Poison

Poison

By: Saffy Stone

Prologue: Trigger effect The rays of sunshine slipped behind the mirroring windows of the tall skyscrapers. Darkness consumed the sky, blue and purple painted the night. We stood there on the tallest building, droplets of rain glistened and glided down our cheeks. He stood at the edge of the ground we were on, hesitatingly taking a step forward. My eyes were fierce, burning with indecision. My shaky hands held a silver weapon, pointing its aim right at him, I let my finger grasp lightly onto the trigger, pulling back a little and letting go again. He backed away from me, his eyes lowering themselves to the ground. My ponytail was now damp with moisture, my eyes made it difficult to see. Shone onto by the dim alley lights, I made out the expressions his face put on. It was one without any emotion, one that awaited for my finger to slip. Tears strolled gently down my cheeks, mixing in with those of the sky, he couldn’t tell I was crying, I never cried. I cocked the weapon, causing him to look back at me. For a moment, pain played across his features, than it disappeared. I flinched a little as I heard my earpiece crackle and a man’s voice whisper. “Just pull it, shoot him Poison, get it over with. You do remember what he did don’t you?” I closed my eyes and squeezed the trigger halfway. Then it flooded to me, our first kiss, the lake, the canoe ride. My fingers slipped and I started where I began, hesitating on the trigger. Now the earpiece screamed, “I don’t hear anything.” I clutched at the wretched thing and pulled it off of my ear. I was given a stupid, easy mission. It was very simple, yet I had to screw it up. But god, can you help it if you fall in love, it’s nature, it’s unstoppable. I fell in love with the boy standing in front of me, the one I’m sending to death. The one I was assigned to kill, but wanted so bad to save. He glared up at me, his eyes warm, innocent, in love. He stood up taller, and strode over to me in 3 steps. I backed away a little, raising the weapon towards him higher. He grabbed my hand that held the silver gun. His touch still sent a shock throughout my body, sensitive, caring and cold. I tried jerking my hand out, not showing him any more affectionate signs. He grasped my wrist tight and kept it from wriggling. His grasp was tight. I fought, and lost. I relaxed my arm, looking at his face. Rain drops fell down his tanned cheeks, past his freckles and the areas where dimples should’ve appeared. He moved my hand so that the point of the gun was pointed directly at his heart, then he dropped his arms to his side and choked, “What the hell are you waiting for? Pull the damn trigger.” The last words caught in his throat along with something else. Tears, he was fighting them better than I was, holding it back so I wouldn’t see. The forbidden fruit tastes the sweetest, as the forbidden love feels the strongest. I took a step back and lowered my gun to my waist, feeling my tight outfit going slick against the persistent weather. I turned half way to the side and looked at hidden moon behind the thunderclouds. It was full, tomorrow there would be a new one, the sky would be dark. Suddenly, my mind worked so fast that my brain had no time to process the information before my body took action. My armed hand in one swift motion re-cocked the gun and raised it in his direction. Without hesitation the night was silenced by one single gunshot. It was different, it echoed before hitting the target, leaving me that long to re-gather my thoughts. I stepped over the puddles of rain and picked up the earpiece I had abused a while back. I stuck it back on my ear and settled it in its original sitting position. The transmission was horrible before the communication broke through. I heard a voice, the captain’s. “That’s done now, wasn’t so hard was it?” Mockery filled his voice, he wasn’t there, what does he know? “No,” I replied. I twisted a tiny knob on the side of the earpiece so it turned off. The light shining on me increased its

