Alice Moreno's Story

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Time stopped. It always stopped. It was clear to Alice that her mindless dreaming would soon evolve into something more. Something new. Something serious. Something strange. At least, that's what she yearned for. The countless minutes of walking along the numerous sidewalks of Portland had created a map of what was where and who was where in Alice's mind; therefore, creating a world of obsolete nothingness. Portland was empty, and Alice couldn't simply take it anymore.

She could never take it.

That's why Alice escaped to her dreams. Since Portland was nothingness, why would she bother to spend efforts of communication and fake smiling to please people? Hadn't she already done that enough? No. You could never do something too much in Portland. She hated answering questions she already knew the answer to. That was another thing about Portland, you never ran out of answers, but you had too many questions. But in dreams, life was your voyage. You could spend countless hours drifting into the ocean, feeling the salt of the waves brush across your delicate skin. You could ignore the familiar faces of people you grew to dislike. You could sing without others staring at you, judging every crack and flaw in your voice. Why couldn't the world be a dream? Well, Alice knew she didn't have control over the world. That was another question she knew the answer to.

But she wish she didn't.

Alice sometimes didn't even have control over her own dreams. They turned into violent nightmares, plucking out each fear that had been tightly locked inside of her secretive heart. Alice despised nightmares. It was too bad she had them often. She had grown to lose control night after night, and it was starting to frighten her.

"Alice!"

She was breathing heavily, tumbling through a hole of mirrors. Countless mirrors. Each reflection was something different. She saw her face, but in the form of something new. Some images locked her gaze to glimpse upon her face covered in dirt, water, or even surrounded by butterflies. She wanted to fly away, escape the treacherous mirrors and wake up. But then again, reality was truly horrid too. A flash of auburn caught her gaze.

Her fingernails clawed at dirt surrounding the interior of the hole. Everywhere she turned she saw her reflection, staring back at her with piercing blue eyes, muttering something she couldn't hear or make out. Goosebumps rose across her skin as her body flailed against the air rushing upward as she raced downward, falling farther and farther into the depths of the darkness.

"Alice!"

She heard her name once more. It was a boy's voice, calling out to her in distress. Were they falling, too?

"Where are you?" Her voice cracked against the arid tone in her throat. She felt faint, as if her body was weakening. She wanted to scream at the frustration of her finding the boy. He could help her.

He could save her.

She closed her eyes, blocking out the horrifying reflections. Her hands flew out from underneath herself, trying to grasp what might be another person.

"Alice, we don't have much time!" She heard him say fretfully. Only his voice pushed away the thoughts of terror in her soul. She wanted to be in his arms, protected from the antique mirrors that haunted her mind. She wanted him, she needed him, but she didn't even know who the hell he was. Her fingertips stretched outward into the darkness for a chance to feel warmth. She met his fingertips, not even glimpsing for a peak of his face. She was too scared to open her eyes.

A sense of heat spread throughout her fingertips, jolting her back from his entwined fingers. Her eyes squinted, barley seeing the view of golden sparks.

One minute he was there, and the next, he was gone.

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"Alice Moreno, get up! You aren't going to be late on your first day if school!"

She could hear her father's voice calling her from downstairs.

She sat up with a jolt, throwing the covers off of herself in fear that they might suffocate her. Her breathing was rigid while she tried to grasp what was now the clean atmosphere. She closed her eyes, feeling her fingernails did into her sweaty palms. Alice felt like crying for once. Well, she always felt like crying, but she had learned to hide it over the years. Crying could not be tolerated now.

She had lost him once more. She always lost him in the dreams, and she always felt like it depended on her life to save his own. She thrust her head forward, locking it between her shivering knees

"It was just a dream." Her words were interrupted by the choppiness of her breathing. She tried breathing slower to help ease her nerves. All she felt was loss. Just pure suffering.Stricken suffering.

She wanted her fingers to be in his. She felt was so stupid for letting him go. In frustration, she gripped her pillow, throwing it at the shelf in front of her, knocking over a few items.

Nightmares. What an awful thing they were. She had been having the dream for weeks now, each one becoming more and more vivid over the course of the past nights. She was too scared to even close her eyes in fear of the ever growing darkness.

"Alice! Everything okay up there?" She could hear her father begin to make his way upstairs.

"Yeah!" She inhaled. "Everything is in tip-top shape!" She ran to the the doorway, carefully shutting the door to make sure her dad wouldn't hear anymore pillow throwing incidents.

She breathed in heavily, quickly brushing away the pointless thoughts of her dreams. An aching weight grew inside of her chest, trying to pull her towards focusing on the boy who had slipped from her grasp. He had just barley slipped away. Her fingertips met the pale blue wall, feeling the cracked paint. She had other things to tend to.

She stood up, rubbing her hands against her face to take care of the unnecessary thoughts, though she knew it was a futile attempt as a distraction. She made her way towards the shower, readying herself for school. But she couldn't get him out of her head, and she couldn't explain why. Was she falling for someone who didn't even walk the Earth? No, more like falling in a hole of endless mirrors.



"Alice, I'm going out of town for a couple of days." Her father took a sip of his coffee. The scent of bacon curled throughout the air, and her mind began to twist in a new direction. Her father was always gone. It was probably a company trip- again.

She scurried across the kitchen floor, practically sliding in her socks to reach the fridge. She didn't feel like talking, especially about business.

