It was the last day of summer vacation on a scorching hot Wednesday. Last day of freedom, Vanessa thought angrily. Vanessa was lying on her back reading an Edgar Allen Poe Story. Suddenly there was a light tap on the door. "Honey, can I come in?" a high-pitched voice called. "Yea, sure, just let me unlock the door," Vanessa replied in a tired voice. With a click, she snapped the lock and unlocked it. Her mom came walking in, blonde hair in a ponytail and blue eyes crinkled at the corners, like they always were when she was about to go off about something — nicely. "Now honestly, why do you have to lock your door so often? You're locking me out. And you're not even dressed yet? Get dressed and go outside for once. Come out of your dungeon," Vanessa's mom said and in a lighter voice, "You can go meet the new neighbors!" "Sure, fine…okay."

Vanessa snapped the lock again as soon as her mom was out. She threw on a black band tee and some dark washed skinny jeans. She straightened her long black hair and put them in pigtails, with a red headband to top it all off. She slung a stud belt around her waist and threw on some skeleton earrings. She ran downstairs, book in hand and put on her converse.

Once outside, she slowed to a stop and decided to go to seven-eleven to get some monster energy drink. She took a quick sideways glance next door to check out the new neighbors. No one was outside in the front of the house, but there were shadows moving in the background, so someone was definitely home. Vanessa was just too shy to find out exactly who.

As she turned to walk away, she heard a sudden loud, deep, confident voice call out, "Hello there!" Vanessa turned, half expecting some angry guy to be standing there. On the porch of the new people's house was a man with short brown hair and brown eyes, with a smile stretching ear to ear. Vanessa replied timidly, "Hi…" She started walking towards the man, who said, "I'm Jake Hartt. I just moved here!" She replied, "uh…hey…I'm Vanessa Paller. I live next door." "A new neighbor, huh?" Vanessa didn't bother correcting him that he was the new neighbor and he went on, "Here…meet my son Damien…" he turned and shouted, "Dami–en!" A boy Vanessa's age sauntered down the stairs and Vanessa was dazzled! He had Jet-black hair slicing diagonally across his pale face and it was spiked in the back. Vanessa saw he was wearing a green and black striped form fitting shirt and dark washed skinny jeans. He was even wearing converse! When he came to an awkward stop in front of Vanessa, she saw the most amazing thing about him. He had icy blue yes that froze her to the floor but melted her inside.

Vanessa realized she was staring and quickly looked down at her own converse. Jake didn't notice the electric static between the two teenagers so he merrily went on with what he was saying. When Mr. Hartt was done rambling, Vanessa decided to stay on her lawn, her thirst quickly quenched from drinking in his beauty. She lay in the shade and cracked open "Masque Of The Red Death". She was unable to focus, however, and slipped into a pleasant daydream about Damien Hartt.

When she roused from her doze, Vanessa turned to see Damien watching her, smiling slightly, but once he realized he was discovered, he looked down, face burning. Vanessa's cheeks also flamed and she stared down at the spongy green grass beneath her feet.

Later that night at dinner, Vanessa turned her thoughts back to Damien, but was thrust out when her mother said, "So schools tomorrow, are you girls excited?" Both of Vanessa's little sisters, Elizabeth and Lily, nodded enthusiastically. Yea, but did I mention they were perfect? Vanessa thought. Her mom looked up from her meatloaf, "What about you, Vanessa?" Vanessa looked down at her tofu dinner and mumbled, "Ehh…I don't know…"

"Are you even going out for a club or something?"

"no…"

"Honestly, why can't you be more like your sisters? Lily was school president and Elizabeth was on the chess team….you should do something!"

Vanessa didn't reply, she just kept her head down and finished her dinner silently. She took her shower and told her mom she was going to bed early that night. Her mom said, "Wait, I have to talk to you. I'm worried about you. Why did you turn out like this? What did we do wrong to deserve this? Even dad is frustrated with you!" Vanessa snapped an replied harshly, "Dads not even home enough to worry about me!" "How…how dare you," her mother spluttered and Vanessa ran upstairs, slammed her door and locked it. She went out to the balcony and broke down. She sat with her arms slung around her knees and she cried silently.

"Umm…are you okay?" an enchanting voice called from below. Vanessa looked down to see Damien climb up the side of the balcony and drop down next to her. She smiled through her tears, "Romeo, Romeo, where art thou Romeo?" Damien just looked into her olive green eyes, "What's the matter?" Vanessa was helpless against his icy blues and she found herself telling him everything. "My mom always wants me to be like my little seven year old sisters, but they're perfect! Lily loves life and is Miss Popular and Elizabeth is great in sports, school and clubs! I just can't win! And just now, my mom asked what she did to deserve this–the way I came out!" Damien stared into her eyes and tucked a piece of silky black hair behind her ear, "Don't you ever let someone talk to you like that! And how could you think you weren't as good as your sisters! You're smart, nice, and," here Damien flushed and looked down, "Really, really pretty."