density. I looked up, the clouds moved, and a full moon stared right down at me. At every end, there’s a new beginning. A time to restart something; the full moon, the end. This was the last day of pretending. The last day I will be Poison, the girl designed to kill. The new start of a new life. Tomorrow with the new moon, I will be Lexy Opal. A teenager, hormone crazed and in love. The one who ruined Poison, the one who fell in love with Jason Alexander. The breeze blew across from the east, the fresh smell of the air when it just rained. I dropped my gun and watched as it fell down the dark alleyway. I took out my ponytail and swung it side to side, feeling free as the wind whipped it across my face. I took a seat on the highest place on that roof, and gently shut my lids. The smell of the countryside floated in my senses, the lilacs, and orchids. The heat of the sun while I sat on the roof of the barn; soaking it all in. Footsteps sounded near me, than a light thump. I kept my lids down, and slowly inhaled the sweet air. “Isn’t the night beautiful?” I spoke, opening my eyes. I faced a pair of turquoise eyes which smiled at me warmly. “Compared to you, it’s nothing.” He answered.

Preface “Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending……Or so we think.” The thickly dressed man slumped against the alley wall, slushy sounds created by the pace his footsteps moved, fast and scared. He picked up his cross necklace and muttered a silent prayer, one begging for forgiveness and miracle. He was cruel, committed sins, and disobeyed the laws. One deserving to be punished, to be jailed; he grasped tightly the package in his arms, and unwrapped the outer layer. Inside was a book, secretly deadly and important; and of course, illegal. Opening the cover, he quickly skimmed through, hoping to find something useful at this time, nada. Tapping sounds drew near him, footsteps they sounded like. Careful, prominent, and sly; when they stopped, he froze, then immediately shut the cover. He smuggled the book under a pile of rotted, leftover food, than snuck away into the shadows. Hearing as the footsteps started again, he broke into a run. The steps faded away, the man slowed to a stride, than stopped to rest around the corner of an abandoned street. “Looking for me?” a sharp melodious voice sounded. The man abruptly turned around, facing a girl leaning against the pole. She was tiny and barley came above his waist; her age supposedly 5-6. A young girl belonging in first grade in school, but instead trained professionally by the SAG; their secret weapon, their poison. His breathe caught in his throat as his eyes meet hers. They were big and brown, a hint of danger in them, and her face round and adorable, drawing her bait closer to bite. He staggered back, than tripping onto the newly laid cement pavement. He stumbled up and straightened out himself. Looking back at the tiny girl who stood motionless, he started backwards and as soon as he made sure he was far enough, he began racing. Against time and the passing windows, against the speeds the

cars that rushed by, the fluttering of bird wings; the scattering of rats and the pace of the raindrops. His worn out shoes slowed him down, he looked back and saw no one, screeching to a halt, he entered and took refuge in the nearest empty store. Leaning against the door, he took a deep breath and sank down onto the hard ground before closing his eyes. Rubbing his temples, he began to think of strategies to get back the book without letting the tiny girl get him. Deep in his concentration, one sound brought him back to reality; A faint sound, the clicking of a lock. He forced open his lids and stared intently into the darkness. Nothing. But he was sure the lock was not a hallucination. He grabbed rotten wood lying a few feet from him and gulped. Then, he questioned into the darkness. “Who’s there?” Weighing the stick in his hands, he reminisced all the selfdefense moves his mind could conjure. The reply from the shadows broke his train of thoughts. “You know the deer that stood there and waited for death died quick and easy, but the deer that ran wished that he was dying the whole time when he was suffering. Mr. Monich, guess which deer you are?” a giggle followed the reply. It contained no sense of humor, but just pure sarcasm. The man was breathing faster, scanning the room for any signs of threats, and found none. He raised higher his stick, and jogged over to the door. Half-way there, he was knocked in the head and fell unconscious, a numb feeling rose from his neck. Than there was flames, burning. He felt his whole body paralyzed, run, fast, away from the fire. He tried moving his feet, nothing happened, he stayed in the same position. His heart was melting, quickening in every beat as his veins sealed up refusing to let oxygen in. Can’t breathe. He thought to himself. Sweat forming on his bare skin, He began to writhe as a wave of pain mixed with shock traveled through him. It felt as if someone strapped him to an electric chair and left him there with the highest shock. The pain presided with numbness and his breathing slowed. Thinking this was over, he sighed. And just as he did, he felt a million needles piercing his skin and twisting his stomach. He was now suffocating, wishing he would’ve just stayed and welcomed his death in the first place. He groaned and screamed as the seizing flames burned his mind blank. Crying, he begged for mercy, shrieking the lord’s name in vain. “STOP THE DAMN FIRE, STOP IT, MAKE IT ALL GO AWAY! NOW!” clutching his heart, he tossed and thrashed wildly. Than he heard it, one clean whistling movement; fast but for some reason felt like an eternity to him. Than one sharp thing pierced through his head. And it all went away; The pain, the numbness, the burning; all gone. The girl turned and unlocked the lock. Closed the door swiftly behind her as she entered the empty streets of the city. She picked up the book she had earlier lain on the side walk and signaled a taxi to take her to the airport. What was her name? She didn’t have one. Raised by the Society Against Government movements. She was trained and specialized into a killing machine, destructing anything she was programmed to go after. This year, she turns 6, should be going to first grade as a normal girl, but didn’t. She was SAG’s secret weapon, everyone worldwide knew her as Poison. She was talked about, never captured. She was written about, never interviewed. She was like a ghost, invisible to the public eye. She didn’t know that SAG after this final assignment didn’t need her anymore. They didn’t want to get rid of her, in need for future cases. They just wanted her to blend in with the world for a few years until she becomes useful again. The government had detected their message and responded to their requests, without the need to go against them anymore, they didn’t need her. She looked out the window, it was a full moon, but at that time, she didn’t know