"Sleep okay?" Her dad's eyes traced her movements across the kitchen. His bald head reflected off of the kitchen lights, "You look a little tired." He positioned his glasses on the tip of his nose, turning back to an article about Portland's recent high school football winnings against an opposing county. That's all he ever thought about: football. He never had time for her.

"Yeah," Her eyes scanned the refrigerator, looking for the milk. "Had a couple of nightmares." She took the milk and closed the fridge. Where were the Brand Flakes?

"Nightmares?" She heard her dad flip to another section of the paper. "What kinda' nightmares?" He looked up, eyebrows raised.

Alice turned her head to look over her shoulder. "Just plain old nightmares, dad." She unscrewed the milk lid.

"Like, monsters and stuff in your dreams?" He cleared his throat.

"No, dad." She poured the milk in a glass. "No monsters."

"Then what was it?"

"A boy."

"Doin' what?"

"Nothing." She closed the milk, walking back towards the direction of her bacon. The mirrors entered her mind again.

Her dad chuckled. "A boy?" He uncrossed his legs. "I don't know what's gotten into you." He grunted, studying the words on the paper even harder. "You've never really talked about boys before."

"Don't worry about it." She scratched the back of her neck, taking a seat across from him. The fumes of bacon entered her nostrils.

"Have a good day, okay? I'm gonna' get ready for work." He stood up from his chair, passing Alice the paper across the table as if she wanted to read it. He nodded towards the picture in the center of the paper. "High hopes for the football season this year!"

"Like always, dad." She let out a sigh, looking out of the kitchen window. It was about to rain.

"I'm off-"

"Like always, dad." She suddenly wasn't hungry. She pictured the boy from the dream again. His eyes danced across her vision. Where would she see him tonight? Even if it was a nightmare, it was still an escape. She was starting to like that.

Her dad let out a sharp sigh, turning to walk up the staircase.

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Alice's sneakers were drenched. Her socks pressed against the damp insoles, causing water to squeeze between her toes. Her footsteps squeaked against the newly swept floors of Portland High, or also referred to as, Hell. Pure Hell.

Familiar faces lined Alice's vision. Danny, the soon-to-be quarterback of the Portland County Falcons, gave her a swift wink. She rolled her eyes, turning to observe Janice Harbrooke, the all-American queen bee, complain about her frizzy hair. She mentally blocked the images out of her mind, focusing on her dripping sweatshirt. Despite the drawbacks of riding a bicycle to school, she enjoyed the rain, even after its annoying outcome. Rain was one of the few pleasant things in Portland.

"Let's get to class, people!"

It was her second year. If only it was the last. She dreamed of leaving Portland, as did the rest of the population, but, for now, she was stuck in the hallway of Hell. She entered Ms. Jaren's history class, looking at the few empty seats. Everyone was bustling with excitement, rushing to claim seats, or whispering.

Whispering?

She walked back to the corner, setting her navy book bag beside the plastic chair. She curled her soaking hair behind her ear, taking a seat. Why was everyone whispering?

"I heard that one boy was cute..."

"Cute? How can a freak be cute?"

Alice turned to hear Janice and Carla, her petite sidekick in crime, gossip about someone. Who was it his time? Maybe a helpless kid?

"Class, listen up!" Ms. Jansen cleared her throat, positioning her glasses. "It's a new year and a new day!"

Boy, this lady was a trip.

A silence fell over the class as everyone took their seats. "Sophomore year is exciting, isn't it?" Ms. Jaren proclaimed.

There was no reply. You could practically hear a pin drop.

"Well," Her face fell. "Here is some exciting news!" A smile crept across her face again "We have some new students entering Portland High!"

New students? Alice could feel the tension raise in the room.

Shit. New students. Alice almost said a silent prayer in fear that her fellow students would jump to conclusions.

"Please welcome, Zachariah, Beck, and Catalina Curwen."

Alice's eyes widened. Curwen? They were related to Marvin Curwen? The strange man who confined himself to solitary on the shore of Lake Otshire? Well, this was a change of plans.

Marvin Curwen? Did she hear that right?

A flash of auburn caught her gaze. They were siblings, all standing tall in their own unique way. Cold air rushed through the room and everyone was silent. Goosebumps crawled across Alice's skin as her body stiffened. She felt faint, as if she had known one of them. Her eyes met the siblings', staring into them with intense interest. A flash of auburn? She bit her lip, a nervous habit.

Maybe things were changing...

Portland seemed nice so far, it was small and relatively quiet. They lived by a lake and that was his favorite part, he loved to swim. Despite trying to focus on all of the positive points he couldn't ignore the loud count down of their approaching sixteenth birthdays. Beck was sure they'd be fine though, they were together after all and they were strong, he'd make sure to keep them safe from anything that would come their way. For today though he'd focus on the task at hand and that would be, school.

He made sure to be up first, wanting to make breakfast for his siblings to try and make this transition as easy as possible. First on his list though was to wake his sister Catalina which after trying to sweetly rouse her for a few moments and realizing it was in vain he then took hold of the covers and flipped her out of bed then fled the bedroom with all the grace of a newborn giraffe to escape her wrath. Next was Zac which was easier, he simply dive bombed the bed like a brother should to another then once again fled the room like a clutz while laughing."Hurry up guys I have breakfast ready!"

