--I thought this would be much longer in getting done. But here it is. The first chapter of the continuing saga of Ipswich, Mass. Anyway, I hope ya'll like it. I hope the girl has a different voice than Laurel. I'm always concerned about that. Please review, please, please. I need feedback, my friends. Enjoy!!--greyhaven11

Lullaby

by greyhaven11

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own anything other than the random teacher names, Sophie, Laurel, and related characters. So don't sue, cause I'm saving my money for grad school.

Chapter 1

“Ms. Rune?” Mr. Mansfield spoke at the end of practice. “May I speak with you?” Bewildered, I nodded. After most everyone had left the choir room, I approached him. “Ms. Rune, I’m very sorry, but due to the large amount of seniors in choir this year, we can’t have everyone perform for the final concert.” My heart dropped, “We must focus on those who plan to pursue voice study after graduation.” He looked at me, somewhat sympathetically. “Since you are not, I’m afraid you will not be performing any solos or duets in May this year.” And like that, he destroyed the one thing I’d been looking forward to all year. “I simply don’t have enough time to coach you.”

“But…” That’s the problem with not talking all that much. When it’s an opportune time to, you have no idea what to say or even how.

“Thank you for being so understanding, Ms. Rune. You’re such a vital part of this choir.” And gathering his papers, he left. I watched him leave, feeling despondent.

“Well, that sucks.”” I whirled around to find a pair of green eyes looking at me. Laurel Korrigan. “He seemed real sorry, didn’t he?” Her sarcasm was sharp.

“Uh.” Again, with the inability to speak. She smiled.

“I’ve forgotten your name. I’m Laurel.” Laurel Korrigan. The girl who’d caught me staring that morning at her and Reid Garwin. I guess I hadn’t freaked her out.

“Um, Sophie.” Her eyes twinkled.

“Sophie. I like that.” She blew a curl out of her eyes. “Can you believe that?” She gestured to where Mr. Mansfield had left. “Are you okay?” I nodded even though I wasn’t. I kinda wanted to cry. “Bastard.” My eyes widened.

“You causing trouble, faerie?” Laurel’s expression softened at the male voice at the doorway. I looked over to see Caleb Danvers looking beautiful as he always did. He entered and walked over to her.

“Only a little.” She told him and rapidly explained what Mr. Mansfield had told me. “Isn’t’ that just…well, stupid?” Caleb glanced at me. I smiled weakly. It’s hard to feel very confident when those chocolate brown eyes are focused on you.

“Unfair, I’d say.” I met his eyes and saw sympathy there.

“Sophie, this is Caleb, my uh,” She laughed. “My boyfriend.” Caleb shot her a look then shook my hand.

“Nice to meet you, Sophie. We have Physics together, right?” How he ever knew I existed was beyond me. I just nodded. “And what are you laughing at?” He asked Laurel.

“I’m sorry, I just, well, it’s still weird.” She beamed up at him, her eyes dreamy. He smiled slightly and it was all of a sudden very awkward. Without a word, I left quickly, confused mostly at why she had ever spoken to me.

“I think you scared the poor girl.” I heard Caleb say.

“It was you, broody brown eyes.” She teased him. I heard some laughing and smiled to myself. If I ever actually got a guy, I’d want us to be like them.

--

I entered my dorm room to find it empty, not a huge surprise. Courtney, my roommate, only slept in our room and barely even then if she could help it. She ignored me most of the time, especially when she brought guys over at night. I had a huge supply of earplugs. My being present during her more intimate moments didn’t seem to matter in the least.

I dropped my bad and crashed onto my bed, exhausted. I replayed Mr. Mansfield’s speech in my head and my eyes welled up.

The only thing that I was any good at. Singing. I wasn’t stupid, I knew there was no future in pursuing it, but I loved it. I lost myself in the music and I was anybody I wanted to be. Now, I’d never be able to show my mother and stepfather what I could do. It wasn’t fair. As childish as it sounded, that’s just what it boiled down to, it was just plain unfair.

--

I hurried to history the next day, a little late from crying myself to sleep. Thank god there wasn’t any homework to be done yet, because I crashed by 7:30pm. As I entered, I breathed a sigh of relief that I still had two minutes to spare.

“Hey Sophie?” I looked over to see Laurel waving at me. “Saved you a seat.” Will wonders never cease. I hesitated, wondering if somehow there was another Sophie in our class. She waved again and I walked up the stairs, not having any reason not to. I was about to sit next to her when I remembered whom she sat with yesterday. I looked to the other side of her. There sat the blonde boy himself. “Hey, you know Reid, right?” Reid looked over at me and gave me a once over. He didn’t look too impressed until he met my eyes. A flash of recognition passed though them, but the nonchalance returned.