what that meant. She didn’t know that today she was Poison, and the next day she would have no memory of what happened and be in an orphanage ready for adoption. All that crossed her mind right now was to finish the assignment, bring the book back to the Lieutenant. She hopped off the taxi and took the flight back to headquarters. She entered into the main hallway and reported she was here. A large man stood in front of her, seeing her presence, he lead her to the Lieutenant’s office. Silently shutting the door behind them, they faced a middle-aged man, no older than 25 sitting at a desk, hands propped in a position ready to accept what Poison had for him. She gently set the book into his waiting hands and stepped back, ready to exit. “Poison, wait.” He spoke after he safely tucked away the book. She whipped around, “yes?” He signaled her to take a seat in his office and she obeyed. He spun his chair around to face his open window, gazing out into the moonlight, he continued. “Look at the moon? Isn’t it beautiful?” the girl nodded to his question, looking puzzled. “It’s a full moon, the end to the past. The new moon signifies new beginnings, ways to create new endings. To start over, fresh and clean.” He now spun his chair around to face her, his face stern and expressionless. “Posion. Do you even have a name? A family? A life?” he squinted towards her. She answered immediately, and she answered exactly what he had expected to hear. “Yes, I am an agent here, I obey orders and missions. I have a name. It’s Poison.” Her voice robotic and dead, infuriated the Lieutenant. “Listen to yourself, this isn’t what you are supposed to be like. You are supposed to be in first grade in school, learning and playing. Not killing people everyday.” He yelled. “Are you saying you don’t need me anymore?” she questioned. The Lieutenant nodded. She stood, bowed, and headed towards the door. Before she made it there, the large man standing by the door grabbed her and held a rag to her nose, dosed in drug. She struggled like a fish in a net, but soon her eyes and strength gave in, and she fell onto the floor. They carried her to the lab, and lain her down on the cool table. “do you have everything she needs in her new life ready?” the lieutenant asked pausing to examine her pulse. It had slowed, she was still drugged. The large man nodded, “Passport, medical excuse for memory loss, new identity, no proven existence she was ever Poison. Her name is now Lexy Opal.” The man turned around and approached the girl. He carried a needle injected with a yellow liquid. Slowly but surely, he inserted the needle into the side of Poison’s head. As he finished he pulled it away. The Lieutenant ordered him away. He stood by Poison for a second, then flipped her hair to reveal a skull tattoo. Imprinted slightly below her earlobe. This was the last of the evidence, it would do her no more harm if he left her now. He bent over and took off her necklace. “Goodbye.” He said before quietly exiting into the dark night