Beck was already dressed and ready to go when they made their way down and all smiles. Clad in his normal t-shirt, zip up jacket and jeans, he slid two plates across the counter towards his siblings. "I didn't burn anything." He piped in the all too happy for this time of day voice. After shoveling his copious amount of breakfast food in his mouth and holding an umbrella over himself and his siblings as they ran through the rain to the bus, he then settled himself on an opposite seat across from Zac and Cat as they rode to school.

He grinned at his siblings, his usually happy self, before turning his attention to his book, some fantasy he'd read a hundred times over, to distract from the loud chatter on the bus. It was terrible sometimes, well, all the time, being able to hear every damn thing around you. Every whisper, pen drop, scrape of a shoe, smack of gum, cough, sneeze, rain patter, one, two, three, ten, thirty drops. Just focus on the book. Once upon a time.

As the bus squealed to a halt his head snapped up, pulled from his quiet getaway in his imagination. "Well, here we are." Beck stuck close to Zac and Cat, had one on either side of him. He held firmly to Zac's arm, leading him through the mass of excited students, his other hand was resting on Cat's shoulder. It was pretty easy to find the classroom, after all he could see over practically everyone's head. The teacher seemed nice, a little too excited about introducing them to everyone and oh no she was going to parade them in front of the class wasn't she? Beck gave a tight lipped smile as the three of them were stood in front of their peers and introduced. Sure he didn't mind talking to anyone and everyone but situations like this were just awkward and he couldn't wait to sit down, he could practically feel the judgmental stares. After standing a few seconds longer he ushered his siblings down the aisleways towards the back where a few, glorious, lovely, empty seats awaited them. His eyes suddenly caught sight of a green eyed, dark headed girl; she was staring at them but not like the others in the class were, he gave her a genuine grin as he approached the back. Beck made sure Zac was situated before he sat down next to Alice which was a bit more difficult than he would have thought. After a few grunts and wiggles he finally struggled his long legs under the desk and flashed a shy smile towards her. "Hi." He whispered to her, shooting a look to the teacher to make sure she wasn't paying attention to them. "I'm Beck, what's your name?"

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“YOU MORNING FREAK!” Those were the first words that rang out in the early morning of Catalina’s room. One moment she was sleeping peacefully amongst piles of pillows, and the next thing she’s on the floor throwing pillows at her twin’s retreating stumbling form. Seriously, he knew she wasn’t a morning person and he still had to wake her up like that… but then again it saves her tail from being late for class… Nope, still annoying.

Taking a moment to get herself calmed down, the girl glumly shuffled over to her closet and slipped on the first skirt and t-shirt she could find before grabbing her boots. Today was to be their glorious –insert sarcasm – first day of school. Portland seemed rather decent from the time the siblings had been there; but high school was always a city of its own. And it wasn’t a place she happily liked to join.

Hands raised as she pulled her hair into two side ponytails, Cat stopped in front of Zachary’s room and stared at the doorframe. They were in a new house and it had stairs… but he wouldn’t want help to the kitchen. And she didn’t want to provoke any unnecessary emotions this early in the morning. “He’ll be fine.”

The smell of breakfast hit her nose just as her stomach let out a protest of grumpiness. But there was also that annoying twinge of morning sunshine that was not coming from the sun. “Beck, you are worse than a cup of coffee.” Cat mumbled as she took the plate he offered and sat to eat. She could feel perkiness practically radiating from him, and that was warring with her own tiredness of the morning. She loved her brother, both her brothers; but whoever said girls were more emotional than guys lied. Boys had plenty of emotions of their own.

After eating and allowing Beck to shuffle her and Zachary out to the bus like a mother hen, Cat took a seat with her brother while her twin escaped to his book. “Well, good luck to us I suppose.” She whispered to Zac as they headed to school; then turned to stare out the window.

Once again Cat allowed herself to be shuffled by the mother hen himself as they entered the school; trying her best to ignore all the excitement and dread flowing from the first day of school students. Glancing at both her brothers, Cat could only let out a sigh. She kept trying to warn Beck about how Zac felt being guided around, but the goofball just couldn’t turn his hen mode off.

Finding their room and stepping inside was like a fist to her gut. Everyone’s emotions was focused on the three of them, and they all rang similar with curiosity. And was that animosity too? Already she could feel Beck tense inside with being the point of attention; but when the teacher announced their last names, that’s when Cat tried to tune out. The new feeling of surprise and mixed emotions increased at the news. So our family has a name in this place… great… But despite what all she was feeling, all she showed was crossing her arms in front of her chest and cocking her head to the side; trying to look as unfazed as she wished she felt.

Though something else hit above all the other emotions. It was one emotion different from the others. One strong enough she actually turned her head to look at her brothers. Someone was more than shocked, and it wasn’t their name; what was it?

Curiosity gnawed at her as her own and the other stranger’s collided. What was them? Who was it? Falling in line behind Beck and Zachary as they were once again mother hen-ed to the back seats, Cat took the one closest to the window as she stared around the room. She didn’t like this feeling.

Then she heard her twin. Snapping her gaze to his direction she could have smacked him upside the head. Without realizing it he had even seated Zac and was already trying to chat it up with the girls. It was going to be a long day.

