Ch2: Halloween:
Jessica is sitting in the darkness of her room; staring out her window, staring at the rain. Her eyes are as bright as the rain drops that are slowly flowing outside. Her long blue hair is in a french braid; her face is whiter than usual. Jessica is thinking about everything that happened last month. She sighs so as to relieve herself of that frustration, yet nothing works.
A month has passed…a month since I learned I was a witch and got my powers…a month since I learned that my best friend was a witch too…a month since we killed the demon that murdered my mother…I can hardly believe this is all real. But I saw it with my own two eyes.
She slowly stands up and walks over to the mirror.
A tear rolls down her soft cheek as she sees that she resembles her mother so much. She has her mom’s long, silky hair and brown eyes, which for some bizarre reason were always bright. She wipes away the tear from her face and changes her expression from sad to strong.
No, I’m not like my mom. I may look like her, but I will most definitely not end up like her. I will fight ’til the end with Steven….
Her eyes widen and she’s come to realize something. She quickly looks at her wrist watch; which was a pretty, square-shaped watch with a denim band. It is a quarter to eight. She grabs her bag, runs out the door and down the stairs.
“Oh my god! They are so gonna kill me!”
As she opens the front door, she yells out to her father,
“Dad, I’m going over to Steven’s, okay? I’ll be back later! Love ya!”
Her father is just coming out of the kitchen and seems to be struggling with a couple of dusty old books, when he hears the front door slam shut.
Hmm, wonder what the hurry was about? She didn’t even take her umbrella!
He smiles, sets books on the coffee table and turns on the TV; he flips through channels, until something catches his eye….
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Meanwhile, Jessica is running through the heavy rain…without an umbrella. She is completely soaked and annoyed.
“Damn, I wish I could orb on command! It’d be much quicker and less…wet. I cannot believe that I am late for magic lessons again!”
As she jumps off the curb to cross the street, she lands in a huge puddle. Her jeans are much more wet than they were before.
“Oh well, that is just great! Could this day get any worse?”
Suddenly, a dark figure appears behind her and slowly starts walking towards her. She hears footsteps behind her and turns to face someone-or something whose face is green, droopy and wrinkled.
“What the-? I think I spoke too soon. Who the heck are you?”
But the creature does not speak at all; instead it groans and continues walking towards her. The girl raises her hands in hopes that whatever the thing is freezes. The girl’s facial expression quickly changes as she sees that the creature continues to move towards her.
“Today is so not my day. Jo-”
The creature is now a couple of feet away; it raises its hand and green webs shoot out. Jessica barely manages to dodge them. She lands on the hard, wet pavement.
“Whoa, that was close. What are you trying to do?! Decapitate me!? Steven, get your butt over here!”
She is in the middle of the lonely street when a boy appears. In that instance, the creature quickly takes another shot at her, but the boy waves his hand and the creature is sent flying towards a pole.
“If you’re not going to play nicely, then don’t play at all. Are you okay, Jessica?”
Jessica is still on the ground. The boy walks towards her and offers his hand to help her up. She doesn’t take it, instead she hits him in his gut. She seems to be annoyed.
“What took you so long? Never mind, what are we going to do about that thing?”
But the creature is no longer there. She and Steven are standing alone in the rain on the dark street. Steven is puzzled; he grabs her hand.
“I don’t like this at all…let’s get out of here.”
He teleports both of them back to his house.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Back at the Steven’s house, there is an old woman with long silver hair pacing back and forth.
What is taking those two so long? Jessica is so irresponsible sometimes…
Her thoughts are interrupted as Steven and Jessica enter the room, soaking wet.
The girl walks over to the woman and hugs her.
“Sorry I’m late Grams. I totally forgot we had magic lessons today.”
“My dear child, why are you so wet?” asks Grams as she searched for something to dry off the two. She left the room and entered with two towels in her hands.
“Well Silver, Jessica here was- Thanks!” Steven was interrupted as Grams (Silver) threw the towel in his direction and the other at Jessica.
“As I was saying, Jessica was attacked by a…um, well I don’t think it was a demon or warlock.” He looked puzzled.
Jessica had finished drying herself off and said, “It had a very wrinkled face, didn’t talk, but it did groan, oh and it disappeared into thin air. Did I miss anything?” She looked over at Steven who seemed to be annoyed.
“No.”
Grams looked a bit concerned and was silent for a bit. “Hm…I think I should go ask the Elders about this…” And without even a goodbye she began to orb out. She was surrounded by bright, blue lights and as the lights disappeared, Grams was gone.
Steven was sitting on the couch thinking about what had happened earlier; when Jessica, who was standing by the door, asked, “Is the book still in your room?”
Steven snapped back to reality and nodded “Yes.” Jessica rolled her eyes and started climbing up the stairs. She took a right at the top of the stairs and walked into his room. In the far corner there was a big book with a triquetra in the middle of the blue leather cover. She walked up to the book and opened it.
This room and the book certainly bring back memories… *sigh*
She began flipping through the pages of the book, not too sure of what she was looking for. Her hand stopped on a page that had a spell to create or enhance courage.
“Courage spell? Didn’t think there was such…oh yeah never mind, I’m a witch now!”
She grabbed a small notepad and pen from her bag and quickly began to copy the spell.
If Steven and Grams found out that I’m casting a spell for my own personal gain, I’d be lucky if they gave me a 5 second head start.
She laughed at this thought and continued copying the spell. A few seconds after she finished writing, Steven appeared at the door.
“So did you find anything?” asked Steven.
“No.” she answered as she closed the book.
There was still a hint of awkward silence in the room until Steven walked over to the book and decided to look for himself.
She’s hiding something from me. She has been very distant since she learned she was a witch. Not that I blame her, it’s only natural…
“So how was your day, Jessica?” he asked as he flipped through the book.
“I guess it was pretty good. I can’t really complain because it’s high school and it’s supposed to be somewhat of a bad experience. What are you looking for? I said I didn’t find anything.” said Jessica feeling a bit annoyed that he was completely ignoring her.
“Well, if you looked in the book and didn’t find anything, how come I just found something?” Steven smirked.
Jessica held back her anger and looked at the book.
” ‘Volac, demon that turns humans into what they are and steals pure hearted souls to gain power.’ How does the creature we saw fit with that? It doesn’t even look like the-”
Before she could finish Steven called out for Silver.
Jessica sat down on the bed as white and blue orbs filled a small area of the room, then quickly disappeared and Grams appeared in their place.
“They say that the creature was a “creation” of Volac. You must vanquish the demon, but must not harm his creations, because they are innocents! Um… Were you guys arguing?” asked Grams as she felt the cold tension between them.
Steven and Jessica glanced at each other through the corner of their eyes and replied with a simple “No.”
Jessica stood up and said, “Okay well that should be a piece of cake. How do we find this dude?”
“That’s for you guys to figure out. Now, I must go and I’m sorry I couldn’t help with magic lessons today.” And just like that, she left.
“Um Jessica, I don’t think it’ll be a piece of cake…Remember the creature we encountered earlier? Well, it disappeared when it sensed it was in danger.” said Steven as he rubbed his forehead.
“…which means that they’ll be very hard to find. Oh oh! What about Halloween?” Jessica said this so excitedly that she nearly fell off the bed.