Chapter 1 “No secret can be hidden for long, a short while maybe, because sooner or later, that secret will be told again, this time, it won’t necessarily be a secret anymore.” The ride to school was long, crucial, harsh. My bus was full of wannabes and losers. All of them tried asking me out, all of them try to be like me. All of them equally annoying. I was known as ‘The Lexy.’ Strange, critical. Nobody bet against me, nobody took what I wanted. I was strong, and popular, the girl with the mystery past. I was adopted into the home of Hanna and Rick Werferd. I kept my adoption last name, Opal. They found me when I was 5, my parents had disappeared, and I didn’t remember a thing. The freaky part was that all of my life’s evidence, my passport, my identity, my medical record and history were all there, but why was I not getting anything from any of these? My story I read over and over again, too good, too false, too happy, too unrealistic. I always suspected there was something going on behind those written words, something someone didn’t want me to remember. I gave up trying to find that a long time ago, when everything I read about me was the exact same as the history sheets. My identity mark, something unique about me, was a permanent tattoo engraved below my ear. It was a sign of a cross skull, warning people I was dangerous, poisonous. The bus screeched to a halt and I was the first to make it out the door. I rushed to the flagpole to already see my 2 best friends there. There was Megan, leaning against the flagpole, studying for the math test. Stephanie was reading probably the latest romance novel. They both seemed a little off of their focus today. Both of them peeking over their books as they glared in the same direction. Almost every girl on the campus was like that, staring like something amazing was coming. “Umm, hello?” I waved my hands in front of them, they snapped out of their stare. “What did I miss? A man landing on the moon? A great romance? A new teacher? The FBI?” I shouted. Megan smiled at me sweetly, than pointed her finger to a guy. He was new, he was cute and he was just sitting there on his skateboard, looking around. “Better than all of your questions combined.” Stef added, sighing dreamily. I snorted, but he was kinda cute. “thank you god for giving us him.” Megan appraised the sky. Me and Stef laughed. I could see all of the girls mesmerized in his every moment, dazzled by his every glance. He was curious, a newcomer, a stranger. I set down my stuff and walked over. “Are you crazy?” Stef grabbed my hand and yanked me back. “Uh, I don’t think so.” I shook it off and proceeded towards him. I sat next to him, leaning against the railings. “Hi there.” I said, trying to sound warm. He looked up at me, and I saw why he dazzled all the girls. Faraway he was cute, but close-up, he was much much much more than just cute. He had a thin face, a tall nose, gorgeous turquoise eyes and a killer smile. I had to concentrate on breathing correctly before I prepared myself for his response. “Hey.” He smiled. He extended his hand, “Jason Alexander.” I shook his cool hand, feeling a shock go through mine as I took it. “Lexy Opal.” I smiled sweetly back. Suddenly, the idea of flirting came into my head. For a split second I was considering it, then I pushed it out of my head. “Welcome to Willow High.” I mussed his hair before letting go of his hand with my other and quickly walking away. Megan stared at me, awegazed. “W-O-W.” She expanded each word. “You guys would look so cute together. Although I want him.” Stef hugged my shoulders and jumped up and down. “Stef, not that far.” I told her. She immediately stopped and paused to look at me. I gave her the you know what I mean look than brushed past her. Turning back on both of them, I signaled them to come with me into the school. The hallways were silent when we