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"I'm Beck, what's your name?" His shaggy Auburn hair cascaded downward to entangle in his eyelashes. He was tall, like Alice, but still loomed over her caramel-colored hair. He sat in his chair comfortably, even though the curious gaze of onlookers clouded his view. She was still frozen, locked inside of his icy blue eyes. There was something different about his eyes, something a little more mysterious. Something unexplainable.

Alice just stared, taking a moment to gather her thoughts. Goosebumps still rose across her skin, even though she was beginning to relax. What was she so tense about? "I," She paused, looking lost in his eyes, "I'm Alice." Her body languidly loosened as she gave him a slight smile, trying to look more welcoming. She wanted to make up for the odd staring she had graciously performed earlier.

"He must think I'm a freak..." She began to think, glancing away from his gaze. She caught herself second-guessing to study the new boy once more, but that would seem strange, unusual even.

Various thoughts arose in Alice's mind: Why had she become so cold? Why did she care about the new students so much? Why did she feel as if she knew them? Why? Her chest began to tighten. Even though her focus was on this 'Beck' person, she stared intensely at Ms. Jaren, who was now explaining the guidelines of the class rules.

A flash of glass entered Alice's mind, bringing back memories of strange reflections and muddy holes from her dream. Sparks danced across her vision as she gripped tightly onto the seat, looking down at her wet converse. She took in a deep breath, noticing a few heads turn to watch her. Now was not the time to make a scene. She looked up abruptly, biting the bottom lower half of her lip. She needed to stay in the present moment. New students didn't mean anything, nor did stupid dreams.

"Our first segment will be the Civil War." Ms. Jaren danced across the room, pointing at the chalkboard which displayed numerous topics. Alice began to have a headache, just by watching her teacher's frantic movements. She closed her eyes.

"You think too much, Alice." She thought, squinting against the ray of sun coming through the window.

Her eyes traced the rest of the room, pushing away the image of Ms. Jaren and her obnoxious self. Drifting downward, Alice's eyes met one of the new Curwen siblings. She sat in one of the numerous desks, watching Ms. Jaren and her pathetic dance. The girl had auburn hair, like her brother, with many other similar features. Despite the palpable height difference, Alice could've sworn they were twins. Her outfit was unique compared to the rest of the students in the room. She had many different accessories, as well as two tight pigtails sitting on top of her head. She was different, and Alice liked it.

"I heard their whole family are freaks." Danny whispered to Janice, who was sitting in front of Alice. Alice stiffened, turning to look at Beck. She could tell he was beginning to grow angry. Danny glaced back at Beck, giving him a crude smirk.

"You're the one who is a freak." Alice leaned closer to Danny, raising her eyebrows. "Back off." She leaned back into her chair, folding her arms.

"Speak of the Devil." Janice turned around, eyeing Alice. "You actually speak. I was beginning to think you turned into a mute."

"Is everything okay back there, ladies?" Ms. Jaren turned towards Alice's direction, positioning her glasses once more. A pounding headache entered Alice's head again. Did she really just say that?

Without a second though, the bell rang, and Alice gathered her things, practically running out of the treacherous room.

________

The day was finally ending. She had successfully tripped over someone's books, traveled to the wrong class, failed at her painting assignment, and sat alone at lunch. Well, she chose to eat alone. There was a nearby tree along the borders of the school. She always sat there, and that was how it would always be. Just her and her lonely tree.

The dribbling of basketballs danced across her vision as she watched her 'Physical Education' classmates run up and down the court. It was her last class of the dreadful day, and she had finally collected some fresh air out on the court. Her fingers clamored up her neck to begin tying her sweaty hair into a ponytail. In the distance, her eyes took in the view of murky Lake Otshire. On the shore, the house of Marvin Curwen rested. The wind began to rustle through her hair, blowing the sweat off of her neck. She remembered the sparks.

"Hey, Alice! You in Wonderland?" Alice jumped at the voice. She turned around to see Danny, holding a basketball firmly in his grip. What a terrible joke.

"Ha-ha. Very funny." She watched Danny snicker. He was tall, practically lumbering above her. His hand met his sweaty blonde hair.

"Seems like you cared awfully a lot about the Curwens." He tossed the basketball behind his shoulder. "It surprised me you said something. Let alone stand up for that weirdo." He looked behind himself, looking to spot out Beck amongst the crowd of basketball players.

"Why do you care?" She drummed her fingertips along the surface of her plastic binder. Her heart began to beat faster, but she kept calm instead.

"I just don't want you getting involved with them. They seem like trouble." Danny crossed his arms over his muscular chest.

"So now you actually give a damn about who I talk to, is that it?" She chuckled, "You've never talked to me before. Why now?" Her fingertips stopped drumming.

"Well, since you talked I guess you can actually communicate. You never did it before." He flashed a smile. "Maybe I can bring you to the Cineplex sometime."

Anger rose inside of her chest. "So, now that I talk that gives you the right to have a little fun with me? Maybe use me for something? The reason I never talked is because I wouldn't have to speak to assholes like you."

Danny grimaced. "Bitch." He leaned in closer, "Maybe you're a freak like the rest of them." His arm rose over her shoulder, pushing the binder off of the bench. Papers began to fly everywhere. He turned back to the court, stomping as he did.

Alice jumped over the bench, quickly collecting the papers. More and more began to drift away. She looked around, searching for a bit of help. No one was there.

What was the matter with her?