“Jessica, this is hardly the time to be thinking about Halloween-”
Jessica cut him off and said, “No, you idiot, I mean Halloween is when people dress up into monsters, angels, etc. Do you think this demon is going to resist turning people and children into creatures and find pure souls?”
Steven looked at Jessica, amazed that this had come from her. Did that just come from her? The girl that hates Halloween, hates demons, hates magic…and probably hates me too.
“You are so right. That’s in a two days.”
He stood up and said, “I’ll take you home. I don’t wanna take a risk of you encountering that creature again.”
Jessica walked over to him and hugged him.
Some part of me wants to hate him…hate him for turning me into a witch, but I know it wasn’t his choice. He just cares for me a lot…and I care for him too.
Steven was surprised by her hug, but he hugged her back, enjoying the sweet smell of her hair.
This must still be so hard on her. Don’t worry Jessica; I’ll always be here for you.
He held onto her tight and teleported them to her front door.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Still in their embrace, they appeared in Jessica’s front door. There wasn’t too much light so they didn’t worry about people seeing them.
“Um thanks.” replied Jessica as she retreated from the hug. As she reached out to open the door, Steven grabbed her hand.
Uh-oh I don’t think I’m gonna like this. Jessica thought nervously.
“Jessica, are you mad at me? Did I do something wrong?” asked Steven avoiding her eyes.
“What? No Steven, I’m not mad. I’m just having a hard time adjusting to this and I hate the fact that I can’t tell my dad.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. This is a lot, I know but it’s something we must do. And about telling your dad…well I’ll talk to Silver about it. Okay?” said Steven as he looked straight into her brown eyes. They seemed to have brightened up for the first time since she got her powers.
“Thanks Steven. I’ll see you tomorrow at school. We’ll work out a plan.” said Jessica as she kissed him on the cheek. Steven blushed and Jessica opened the door.
“Steven? I kinda need my hand back and you kinda need to go back home.” Jessica smiled and Steven blushed even more as he realized that he was still holding onto her hand. He quickly let go, said “Good night.” and teleported back home.
Jessica closed the door and went into the living room to watch TV. She found her dad sitting in the couch watching the eleven o’clock news.
Damn it’s eleven already? I hope he isn’t mad…
“I’m home dad, sorry I’m late. Steven walked me home.”
He turned to look at his daughter and said, “I’m just glad you came home. I trust you and I trust that your mom, rest her soul, and I raised you properly so I don’t worry. Just as long as you tell me where you are and with who, of course.”
Jessica walked over to her dad, gave him a kiss, and started heading up the stairs. “Thanks, dad. I’m gonna go take a quick bath.”
“I know I said I trusted you if you told me where you were, but I don’t need to know every detail. Ha ha.” Her father laughed at his joke, while Jessica just giggled at how her father tried (and failed) to make her laugh.
“Oh by the way Jessica, be careful when you stay out late. There was a report of missing people and strange creatures, with no ability to talk, replacing them.”
Damn, why’d I say that they couldn’t talk? That was not in the news report! Hope she doesn’t notice.
“I’ll be careful, thanks. Good night.” She climbed up the stairs and entered her room. She walked towards the bathroom and took a bath.
*sigh* This is so relaxing. I think I needed this. She began to recall her and Steven’s conversation and their hug. Steven, why can’t I get you out of my head? Her mind was quickly driven off of Steven as she also remembered that horrible creature’s face and the effect it had on her. Why didn’t it freeze? Why didn’t I fight back?…I think that’s enough of this bath.
As she got up, she felt a shiver go up her spine as if someone were watching her. She gasped, grabbed her towel, wrapped it around her and asked, “Who’s there?” The feeling quickly disappeared and she felt a bit warm.
Get a grip, Jessica. You’re acting so paranoid. Suddenly, she remembered the courage spell. She put her pajamas on, brushed her hair, and washed her teeth; then she headed out the bathroom door, into her room, and started looking for the small notepad.
Where is it? Ah, there it is! It’s midnight…I hope dad’s asleep already. She quietly began to go down the stairs and collected the items for the spell. She decided to do the spell in the kitchen, so she did not wake up her father.
Okay, according to my notes, I have to concentrate on the courage I want and light the black candle. She did this and concentrated on the courage and strength that she wanted.
Now I have to tie a knot on the string as I read one line of the spell. So that’s nine knots and nine lines…seems simple enough. She began to tie knots as she read the spell:
“By knot of one, this spell’s begun
By knot of two, my words are true
By knot of three, it comes to be
By knot of four, power in store
By knot of five, this spell’s alive
By knot of six, this spell is fixed
By knot of seven, the answer’s given
By knot of eight, I meld with fate
By knot of nine, the thing is mine.”
Jessica held the string close to her heart.
Please give me strength and courage. I don’t wanna be afraid anymore. I wanna be able to help and fight. This is my destiny. It’s time that I accepted that.
She took the string and dropped it into a small pot that contained tea with bay leaves. It made a small poof and white smoke surrounded her head and heart.
“Now, that was cool, but I don’t feel any different. Oh well, I should get to bed.” She cleaned up and went to sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next day, she woke up at eight thirty. She changed into her school clothes and went downstairs to find her father in the dining room preparing breakfast.
“Yum that smells so good. Morning, dad.”
He smiled and said, “Good morning. Have a good night’s sleep?”
“Yeah, it was pretty good. I feel so energetic, it’s a bit strange.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re in a good mood. Now come and have breakfast with me.” said Jessica’s dad.
They both sat down and ate breakfast while arguing about who would win in a game of baseball between the Angels and Red Sox.
“Nah, the Sox’s would so totally beat down the Angels.”
“I must disagree, because the Angel’s stats are much better than the Sox’s.”
They kept arguing for about few minutes. Jessica’s dad thought she was acting a bit strange, she didn’t seem to give up.
She usually isn’t like this. She usually says she disagrees with me and changes the subject. Jessica must’ve done something. I must tell Steven and Silver…but how do I do that without revealing my secret?
It was now nine thirty and Jessica had to go pick up Steven and then head for school. She said good-bye to her father and left the house. She calmly walked over to Steven’s house and for some odd reason she crossed the street without looking.
Once she arrived at Steven’s house, she knocked on his door.
“Oh, Steven?! You better not still be sleeping!” and then the door was opened by Steven who was drinking a cup of coffee.
He said, “Why would I still be sleeping? I’m not lazy like you.” and he stuck his tongue out at her.
Jessica just laughed and said, “Why are you still standing there? Grab your bag and let’s get going!”
Steven got a worried look on his face. Something is wrong with her. But he brushed the thought off and they headed off to school.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
During their first period class (History), a new student was introduced. Jessica was in a deep conversation about finding the demon with Steven.
Since when is she so interested in hunting for demons? His thoughts were interrupted by their teacher, Mr. Potter.
“Attention class, we have a new student joining our class. His name is Kosta.”
“Hi.” said the boy and waved at his classmates.
Jessica’s mouth dropped as she looked at the new boy. He was just a few inches taller than her, had light brown hair, and caramel eyes.
Wow, he’s kinda…hot!
Steven stared over at Jessica, realizing that her eyes were wide open.
Oh brother, guess she likes him!