entered. We unpacked and got ready, and the rest of the day almost passed in a blur. I entered biology, sitting at my lab table. I sat alone in the back of the room, staying as far away from any attention. A chair pulled away next to me and before I knew it, all the girls in the class were staring at me. I quickly snapped my attention to who sat next to me, and I was met with a set of turquoise eyes. They were unique, and made me feel like I was falling into them. I stopped looking at him and turned to the rest of the class. I gave them what was called my death look. They immediately obeyed and turned around. Just then the teacher walked in. “Morning class, oh look, our new student is here!” Mr. Urc was a peculiar teacher, a man in his mid-30’s. Jason raised his hand and smirked, I could swear I heard some of the girls sighing. I turned to open my sketch book. I drew things in here when the teacher started to bore me. “Aren’t you even gonna say hi?” his voice implanted into my hearing. I grinned and looked up at him, “Hi.” I said quickly before something stupid comes out. He laughed at my response but then twirled a pencil in his hands, “I know what the school says about you. People listen to everything and knows their way around you. But from a little time of knowing you, I know you’re different than that.” He took my sketchbook from me. “Yeah? Explain that.” I said as I snatched back my sketchbook. He smiled, making dimples appear in the side of his midtan cheeks. “You’re different, secretive, and you don’t want people to really get to know you, because you’re afraid they won’t understand. You have a secret, which explains why you act that way. The secret’s been bugging you for a long time.” He trailed off suggestively. I gaped at him with my mouth, I wanted to say something smart, but instead, the words flew out before I had the chance to think them over, “Are you a spy working for the CIA or something?” His face immediately darkened, and he lowered his face. “No.” he whispered. He looked up again but not at me, but rather at my sketches. “Wow, these are good. Take lessons?” he looked through my various drawings. “Nah, I teach myself.” I told him. He smiled, and my god it was breathtaking. I sucked in a bit of air and swallowed it. He flipped through the pages, laughing occasionally at some. When Mr. Urc called for him to answer a question, he didn’t ask for it to be repeated, he knew the answer right off. The class passed and he asked if he could keep the book for a while. I shrugged and probably ended up nodding. Megan and Stef gathered and were describing every detail about him. I was awed too. He seemed like a newcomer, but he sounds like he’s been here forever. Just before leaving, I saw him on his skateboard, taking off the other direction. Before that, he turned and smiled at me, and that smile made me weak in my legs. Stef and Megan chatted animatedly about clothes and shopping, I headed towards my house after waving goodbye to them. The sun was now touching the end of the road, setting the whole street in flames of gold. Maybe that’s way I didn’t notice the car that was following me. Finally, the roaring of its engine stopped me in my tracks. I whipped my head around and clenched my hands into fists. The man that steppe out of the car looked at my ready to fight position, and slightly stepped back. “Whoa, whoa, we mean no harm.” He raised his hands and dropped his gun to the ground. Another man came out and knocked him on the head. “What the hell are you doing?” the other man questioned. The unarmed man turned to look at me with a horrified expression on his face. “isn’t that her?” he whispered to the man next to him. The man nodded his head. I was puzzled. I took a few steps forward and they automatically retreated back. “What’s going on?” I asked, making my voice harsher than usual. I heard the man with raised hands gulp and the man next to him approached me. “I am agent Rihenhart from the