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Getting dive-bombed first thing in the morning was not Zach's favorite way to wake up. Most importantly, there was always the chance that his bandages would fall off. Luckily, however, he was used to Beck's antics. His very first instinct upon waking was to cover his eyes, as usual.

"Beck, what the hell? Don't you have any shame this early in the-" Before he could finish, he heard Beck's footsteps as he left the room. Zach groaned to himself as he got out of bed. Truth be told, he already hated Portland. It wasn't anything against the place itself, however, but at the simple fact that he had no idea where anything was. And so, he was subject to feeling around as he hunted for clothing- something that took him much longer to do than it normally would have. After what seemed like an agonizing infinity of feeling his dresser, his closet, and everywhere in between, he finally managed to get dressed. He wore simple, easy-to-recognize-by-touch clothing; a t-shirt, some jeans, and sneakers. He finished getting ready by re-wrapping the bandages around his eyes, something he did every morning.

He tied it tightly, even double-knotting it to make sure it wouldn't come undone on his first day of school. Whether he liked it or not, his eyes had the ability to see the memories of others- provided that they were open and uncovered. It couldn't be turned off, at least not without having to bandage them every day. It was an ability he was born with, one that he'd feared since he was little. What if he accidentally wiped the memories of one of his siblings one day? Just the thought made him shiver. He would never do something like that to those he cared about. Granted, it was a big help whenever someone accidentally found out about one of the sibling's powers. It was one of the main reasons that they'd been able to manage a normal lifestyle for so long, up until now. Still...he didn't like it, even if it had been necessary.

With these troubling thoughts in mind, he left his room and made his way to the kitchen. He carried his bag and violin case with him, carefully feeling his way around so that he wouldn't trip and drop his precious violin. However, on the last step of the stairs, Zach tripped and fell. He quickly twisted himself so that he would land on his side and not on the violin case, landing with a small "Oompf!". He sighed and picked himself up without any hesitation. He was used to tripping, especially when it came to stairs. My mortal enemy...

Zach quietly ate the breakfast Beck slid to him, not even bothering to answer his happy-go-lucky morning voice. He could practically feel the intensity of his brother's smile. It annoyed him, but mostly just because he was in a bad mood. “Beck, you are worse than a cup of coffee.” He heard his sister say from seemingly nowhere. She always seemed to be able to sum up what he was thinking in just a few short words. Zach liked that about her- neither of them were morning people, unlike Beck.

Is it really necessary to herd us around like sheep? Zach thought to himself as he groaned once more, only this time in objection to Beck's guidance as he got them on the bus. “Well, good luck to us I suppose.” His sister whispered to him.

"Yeah. New place to find out where everything is at, strange people whose faces I can't even see, and the possibility of accidentally wiping people's minds scot-clean and rendering them dribbling idiots. Great luck." He responded sarcastically, mumbling his answer back to her. After a moment, however, he sighed. "Sorry Cat. I'm just not looking forward to this, is all."

Once the bus stopped and they got off, Zach once again groaned objections as he was led along by Beck's firm grip on his arm. However, he didn't try yanking himself out of it like he normally would have. He knew that he needed some kind of guidance if he wanted to get to his class, even if he hated it. He did try to count the steps it took though, for future reference.

Upon entering the classroom, Zach's skin practically crawled from the stares he knew he and and siblings were getting. As the teacher introduced them, he crossed his arms in an obvious 'you got a problem?' sort of gesture. He probably would have glared back at them, if he could. He held his head high as he allowed himself to be herded once more, this time to his seat. He let out a small sigh of relief as he heard his over-protective brother chatting with someone.

"What's up with those bandages?"

"Is he blind?"

"What a freak!"

Zach's fist clenched. He was in a bad mood, and the idiots that surrounded him only made him angry. He opened his mouth to say something, but wasn't able to say anything because the teacher started the class. He didn't feel like learning about the Civil War, and so his mind wandered. He thought of the sister who had been left behind- Bonnie. He hoped that she was doing okay. When they left, she had been very sick, so he was worried about her. I wish you were here.....

"I heard their whole family are freaks."

Oh HELL no. Who do these people think they are? Zach opened his mouth once more to speak, but was once again beaten to the punch.

"You're the one who is a freak." The voice was feminine, so Zach presumed it to be a girl. Well...I guess at least one person isn't a total ass. He wondered who it was that had spoken up.

Soon enough, the class was over. Without waiting for some kind of assistance, although it more than likely would have come from his brother, knowing him, Zach darted out of his seat and left the classroom. He had memorized the number it steps it had taken to get from the door to his seat, so getting out of the classroom wasn't too much of a problem. He was even quick enough to leave before most of the students had left their seats, greatly diminishing his chances of bumping into them on his way out. Choosing a random direction, he walked down the hallway, determined to lose his siblings. He bumped into things occasionally, such as people and walls, until he stopped in his tracks.

Suddenly, he realized....he had no idea where he was going. He didn't know where any of his classes were, much less how to get to them. He scowled to himself. Of all the stupid things to do on my first day of school. Jeezus, can things get any worse? He tightened his grip on his violin case. I guess I better figure out where I am, first. Then....screw classes. Beck can scold me later. Zach put his hand out and felt for the nearest wall. He ran his hands along it until he felt a plaque that would display a room number- which would conveniently have the room number repeated in Braille.

