Chapter 1
As the first few drops of water started to fall from the sky in the beginning of the afternoon - the first sign of the promised rain, Daniel set out from his apartment. Traveling from his flat on the top floor to the ground floor in the intolerably slow lift, he finally set out at a run to school.
When he arrived, a couple of minutes later, he slowed to a casual walk and wandered towards the large, red-brick building situated inside the gates. Following the signs to Reception, he walked through the double doors, raindrops sparkling in his hair and running off his coat. The elderly lady behind the front desk looked up and smiled, "Hello, can I help you?"
"Hi, I'm Daniel Mason. I'm a new student, I was supposed to be here this morning but I got delayed." Daniel tossed damp strands of hair out of his eyes.
The receptionist nodded. "Ah yes, I got a note about it earlier, you're in Mr Simon's form. Follow me please."
She stood up and led Daniel out of a door and down a lino floored corridor with an annoying flickering strip light that a student was dawdleing through, he glanced up as they overtook him. The receptionist went up some stairs, along another corridor and through yet another door. This time it opened up to a classroom with cream walls and long, old fashioned looking, wooden tables. An old school science lab that hadn't been done up. There was a huge man sitting behind a large desk at the front of the room. He had a round pink face and a bald patch on the top of his head.
The receptionist spoke as he looked up "Daniel Mason here Mr Simon. I'll leave him with you if that's okay?"
"Oh yes, yes that's fine." He had a cheery voice, "Bit late aren't we Mr Mason?" he looked at his watch, grinning.
"Sorry sir." Daniel said stiffly, "I got delayed. It won't happen again sir."
"I hope not." He glanced at his watch, "The rest of my form will be here soon I expect." It was at that moment a bell went off and there was that low rumble of students getting up and leaving classrooms. The door swung open and a stream of people came through. The came in noisily and dumped their bags noisily and sat down noisily. They only quietened as they noticed Daniel.
"Class!" Mr Simon announced dramatically, "This is Daniel. I hope you will all be nice to him and welcome him."
Daniel smiled patiently as there was a general buzz at the announcement, he glanced around the room, the kid he'd walked past earlier was staring at him intensly, weirdo. He took a seat next to some girls who were smiling at him. Sluts. Any more foundation and they'd be real oompa loompas. He smiled back at the girl next to him, now there was an easy lay.
First days were always the same. Everyone looked at you and talked about you and tried to find out everything about you. The girl next to him glanced at him under here heavily mascaraed eyelashes, not like she could have looked at him properly with all that gunk on her eyelids. She quickly turned away and covered her mouth with a hand, whispering to her friend. Not that it was quiet enough for Daniel's sensitive ears not to pick up their conversation.
"What do you think?" Asked the friend.
"Fit as hell!" she whispered back. They both giggled.
Daniel rolled his eyes and looked up at the ceiling. Girls, wherever he went they were always the same. Well, that suited him fine. But, he wondered, would they be attracted to him if they know his dark secret? Probably not, though at the rate vampire stories were selling at the moment he wasn't so sure.
*
As the final bell went, he made his way as slowly back to the form room as Mr Simon wanted to see how his first day had gone. A couple of minutes later he'd escaped and avoided the post school crowds that was a bit of a relief. The grounds had emptied and there were only a couple of people still hanging around. He'd just walked through the gates and round the corner, heading home, when someone ran straight into him from behind, bounced back and fell over. Surprised, Daniel spun round and looked down at the fallen boy.
"Sorry." The guy muttered, climbing to his feet. "I wasn't looking where I was going." He looked at the tear on the knee of his jeans and groaned softly.
Daniel rolled his eyes, great, someone else to talk to. Then he recognised the guy and tried to put some effort in, he forced a smile onto his face, "No worries, you okay?"
The guy glanced up, "Um, yeah. I was just later than usual and wasn't looking where I was going." He grimaced then looked up properly from his jeans at Daniel, "Say, you're the new guy aren't you?"
"Yeah, Daniel Mason. Pleased to meet you. You sure you're okay?"
"Theodore Adams." He frowned at the rip, "Yeah I'll be okay. Just need a new pair of jeans I guess."
"Or you could just say you bought them like that?"
Theodore laughed, "Yeah you have to like, pay extra for ripped jeans now."
"There you go. Instant fashion." Daniel smiled.
"You walking this way?" asked Theodore.
Daniel shrugged, well no. But he wasn't too bothered, whichever way he took would take about the same amount of time to get home. "Can do. I'm pretty much on the other side of the city and I don't need to be anywhere anytime soon." He fell into step beside Theodore.
"Man, I'm tired. First day back is always bad, don't you think, well, it wouldn't be your first day back I guess, first day more like. When I get home I'll just want fall on my bed and just go to sleep but that probably won't happen as mum'll try to get me to do something useful..." Daniel's mind drifted as Theodore chattered in a random friendly manner. Sleep, if only. Sleep was impossible but that didn't stop him from trying. He'd been trying for years to get at least an hour, no, a minute of sleep. But though his talents were many, sleep was something reserved for those who were truly...alive. He realized Theodore was talking to him.
"Don't know why you'd want to come to this dump Daniel," he said, "awful place. Why did you choose here?"
Daniel snorted, well that wasn't a story Theodore was going to hear. So instead, "I get bored easily. I keep moving from place to place. There's probably something wrong with me." He laughed sardonically, "I can't keep still."
Theodore smiled, "Well, maybe you'll settle here. Though I'm sure there are way better schools out there."
Daniel shrugged. "I've been to most of them and they aren't as nice as they say they are. Just good at results and making themselves look better than they really are."
Theodore raised his eyebrows "Really? Huh." He stopped, "I'm up here." He gestured to a narrow street with old brick houses on either side. "Hey, I grab your number?"
"Uh, yeah, sure. Add me on Facebook, if you've got it, if you want."
"Okay."
A last bit of energy to offer, "Hey, you wanna meet up here tomorrow morning for school?"
Theodore looked surprised for some reason. "Yeah, man. That'd be great." He smiled. Then turned up his street, "I should go now. Nice meeting you Daniel."
"Sure." Daniel smiled back, then turned away and set off back home thinking about what the others had told him about Theodore. He didn't seem nearly as bad as they'd made him out to be. Instead of being as the girls put him, when he'd walked past at school earlier today; unfriendly, caring little for the others around with him and most likely gay, he seemed quite the opposite. Theodore had probably rejected Zoe or one of the other top blondes, so they rejected him. Unfair but realistic. That would teach him to listen to rumors made up by untrustworthy people.