SAG.” He said, showing me an identification badge. I swear I have seen the badge somewhere before, but I can’t recall where. I stepped closer to him, and I remembered the news that played on the TV a few days after I was adopted. The SAG. Society Against government movements. I have heard of them, but they had blended in with the society, because their secret weapon disappeared. I heard it was a girl. A young one, probably 5-6. She had no history, no name. Everyone feared her. I lifted my bag higher and used my free hand to take his. “Lexy Opal.” I said, smiling. “Ahh, Poison, you have no clue how hard we were searching for you.” The man told me, wrinkles appearing in his facial features. Me? Poison? Who were they kidding? I stepped back. “I’m sorry, I think you have the wrong person.” I giggled apologetically. They looked doubtful at me. “So sorry if you wasted your time, or if I couldn’t be more help. I really am.” I waved to them as I backed away. The man continued to follow me. I tried to ignore them and jogged my way home. I looked back to see if they were following and I didn’t see anyone. That was before I ran head on into the unarmed man. “Look, really, bug off. I don’t know what you are talking about.” I screamed at his face. He showed no sign of movement. Something sprang inside me and internally, my natural self-defense kicked in. Thing was I’ve never taken karate in my whole life, yet when I feel threatened, these natural movements kick in. I don’t know what clicked in me, but one second my fist clenched, and the other, the man was on the ground, clutching his bleeding nose. I took my fist back and gaped at the man on the ground. He was writhing in pain. The other man approached behind me. “And you say you aren’t Poison. I bet you have never taken karate have you?’ I looked at him, loosening my hand. I shook my head. The man on the ground stood up and immediately ran to the car. His eyes were full of fear. “How do you explain that then?” he said pointing at the retreating man. “Coincidence.” I simply replied. “Is that what you are going to call everything. How about that you were adopted, found 2 days after Poison finished her last mission. How about that when Poison disappeared without a trace, you appeared? How about the fact that nothing about you seems real?” he looked at me, squinting his eyes. I cleared my head a couple of times and registered what he had said. “Coincidence.” I repeated, except a little unsure this time. I picked my cellphone out of the bag and starting dialing 911. The patching monotone rang as I waited. “NO, WAIT. EVEN THOUGH NO ONE HAS EVER SEEN HER. YOU CAN’T SAY THIS IS A COINCIDENCE.” He shouted. I glared at him. “What’s on you neck? Below you ear?” he questioned. My eyes widened as he pulled out an article probably years old. Why wasn’t anyone picking up? I read the headline. Heroin or Assassin? I looked at the picture. It was a picture of a mirror. On it were two bullet shots. The cracks that they formed were too incidental, they spelled out the word POISON. There was a person exiting, possibly a girl because you could see her back. She had a tight pony tail and was no older than 6. Nothing can be surely made out, no face showed. Then my eyes broke down the detail. Her hair was swinging at the exact second to reveal a tattoo below her ear. It was a cross bone and a skull. My hand automatically went to my neck. The line finally picked up on the other side. “911 please state your emergency.” I froze for a few seconds, then calmed my voice. “Sorry, false alarm.” “Oh, okay.” The line went dead and so did my brain. I slid the cellphone into my pocket and took the newpaper. I read it closely and looked at the fine print. Poison, untouchable, unseen. But at last identified. By the unique tattoo of a skull and crossbone. As checked, no tattoo artists have done this at the exact place and every artist is forbidden to today. The faster we grasp the Poison,

the more we can save. I dropped the paper. My unique mark. I touched it again. I looked at the man, shock written all over my face. “Impossible.” I whispered. He walked up to me and stared me straight in the eye. “Sweetheart. When you’re Poison, nothing is impossible.” He opened his phone. “meet me here at 5 tomorrow.” He turned and started gabbing in the cell. I looked at the melting sun. It was late. Mom would wonder where I was. As I turned around. The men along with their car were gone. My cell phone rang. I looked at the caller ID. Mom. “Hey mom, sorry, roadblock, be home right away. Bye.” I slipped the phone shut. One phrase ran through me head. No way.