Mr. Potter interrupted their thoughts once again. “Kosta, you may sit behind Jessica. Jessica, raise your hand.” Jessica’s hand shot up so fast, that some of her classmates were trying to hide their giggles.
“Okay, thanks.” said Kosta as he walked over to his seat. Jessica was trying so hard not to blush. He sat down and took out a notebook and pen. Mr. Potter continued his lesson and everyone began to take notes, just in case he decided to have a quiz. After a while of writing, Jessica decided to take a break. She noticed a small piece of paper on her desk. She opened it and read:
Hi, my name is Kosta. What class do you have next?
Jessica grabbed her pen and scribbled:
Oh hi, my name is Jessica and I have Geometry next period. How about you?
She passed the note to Kosta and looked over at Steven. He was still writing notes.
He’s such a geek sometimes. She smiled and was handed the note back.
Steven saw that they were passing notes from the corner of his eye.
Okay, now that is so not like Jessica. Something is definitely up.
He continued writing down notes.
Jessica opened the note and read:
Jessica? That’s a pretty name and it’s unique. I also have Geometry next period.
Jessica blushed a bit and wrote back:
Thanks and I guess I’ll be seeing you in Geo. What do you have afterwards?
Kosta responded:
No prob and I have English, French, Lunch, Earth Sci, and Gym. You?
Jessica stared at the note in awe and wrote:
Cool! We have the same classes except for Gym. What gym class do you have?
Basketball.
Oh, I have Latin Dancing.
So I take it that you like to dance?
Yup. 
I think the bell’s about to ring, so if you need any help, don’t hesitate to come and ask!
Kosta read the note and nodded at her. The bell rang a few seconds later. Jessica quickly scribbled her homework assignment in her notebook and grabbed her bag. She waved at Kosta and then walked over to Steven, who was waiting for her patiently at the door. He seemed a bit annoyed.
“We’ll talk about the you-know-what during lunch, okay?” he said as he turned to leave for his next class.
“Okay, see ya at lunch!” Jessica headed off towards geometry class. When she arrived, she saw that Kosta was already sitting down and seemed to be saving a seat for her. She walked over to the seat and said, “Thanks.”
Their math teacher introduced Kosta and went over last night’s homework. Halfway through the boring math period, Kosta leaned forward and whispered into Jessica’s ear.
“Wanna hang out with me during lunch?”
Jessica could feel his warm breath on her ear and she tried desperately not to do something stupid.
“Sure.” She whispered, totally forgetting that she was supposed to meet up with Steven to discuss demon-plans.
Kosta returned to his seat and smiled.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Four periods later…
Damn bell, ring already! I wanna go to lunch. Jessica was real anxious to go to lunch.
In almost every single class, he had chosen a seat close to Jessica’s.
Hm, maybe he likes me…?
A second later the bell rang.
Yay!
She smiled as she packed her stuff into her bag. Kosta walked up to her and he led them outside of the room, but stopped after a few steps.
“Um, maybe you should lead, ’cause I have no idea where the lunchroom is.” said Kosta as he gave Jessica one of those ‘I’m a hunk’ smiles. Jessica tried not to blush and lead them towards the lunchroom.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
When they arrived at the lunchroom, they saw that it was packed; so they decided to go outside and enjoy the nice weather while they ate their lunch. They sat on the soft grass under a blossom tree.
“This school has been pretty interesting. I’m glad I transferred.” said Kosta.
“Yeah, I can’t complain either.” said Jessica as she took a bite of her pizza, but she was thinking the opposite.
I can’t complain now but before I’d do nothing but complain. The other students here used to call me “The Witch” but ever since I got my powers, they’ve treated me with a little more respect than usual. Weird….
“So….” said Kosta as he pulled Jessica away from her thoughts.
Jessica looked at him and said, “So..?”
“Would you-” but he was interrupted by Steven.
“Jessica! What are you doing here…with him?” asked Steven as he grabbed her hand and helped her up.
Jessica freed herself from his grip and said, “What do you mean ‘what am I doing here’? I’m having lunch with Kosta!”
“Yes, I can see that. You were supposed to meet me, so we could talk about the DEMON-stration.”
Jessica’s eyes opened wide as she realized that he was talking about Volac.
“Oh, I totally forgot! I’m sorry Kosta, I have to go. I’ll see you tomorrow.” said Jessica as she grabbed her bag.
“Yeah, sure. Nice to meet you, Steven.” Kosta extended his hand out for a handshake but instead got one of Steven’s ‘I don’t like you’ glares. And without another word, Jessica and Steven left.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Okay that was rude, Steven. Mind telling me what the heck is your problem?” asked Jessica in a really pissed off tone.
“Funny I was just about to ask you the same thing.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Never mind. I don’t trust that guy and I don’t like the fact that you’re hanging out with him!”
“Okay, but you didn’t have to be rude to him. And what were you talking about?”
Steven stopped walking and asked, “You cast a spell, didn’t you?”
“What? Me? No, of course not! How can you say such a thing?”
“Don’t act innocent. I’ve known you since we were little and you’ve never acted like that around a guy you like.”
“Okay maybe I did cast a-Hey, I never said I liked him…!”
“Jessica, it’s kinda obvious. What spell did you do?”
“It doesn’t matter because nothing bad has happened so far.” She looked at her watch and said, “Looks like we’re out time…we’ll talk about this later…” The bell rang just a few seconds later and she walked away without saying another word to Steven.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
After school…
Has the spell really changed me? I don’t feel any different, but Steven was right; I would never flirt with someone, I’m just too quiet.
She was deep in thought as she walked to her house.
As she stepped off the curb, a speeding car drove in her direction. She saw the car from the corner of her eye, but continued walking. When the car was just a few inches away, Jessica raised her hands (to just about the height of her waist) and slightly twisted them in the air. The car froze instantly, birds above her hung in mid-flight, kids that were playing catch now stood extremely still…everything had stopped….
Once Jessica had stepped onto the curb, she twisted her hand in the same motion she had done before and everything unfroze. Life continued instantly.
Whew, that was close…I should be more careful. I hope no one noticed….
Jessica took one more glance at the car and headed off towards her house.
Hidden behind a tree stood a familiar face. He watched as Jessica walked away. He smiled as he thought about what she had done.
That was a bit daring…but she’s a witch…she shouldn’t be doing that so openly or she’ll risk exposing all of us….She’s a witch…
He slowly turned and disappeared in a cloud of blue smoke.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Back with Jessica at her house:
She emptied her bag and flipped open her phone.
“It’s four thirty. I have to meet Steven at five thirty. I’ll do my history homework now and my geometry after magic lessons. If I finish my homework quickly, I’ll practice my orbing!” Jessica grinned and opened her textbook.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thirty minutes later…
Jessica yawns.
“When am I going to use history ever again? I hate history…so boring.”
She stood from her bed and threw her notebook in her bag.
“Guess I should start practicing. But first….”
She walked over to the door and locked it.
“My dad would totally freak if he saw me orbing.”
I’ll start with something easy, like orbing across the room.
She closed her eyes and concentrated on disappearing and then reappearing on the other side of the room. She took a deep breath.
Breathe in…Breathe out…feel the power rising…power that will get you where you wanna go….
