Until Her Heart Stops Beating (Darkest Night Trilogy Book 1)

Chapter 1

  It was a fairly average day when it all started. I was prepared for yet another day of the same old routine. I'd wake up half an hour late, throw on the first clothes I could find, grab a piece of toast and my schoolbag before vaulting the back wall and sprinting to school. Via the shop, naturally. 

   I sat through the first four lessons and waited for dinner. After the bell rang at the end of French (or was it Spanish? I don't know, it all sounds the same), I went to the canteen and sat down at my usual table. I took my sandwiches out of my bag and gave them a sniff. Chicken. Before I could take a bite, I casually looked up and saw something that would change my life forever. The school canteen now sold garlic bread! As I returned to my sandwich, I noticed something in the corner of my eye that would change my life even more than seasoned baked goods. She was sitting at the next table across from mine, completely alone. The lights shone off her shoulder-length black hair, reflecting at just the right angle for me to be momentarily dazzled. The raven black hair perfectly accentuated her naturally pale skin. She flicked it out of her face, and my jaw almost dropped. She was mind-numbingly beautiful, in every way. Her amethyst green eyes happened upon my direction and I averted mine. I spent a minute that felt like an hour debating what I should do before I finally decided to bite the bullet. 

"This seat taken?" I casually asked, gesturing to the vacant seat beside her. 

"No, be my guest." Her voice had a delicate edge to it, a bit like the chime of a hand bell. As I sat an awkward silence fell. 

"I'm Blake," I eventually said. "I haven't seen you around before." 

"I'm Kristen, my family just moved in a few weeks ago." Another awkward silence. Just as I was about to say something that could potentially end my already non-existent social life, the air was suddenly filled with the latest single from Darkest Night, my favourite rock band. Before I could formulate an apology, Kristen's usually white face flushed scarlet and her hands fumbled under the table. After five years in high school, I could easily recognise the attempt to discretely turn off a mobile phone. As the music stopped, she shot me a slightly embarrassed smile. 

"You like Darkest Night?" I asked her. 

"Yeah, they helped me through a really rough time. Before I moved here my boyfriend had left me for someone else. I cried for weeks before I heard 'You're the Needle' " 

"So, are you with anyone now?" I had to make sure, just so I knew where I stood. She smiled at me again. She paused. 

"That depends." 

"On what?" 

"On you." She lightly placed her hands on top of mine, just resting on the tabletop. My heart almost skipped a beat. Kristen, possibly the single most beautiful girl I had ever met, had just asked me of all people to be her boyfriend. The logical side of me questioned the emotional consequences of going out with a girl I'd just met. The rest of me told the logical side of me to shut the hell up. We talked for a little while longer until the bell rang. We then quickly exchanged phone numbers and went our separate ways. As I walked, I pondered what had happened over the last half an hour. I'd gotten a new girlfriend. An actual, human, non-figment of my imagination girlfriend. At that moment my phone vibrated in my pocket to tell me that I had a text message. 

"Love you xxxx". I smiled to myself as the realisation hit me. She was serious. 

Later that evening I sat on my bed, attempting to focus on homework. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get her face out of my mind. In the end I just gave up and decided to check my phone. 5 missed calls, all from Kristen. I quickly picked up my phone to call her back, but before I could dial the number my phone started ringing. 

"Hello?" 

"Blake? It's Kristen, just wondering, you know that cafe down the road from school? Well I heard they do meals there so I was just going to ask if you wanted to go for one?" 

"Sure, when and what time?" 

"About half an hour?" I paused. On the one hand I couldn't refuse a date with my new girlfriend, but on the other hand if I told my dad I was going on a date I'd never hear the end of it. 

"Ok, but I'd have to get a bit of money together." She laughed. 

"Is that what kind of girl you think I am? 'Come on, I'm taking you out for dinner but you're paying'. It's on me." 

"Ok then, half an hour?" 

"Ok, bye, love you loads!" The phone went dead. Once the soothing sound of her voice had gone, I began to panic. I now had a girlfriend, AND a date with said girlfriend. Neither of which I'd ever had before. Honestly. Kristen was my first real girlfriend. Whenever people asked, I'd tell them I was single through choice. Which, in my defence, was true. I WAS single through choice. Theirs. 

So nervous was an understatement as I made my way up the hill that led to the small cafe. I didn't know the appropriate dress code for a first date, so I threw on my Darkest Night T-shirt and a pair of black jeans and hoped for the best. I next had to explain my absence to my parents. Luckily I side-stepped that minefield by telling them I was going to Michael's. Michael being my former best friend who, as far as my parents were concerned, I still hang around with. As I neared the top of the hill I could see the cafe. In all honesty it was more of a mini-nightclub than a cafe, but everybody knew it as a cafe. The neon sign above the door informed me that the cafe/mini-nightclub was called "Uncle Joe's Coffee Emporium". It's a bit of a misnomer, since it sells pretty much every drink known to man, not just coffee. Although I guess "Uncle Joe's Coffee, Tea, Alcopop and Blackcurrant Squash Emporium" doesn't quite have the same ring to it. As I nervously walked through the door, a bell above it that perfectly matched the pitch of Kristen's voice signalled my arrival. Before I could completely take in my surroundings, what could only be described as a pale, black-haired cannonball launched itself at me. The cannonball put her arms around me, paused for a second and then burst out laughing. 

"What?" I self-consciously asked. And then I realised. Kristen was wearing a Darkest Night T-Shirt, and a pair of black jeans. She led me to a table and we sat down. 

"You see anything you like the look of?" she asked, gesturing towards the menu. 

"Yeah, and she's sitting right next to me". She blushed, then took my hand. As we browsed the menu, we both said simultaneously: 

"I think I'll just have the garlic bread, I'm not feeling that hungry." We laughed a little at the sheer coincidence of it. Despite never having had a date before, I think I managed to improvise quite well. She stayed until the end at any rate. We just casually talked throughout the whole thing. After we'd finished, we sat on the bench outside for a little while to take in the view from the top of the hill. 

"It's just so beautiful, don't you think?" she mused. I looked straight at her. 

"Yeah, it is." I put one hand on her cheek. She smiled and closed her eyes. I leaned forwards, like they did in the films, and touched her lips with my own. After five seconds, we broke the kiss off. She smiled at me yet again. I kept my hand on her cheek and looked directly into her eyes. 

"I love you Kristen". She put her hand on my cheek. 

"I love you too Blake". She pulled my head towards hers and kissed me again.