Chapter 2 “ We are human, and we are stupid, Often falling in love with the wrong people at exactly the wrong time.” The blaring sound awoke me from my dreams, stirring me from my sleep. I looked over at the time before shutting the sound off. 5:30, perfect. I jumped from my bed instantly and walked to my closet. I took out one of my jogging outfits and headed for the bathroom. That was when I noticed something glinting by the window, I strode over and saw an object fluttering. Pressing my nose against the glass, I saw that it was a piece of paper. I waited till the wind died down a little then opened the window. A loud creaking sound came into hearing as the rusty metal scraped against each other. How had I not noticed it being open last night? I took the note and unfolded it. It was from agent Rihenhart. Dear Lexy, As you know, you are now targeted and needed by us. Training will begin today morning. Your parents told me about your jogging routine, I am going to pick you up at 8:00 AM. You have a full excuse to miss school, and it will not be on your record, See you soon. -Rihenhart I crumbled the note up and tossed it into the trash can. After using the bathroom, I grabbed a water bottle, a granola bar, a drawing notebook and some colored pencils. I stuffed them all inside a small bag that I slung over my shoulder when I ran. I lived by the coast of California, in a small town close to Washington. Fog smothered most of the view, but there was one place along the coast; this one place that only I know. It was beautiful, consisting of a beat up dock but had a stunning view. That was where I jogged to every morning, and I tried to capture its beauty, but it was so great, that not just pencil and paper could make it seem real. Of course, I was the only one who came here. A few months age I brought Stef and Megan here. They basically fell on the floor cracking up when I described this place as beautiful. The fog began to clear up, and I could see the deck. However, there was a faint shadow on the deck. I slowed down my pace and tried to see it, it was the shadow of a person. I approached from behind, the figure was a male figure. A loose t-shirt on the top and khakis on the bottom. He had dark hair that slightly curled up on the ends. He was just sitting there, his feet dangling off the edge. They were tanned to a fine shade and the light reflecting off the water shined on them. That wasn’t what caught my attention. It was the fact that he was holding a piece of paper on his lap, a drawing of this exact scenery. I could recognize that this was my drawing. I sat down next to him and met a pair of turquoise eyes, standing out from the blazing colors of the rising sun. They captured me in them and held onto a moment of silence. I broke it, “So, how did you find this place?” I asked, dipping the tip of my toes into the ocean. His expressions softened and the side of his cheeks dimpled in. “One. You’re an excellent artist, I stayed up all night looking through your works. Two. This place has its own sort of charm, own sort of beauty. Doesn’t it?” he squinted his glaze towards the sunrise. We sat closer than I had last remembered, and automatically, I leaned my head against his shoulder. After I realized my own action, I quickly tried to pull away. Then I felt his arm hugging me and holding me to him. He pulled me in closer and shushed me. We watched as a fisherman rowed his boat in. I saw him every morning, that fisherman. We

introduced ourselves a few weeks back. His name was Joseph Gold, I just call him Joe. Every morning he rowed in his boat, it meant I should start to head back. He would smile me his white teethed smile and I would wave to him. “Hi Joe!” I waved to him. He looked up at me and waved back, then dragged his boat onto shore. “You know him?” Jason’s voice penetrated my thoughts. “Barely.” I replied and ruffled up his dark hair. I stood up in one swift movement and offered him my hand. He took it and pulled me down instead. “HEY!” I said and playfully pushed him a little. He giggled and hugged me. “It seems like we’ve met before.” He whispered. I nodded and leaned in to him. “I’ll see you at school?” he questioned, not sure exactly what to ask. “Actually, something came up. I’m not going to school.” I said before standing up again. He sighed and got up too. “Then I guess I’ll see you around.” He said. I realized he held onto my hand and hadn’t let go yet. He pulled me towards the opposite direction I came in. “Umm….isn’t it the other way?” I asked him. “Yeah, but I’m gonna give you a ride.” He let og of my hand now. I continued to follow him. “A ride?” I questioned. That was before a black and silver motorbike came into view. “Whoa.” That was all I could utter. “Sweet huh?” he said putting on a helmet and tossing my one. I caught it with grace and slipped it on my head. “Thanks.” I hit him in the arm before climbing in behind him. I held on him tightly for the entire ride. Mostly it felt good with the wind blowing against you. It felt like flying, close to it. My house came into view and he stopped the engine. I pecked him on the cheek before jumping out and running into the house. He paused for a second then rode away. I glanced up at the clock, shoot, I had 2 minutes. I changed quickly into a comfortable t-shirt and some shorts. Slipped my hair up in a pony tail, and hurried out the door. I looked at my watch. 8:00. Just then, a black vehicle pulled into the driveway. The window rolled down and a door opened for me. I climbed into it. Inside was leathery smelling and roomy. I looked at the driver, and even though I could only see the back of his head and I was so sure I didn’t know him, his voice made me think that I did. “Poison, pleasure to have you with us again.” The snake-like voice hissed. But it was a small laugh afterwards that made me feel something was going to go terribly wrong.