She felt butterflies in her stomach and light. When she let her breath out and opened her eyes, she was standing on the opposite side of the room.
Wow, it worked! Yeah well, I’ve done that before, so that’s why it was kind of easy! Now to the bathroom!
She practiced orbing to the bathroom for about twenty minutes until she finally aced it.
Jessica looked at her watch and said, “Oh crap, I better get going. It’s five twenty.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~
At Steven’s front door, Jessica is thinking if she should orb in or knock.
*giggle* It’d be fun if I surprised him. I’ll ring the bell and when he’s about to open the door, I’ll orb behind him and scare him.
She rang the bell and she heard as he walked up to the door.
*Click* He had unlocked the door. Jessica heard as he began to turn the doorknob and then she orbed.
Her body disappeared almost instantly in a swarm of blue orbs. Everything went dark for a moment and when light began to reappear, Jessica could see Steven’s face. Then everything went dark again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
“…Jessica? Open your eyes. Sorry I sent you flying…” he laughed slightly.
“Ugh….” Jessica groaned as she opened her eyes and saw that he was kneeling next to her.
“What happened?” she asked as Steven helped her up.
“You orbed behind me, congrats by the way, and when I turned, I freaked and I attacked you with my telekinesis. I’m really sorry…but what were you thinking, orbing up behind me…and at a time like this?” He looked a bit nervous and annoyed.
Jessica looked at him, surprised that he was scolding her.
“Steven, stop yelling…I’m okay and I’m sorry…can we forget about this?”
She rubbed the back of her head and walked to the other side of the room.
“No, we can’t forget about this. That spell has had some serious side effects on you. It’s made you careless and irresponsible! It’s not you. Tell me what spell-”
“Irresponsible? Careless? This is the best I’ve felt since I found out I was a witch and I won’t let you reverse the spell!”
She pointed her finger towards him and next there was a loud BOOM! The glass on the door shattered into a thousand pieces. Steven covered his head as he heard the loud noise and saw glass fall around him.
“What the-“
“…hell was that?!?” asked Jessica as she slowly lowered her hand.
“That is a mighty good question…Just keep your hands down. Let me get a broom to clean this up.”
Steven reached into the nearest closet and pulled out the broom. He quickly swept the glass and waved his hand towards the kitchen. The glass rose up and went in that same direction.
He must’ve sent it to the trashcan. Show-off!
Jessica stared at him. Wasn’t he just lecturing me about using magic for personal gain?
Steven must’ve known what she was thinking because he said, “That was totally different.”
“Let’s just call Grams before something like that happens again. You don’t think that was a side-effect from the spell, do you?”
“I don’t think so. I’ve never heard of such side-effects, but it depends on what spell you cast.”
“Grams!” Jessica ignored Steven.
Grams orbed in as Steven put the broom away. She took a look around and asked what had happened.
“Well, I sort of blew up the glass with my hand? I- we don’t know what or why it happened.” answered Jessica.
Steven gave her a ‘You should tell her’ look but Jessica ignored him once again.
Grams thought about it for a while and said, “Jessica it seems that your powers may be advancing already! Your mom could freeze things, which slows down molecules but if you are blowing things up…that means that you can speed up the molecules too! Any leads on the demon?”
“None, except that he is most definitely going to attack on Halloween, which is tomorrow.” Steven answered Gram’s question.
“Exactly, which means that we have no time for chit-chat because we have to go plan our plan.” Said Jessica nervously as she signaled for Steven to follow her to the back and BOOM! The door was blown off its hinges.
“Hey! What did you do that for? You’re destroying my house.” Yelled Steven.
“Jessica, I think it’s best if you don’t go to school tomorrow and until then keep your hands down, please!” Grams was trying not to laugh but only smiled at her. Grams began to orb out and Jessica yelled, “Ask them if there’s a way to control it!”
“What spell did you cast?” asked Steven.
Jessica looked down at her hands, still in shock that she could blow things up.
“Courage.”
“Oh.”
They were silent and still for a while. Steven walked towards Jessica and held her hand. He led her up the stairs and stopped once they were in front of the Book of Shadows.
Oh, he’s gonna reverse the spell…Great…more lecturing!
Steven put one hand on the book’s cover and the other on Jessica’s heart.
“Close your eyes, Jessica.”
“Wh-?”
“Trust me.”
Jessica closed her eyes and a few seconds later she felt…free.
I hoped it worked…
Jessica opened her eyes.
“How do you feel?” asked Steven.
“Weird. What did you do?”
“I reversed your spell and I gave you real courage. The spell you cast just suppressed your fears which made you think that you were brave and indestructible.”
“Oh.” Jessica had no idea what he was saying, but she was thankful anyways.
“You should have come to me. I could’ve helped you.”
“I know and I’m sorry. I didn’t know, but now I do! Hey, do you think my new power is gone because you reversed the spell?”
“Good question. Here, try to freeze this.”
Steven grabbed a towel and threw it in the air. Jessica put her hands up in the air, to try and freeze it but…BOOM! The towel was now on fire! It fell to the floor and Steven ran to step on it.
“Guess I still have the power. Cool!”
“Not really! You have got to get control of that power, before you destroy my house or hurt someone!”
“Don’t be a spoil sport. Let’s get working on our plan to catch Volac!”
Jessica grabbed the Book and walked down into the living room. Steven followed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Downstairs in the living room, Steven is rambling on about how to catch Volac, while Jessica is staring at Volac’s picture in the Book of Shadows…
“So if we do that, we just might be able to catch him…”
“Might is not good enough Steven. I’ve been thinking…Remember last night, when I was attacked?”
“Yeah, I remember. What are you getting at?”
Jessica stood up and said, “I’m not so sure but last night…the creature seemed to be focused on me, even after you arrived. What I don’t understand is why? Could Volac or his creature have sensed that I was going to get my new power?”
“Wait slow down. You cast the spell that same night, right? And that creature did seem focused on you, a lot…Hm, I just got an idea.”
Steven started flipping through the pages of the Book of Shadows and Jessica stared at him in bewilderment. Steven stopped flipping and pointed to a spell in the book. Jessica read the title.
“ ‘Power Enhancement spell?’ Wooah, you want me to cast a spell for personal gain, especially after that lecture you just gave me like twenty minutes ago!?”
“If we use the spell to kill a demon, then it’s not personal gain. You can cast the spell on Halloween at the school’s dance, I’m sure everyone will dress up, and once the spell is cast…Volac will come after you for sure!”
“You lost me…Plus I don’t think it’s right that we use a room full of innocents as bait. And why me?”
“Jessica, you’re obviously a lot stronger than me. You got a new power in less than a month and I’ve been doing the craft for a year and still have my old powers! Besides, we’ll kill the demon before he can get a chance to hurt the innocents.”
“I must be crazy…I’m starting to think that your plan might actually work! But what if Volac sends his creatures instead? Remember Grams said not to vanquish them…and we can’t interrogate them because I think my dad mentioned that he heard that they couldn’t talk on the news.”
“They couldn’t talk…and it was mentioned on the new
? Are you sure that’s what your dad said?”
“Yeah…why?”
“Because last night before you called for me, Silver and I were watching the news and they did mention the creatures but I’m pretty sure that they didn’t say that.”
