TT: ready to be AMAZED?

HK: Tia, the moment you actually amaze me, I will personally get up on top of the Empire State building, jump off, and scream "I LOVE REBECCA BLACK!"

TT: *GASP* HOW DARE YOU!

Disclaimer: hmm, let's just take a glimpse of the reality of the situation. We're two young teenage girls, posting this story on fanfiction. How much do you think we own?

I woke abruptly, my throat grabbing at the air around me, my head snapping up in alert.

Absorbing a few seconds to steady myself, my muscles relaxed. I had awaken from a nightmare about Shadow Falls nonetheless, and I suddenly felt the need to hurl up my dinner into the nearest trash can. I loosened my legs from the sheets that ensnared me in my bed and shakily rose from the comfort of my pillows, cautiously made my way towards the bedroom door, making sure no freaky psychopath campers were watching me from inside my closet with a chainsaw. Before twisting the knob, I sliced my vision across the room and over my shoulder, scanning the digital alarm clock that rest on the bedside table. It was just slightly shy of four o' clock. Sighing, I paused another moment. No sound of a chainsaw roaring to life. No silent breathing coming from my closet. I inched out of the bedroom door and my bare feet crunched against the hard carpet.

Mimicking an undercover spy from an action movie as best as I could, I tiptoed my way down the stairs. When I reached the bottom, I twisted to the right into a different hallway that led to the room furthest to the front of the house. Curving my way around the other side of the staircase, I stalked into the room. I had always admired the way my mother had arranged it: a light beige carpet covering the creaky floorboards, a television sitting on a rich chestnut dresser in the corner of the room facing out so it was on an angle, a stiff brown couch sitting against the wall, just right of the doorway, brown walls to match the couch, and an antique chestnut desk which a PC sat on. I shuffled my feet across the room and slumped down into the seat on front of the computer. The green light on the machine told me the computer was already on, so I just shook the mouse against the mouse pad and the monitor lit up the darkened room. I left-clicked on the Adobe Photo-shop application on the main screen and it reluctantly opened up. I waved the little arrow over the "File" button. Open. I searched through my files and clicked on the nearest unfinished project.

Up on the screen popped a photo of a sketch of a rose that loosely hung over the edge of an old desk. The camera had been set on the desk, next to the sketch, when I captured it. I thought the angle gave it a certain dramatic feel. And I picked the right day to take the picture, too; the rays of sunshine poured in slices through the window shades. Observing all the settings on the right of the picture, I clicked on "Color Effects" and burnt the colors of the photo. I crinkled my nose in disgust. Too... saturated. I undid the effect and clicked on "Lomo." It gave the photo a green-ish tint, burned black into the corners, some sort of auto level. And just a touch of vibrancy. Satisfied, I saved it in my documents, leaving myself a mental note that I wasn't quite finished with it yet. My passion for photography never seemed to rest.

I held the power button on the computer until the device shut down, and the eerie, silenced darkness filled the room once again. I stood up from the chair and twisted around, only to be scared half to death.

"James!" I shouted in surprise, staggering backwards a step and clutching my chest. "You scared the living hell out of me!"

"Sorry, I didn't expect you to be down here at four o' clock A.M." he reasoned. I regained my balance and glanced back at the computer.

"Oh, did you need the computer?" I bent down to turn it back on, but he softly caught my elbow.

"No."

"Then you're down here because...?"

He shrugged. "Can't sleep. Entertain me."

"Entertain you?" I nearly choked on my own words from laughing. "At four in the morning? Maybe I'm not awake, and just in one of your dreams."

He shrugged again. "Yanno, maybe I do need the computer. To do some quick research on the camp. Maybe I'll even get lucky and find out this place is actually a prison where the camp leaders beat innocent little children and keep them captive the entire summer."

"Then Dad will come to his senses and keep us home." I pondered on the thought. Was he just trying to get rid of us? There was probably a million other options, a million other camps to choose from, but no. He just had to pick the weirdest and most suspicious one. That is so like him, I thought. The same old fight-picking, would-do-anything-to-be-rid-of-my-presence father. I mentally spit at his face. That's what you get, you ungrateful prick.

