opened the backdoors of the van, running around the van to get into the driver's seat.

Christopher laid Alexa inside, grabbing either of the doors, looking at her for a moment, closing the doors, running around to get into the passenger seat of the van.

Alexa remained unconscious in the back of the van as it started to pull away, and in her unconscious state, she didn't know that the rest of her life would be changed completely and forever.