Prologue
"Run!" It was the last thing Amelia heard as her feet were instantly moving. Run! Run! And seconds later she woke up screaming those words . She tried to block out the memories of the nightmare that had awoken her. Not wanting to wake her twin sister Toria she walked to the kitchen for a cup of cocoa and snuck quietly back to her room, sipping occasionally.
CHAPTER ONE
"Wake up Ami!" Toria screamed at her identical twin. They were an hour and a half late for their first day of ninth grade and Toria was nervous enough. Not only were they new to the area, it was also their first year of high school. "We're already late no sense in rushing around" Amelia said in a sleepy monotone. "How do YOU know were late?" hollered Toria more confused than angry at this point. "Because I'm the one who turned the alarm off" came the cool reply of her sister.
AT SCHOOL
"You girls head strait to class now" was the last words they heard as they left the main office that morning. Since their classes were on separate sides of the school they split up not long after that. "Room number 103R, 103R" Amelia was so busy looking down at her map that she didn't even notice the tall handsome stranger she was about to run into. Then all of a sudden... BAM!! Books hit the floor, papers went flying, Amelia looked up to apologize and the words died on her tounge as she locked eyes with the most handsome person she had ever seen. She blushed stupidly and shyly tried to apologize as the previous moments came back to her, "I'm so sorry.....ummm what's your name?" "Alik Cross, and yours?" Came the surprisingly gentle reply, almost as if he were just as nervous as her. "Amelia, Amelia Turner." she stuck out her hand in the small space between them and was pleasantly surprised when his hand enveloped hers. "Truly a pleasure Ms. Amelia Turner" he said, before releasing her hand and bending to pick up her -now forgotten- books and papers. He handed them to her just as the third period bell rang he asked her what her next class was and she replied " Room number 38. Dr. DeFranco's Biology class. "What's yours?" He didn't want to tell her he had the same class so instead he said simply "ill walk you there so you don't have any trouble finding it". Amelia was a little miffed that he had ignored her question but was thankful to have met someone. Whenever they got to the room she quickly figured out they shared that class. Since they arrived together in the classroom they had to take the only available seats right across from each other. Noticing that all the seats were full Dr. DeFranco quickly introduced himself and called role. After role was called they were each given a list of rules, expectations, and punishments. Amelia quietly asked Alik to see his schedule, he complied sliding it discreetly across the table. Comparing the two schedules she realized that they shared all classes but one, Sociology. He had Culinary Arts instead. She gave him his back along with a small note stating the differences. All throughout the day he walked her to classes and they talked. When the final bell rang and it was time to go home they found out their lockers are right beside each other's. On the walk out of the school they discussed where each other lived. He said he lived on Maple Drive and when he asked her where she lived her only reply was "You'll see!".
As they turned onto the street they both said goodbye at the same time and were both equally perplexed. For she lived at 01 Maple Drive and he lived at 02 Maple Drive, almost directly across the road. She was both surprised and intimidated. His house was extremely large -at least three or four times the size of her families log cabin. His driveway was at least a mile long with a giant wrought iron gate at the entrance. He waved as she turned to go sheepishly inside ,not noticing he'd been watching her take in the magnificence of his house. She thought about her new friend all day, how they met, everything that he had said, how he always seemed to keep the conversation focused on her, she hardly managed to learn anything about him.
LATER THAT NIGHT
"Toria are you awake?" asked Amelia knocking lightly on the door, hours after they were sent to bed. Toria jerked open the door and opened it just wide enough for her sister to enter. When they were both seated comfortably on Toria's bed she began her interview. "So who was that handsome hottie that walked you home?" Toria asked not the least bit hesitant. "Well..." Amelia started "Okay his name is Alik Cross and I bumped into him in the hall way" at this Toria giggled "And he decided to walk me to my classes all day long. You'd never guess this but me and him only have one class that is different, second period, for me its Sociology and his class is Culinary Arts." Toria was so happy for her twin sister that she didn't even bother to tell her about the terrible day she had. Instead she kept the conversation on Alik not that Amelia noticed because she was plowing through all the information she had learned about him. Like the fact that he doesn't like to mention his family, or that he definitely lives all alone in the mansion across the road. He has no known hobbies and his favorite lunch item is a calzone. " Goodnight Amelia" Toria whispered as her sister snuck down the hall to her own room, just hours before they had to wake up for school.
"Ahhh!" Amelia woke with a start sitting bolt upright in her bed. She tried to fall back asleep and sadly was unable. So she quietly tiptoed down the hall and into the kitchen accidentally startling her sister who was sneaking ice cream from the large freezer that had come with the house. Toria had usually shared a room with Amelia so she knew that her sister had to have had another nightmare. They each got a large cup of cocoa and an even larger bowl of moose tracks ice cream. By the time the cocoa and ice cream was finished it was already six thirty in the morning, so the girls decided to begin getting ready for school.
At exactly seven o'clock in the morning there was a crisp knock on the front door, confused, Toria looked out the peep hole to discover none other than Alik Cross on the front stairs. "Amelia! Your boy friend is here!" Amelia came running down the hall pulling on her favorite AC/DC hoodie on the way, and toting her green camouflage backpack. She stuck out her tounge to her sister and ran right out the door almost running into Alik in her rush to leave. "So... Want to be friends?" Alik asked the question almost as if he was afraid to know the answer. "Y-yes" she whispered shyly, blushing. "Well I figured there was no sense in beating around the bush if I was already going to walk you to school" Alik said setting the conversational rhythm for the morning. The day went by as usual except at lunch when Alik got a mysterious phone call. When Alik didn't come back from the office Amelia guessed he had went home. When school was over she walked home again instead of riding in her sisters car.