“So how would my dad know about that?”
“Good question, but we have no time to investigate…Halloween is just one day away; we’ve got to get ready. Can you write the vanquishing spell?”
“Umm, I’ve never written a spell…”
“Oh, it’s easy! Just start rhyming away but base it on what you read in the B.O.S.”
“B.O.S.? Oh you mean the Book of Shadows! Writing the spell in twenty-four hours, gonna cast an enhancement spell in twenty-four hours, gonna kick demon ass…what am I forgetting?”
“Getting a costume for the dance? You need to fit in tomorrow.”
“Oh crap, I have to dress up? What am I gonna wear?”
Steven laughed and said, “Why don’t you go as a witch?”
“Ha ha. Okay, how about you?”
“I already have my costume. I’m Prince Charming.”
Jessica giggled and said, “Hardly…I think I have witch’s costume somewhere in my basement; I hope it still fits.”
“I think I can pass for Prince Charming…or would you prefer Kosta to be your Prince Charming?”
Jessica blushed and stuck her tongue out at him.
“You should orb home, Jessica.”
“Yeah, I gotta look for my costume, but wouldn’t it be better if you teleported me instead?”
“Nah, you should do it yourself. That way, you’ll get more practice!”
“Okay, but before I go, can I ask you something?”
“Sure, whatever you want.”
“Doesn’t anyone ever get suspicious about you living alone in this house?”
“No, mostly ‘cause Silver is always hanging around here. People automatically assume that she’s my Grams. And no one ever calls from school, so I have no worries there.”
“What about your family?”
“My dad was never around after my mom had me. I have no other siblings. My mother died when I was young. I think I’m grateful that I don’t have any more family…they’d be in danger almost 24/7 because of the constant demon attacks. Besides I’m not alone, I have Silver, your dad who’s awesome by the way, and I have you. You guys are my family.”
Jessica’s eyes got watery. “Aw, that makes me wanna cry…I’d hug but I’m scared that I might blow you up!”
Steven chuckled. They said their good byes and Jessica orbed home, but she left with a warning from Steven, “Don’t panic, try to freeze or raise your hands at all!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next morning, Jessica is standing in front of her house with her backpack. She seems to be lost in thought.
Tonight’s the dance, I hope everything goes as we planned…Steven is gonna laugh when he sees my costume; ain’t exactly a witch costume! I should probably orb over to Steven’s house now…
Jessica walked quietly to the back of the house and orbed out.
The same figure that had been spying on her before came out from behind a tree.
She’s so reckless, but now I’m absolutely sure that she’s a witch. She’s coming very quickly into her powers. Soon she’ll be too powerful and no one will be able to stop her. Only she can choose what side she’ll fight for. I’ve got to get closer to her; I’ve got to help her.
He then walks away.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At Steven’s house, Jessica and him seem to be arguing.
“Jessica, you can’t possibly be think about going to school with th-I mean under your conditions.”
“I resent that…and yes I’m going to school. Is there something wrong with that?”
“Besides the obvious reason of blowing someone up…I thought we all agreed that you’d stay home until you got a hang of that power.”
“Um…no, you and Grams agreed. I never said anything. And I’m starting to get control of my power! Last night, I practiced freezing and blowing things! Dad thought I was crazy ‘cause I locked myself in the basement. Don’t worry our basement is soundproof; I used to play my music down there.”
“Oh I had totally forgotten that you used to play…man you were horrible. I still think you should stay home.”
“I’m not cutting school, besides we gotta plan and see where we’re gonna attract the demon ‘cause I sure hope you aren’t thinking about killing the demon in front of everyone?”
“Fine, but just one thing happens and I’m taking you home myself.”
“Sure, whatever you say. You sound like my dad sometimes. Hey can we orb to school?”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At the school’s gymnasium, Jessica and Steven are laughing their butts off at the decorations.
“Hey Steven, do you think we’ll ever look like those witches on the walls?”
“Nah, I don’t think we’ll grow warts on our noses and I don’t think I’d want to fight that glob that’s hanging from the stage.”
“I think we’d kill it before it even got a chance to move!”
“Yeah, that’s likely. We got to school too early…what are we gonna do for the next twenty minutes?”
“I guess we can help out with the decorations or we can study or…”
Jessica spots Kosta as he’s walking into the gymnasium while carrying a box of streamers and holding a bunch of balloons.
“Or?”
She’s speechless, so instead she points in Kosta’s direction. Kosta hasn’t noticed her yet. He’s walking towards the stage, so he can put the heavy box down.
“Go talk to him, Jessica.”
“What am I gonna say?”
“Ask him if he needs help with the box. Don’t worry about me; I’ll go help out Mr. Potter or something.”
Without another word, Jessica ran towards Kosta and stopped running once she was just a few feet away.
“Hey, you need help?”
“Hey, Jessica, right?”
“*said in an excited tone* Yes, that’s me! *said in a calm tone* I mean, yeah, that’s me.”
*chuckle* “The box isn’t too heavy but you can help me with the balloons.”
“Cool, I like balloons.”
She looked at the floor and thought, That was the lamest thing ever!
Kosta handed her the balloons and she took them.
“I think I would’ve preferred black and red balloons for this party but I got outvoted on the decoration committee.”
“Wow, you’re here for two days and you’re already on the decoration committee?”
They reached the stage; Kosta put the box down and began to put things in place while Jessica tied a couple of balloons on the stage.
“Ha, it’s a funny story really. After you left with Steven, this cute little blonde girl named Sasha asked me if it was true that I had an art “major” in my last school. Apparently, she wanted me to join the committee so I could do some drawings for the dance or help with the decorations. I was pretty much blushing the entire time but I’d figure it’d be fun if I joined.”
“Did you say Sasha?”
“Yeah, Sasha that’s her name. Do you know her?”
“Ugh, who doesn’t know her? She’s like Miss Popularity here at Bellevue High.”
“By the tone of your voice, I’m guessing that you don’t like her very much?”
“I guess you can say that. Being Miss Popularity has made her change a lot. She used to be nice but now every girl worships her and every guy wants to date her. But now that I think of it, I don’t think she’s on the committee.”
“Oh, no she’s not on the committee, which is why I also thought it was weird that she had come up to me.”
“Wow, she can stoop so low sometimes…I think she likes you.”
“She barely even knows me, how can she like me? Besides I’m not interested in her and I’m not going to like her just ‘cause everybody else does. She’s probably got everyone under a spell or something.”
Jessica got a little paranoid, raised one hand in a freezing-like motion and a balloon popped.
“What was that? The balloon just exploded for no reason.”
Jessica was quick to answer. “The heat from the light bulbs on the stage must’ve made it popped.”
“Yeah, that’s possible. Did I say something to make you uncomfortable?”
“No, it’s not that. It’s just that I don’t think there’s anything like spells…I mean, come on, who believes in magic anymore? It’s all tricks and stuff, right?”
He’d finished putting the things that were in the box around the stage, so he walked towards Jessica and grabbed a couple of balloons.
“Magic isn’t just cheap tricks and card games, Jessica. I think magic exists everywhere. Some of it exists it me, some in you, some in everyone. It’s just that certain people have different ways of showing their magic. It can be in appearances, like Sasha, or through love in a relationship.”