Vanessa looked up from her shoes and he lifted his head. For a moment that could have been an eternity their eyes locked. When Damien's eyes stared into hers, Vanessa could have sworn she got brain freeze. In a crazy act of bravery, Damien found her hand and grasped it in his own. She took the huge amount of comfort greatfully. At the feel of his touch, she calmed down and the river of tears became a slow trickle.

When the tears were nearly gone, Damien just said to her, "I want to know everything about you. Tell me." Vanessa looked back at his curiously, "What do you want to know?"

"Everything."

"Ten Questions, then?"

"Ten Questions."

"Okay, shoot."

"Favorite genre?"

"Screamo and Post hardcore."

"Fave band?"

"My Chemical Romance!"

"Really? Me Too! Umm…biggest fear?"

"Earwigs."

"Guilty pleasure movie?"

"Spirited Away."

"Guilty pleasure music?"

"Classical."

"What do you want to be when you grow up?"

"author and poet."

"play any instruments?"

"Yup…guitar."

"Something you cant do?"

"tell time well."

"Fave author?"

"Edgar Allen Poe."

"Last one…whats your biggest wish?"

"You. I mean you know, regular stuff."

"Will you tell me One day?"

"Yes, I will. But for now…my turn!"

"okay?"

"Same questions…fave genre?"

"same as you."

"fave band?"

"same."

"Biggest fear…or are you too manly for fears?"

"No ones too manly for fears….but you have to promise not to laugh."

"I promise."

"sharks."

"why?"

"because…well…one killed…my mom…"

"oh my god, im so sorry!"

"It's okay. It was a while ago…on with the questions."

"Umm…okay…guilty…guilty pleasure movie?"

"Princess Bride."

"I love that movie. Guilty pleasure music?"

"classical. Especially vivaldi."

"ME TOO! I love the four seasons: Autumn the most. What do you want to be when you grow up?"

"Don't laugh musician."

"why? What instruments do you play?"

"drums…HEY we could start a band!"

"ha-ha. Yea! Something you cant do?"

"States and Capitals."

"Fave author?"

"Edgar Allen Poe also."

"what's your biggest wish?"

"I'll tell you when you tell me."

"Ha-ha fine!"

They stared at each other grinning and once again, Vanessa was entranced by his eyes. Their perfect harmony was broken at once when they heard a deep voice downstairs, "I'm Home!" Vanessa looked at Damien worriedly, "You have to go…that's DAD!" Damien whispered, "Okay…goodnight." "Night." Silently, Damien slipped down and ran into his house without another peep. However, his last words echoed in Vanessa's ears all night, rocking her to sleep.

Vanessa roused the next morning earlier and happier than she could ever remember being. She looked at the clock and groaned. Bright against the dark, the green digital numbers flashed

4:05am

However Vanessa found herself wide awak when she remembered last night with Damien, but strangely convinced that it was all just a cruel dream. Let it be, Vanessa Thought, I'll enjoy it while it lasts.

To her great happiness, she saw Damien in all his beauty lounging around at the bus stop casually. He brightened when he looked up and saw her standing there awkwardly. He called, "Hey!" Vanessa smiled tiredly back, secretly cursing herself for waking up so early. "Hi." "Is everything okay with your parents now?" "Yes, thank you." "What's wrong?" "I have to talk to you about something…" Just then the yellow school bus pulled up in front of them. The took seats next to each other automatically and Damien said, "What do you have to tell me?" "Well you don't have to reply or anything, I mean, if you feel uncomfortable but I was just wondering…" "just shoot." "Well I was wondering about your mom…"

At once Damien's smile fell off of his face and Vanessa quickly said, "Oh…im sorry…forget I said anything…" "No, you should know…Well, I was very close with my mom; she was amazing. She respected the way I am and supported me in drums…my dada thought it was a waste of time. Well, anyway, they were getting a divorce and I was living with my mom. Well, see, my mom and me can dive and one day on a tourist thing, we did just that. She went first; they didn't know there was a shark in the waters. I saw everything…her last words were, 'Damien, help me!' I was too scared to move. It was my fault she died. That was two months ago…" "Oh my god! Damien, I'm so sorry," Vanessa hesistated, then embraced him in a warm hug, "Damien its not your fault at all! You against a huge shark! There was no way of preventing it! It was a freak accident!" Damien looked into Vanessa's eyes, both of them swimming with tears, "I know…I just can't help thinking that if I would have tried to help her…" "you would have died!" Vanessa slowly released him from her tight grip and looked into his eyes again, "Then…then I would have never met you."