Orchestra Room. Well, well, well, what do we have here? Zach chuckled to himself for a moment. I guess I'll have to thank Cat later for the good luck. Without any further ado, he put his ear to the door. He didn't hear anything, so he opened it and went inside. Feeling along the walls once more, he found one of the practice rooms- a soundproof room used for, well, practicing.

He went in and closed the door behind himself, dropping his bag in a corner. Then, he sat on the floor and opened his violin case. He took out one of his most precious possessions- a beautiful, cherrywood-stained violin that had been given to him as a gift. He stood back up, cradling the violin on his shoulder and holding it with his chin in the standard way of playing.

Then, he drew the bow, playing a single note. The tone was beautiful, the instrument in tune, and the sound was crisp and clear. It made him smile, a gentle demeanor creeping across his features. Then, suddenly, he began playing.

Danse Macabre. It was a piece he was striving to master, one he still had a bit of trouble with even though he had been learning it for nearly a year now. However, he had to learn all of his music by ear, so it wasn't quite as easy for him as it would be for other people. Despite the fact that he was still learning, he did know enough of the piece to get through it- to anyone who didn't know any better, it would most likely sound quite excellent.

And so, Zach spent the day practicing music- he was so focused on it that he never even felt the time pass by.

The dark haired girl continued to stare silently and Beck began to wonder if maybe there was still remnants of breakfast left on his face. It would be like Cat to let him wander around with a nice smudge of egg across his cheek. His blue eyes began to wave self consciously until she finally answered and he grinned almost completely forgetting the awkward lapse in earlier silence. "That's a nice name." That's a nice name? How lame can you get?! Geez you can talk to anyone off the street but as soon as a pretty girl pops up you lose your cool. Smooth Beck, real smooth. He cleared his throat and shyly smile towards her once more before turning to face the chalk board, silently hoping that his shaggy auburn hair would hide the assured blush in his cheeks right now and that Cat and Zach hadn't heard his embarrassing conversation.

The teacher drolled on and most students would hate it but Beck loved the fact that he was able to lose himself in these lectures. Being able to completely focus on this, on anything was an escape for him from the constant noise in the world. Everything was tuned out but whispered phrases snapped him back to the hear and now, "Is he blind?" "What's up with those bandages?" Beck's eyes snapped to the whispering offenders and narrowed dangerously. The more he heard around the classroom, the more he became upset. He could care less what anyone thought of him but the more he heard whispers of those aiming taunts at Zach, Cat or his family in general, that's what really angered him. His desk began to gently vibrate as he unwittingly focused sound waves there in his anger, just enough so his pencil rolled off onto the floor as his eyes darted around from one person to the next, following the hissed taunts. "I heard their whole family are freaks." Beck landed his gaze on Danny but before he could act Alice had come to their defense which surprised him greatly. The desk ceased its minor shaking and he stared at Alice wide eyed as the bell rang and she retreated.

"Wow, I guess we made at least one friend today huh guys?" He turned to see Zach already retreating from the room and Beck barely caught himself from running after him. "Zach! Hey! Wai-" He sighed, watching his brother disappear into the sea of people leaving the room. Turning his blue eyes to his sister, which were currently cast in a puppy dog expression, he sadly said. "I don't mean to irritate you guys I just, you know, wanna make sure you're all safe." Beck knew Zach didn't like being led around and offered any extra help, he knew that Cat didn't like being fussed over but he just couldn't help it. He loved all of his siblings; Bonnie, Zach, Catalina and he wanted the best for all of them. If any of them asked anything of Beck then there was no way he could deny them which is exactly why he let Zach go on his own, it's what he wanted. Beck might be aggressive when it comes to protecting those he loves but he's a softy when it comes to those he loves as well. "How about we just meet up at the bus stop at the end of the day? That way there's no way I can go into mama bear mode." He laughed and grinned at his sister, even if the gesture was a bit sad at being separated from his siblings just for a day. Beck picked up his bag and headed out the door to his next class.

The rest of the day went by fairly well, he talked to a few people here and there but from the conversations he picked up throughout the day most around the school were of the same opinion that they were freaks. Honestly Beck couldn't see why they were thought of as freaks already. Sure, Uncle Marvin was a bit, um, eccentric but why would that make them freaks? Freaks by association? Was that a rule or something? There were times when he wished he could just use his powers to show them, show them what a freak really was. Those were brief moments though, just very brief moments and then his logic would come back and he'd remember he had to keep his family safe and protected and hidden. So he lost himself in his book for the remainder of the day until P.E. rolled around. He liked the class alright although he wished the other students weren't using the game to take out some odd, unbridled aggression against him. It was like he'd done something to them in a past life and he must pay dearly for said slight now. As always though Beck rolled with the personal punches and allowed the other players to shove, trip and insult him. His mind was in other places anyway, it wasn't until he heard a commotion from the opposite side of the court that he really began paying attention.

"Bitch. Maybe you're a freak like the rest of them." Beck turned his head just in time to see Danny pushing Alice's paper off of the bench. Instantly his anger flared and he wanted to rush after the offender but he took a deep breath. He promised no fights, he promised no fights. So instead he ran after some fly away papers, hopping in the air to catch them. "Got one!" He crowed victoriously as if it was a happy occasion and Alice hadn't just been humiliated. Beck smiled and chased after another, then another, until he gathered all the strays and returned to her and handed them back in a messy stack. "Safe and sound m'lady." He panted a bit from the exertion of the chase plus basketball and pushed his sweaty locks away from his face with a brief smile before his expression became serious. "You know if, if that guys bothering you then I can walk you to your classes tomorrow to make sure he leaves you alone. I mean it's the least I can do, after all you stood up for my family earlier when you don't even know us." He paused for a moment then grinned impishly. "I mean what if we are freaks?"

