The It Factor

Chapter 1

My eyes trailed over all the surfaces of my new room apprehensively, searching for something wrong.  That was all I wanted, something I could complain about to my Mother who had moved me across the country, but I found nothing.  Everything was in place, the colors I liked, I just couldn't complain.

I now had a queen sized bed instead of the twin sized one back at my old home.  It was covered in a brown, white polka doted duvet with several pillows near the brown wall it was backed up against.  My dresser was connected to my bed, so pillows lined the hard surface so I wouldn't hurt myself when I rolled around at night.

Yes, I am a restless sleeper.  I pity the man who marries me someday.

There was a small bookshelf on the wall next to my bed, stuffed with books and baskets my Mom had send ahead.  You see, my Mom, Eileen Davis, is an interior designer.  She sent her team ahead of us to fix up our house before we arrived, probably so I wouldn't complain as much.

A fairly large TV sat on top of the bookshelf, along with some other miscellaneous items from my old room.  A vase I made at the age of eight, filled with freshly cut roses from my Mom's new garden.  My teddy bear I've had sense I was two, things like that.

The wall that my bed backed up to also had three picture frames with three slots, filled with pictures of my and my best friends.  The purple duffel bag I had been holding dropped from my grasp as I stared at the pictures.  I was already homesick, that couldn't be a good sign.  My gut twisted so I ran forward, jumping on my bed with such a force I bounced a few times.

Why did we have to move?  I understand that my father left us a year ago, and ever sense then we've been tight for money, but we were doing fine!  But my mother wanted to open a new shop down here in hopes people might need her services more.  Apparently it would 'raise her income by fifty percent,' or something like that.

I buried my head in my pillow, stifling a cry.  No, Serenity, you've cried enough!  The night before I had spent with my closest friends, the ones displayed in the picture frames, attempting not to get too sad.  We had all failed miserably.  The majority of our time had been spent hugging each other and crying our eyes out, not focused on our junk food or poorly picked movie.

"Honey, are you okay?"  My Mothers quiet voice asked, and a small hand rested on my shoulder.  I shook my head, grabbing fist fulls of the blanket in my hands. "Oh baby, it will get better.  I know you're missing your friends now, but you'll make new ones."

"How can you know?"  I asked with a shaky voice, unsure if she could hear me through the blanket. "I've always been the odd ball, you know how long it took me to make friends back home.  I didn't even have a single friend until I was ten!"  She squeezed my shoulder in what, I'm sure, was supposed to be a reassuring way.  It didn't help.

"What about Cody?  You've known him sense you were five!"  She said cheerily.  I lifted my head to give her my best 'what-the-hell' face.

"Cody, Mom?!  He's my cousin that is five years older than me!  He doesn't count!"  I scoffed, sitting up and pulling my legs to my chest. "Besides, he would torture me most of the time."   A tear slipped past my eye, and I wiped it away angrily.  No!  I've cried enough!

"Just trust me, alright?" She said, giving me a small smile.  I looked into her almond colored eyes, trying to find the strength to believe her.  Knowing my mother, she would probably be right, but me, being my seventeen year old self, couldn't admit that.  She tucked a strand of her thin blond hair behind her ear, sighing heavily.  "I'm going grocery shopping, want to come?"

"No thanks,"  I said quickly, rolling off of my bed and hurriedly grabbing my duffel bag.  I shoved my hand into the side pouch, quickly pulling out my iPhone and iPod touch.  No new messages.  Well, that shows how much my old friends love me.