With a screech and a jolt, the old bus pulled to a shaky stop in front of the school. Damien and Vanessa walked off of it side by side and Damien turned to her, "Well I hope this doesn't make things awkward…" "Of Course not! I just need to process this…I just can't get over it…I mean, I always get mad at my parents…but what is they died? My last memory of them would be a huge fight! I have been taking them for granted!" "Hey respect is a two-way street. That's what my mom used to say. They have to respect you!" "Aww thanks."

In first period math, Vanessa was surprised and delighted to find that Damien was in her class. After a while, Damien looked down and blushed furiously, "Vanessa, could I have your number...i mean, in case I need to get homework or something?" "Yea here, ill give you every way of communicating with me, even if im locked in my room on myspace!" On his right hand Vanessa wrote

Vanessa Cell

555-1164

She had to stop once, though when it was tickling Damien too much, so took out a piece of paper and wrote in her unique handwriting:

handed the little slip of paper to Damien and smiled. He said, "wait isn't your screenname from Hang Em High and myspace from their first album?" "yup! I started loving them when I was"

"nine?"

"yea…how'd you guess?"

"that's when I started liking them!"

"ohhh. What's your favorite song by them?"

"I cant choose but I guess…"

The loud bell rang, inturupting his thoughts and knocking the words from his head. Damien and Vanessa parted ways; they both had science, but with different teachers. Vanessa hurried to science so Mrs. Sabmal wouldn't get too angry. She sat behind Crystal Paxley and sighed.

Crystal was talking to the girl next to her, "That new kid? Hottie! But sooo emo! I mean, cut his hair, dye it blonde and make him work out then….yummy!" The girl replied, "what's his name?" "I don't know and honey, I don't care. All I know is that hes gonna be a nice trophy to carry around. Vanessa felt blind fury rear up and she interrupted, "He's not emo and he has a name!"

"Ohh, does the freak have a crush on the emo?"

"Shut up hes a person! You have to realize that he's a person! Not some trophy to carry around and you should EVER do that to someone!"

"Honet, ALL he is is a trophy!"

"NO and one day you'll have to realize that!"

"Just crawl into your hole!"

"meany word you."

"What did you just say to me?"

"You heard me. Meany Word you."

Crystal turned aroung with a huff and ignored Vanessa the way she always did. Vanessa just glared into the back of Crystal's blonde head, hating every ounce of her being more than she ever had before. The bell rang and she walked stiffly out the door.

Next, Vanessa had "specialty" music for people who play things like piano, guitar, drums, bass, etc. Sadly, Damien wasn't in her class or any other for that matter. It was strange though…Vanessa felt like she knew Damien he whole life and although she didn't know it, Damien felt the exact same way about her.

It was the next week [prior to it, though, Damien and Vanessa kept on getting closer and closer when the very worst day of her waking life came up to her and hit her in the face.

In second period, Crystal turned to Vanessa when she sat down, "Guess what! I got my trophy! That's right, Damien asked me out. It was adorable. He said how beautiful I was and how he loved everything about me!"

Vanessa just stared back Wide-eyed.

A week passed.

Another Week passed.

Another one gone.

Through those weeks, Vanessa simply stopped feeling. Damien kept on getting more and more worried about her and he didn't realize what was going on AT ALL[Boys tend to do that

On the Friday of the fourth week the pain came flooding into her, worse than she ever felt before in her life. She simply broke that day.

Damien looked out his window and saw the one he truly loved in the pouring rain, her face-streaked wet for reasons Damien suspected wasn't only the rain. She opened her mouth and screamed,

"You were my wish! I love you!"

She fell to her knees and sobbed helplessly on the gravel. Not bothering to put on a jacket, Damien went out into the rain and dropped beside her, holding her close to him. He whispered,

"A glooming peace this morning with it brings;
the sun, for sorrow, will not show his head:
Go hence, to have more talk of these sad things;
some shall be pardon'd, and some punished:
For never was a story of more woe
than this of Juliet and her Romeo."

And here he embraced her and whispered into her ear, "You Vanessa Paller, are my Juliet and I willl never let anything happen to you." And there in the view of all the nosy neighbors peering wide-eyed out their windows his cold, pale lips collided with her scarlet ones in a passionate kiss.

"Alice! Are you okay! What was the vision of?" Alice recovered from her vision and said; "It didn't have anything to do with us at all…" she stopped when she saw that girl[Veronica? Victoria? Vanessa, that was it! Staring at her, a smile playing at her lips and Vanessa said, "Oh? I wouldn't say that…"