Realizing I'd been standing there longer than necessary, dreaming about making a fool out of my dad, I slipped in, "I'm going to bed. Night James."

"Night."

I strolled past him, eyes straight forward, listing reasons why me and my brother shouldn't be held hostage in Camp Freakshow for the summer, memorizing exactly what I was going to say to my parents the following morning.

"Honey! Wake up! You've got a big day ahead of you!"

I made a grumbling noise and shoved my pillow over my head to drone out my mother's calling.

"LAYLA!"

"WHAT!" I jumped and rolled out of the bed onto the floor. Observing the situation: I was tangled up in a cocoon of blankets. I heard my mother's untroubled laugh from the doorway and it trailed close enough so I could see her slippers in front of my face. She bent down, hovering over me.

"Trust me sweetie, I want this as much as you do." she pat my head and hoisted herself up. Again, mom's caring words and touch allayed my fears and soothed my worry. Nonetheless, it didn't last long, because I then realized I had to exert my energy trying to untangle myself.

Making another grunting noise, I kicked off the sheets until they all stripped off of me. Following my daily routine, I zombie-walked toward the closet in my bedroom and chose a pink camisole, a beige tank-top to layer it, and short-shorts that were purposely fraid at the bottoms. I slipped on some flip-flops and took a quick glance in the mirror. Of course, the outfit I had chosen makes my tiny height of 5'3 look even shorter than what I intended, because I had always been self-conscious about my height. Being nearly the shortest person in the entire high school doesn't really boost up your confidence. But I admired the way my tan showed against the light colors and my sandy blond hair that I curled at the bottom. I half-ran to my vanity, shoved my butt in the twisty seat and swiped some eyeliner on my waterline. I curled up my lashes with mascara and lightly sweeped some eyeshadow on, a color just slightly lighter than my skin tone. I noticed my blue eyes stood out against the makeup, but it enhanced my freckles that danced over my nose.

"Morning lovely's," I flashed my family a hopefully obvious fake smile and joined my already-dressed brother at the kitchen table. My mother scooped some eggs off of the frying pan with her greasy spatula and onto a paper plate, then slid it in front of me. The warmness of the eggs filled my nose and I realized how hungry I actually was. I grabbed a fork and started vigorously shoving the food down my throat. Halfway through my breakfast, I realized I must've looked like a complete animal attacking their prey, so I nonchalantly glanced over to James, who blankly sat there staring into space, or who was trying to look as if he didn't care what was going on. But I think we were all well aware of James: like a pot of boiling water on the stove. Just half a second away from blowing up in your face, hot water going everywhere.

"Morning sweetheart, you ready for your first day of Shadow Falls?" my father grinned at me. I stood up from my seat, and walked behind him, acting like I was observing the newspaper in his hands.

"Huh, that's funny. I don't see anything about hell freezing over."

James snapped from his trance and chuckled to himself. My dad shot me a glare.

"You listen here, young lady. You are going to this camp the ENTIRE summer whether you like it or not, so there's no point in making the worst out of the situation. Just think of all the cool friends you'll make!"

"I'm sorry, I think you said 'freaky' wrong." I gave him an oops look and shrugged one shoulder. Ignoring the look my dad gave me - which looked like he was mentally strangling me - and twisted back on my heel, heading back in my seat. I locked eyes with my mom. "So, Mommy, where do you stand in all of this?"

She lifted her shoulders and her arms, giving me an it's out of my hands look. "I'm sorry, baby. Your father's right. You guys need this camp. It'll build up your confidence. Straighten you out."

"I'm starting to believe this 'camp' is really a juvenile prison."

"Please sweetie, don't be like this. It won't be as bad as you think."

I sighed, realizing I was getting no where with my argument. I was going, and that's final. "When do we take off?"