“Oh, I never thought about it like that. What about magical creatures? Do you believe in those?”
“I’m not so sure about those. I think they might exist. What harm could it do if they did? I mean angels, cupids, nymphs, and dragons seem cool.”
Jessica smirked and thought, If only you knew…
“Can I let you in on a little secret?”
“Sure.”
He lifted his short sleeve and revealed a tattoo. Jessica stared at it in shock. She couldn’t believe what she’s looking at so she touched it and proved that it wasn’t an illusion.
It’s…. it’s a triquetra! Just like on our B.O.S!
“Is something wrong?”
“No, it’s just that I’m amazed that you actually have a tattoo. How’d you manage to get it? Doesn’t that hurt?”
“My brother took me to a tattoo parlor and his buddy let me get one and I chose this. It didn’t hurt that much. It’s like a small injection.”
“Didn’t your parents get mad?”
“Ooh, they were pissed, I got grounded. Don’t tell anyone, I don’t want girls thinking I’m cute just because of the tattoo.”
Jessica whispers, “Trust me, you don’t need a tattoo to prove that you’re cute.”
“What was that?”
As she turned around, she said, “Nothing, I’m done with the balloons.”
When she fully turned, she and Kosta were face to face. She’s tried to avoid his gaze.
“Yeah, me too. That was all I had to do. Thanks for the help.”
“No problem! I got here to school early with Steven and we had nothing to do…”
“Are you and Steven like an item or something? I don’t want him coming after me ‘cause you spend time with me.”
Jessica’s face turned red. “Steven, my boyfriend? No! He’s my best friend; well he’s more like a brother to me. He’s almost seventeen so he’s like the big brother I never had!”
“Wow, he doesn’t look his age. I thought he was like fifteen or something.”
“Class should start soon, so we should get going. I don’t want to be late for Potter.”
“Okay let me just grab my bag.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The end of the day, Jessica is stuffing her notebook into her bag…
Man do I hate school. I bet that I forget everything that I have learned by the time I’m twenty! I wonder where Steven is now? He should be waiting for me at the gym…
Jessica quickly finished packing up her stuff and walked to the gym…As she walked, she recalled the conversation she had earlier with Kosta.
“Magic isn’t just cheap tricks and card games, Jessica. I think magic exists everywhere. Some of it exists it me, some in you, some in everyone. It’s just that certain people have different ways of showing their magic. It can be in appearances, like Sasha, or through love in a relationship.”
She also recalled his tattoo.
Could he be…a witch? Or had he really gotten it just because he thought it was cool?
She reached the gym and sure enough, Steven was waiting for her at the entrance.
“Hey, what took you so long? I’ve been waiting for what feels like forever!”
“You exaggerate too much. The bell just rang like four minutes ago.”
“Yeah, yeah. So, this is what I think we should do tonight. You will cast the Power Enhancement spell just as soon as people start arriving. We’ll blend in and look out for anything suspicious at the same time. If Volac’s creatures show up first, we’ll tie ‘em up and wait until he shows to vanquish him. If he shows up, then we just vanquish him. Once he’s dead, his creatures will all be transformed back into human form. They should then go back to the last place they were at when they were still human. Do you get the plan? Any questions?”
“I…have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. But I do have one question. What if someone walks backstage while we are midst of demon vanquishing?”
“Way ahead of you. I’ve already cast a spell, temporary don’t worry. If anyone goes backstage and sees anything magical, their memory of it will automatically be erased.”
“Cool, that spell could come in handy for us!”
“There’s a catch. There spell wears off by midnight. We have to get Volac by midnight.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Three hours later, at Jessica’s house. She’s getting ready for the dance. She’s putting on her costume. After she puts on her costume, she walks over to the full-length mirror and begins to fix her hair.
I wonder what Steven looks like in his costume? He probably looks too corny. Seriously, who dresses up as Prince Charming?
Once she’s done fixing her hair, she grabs her cell phone and sticks it in the pocket of her dress.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Twenty minutes later in front of the school building, people are already arriving for the party. Steven is outside waiting impatiently in his costume.
Where the heck is she? Why do girls take so long to get ready? I guess the world will never know…
He laughed as he thought about this.
As Steven turned, he caught a glimpse of Jessica, who seemed to be led inside by someone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jessica is wearing a long black and silver dress. Her eyes are outlined with black eyeshadow and eyeliner and she’s wearing black lipstick.
Jessica is looking around the crowd of people to see if Steven is anywhere near, when Kosta walks up to her.
Kosta is wearing a green soldier’s uniform.
“You look pretty.”
Jessica blushed and responded, “Thanks, you look pretty good yourself.”
***********Not Finished Yet! Check back soon***********
The Past:
[Samara and Leo are in Jessica’s house watching a horror movie, while Jessica is in the shower. Close by in the same neighborhood, a whole family is being killed.]
[Screen flashes between a screaming woman from the movie to an image of a man being killed in his sleep.]
[Screen stays on real woman; she’s wearing a long white nightgown. She has long silky black hair and her eyes are teary. She holds her daughter close and looks up to her killer’s eyes and pleads. “Please don’t hurt us.” The man smirks and pulls the trigger twice. He keeps his voice low as he stares at the lifeless bodies on the floor. “I wasn’t spared; what makes you think that I’d do the same for you?”
[He walks away and screen goes back to Jessica, Leo, and Samara. Jessica is standing at the doorway and the other two are sitting on the couch.]
Jessica: So what’s good on TV?
Leo: (puts his arm around Samara) Nothing interesting. There’s a horror movie marathon but it’s old stuff. Our lives are scarier.
[Jessica walks over to the table that’s in between the couch and the TV and picks up the remote control.]
Samara: (grins and laughs as she talks) College applications, SAT’s, teachers bugging you about picking a profession…yeah, it doesn’t get any scarier than that!
Leo: (laughs)
Jessica: (continues flipping through TV channels) (sarcastic tone) Tell me about it (says the following in a less sarcastic tone) So Leo, tell me something. What’s Ocean View like?
Leo: It’s so cool. It’s a small campus but there are tons of teachers and they’re so friendly…well, some of them are.
Samara: Oh Jess, you’ll love it! We’re so close to the ocean; the view is amazing! And there is so much to do!
Jessica: (stops flipping through the channels and turns towards them) (unenthusiastic tone) Sounds like I made a good choice.
Samara: (interrupts Jessica, sits up, and points at the TV) Turn up the volume.
Jessica: (turns up the volume)
Leo, Samara, and Jessica: (stare attentively at the TV screen)
[TV screen: A news reporter is standing in front of a nice suburban house at night. There has been a murder there. “Neighbors heard gunshots coming out of the house and called the police immediately. A thirty five year old woman was shot while holding onto her seven year old daughter, who was declared dead an hour after the shooting. The husband was found shot in the main bedroom. The victims’ names are Lisa, Amy, and Jeremy Anders. The police are offering a reward for any information that leads to their killer.”]
Leo: You guys want to go check it out? That house isn’t far from here.
Jessica: (to herself) Who would kill a whole family? That’s just sick.
Samara: (to Leo) Now why the heck would we go visit that house?
Leo: Beats the heck out of staying here and watching old horror movies. Come on, we’ll stop there for a bit and then we’ll stop at the diner for a burger and coke!
