I stood still and silent. Just staring. There was nothing interesting about the brown and tan brick building, but I was still staring nonetheless.

This was to be my new school. Oakwell High. A place I hadn't been in before, a place where anything could happen. The fact I couldn't guess what would happen made me uncomfortable.

I hate being so vulnerable. I thought to myself, sighing. I took a step toward the front double doors. Think positive--you'll get to see Patricia again. You haven't seen her in months and now you'll be with her almost every day! It's better than being surrounded by strangers, right?

I smiled as I thought of her. Patricia Lyman was my favorite cousin and my greatest friend in the entire world. She kept me sane and gave me strength when I needed it the most.

Upon entering the building, I was astonished to find so many people. It was far from a huge school, but it sure wasn't a small one like I had been in before. Oakwell High seemed more lively and bright compared to my previous rural school.

For the first time since moving, I actually felt better about the change in my life. Sure, I wasn't a fan of my old school and the people in it. They were boring and unfriendly, but this... this could actually be a better year. A great year.

I roamed the halls until I found the office, where I received my schedule and locker number. I decided then that visiting my locker would probably be the wisest choice to make first. Well, my sore shoulder would definitely be happy with my choice.

I shifted my heavy backpack better over my shoulder as I made my way quickly down the halls. After shoving my bag in my locker, I focused on my next task. I needed to find Patricia and know where my classes were--

"Daisy!" A girl with a small voice exclaimed happily. I had been looking at the classroom numbers, but shifted my attention ahead of me when I heard her voice. There she was, flighty and bounding toward me with a huge smile plastered across her freckled face.

"Pat," I breathed, running forward and throwing my arms around her shoulders in a gentle embrace. Her bright fiery hair was wild against my neck and arms as she clung tightly to me. Though she was only a half year younger than me, she was just small enough that I could rest my head on the top of hers.

"Oh? Do I not receive an introduction?" I looked up to see an olive-skinned brunette gazing at me quizzically with her dark brown eyes. She was intimidating and her body language seemed to say, Don't ever mess with me if you value your life. I will tear you limb from limb. Slowly. It will be painful.

The next thing I noticed was that she obviously knew fashion. She was dressed in all-black expensive clothes and looked comfortable, beautiful, and terrifying all at once in them. She snapped the bubblegum in her mouth and continued to stare intently at me. I wanted to turn and run away right there, but I was frozen in spot.

"Your hair is very yellow." The girl noticed, squinting at me.

"Oh, knock it off Sara, you're scaring her." Patricia giggled. Sara finally looked away when Patricia addressed her. "Sara, this is my cousin, Daisy Pierce. Daisy, this is my friend, Sara Ryans. Don't let her scare you. She's actually really nice! Unless you do something that makes her angry, of course."

"I don't think we'll have an issue with that." I said warily, still a bit nervous.

"It's nice to meet you, Daisy. Any friend of Patricia's is a friend of mine." She came over and threw an arm around my shoulders. She raised her eyebrows at my cousin. "I'm surprised she didn't mention me."

I cleared my dry throat and spoke. "Actually... she did. I just--I wasn't aware of what you--of your appearance. It just surprised me a little."

Sara nodded slowly at me but remained silent. Then she stepped away from me and clapped her hands together. The sudden gesture made me jump.

"Well! What kind of friends are we? We should be showing you around, shouldn't we?" Sara started to pull me along, Patricia following close behind. "Let's see... we have the English room right there--that should be your... third hour."

I asked questions about the classes I was introduced to, but it wasn't until we had gone through three-quarters of the school that my interest was truly peaked.

"The music room? Do they have a piano?" I asked hopefully, stopping outside the door and peeking my head in to look around. The room was fairly large and the walls were lined with shelves filled with different instruments such as trumpets, xylophones, and small drums.

"So we have a piano user." Sara remarked amused. "Yes, we have a piano, but I can honestly say that we don't have many people here that use it. And even the ones who do play are questionable in talent."