"Ten. So you should go pack now." Dad murmured, gesturing me towards the stairs. "Go on. Get!"

"Ugh!" I yelled and grabbed James' elbow, swinging us up the stairs.

"Hey, easy with the long nails!" he meant to say forcefully, but just ended up cracking his straight face and the laughter overcame him. Nearly giggling myself, I remembered how infuriated I was with my parents. I threw myself back to my room and slammed my suitcase open on my bed. After shoving random shoes and clothes into the case, I angrily zipped it up.

"Are you two ready yet?" My father demanded loudly from the first level of the house. Of course I'm not ready. You're shipping me off to Creeps-R-Us for three months. Slumping my back against the wall until my butt hit the carpet, I buried my face in my hands. I didn't wanna go. I didn't wanna face the reality of the situation, pick up my life and toss it into some cabin, which has the fifty percent chance of being broke into in the middle of the night by some "troubled" teenager with knives hid in his boots. Ugh, why me? I swallowed my pride and half-heartily trudged down the stairs with my suitcase to accompany me.

When we arrived at the assigned bus stop, I was surprised I was still awake. Drool hung over my lip, threatening to drop, so I quickly swiped at it with the back of my hand. I struggled to get up out of the cramped Mustang and fish out my suitcase. It was almost on cue when the bus creeped toward the bus stop.

My mom's lips curled up slightly. "Smile. You'll have a great time."

Yeah right. "Love you mom." I got up on my tip-toes and kissed her cheek. I felt James brush his shoulder against mine, telling me it was time to go. I walked onto the bus without giving a single look to my father. I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of me even acknowledging his presence.

Suddenly I found myself in front of the bus isle, James directly behind me, staring at a pair of eyes.

Starling silver eyes.

"Hi!" The girl stuck her hand out, nearly jabbing at my stomach. "Haven't seen you around. First year? Oh, a newbie! I love newbies. Wanna sit next to me? I'll fill you in on all the camp secrets." she winked.

"Sydney, you're scaring the poor girl." a boy, about four inches taller than the girl, hovered over her from behind, placing a hand on her shoulder. He locked eyes with me, and my shoulders immediately untensed. I don't know what soothed me so quickly: his perfect jawline; his mysterious black eyes like dark tunnels, luring me in so I'll find what's on the other side; his body, which had to have hit the gym at least twice a week, or the way he just seemed to pull me away from reality... just from one look.

"Hi."

I realized I had been staring at him, biting my lip, fantasizing about him. His voice snapped me out of my trance, and I managed a "Hey," with a barely-there smile. He grinned back at me, possibly with a glint of tease. James placed a hand on my shoulder, and I wasn't sure if it was a sign to get me moving down the isle, or a protective gesture. Either way, I knew I shouldn't bee standing in the middle of the isle while it drove down the parkway.

My vision refocused to Sydney, who still stood uncomfortably close to me. Hopefully pulling off the best smile I could, I said, "Thanks, but I think I'll just sit with my brother."

She nodded and quickly jumped back into her seat, tucking her skinny legs up to her chest. Ignoring the fact that everyone on the bus had their eyes on me, I - politely as I could - pushed past the boy who had strucken my senses before. Something tells me he purposely stood there for an extra moment, but I mentally swiped away the thought. Just get through the day, I coached myself. Its only the first day.

I slid into one of the two-person seat next to James. Setting down the suitcase and hoisting my feet up on them, I observed the bus. Half of the kids were goth. Cold, hard, goth. A black-haired boy with a nose ring even winked at me, and I quickly averted my eyes, hoping he'd take a hint. A more normal-looking couple sat two rows behind, having an intense makeout session. I exhaled loudly.

"I know right," James grumbled flatly, even though I didn't say anything. At least he knew what I meant, I thought.

"I'm scared already."

"Don't be scared!" Sydney's voice made me jump. I glanced upward, and she hung over the seat in front of us. "The camp really isn't as bad as you think. I'd actually rather be here than my own house! OF course, this is my second year here, so I'm just twice as excited." she pointed over to the more darker side of the bus. "Those are the goth kids. They look weird, but they have a lot more in common with you than you think."