“Hi.” Wow, could he be more bored than that? Laurel poked him. He rolled his eyes and smirked. “How do you do this fine day, uh, Sophie Rune, was it?” Laurel laughed and patted the space next to her. He knew my last name?”

“Don’t mind Blondie.” She said as I sat down. “He’s got two modes: apathy and predatory.” She grinned at Reid. “Or with me, he’s just sullen.”

“You’re Caleb’s woman. I have to tolerate you.” He muttered. I nearly smiled. She waved her hand to dismiss him.

“So, I found a couple of pieces I though you might like to try.” She pulled some papers out of her bag. “My favorite is the one from Oliver!” I stared at her, bewildered. “What?”

“I, uh, what…”

“Watch out for her, Rune.” Reid spoke up, “When she’s on a mission, nothing stops her. She’ll want me to be just like Caleb next. Where’s my fuckin’ Boy Scout uniform?” Laurel whacked him on the backside of the head, not hard, but he grinned at her anyway and I could tell she was hiding a smile. I dropped my head to hide my grin. I couldn’t help it; the two of them were funny. Our teacher entered at that moment so all talk and possible explanation was over. As he began, my mind drifted to the day before.

I hadn’t meant to stare that day, but watching Laurel and Reid interact was entertaining. Far more entertaining that the lecture. My attention had begun to wander and it was only twenty minutes into the second semester. Not a good sign.

I liked Laurel, as much as you can like someone you have next to no interaction with. She was always on time for choir rehearsal and incredibly patient with us when we couldn’t quite get our notes. She was just the kind of person who seemed genuine. They were rare here at Spenser.

I doubt a single person in my history class knew my name. Other than her now. And I’d been attending the preparatory school since freshman year. My mother said I was too shy for my own good. When you grow up with a mother like mine, you tend to keep you mouth shut and learn to blend in with the crowd.

I don’t know if I was really shy or just scared. Maybe it’s the same. The one friend I’d made during my time at Spenser didn’t even look in my direction, much less talk to me.

I guess after that, there didn’t seem much reason for me to try to make friends. I’d be gone soon, off to college, whatever. But ever since Laurel Korrigan transferred in, I wondered if trying wouldn’t end too badly.

Class was quite entertaining as Reid would doze off, Laurel would wake him and he’d make some comment, then come up with an excuse when our history teacher caught us.

The boy was quick, to be sure. Perhaps under that apathy, there was an intelligent mind. A spark of intellect in those blue eyes.

The Sons of Ipswich. The most beautiful boys I’ll ever see up close in my lifetime. They were our celebrities, our royalty. And like the Beatles, each girl had her favorite, though most of them would have taken any of them. My former best friend’s had been Caleb.

I didn’t want to like any of them and truly I didn’t know them, so any attraction was purely surface. But if I had to, it would have been Reid. Looks-wise. Personality, well, every girl knew what Reid was like. He’d played around with enough of them.

My interactions with the Sons were few and far between; relegated to class work, study groups, lab partners. They all blend together in the history of high school. But with Reid, well, I remembered a couple of them. The first one was in ninth grade.

--ninth grade--

Civil War. You can talk too much about the United State Civil War, but apparently no one told our ninth grade teacher that. I was half-listening, doodling in my notebook.

“Ms. Rune?” What was with all our teachers not calling us by our first names? I jumped up at my name, standing by my desk as the class snickered. “The Union general who raised his troops morale and how?”

“General Hooker, sir. Joseph Hooker.” Even more laughs and whispers. I fought the blush creeping up my neck. My teacher glared at us for our immaturity. He waited for me to add something. “He brought women to the camp, to uh, raise the soldiers’ morale, hence the name for uh, ladies of he night.” Now everyone was laughing. Except the teacher and I, that is. I sat back down and sank a little in my seat. I caught Reid laughing and looking at me. He winked which made me blush fully and stare at my notebook.

--back to present--

“There will be a quiz every Friday this semester, so I suggest you all pay attention.” I was brought back to the present by my history teacher’s announcement before dismissing class. Great, I’d been so lost in nostalgia; I’d missed half the lecture. I collected my books, half-listening to Laurel and Reid bicker.

“Anyway, Sophie.” Laurel turned to me. I blinked at her. “Take a look at these.” She held out some sheet music to me. I took it, staring at her strangely.

“But I’m not...doing the final concert.” Did I imagine the conversation we’d had the previous day? She grinned mischievously.

“I have a plan. Just look over those songs or find some others and you and I will practice them and then when ready we’ll present them to Mr. Mansfield and the Provost and say that you demand to be in the final.” She smiled proudly. Her smile dropped a second later when she saw my expression. I was terrified.

“Um, thank you, I just, I appreciate it, but, uh, I couldn’t.” I handed her the papers and hurried off, meeting Reid’s eyes for a second and feeling even more inadequate. She didn’t quite understand. I wasn’t a fighter.

--intrigued? a little? please?--