"Not Daisy! She's amazing! Daisy, you just have to play a song for us! Pretty, pretty please?" Patricia begged, almost on her knees. I blushed profusely and bit my lip, unsure what to say.

"What is this that I hear about playing? Are one of you into playing an instrument now--Oh!" The lady who had been speaking stopped and smiled at me, showing two rows of perfect white teeth. It made her blue eyes big and bright like a little kids. "I haven't seen you before... Are you the new girl I heard was transferring here? You're the one who plays music too, aren't you? Can I ask what instrument it is that you play?"

The people here were certainly different from the ones at my old school. They were never this interested. Or as weird.

"I'm the new girl, Daisy. And we were just talking about how I can play piano. Patricia was exaggerating though. I'm not amazing or talented or anything, I just play a little bit."

"We'll see about that soon enough. Come by at lunch and I want you to play a piece for me." With that the lady walked into the music room to get ready for her first class. My friends continued to lead me down the hall, my mind still in a daze.

"What just... happened?" I muttered, but they just gave small smiles.

"Ms. May might be very interesting teacher, but she knows talent when she uh... hears it. I might have just set you on the path of being the most musically famous person in school. You're welcome!" Patricia grinned and neither Sara or I said anything else on the subject.

I was shown the rest of the school before the first bell rang and then my first day as a junior truly began. I had my very first class with Sara and she helped me whenever I needed it. Patricia was right when she said Sara wasn't scary.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw a girl on the other side of the room watching me, as if I was a threat to something. I never turned to look at her, only kept my head straight as if I didn't notice. She must have deemed me safe after a few minutes because after a while she never paid me much attention.

When I asked Sara who she was, I was simply told that her name was Lydia Fathom and that I should stay out of her way and never speak to her. I never asked any more questions about Lydia and I didn't really want to. If someone was threat, did it really matter why?

My classes ran smoothly and every hour I was counting down the minutes until lunch. Inside, I was nervous and excited; on the outside I was cool and collected. I practically devoured my cold lunch when the bell rang. Finally, with my two friends by my side, made my way into the music room.

Ms. May guided me to a small office-like room built off the main room and sat me down at the piano that was lining one of the white brick walls. I wiped the sweat on my palms off on my jeans and positioned my fingers over the keys.

What song should I play?

After only a few moments of hesitation, my fingers pressed the white keys. Seconds later, my fingers were flying over the keys accurately and gracefully. I closed my eyes and simply listened to the music flowing through the air, coming right from under my fingertips. I heard the girls behind me inhale sharply.

"Chopin's Spring Waltz..." Ms. May whispered, amazed. No one else said a word until I was finished. Honestly, it wasn't the best piece I could've played, but it seemed appropriate for the moment.

"Alright. There. I played you guys a song." I stood up and headed for the door. I shook my head at their amazed and shocked looks. "It really wasn't that good, guys. Get over yourselves."

I stifled a gasp when I almost ran into somebody standing next to the doorway. It was a boy, and he definitely hadn't been there before. And he was the most beautiful person I'd ever laid eyes on.

He had wavy caramel colored hair and very pale green eyes. His body was slender and slightly built, his pale skin looked as if it might be smooth and gentle to the touch. Wrapped loosely around his neck was a gray and black striped scarf, which matched his dark gray shirt and black jacket, jeans, and shoes.

He smiled a perfect smile and pointed a finger over his shoulder at the smaller room behind him. I found myself holding my breath.

"Was it really you playing that song? It's..." He looked down momentarily, finding words. Then he met my gaze and smiled again, this time in awe. "It was breathtaking. You play beautifully."

"Um... thank you." I said, stunned. He just smiled wider and took my hand in his. He kissed the top of it and the feeling it induced made me wonder whether a heart could literally leap out of one's chest.

"I'm Lucas Monroy."

Thank you guys for reading this first chapter! I promise it gets better, but please comment your thoughts here about what you read so far. I'm always open to anything you have to say, so please do NOT be shy about pointing out any spelling errors or problems you find. I'm always looking to improve and grow in writing.
Thank you readers again! :) xoxoxo