As if on cue, a girl with burgundy-colored layered hair, bangs covering her right eye, an eyebrow piercing, and a lip piercing, emerged out of the shadows and jumped into the seat beside Sydney and smiled widely at me, revealing her perfect white teeth. "She speaks the truth. I'm Ronnie, and you are?"

"Layla," I answered reluctantly. Sydney gasped.

"Layla! Oh, that's such a pretty name. I wish my name was Layla. Isn't 'Sydney' that smelly seaport in Australia? Makes me think of fish. I hate fish. Do you like fish?" her eyes fixed on James. "Who's that? Your boyfriend?"

"I'm her brother." James said quietly, but still with a light and friendly smile.

Ronnie dramatically inhaled. "It speaks!"

James chuckled, and I felt his shoulders move as he did. "Nice to meet you, too."

My attention snapped away from the two girls when I heard a loud "What!" come from a few rows ahead. I realized it was the boy that said hi to me only a few minutes ago. I bit my lip again, slightly craning my neck to get a better look.

"That's Blake," Ronnie informed me, as if reading my mind. Blake. "He's kinda creepy, right? But in an attractive manner. Don't get your hopes up, he doesn't let many people in."

"He seems..." I started, but I just couldn't put my finger on it. He seems...

"Mysterious?" Sydney answered for me, brushing a thick, brown, wavy piece of hair out of her face. "Like he's got a lot of secrets?"

"Maybe," I pondered on the thought for a moment. Did he seem like he was hiding something? I didn't know him well enough. One look in his eyes was well and good, but it took more. Were did the luring tunnels lead?

The bus driver tapped on his megaphone. I hadn't noticed it, but the bus was stopped and in front of a patch of woods, which led to a big wooden building. "Okay kids, make a calm and orderly line out of the bus. Wait outside for the camp leader. Leave all bags and suitcases in the bus. They will be brought into your cabins for you."

Everyone got up and shuffled off the bus, as uncalm and unorderly it could get. Most of them didn't even bother walking normally, so they jumped over the seats. The bus driver just stood on the side, lazily barking at the delinquents, but something told me that he's gone through this a lot more than I thought. I glanced down at my suitcase. I didn't really like the thought of my personal belongings being handled by complete strangers, but I figured I had no choice and I slid out of the seat anyway. James, being the last person off the bus, said "Thank you" to the bus driver and gave a small guy salute to him.

Boys.

I stepped onto the gravel, joining the rest of the teens. I wasn't tempted AT ALL to join any of the other cliques outside, so I hoped James didn't find some group of girls more interesting and leave me stranded by myself. Of course, despite my worries, Sydney and Ronnie pushed past the throng of troubled teens and stopped in front of me and James. It took me a few seconds to realize they brought a boy over with them.

"Nate, this is Layla. Layla, you heard me." Sydney introduced us. I shook his hand, being welcomed by his warm touch and sincere hazel eyes.

"Hi."

"Hey."

"And that's James," Ronnie gestured toward my brother. James slightly tilted up his chin.

"Sup."

Drawing my attention away from the four, a woman, not a year over twenty five, held up a megaphone. Her long hair came down her back like a curtain of red, and she began to speak. "Welcome, everyone! I'm Holiday, the camp leader, and the one to guide you through your first day at Shadow Falls!"

Some kids clapped. "Everyone follow me!" Holiday threw up one arm and walked towards the giant wooden building. I felt my feet move under me, carrying me towards the doors, not sure if I was brave enough to foresee what lied inside.

TT: just do it.

HK: *balancing myself on top of the Empire State building* I'M GONNA DIE IF I JUMP!

TT: THEN JUST SAY THAT YOU LOVE REBECCA BLACK!

HK: UM, I REALLY WOULD RATHER JUMP AND DIE.

TT: FINE. Say you have Bieber Fever.

HK: o_o *jumps*