---

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She laughed. Alice never laughed, especially with someone around. But this was different. Beck's actions amused her. She watched him hop across a patch of grass, outstretching his fingertips for the slightest grasp of one of her papers. They danced in the air around him, teasing him when he came close to a firm hold. He continued to hop until he finally gripped one, getting a better understanding of his hop tactic. The papers came easily now, floating into his hands.

"Got one!" He exclaimed, waving the paper in the air victoriously. He continued to do so, grinning as he collected them.

It made Alice smile at the action of seeing someone so enthusiastic in helping her. Usually, in Portland, no one even bothered to help one another. A paper flew towards Alice, hitting her legs as the breeze picked up. She bent over, helping Beck reach for the various papers, even though he was a distance away. It amazed Alice that she stood up for herself, let alone Beck and the rest of his family. She didn't even know what had come over her. One minute she was looking at Lake Otshire, the next, she was practically yelling at a boy she had never paid attention to. Alice felt strange, as if she knew something was brewing in a storm. In fact, it was about to rain. She heard the clouds rumble above her. Her mother had always said that thunder marked that a cruel event was beginning to form. But, then again, her mother had once been insane. Once upon a time.

"Safe and sound m'lady." She looked up, spotting the blue-eyed boy again. His auburn locks tangled in his eyelashes, partially blocking the reflection of the sun in the distance to meet the sea in his eyes. He held a messy stack of papers in his hand, gesturing it towards her. He panted crucially against a mixture of basketball and paper-catching. Alice figured they were both exhausting sports.

She took the papers, quickly glancing at the multiple doodles and math problems among them. Alice absolutely hated math. That's why she escaped to a world of sketching. This time, the doodles consisted of mirrors and sparks. "Thanks." She quickly took the papers, hiding them behind her back. The sweat on the nape of her neck began to dry as the breeze continuously picked up. She looked at her dirty converse, careful to not make eye contact with Beck. She would find herself staring again. She had never thought about someone so much before. Why now? "I'm pretty sure nobody else would come to my rescue." She paused, her eyes slowly making their way upward. "So, really, thank you." She rose up onto her toes, a common habit, then rocked back and forth. She saw him crack a smile, making her a bit more comfortable.

"You know if, if that guys bothering you then I can walk you to your classes tomorrow to make sure he leaves you alone. I mean it's the least I can do, after all you stood up for my family earlier when you don't even know us." Beck was looking at her now, making eye contact. She felt her expression soften. Somebody actually cared. "I mean what if we are freaks?" He grinned.

"I think 'freaks' are pretty cool. If you ask me," She paused, biting her lip. She began to whisper. "I think we're all freaks. Some of us hide it better than others though." She laughed, feeling her body loosen. "Don't worry about Danny," She looked behind herself, searching to spot anyone giving curious glances. Of course, there were many. "He's always been like that. His mother died in a car accident when he was young." She turned her gaze back towards Beck. "The whole town wouldn't stop talking about it." She took a deep breath. "I guess that's why he puts others down." Alice felt a bit of sorrow for Danny. Most of the students at Portland High treated others fairly low, as a result of a traumatic experience in their childhood. Everyone was screwed up.

"C'mon kids, let's go!" Alice turned to see Coach Kingston blow his red whistle, gesturing for everyone to come inside. School was over, and Alice was relieved. It was beginning to rain, too. That was definitely another plus for Alice, even though her papers were receiving a bit of rain also.

She turned towards Beck, seeing the rain mix with his hair. She cracked a smile. "You know, your right. I don't know you, and you don't know me." She saw Beck begin to look confused. "Why don't we walk each other home?" Home?Why did she say that? Why was she even communicating with a boy? She stiffened, taking in a deep breath, afraid of his answer. Some part of her liked the company of a Curwen, especially Beck.

"I think 'freaks' are pretty cool, if you ask me." A pause, and she continued in a whisper as if it were a secret. Beck found it endearing. "I think we're all freaks. Some of us hide it better than others though." He smiled widely as she laughed after the statement for a mixture of reasons. One, it was a sweet gesture because basically she was saying I don't care if the whole lot of you are freaks, two, her laugh was nice and she seemed to be loosening up instead of doing that deer in the headlights thing like earlier and three, she had no idea how right she was by saying some people were better at hiding their true nature than others. His smile fell into something more serious as she spoke of Danny and he nodded his head to show he was listening. He could sympathize he supposed but at the same time Beck believed that just because you suffered something traumatic it didn't give you the license to go around and be a jerk but maybe Danny just needed a friend or something, as cliche and cheesy as that sounded. Either way as long as the boy stayed away from his siblings and Alice, he'd have no problems with him.

