From Down Below

Chapter 1

Before I begin, I would just like to note that I started writing this 3 years ago. I was OBSESSED with mermaids and my writing skills were not at all developed. I am very aware of how crappy and cliche this story is, so please bear with me.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I dive in and it grabs me. It pulls me under, my struggling useless. I try to scream but all that comes out are bubbles. I realize that I'm going to drown and let myself go. I start to fade out and then I am gone.

I wake up gasping for air and soaked in my own sweat. This is the fifth time this week that I've had that dream. I don't know why. I'm not scared of the water or anything. In fact, I love the water. I just shake my head and try to ignore it, dragging myself out of bed. It's the first day at my new school and I'm really nervous. Maybe that's what's causing the dreams. I mean, it makes sense. I'm going to a new high school in the middle of the year. That's pretty darn terrifying. I sit up and stretch, reaching to check my phone for any new messages from my best friend, Hannah. I moved across the world. I used to live in California and now I live in Scotland. The Orkney Islands, to be precise. At least I don't have to learn a new language. The worst part is that I have to ride a boat over to my school on a different island than the one I live on. It's all very confusing.

I slip on my baggy jeans, old sneakers, a t-shirt, and a sweatshirt. I have no need to really impress anybody today. "You're going to be late for your first day of school!" my mom calls up. "Hurry!"

I run the brush through my hair super quick and rush downstairs. I grab my lunch box, my backpack, and plant a quick kiss on my mom's cheek and I'm out the door.

I rush to the boat stop right before right before the boat leaves and jump on. I search for a seat until I see a guy waving me down. I run down and sit beside him. "New girl?" he asks.

"Yeah," I reply.

"Cool. Name's Will," he says, sticking his hand out.

I shake it. "I'm Shadow." I take a moment to study him. He has mid length black hair that covers his eyes; the one eye that I can see is ocean blue. He's wearing tight, ripped, black jeans, a cutoff black t-shirt, a black beanie, and black tennis shoes. He is definitely not bad for the eyes, I'll say that. I instantly note the difference in looks between us.

I have long, straight, dirty blonde hair and side bangs that cover one of my eyes. My eyes are sea green and I have big nerdy glasses. I'm pulled back into reality when he says, "Nice to meet you. How do you like it here so far?"

"I don't really know," I reply, still half in trance. "I haven't really had a lot of time to look around much. You know, unpacking, getting settled in, the typical 'just moved in' stuff."

"I could show you around, if you'd like," he offers.

"Okay. That sounds awesome," I say, meaning it. The boat suddenly comes to a stop. "This is it," he says. "Want me to walk you to your class?"

"Sure. I could definitely use some help getting around," I reply.

"Cool. What's your first class?" he asks.

I look at my schedule. "Um, Algebra 2 with Miss Fairchild."

"Really? Mine's right next door to that. Follow me." I follow him into a classroom at the end of the hallway and go in. We find two free seats and sit down. The bell rings as soon as I sit and the long day begins.

********

When I get home after school, I run up to my room and throw myself on the bed and my things on the floor. It was a long and stressful day. As soon as I close my eyes, my phone rings. I rush to pick it up, thinking it's Hannah, and pick it up. "Hello?" I say excitedly.

"Hi Shadow. It's Will from school. You're happy to hear my glorious voice, I see," Will teases.

I laugh. "Oh, yeah. I've been waiting all day for this wonderful moment. What's up?"

"Um, I was just wondering when you wanted me to show you around," he said.

"Well, I'm not doing anything right now."

"Sounds good. I'll meet you outside of your house?"

"Okay. Sounds great. Do you know where I live?"

"Actually, yeah. It's a small island. Word travels fast."

"Well that's not at all stalkery." I could hear my smile come through my voice. "I'll be ready in about ten minutes."

"Sounds great. See you then."

"See you. Bye." I hung up and smiled. My first day here and I already had a friend. Who knew I was so darn awesome? I slip into some tennis shoes and reapply my lip gloss then I go outside and wait. In about ten minutes he is here. "Where should we start?" I wonder out loud.

"I was thinking to just walk around and see what we see, if that's okay with you," Will says.

"Yeah. Definitely, sounds great," I reply. We walk off towards an empty field.

"This field is said to be haunted. A lot of teenagers come here to hand out and smoke and all that stuff. Me, I come here to escape the world. To be alone. To think. I'm kind of the deep thinker type," he explains. I nod.

"Me too," I say simply. We move on to an old theatre.

"This is the theatre," Will explains. "It's kind of old and run down but they still put on really good shows. They do the classics a lot. I think they're doing Romeo and Juliet tonight. Not my favorite, but pretty decent." I nod and we move on. It's almost five o'clock so we go to a seafood restaurant. "Does this place look good?" he asks.

"Looks awesome," I reply. We go in and sit down at a booth. We get our menus and order. I get the vegetarian salad and Will gets the California Rolls.

"Why aren't you getting fish?" he asks. "We are at a seafood restaurant."

"I hate fish," I reply. He nods and starts to eat. I hesitate then dig in.

********

We finish up with our tour then head back to my house. It's a really small island so it only took a few hours. We say goodbye and I go inside. I go up to my room and plop down on my bed. I smile to myself and fall asleep.

*********

I wake up in the morning to my alarm clock blaring at me. I hit it and groan. I drag myself out of bed and slip on some clothes. Today I decide to wear my baggy jeans and a tank top. I brush my hair really quick and put it up in a braid. I run down stairs and stuff my breakfast down. I grab my backpack and rush out the door. I sprint to the bus stop just in time. I hop on and hurry back to where Will is sitting. "What's up?" I ask, trying to start conversation. He just stares at me sadly and looks down at his lap. "What's wrong?" I question.

He just plants on a smile. "Nothing. I'm fine," he says. I can tell that he's lying but I decide not to pry. Our friendship is fragile enough as it is. I don't want it to break.

We arrive at school and go to class. The whole day goes pretty smooth until after school. That's when the real story begins.