Jessica: (turns the TV off, stands up, and puts her jacket on) Yeah, lets go. I’m driving.
Samara: Shotgun!
[Screen goes to the house: Jessica, Samara, and Leo are in the car staring at the house. Police are blocking the house from reporters. There’s yellow tape surrounding the whole house.]
Leo: Five bucks says that in a few years, it’s going to become famous haunted house.
Samara: I bet that the next family that moves in there is murdered!
Jessica: Guys, this isn’t funny (looks at the forest and begins to recall some old but not forgotten memories)
[Screen shows a younger Jessica in her Barbie pajamas. She’s happily running around the house; she’s playing around with her father, while her mom just giggles at them. The screen then flashes to show Jessica’s mom running through the house with the young girl. She opens the back door and kneels beside her daughter with tears in her eyes. The little girl asks, “Mommy, what’s going on? Why are you crying?” “Jessie, my little angel, I want you to promise me something; no matter what happens, promise that you’re going to pull through.” “Okay mommy, I promise.” “I love you. I want you to run, run as fast as you can, until you’re someplace safe. We’ll always watch over you and we’ll meet up again, okay? Now go my little angel. Run.” “Okay mommy, I love you too.” They hug each other and Jessica runs out. Screen then shows Jessica as she runs towards a police station. Few years pass and Jessica is adopted and begins to lead a happier life, but that night continues to haunt her. Screen goes back to present day.]
Samara: Hello? Earth to Jessica! Is anyone home? (knocks on Jessica’s head)
Leo: (laughs)
Jessica: Huh? Sorry, I was just thinking (she continues to stare at the forest, avoiding their gazes)
Leo: Thinking about what exactly?
Jessica: Nothing, just thinking.
[There’s a man in the forest. He’s hiding behind a tree. Jessica locks eyes with him. He has bright blue eyes. There’s an awkward silence as they continue to look at each other.]
Samara: Can we go eat now? (her stomach grumbles)
[Jessica starts the car and drives on over to the diner. It’s nicely decorated; it’s a 70’s diner. They order their food and wait while it’s cooked. Leo goes to the bathroom and Jessica and Samara are sitting alone in their booth.]
Samara: You want to tell me what’s up with you? You’ve been acting strange ever since you saw the news report.
Jessica: It’s nothing really; I’ll be fine.
Samara: You sure?
Jessica: (forces a smile) Yeah, I’m sure. Our food’s ready. Why is Leo taking so long?
Leo: (walks out of the bathroom and walks over to their booth)
Samara: Speak of the devil (grins and moves over so that he can sit)
Leo: Sorry ‘bout that. Man, I’m starving! Let’s dig in!
Jessica: (thinks to herself) It resembles that night so much…Thank God, this is my last night here.
Leo: (raises his glass of Cola) A toast goodbye to those horrid four years of high school; may they never return.
Samara: (raises her glass) A toast to the best years of college ever!
Jessica: (raises her glass) A toast to…a new life.
[They all take a sip and then Ocean View University comes to view. Jessica is standing in front of the building. Students are all walking around, trying to find their dorms.]
Jessica: Wow, Samara and Leo weren’t kidding when they said that the school was close to the ocean; I wonder if we can go take a swim later on? But first, I’ve got to find my dorm. I wonder where 28B is? (grabs her luggage and walks over to the school’s directory) Let’s see…(She wanders around the school for a few minutes. She turns and bumps into a guy. He’s wearing all black and baggy clothes. His long black hair covers half of his face.) (nervous tone) Sorry about that! I’m new here so I’m kind of lost. You wouldn’t happen to know where dorm 28B is?
Guy: (too friendly voice…creepy) Don’t worry about it. My name is Jason and welcome. Dorm 28B is on the second floor and down the hall.
Jessica: (nervous tone) Thanks! My name is Jessica and I’ve got to get going. Thanks again! (grabs her luggage and begins to walk up the stairs)
Jason: (smiles) Bye.
Jessica: (thinks to herself) Man, that guy gave me the creeps. He seemed too…emo.
[Jessica reaches the second floor and walks down the hall. She stares at the labels on the doors: 26A-D…27A-D…28A-D! She stops at her door, pulls a key from her pocket and opens the door. Samara is in the center of the dorm watching television.]
Jessica: You know…if you watch too much TV, you’re brain cells will rot.
Samara: (stands up, runs up to her and hugs her) Jessica, you’re here! How was the trip?
Jessica: It sucked. The ride was bumpy and they played Pretty Woman twice…oh and the food absolutely sucked! I don’t like cucumber soup. Yuck!
Samara: Sorry! I would’ve gone to get you but I had to set up things here at Ocean View.
Jessica: (looks around) It’s okay, don’t worry about it. Um…where exactly am I going to sleep?
Samara: Oh that’s easy. A dorm consists of two huge bedrooms. One is for two boys and the other is for two girls. There’s a bathroom in each. The dorm has a huge living room, which is where we are now (points to the right) There’s a small kitchen over there and that’s pretty much it I guess.
Jessica: We have our own kitchen and living room!? Damn, I’m going to love this school (starts to look around) I guess I should start unpacking…(walks over to door that’s closest to the kitchen and starts to reach for the handle but Samara interrupts her)
Samara: Jessica…?
Jessica: Yeah, Sam?
Samara: (thinks quietly for a moment) Nothing, never mind.
Jessica: Okay. (opens door but freezes in the doorway; there’s a semi-naked guy standing there. He quickly ducks and hides behind the bed. She quickly closes the door.)
Samara: (laughs so hard that tears start coming out of eyes and she collapses onto the couch) Oh my gosh, that was so hilarious!
Jessica: (blushing) That was far from funny! You should’ve told me. Who was that?
Guy: (opens the door, fully dressed) Name’s Trevor, you should really knock especially if we’re dorm-mates now.
Jessica: (blushes even more) I’m real sorry about that, I would’ve knocked if I had known but I thought Sam and I were the only ones in the room!
Samara: Hey, don’t you blame this on me…it’s not my fault that you can’t see through walls…(sticks her tongue out)
Jessica and Trevor: (smile)
Samara: I guess we can now officially call you a member of Dorm 28! Ha, we’ve all walked in on him changing!
Jessica: That’s a weird type of coronation or something…(to Trevor) Is that true?
Trevor: (nods) Yup, it’s true. But it was accidental, I think…
Jessica: I bet Sam made it up and just pretended it was accidental!
Samara: Hey, now when have I ever done such a thing? Besides you should bow down to me because you’re stuck in the same dorm as two of your best friends!
Jessica: (mockingly) Yes, all hail Queen Sam for her high and mighty connections!
Trevor: (laughs at them)
[Overhead speaker, a woman’s voice: “Will all students please report to the grand hall for morning orientation. Thank you.”]
Trevor: (looks at his watch) I thought we were going to have orientation in the afternoon.
Samara: Guess they changed it…(to Jessica) Put your bag in our room and let’s get going.
Jessica: Okay, but what about Leo?
Samara: Oh, he’s meeting us after orientation I guess. He went shopping for things to put in the fridge, which reminds me…you owe me 20 bucks, so pay up (extends hand and starts asking for money)
Jessica: (walks up to her room’s door and opens it) I’ll pay you later (throws her bag on the bed that’s closest to the window and closes the door) Let’s go.