People were staring and whispering and Beck couldn't help but think how boring these kids lives must be that they just had to find something to gossip about, or someone to pick on. Thunder rumbled overhead, a storm had been long coming, he'd heard it miles away and now it was deafening but with something to focus on it wasn't so bad. The coach blew his whistle and when Alice stated that neither of them knew each other he thought maybe she'd randomly decided to side with the others and end the just beginning friendship. The tightness in his chest was quickly relieved though when she asked if he'd like to walk home with her and he answered just a little to eagerly as it began to rain. "Yea! I mean yea, that would be great, I'd love to. I just need to meet my brother and sister at the bus stop to let them know first. How about you meet me there in just a few minutes?" He looked up then as if just realizing it was raining and stated with a laugh. "Oh, geez! Come on before we get soaked!" Putting his hand behind her back he walked inside with her.

Beck waited at the bus stop excitedly, as if the crappiness of the day hadn't happened at all. He was going to get to walk a beautiful girl home! That could cure any bad day in his book. When his siblings didn't show up with the flock of students leaving school he began to worry but tried to keep it contained, after all he did promise Cat he wouldn't go into full on mama bear mode again. Then again he hadn't really seen either one of them today and anything could have happened, the students had been particularly nasty and what if-Beck, just chill dude. He heaved a breath and waited, waited, then deemed ten seconds a long enough wait and took off for what he thought he remembered Zach's last scheduled class to be. After the teacher told him his brother hadn't shown up that's when Beck did begin to panic. What if some of the students got a hold of him or he walked into traffic or into a lake filled with piranhas?! What? Good lord he probably just didn't want to go to class just calm down and think! Where would he have, aha! Music, Zach would definitely go for the music. Beck made a bee line for the music room and the moment he stepped inside began calling Zach's name. "Zach! Hey, are ya in here? Helloooooo!"

---

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"Oh, geez! Come on before we get soaked!" Beck placed his hand behind her back, leading her out of the rain. Alice began to feel dizzy as his hand touched her back. Accurate sharp pinpoints connected in a pattern across the surface of her spine, pushing into her with a tingling-sort of feeling. She stumbled a bit, seeing the corners of her vision become black. She looked at Beck, giving him a slight smile to reassure him it was just a minor trip. The rain clouded her perspective, shifting her thoughts in different directions. She felt disconnected, as if her soul had been ripped away from her body. "I'll see you at the bus stop!" Beck turned to her, giving a slight wave as his hand left her back. Alice didn't notice they were already inside. Every weird sensation disappeared, leaving her without a second thought. She watched him vanish into the crowd of the dispersing students, anxious to leave school. She stood in the middle of the crowd, stunned about what had just happened.

Alice's book bag felt as if it carried a ton of bricks. She sighed, walking down the steps of the entrance of the main building. Students fled to reach their buses, swarming the pavement like a bunch of flies. Her eyes searched the crowd for Beck. He had said they could meet at the bus stop with the rest of his siblings. Alice shivered at the thought of Beck. She thoroughly enjoyed his presence, but was still stunned at the event that had occurred earlier. She felt she had lost control of her own body from his own touch. She didn't know what to think of it.

"Hey there, Alice." Alice turned to see Danny, towering above her. His varsity jacket was a bright mustard yellow, so Alice found it hard to pay attention to his words. "Who ya' waiting for?"

"Danny, I don't have time for this right now." Alice squinted her eyes against the flock of students, searching for Beck again.

"Seems like you never have time for me," He paused, chuckling. Alice watched some of his friends show up behind him in the same jackets, smirking as they did. "But you always have time for those Curwens." It saddened Alice that Danny was still so wound up about her talking to Beck. She figured it was just his response to rejection.

Alice rolled her eyes, "Danny, you don't know what your talking about-"

"Well I know your talking to a bunch of freaks," Danny responded, turning a few heads. Alice despised negative attention, especially negative scenes. "I guess that makes you one. A freak." Some of the students went quiet, turning their focus to Danny.

Alice, turned, smashing into Danny's shoulder as she paced towards the entrance doors. She was fed up with Portland. She was fed up with people. And she was fed up with the world. She wanted to find Beck now. She just wanted to talk. She folded her arms, running through the hallways. "Beck!" Nobody replied. "Beck?" She looked through window after window, and door after door, searching for him. Was he even in the school? Alice finally turned, looking towards the music room as she heard a few voices. She saw him, searching for someone or something. "Hey," She unfolded her arms. "I couldn't find you, and I was um," she cleared her throat. "Don't worry about it," She stepped inside of the room. "Who are you looking for?" Alice didn't want to place another burden on Beck.

Beck quickly turned his head at the faint calling of his name from outside the room in the hallway. It wasn't his brother's voice though. Alice? His question was soon answered as it was indeed Alice who came into the music room and greeted him, looking a bit flustered, and asked who he was looking for. "Oh, I'm so sorry I know I was suppose to meet you but my brother and sister were suppose to be at the bus stop and they weren't there you see. So, I waited and tried not to worry but then it got later and my brother's blind and I this place is brand new and there's so many things that could happen and I.." He trailed off then, reaching a hand up to rub anxiously at the back of his neck. "and I'm rambling aren't I?" Beck huffed a sigh to try and calm himself. The last thing he wanted to do was have a panic attack in front of the only person in the entire school who didn't think him and his siblings were freaks. "I just need to find him and my sister to let them know I'm walking you home. Just want to check on them. It's my duty as overprotective brother you know?" A wide smile spread across his face although the worry was still brewing inside of his chest. His brow and smile suddenly dropped into a serious expression as if he were studying her but really now that he'd calmed down a bit he truly realized she looked a bit stressed. "You ok?"