[Grand Hall: Every student is seated and chatting away. The room is divided into girls and boys. The boys are sitting on the left and the girls are on the right. A couple of teachers are standing in the front of the room. A young woman with clear glasses walks up to a microphone, taps on it, and clears her throat. The whole room quiets down.]
Jessica: (turns to Samara and whispers) Who is that?
Samara: (whispers) She’s our principal. She’s kind of cool and a bit weird sometimes.
Jessica: (whispers) How so?
Samara: Shhh!
Principal: Hello everyone! I trust you all had a wonderful summer; but now that September has begun I also look forward to seeing you all succeed in what you’re best at! I just want to welcome all of our new students! My name is Lindasey but everyone calls me L for short. First years and second years have the same courses. Third and fourth years have different courses. I guess that’s all I wanted to say to you…I really hope this turns out to be a great year! (steps away from the microphone )
[Another teacher walks up to the microphone and begins to talk. Samara and Jessica ignore him.]
Samara: So, what do you think of Ocean View so far?
Jessica: It’s okay, I guess…People are nice here, even L seems cool.
Samara: By people you mean…?
Jessica: Trevor–
Samara: Ah, so you like him?
Jessica: You didn’t let me finish…Trevor’s nice and so is L plus I got two of the coolest friends…
Samara: Yeah, I know. You love us, heck you probably worship us!
Jessica: Not that much (smiles)
Samara: Sooo, do you like Trevor?
Jessica: After what happened in the dorm…I’m going to keep my distance.
Samara: That doesn’t answer my question.
Jessica: Why do you desperately want an answer?
Samara: Why are you so desperately trying to avoid my question?
Jessica: I’m no–
L: That concludes morning orientation. You may all go back to your dorms and start settling in. Tomorrow will be your first day of classes. Classes start at 8:30 sharp; please try to be on time.
[Everyone stands up and begins to exit and begins to exit the Grand Hall; it takes a while for Samara and Jessica to get outside…They’re outside of the Grand Hall, chatting; others are still exiting and chatting about what will happen this school year.]
Samara: What should we do for the rest of the day?
Jessica: Well, I’m going to get some more stuff out of my car; maybe I’ll read a book, write, and watch some TV or something…(her stomach grumbles) But first, can we get something to eat?
Samara: You’re such a geek. Let me call Leo and see where he is (takes out phone and dials speed number 2)
Jessica: You have him on your speed dial? You live next door from each other!
Samara: Would you shut up? It’s ringing.
Jessica: (mumbles)…telling me to shut up…
Leo: (voice over the phone) Hello?
Samara: Hi honey! Jessica’s here and we kind of starving. Where are you?
Leo: I’m at the dorm putting the groceries away. Where are you guys?
Samara: We just got out off morning orientation. You didn’t really miss much; it was the same as last year.
[Trevor is talking to a couple of his buddies as he walks out of the Grand Hall, he bumps into Jessica. She drops her phone.]
Trevor: (bends down to pick up phone)
Jessica: Whoops, sorry.
Trevor: (stands up and hands her phone back) Sorry ‘bout that!
Jessica: (takes phone back) Sorry.
Trevor’s friend: Yo, Trevor! You coming?
Trevor: I’ll catch up with you guys later. (to Jessica) You’re clumsy.
Jessica: I’m clumsy? I’m pretty sure it was you who bumped into me.
Trevor: I admit I bumped into you, but you apologized twice which usually implies that you’re the clumsy one.
Jessica: (smiles)
Samara: (laughs) You guys are funny. Just watching you guys is entertaining.
Jessica: When did you get off the phone? I didn’t even notice!
Samara: Of course you didn’t notice; you were obviously too busy.
Trevor: What are you talking about?
Jessica: Nothing…just ignore her. What are we going to eat?
Samara: Leo is at the dorm putting the groceries away…do any of you want to cook?
Jessica: You know my cooking sucks. What about you Trevor?
Trevor: My cooking is fine, but I don’t feel like cooking.
Samara: (thinks and then speaks) How does pizza sound?
Trevor and Jessica: Sounds good!
Samara: (laughs) You guys make me laugh!
Trevor: (spots somebody around the side of the building and speaks) Yeah, let’s go for pizza. Just give me five minutes; I’ll be right back!
Jessica: Let’s meet at the parking lot in five minutes; I still need to unpack some stuff from my car.
Samara: No more than five minutes! If you’re not there than we leave without you!
Jessica and Trevor: (laugh) Okay.
[Trevor walks towards the back of the building and Jessica heads to the parking lot. Samara walks off to the dorm. Screen then goes to Trevor. He’s talking to someone but you can’t see the man’s face.]
Trevor: Have you found anything new? Any leads?
Mystery Man: No, I haven’t…I’m not sure.
Trevor: What do you mean ‘you’re not sure’?
MM: I’m starting to think that they weren’t the targets.
Trevor: If they weren’t the targets, then you think we were? How do you figure that?
MM: One of my connections informed me that our rooms were the only ones that were trashed.
Trevor: But it still leaves one question: why would some one want to hurt us?
MM: I don’t know why, but I do know what might’ve occurred that night.
Trevor: Let’s hear it then.
[Cue suspense music.]
MM: The guy most likely attacked at nighttime because he’d figure that we’d be sleeping and defenseless. Once he saw that we weren’t there, he began to trash our room in a rage. The noise must’ve woken her up. She went to check it out and saw him. She must’ve run to get Amy and then she went to warn him, but–
Trevor: It was too late; he was already dead. They tried to hide, but the killer found them and then he–
MM: He shot them.
Trevor: We’ve got to catch him…any ideas who it might be?
MM: It’s obviously someone we know or someone who knows us.
Trevor: Well that doesn’t exactly narrow down the list…
MM: I know but it’s all we’ve got, plus we can’t risk him murdering another.
Trevor: I understand…I’ve got to get going.
MM: Same here. You take care and be careful, please.
Trevor: I will, don’t worry. Watch your back.
[MM leaves and Trevor begins to head back towards the parking lot. Samara, Leo and Jessica are waiting in the car. Jessica is in the driver’s seat and Leo and Samara are in the back seat.]
Leo: What is taking him so long?
Jessica: Beats me…my back is killing me.
Samara: (teasing tone) Why don’t you have Trevor massage it for you?
Leo: (laughs)
Jessica: I hardly find that funny…. My back wouldn’t be hurting if you had helped me carry my stuff into the dorm.
Samara: Hey, I helped!
Leo: I don’t think holding the door counts as help, sweetie.
Samara: You might have a point there.
Jessica: (laughs) Does anyone have his number?
Samara: Whose number?
Leo: Trevor’s number. Try to keep up, honey.
Samara: I should have it in my cell, but I’m not giving it to you.
Jessica: Why? We need to call and see what’s keeping him, ‘cause I’m hungry!
Samara: I’m not giving you his number until you admit that you like him…
Jessica: When will you understand that I don’t fall for every guy I see?
Leo: Probably when you admit that you do…
Jessica: You’re not helping…Why don’t we drive around campus and see if we can find him?
****TO BE CONTINUED. Plz Check Soon!****
