The ride to Halloway's was a long one for Landon Harper and his sister, Laurie. Their parents always insisted on driving them, to which the young adults always hated. Landon was currently in the back seat of the expensive car that the older Harpers owned. He was silent whereas his sister was chatting happily with their parents. Landon was glad to be getting to school yet at the same time he was dreading it. Landon hated having to put up an act while at Halloway's. He never did see any point in truly tormenting those that were in the RoseWood House. Sure, they were different..more peaceful and kind but did that really give the ThornWells the right to cause such hatred between the two Houses? "You're being awfully quiet, little brother." Laurie was eyeing him now. Landon did not answer her.

At last, they arrived at the gates to Halloway's. Landon could already see the bus that always brought in the new students. Landon and Laurie told their parents goodbye and quickly got their things out of the car. Together, the siblings made their way to the ThornWell's House parlor. ThornWell's parlor was located towards the front of the school whereas the RoseWood's was towards the back. The fighting between the two houses had been so terrible when the school was first founded that the heads of the school had decided that it was best if the two houses lived on opposite ends of the school. Landon and Laurie entered into the parlor and was greeted by the few Thornwells that were in the large room. Landon said a few quiet 'hellos' and quickly made his way up the stairs and to the boys dorm. He was the only one there. He quickly sat his things in their proper place, near his bed. He took a deep breath before heading back down the stairs and out of the parlor. He didn't wait on his sister but instead headed back outside of the school.

As he was walking across the large expanse of the grounds, Landon could see the houses already coming together. It was a usual sight and one that still bothered him slightly. It always amazed him how the house leaders would begin straight away recruiting for their house. They were all running about, pestering the new arrivals. He remembered last year, when he'd been a new arrival. He'd been so worried that he would get into the wrong house. In the end, he'd had nothing to worry about. Laurie had made sure of that. Landon saw his small group of friends..and fellow band mates. Landon was the shortest in the small group, the others in the group were all about the same height of around six foot. Kyle was Landon's closest friend. The two were always seen together. Kyle had been the first person to really try to get to know the other Harper and had been the one to ask Landon to join a band. It was then that he'd met Jaimie and Peter. Landon had been so happy to make such good friends.

As he was walking and lost in thought, Landon hadn't been paying attention to where he was going. Suddenly, he bumped into something..or rather, someone. This brought him quickly to focus. "I'm so sorry." he said, looking to see that he'd bumped into a young woman. As he looked at her, he realized that she was a new arrival. He'd never seen her before. "Are you all right? I wasn't looking where I was going." As he stood before the young woman, he couldn't help but wonder if she'd been approached yet. "I'm Landon Harper. You must be new. I've not seen you around before. Have you been approached yet?" He smiled at the female. "I remember my first day. It was..like torture waiting to see what house I'd be in." He had a feeling that she would be a RoseWood, which would be terrible. Landon wouldn't be able to speak with her ever again. He wasn't sure why he would care..but he did. There wasn't much he could do. It was the way of things at Halloway's.

Bus rides were never pleasant to Danielle. When she had gotten on, she took a seat closer to the front but still near the middle. The bus seemed to roll on forever. It seemed as if people would never stop getting on, and this made the eighteen year old uncomfortable. Danielle didn't talk to anyone, but instead listened to the few conversations going on. "I'm so nervous! What house do you think you're going to be in? I hope I'm in ThornWells! I wouldn't mind RoseWood though. Well actually, maybe I would.." "Hey kid, are you sure you're on the right bus? This isn't daycare. After all.." "Ooh, hi Laura! I'm Mia! Do you see that boy over there? Isn't he just delicious?! I'd like to take a bite out of that! Maybe I should.." No one spoke to Danielle or sat next to her, and she was glad.

The bus finally screeched to a stop, causing the new arrivals to jerk forward. Danielle put her hand out to prevent her head from hitting the seat in front of her. Faint groans could be heard all around the bus. The doors swung open and the female stood up, ready to get off of this damn vehicle. She took her bags and got off the bus rather quickly, due to the lack of students in the front. When she was finally outside she inhaled deeply and started walking. Where she was going she didn't know, but man she was grateful to finally be in the open space! Walking was always preferred, but she didn't have a choice when her home was so far away.

People were everywhere. Some new, some old. Danielle wandered around aimlessly, until someone stopped her. "Hello!" The young brunette beamed at her. This caused Danielle to jerk backwards, almost losing her balance. The woman wore the biggest and brightest smile Danielle had ever seen in her life, and it was kind of frightening. "You must be new here! I would have remembered you if you weren't! So dear, what's your name?" Danielle smiled slightly and replied. "My name is Danielle Parks." "That's a lovely name! Oh, how rude of me! I forgot to introduce myself! My name is Ashley, and I am a RoseWood. You seem like you would be a good addition to the house. A very kind and innocent looking girl like yourself. May I ask though, what can you do? "If you mean power wise, then earth. I don't know what to call it, but that's what I say when others ask." "Splendid! Oh, dear Danielle, would you do the RoseWood home an honor and join us?" The offer caused Danielle to smile. "How could I turn down an offer like this? I would be glad to. With that, Ashley grabbed a bag from her and started swiftly towards the RoseWood house.

After a few minutes they were at the house, up the stairs, and in her room. Ashley placed down the bag and smiled at the female. "We're glad to have you and please, we hope you enjoy it here. Before Danielle could thank her, Ashley was gone. Being alone gave her the chance to unpack what belongings she had and then explore when she was done. Soon enough she was outside again. As she wandered around, she examined the faces of others and tried to pair them with a house. Most of the matches she made were with the ThornWell house. She didn't know if these students were actually in there, but they looked cruel enough to be.

Danielle was stuck trying to figure out which house a young female with black hair would be in when she ran into something and stumbled backwards. She lost her balance, but regained it as quickly as she she lost it. Brushing off her acid washed skinny jeans and fixing her black and white knit sweater, she looked at who she ran into. The male quickly apologized which caused Danielle to smile. "That's alright. I wasn't pay attention either, and I'm fine. Thank you." He then introduced himself and continued speaking. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Landon Harper. As a matter of fact I am new and have been approached." When she told him she had been approached, she couldn't help but wonder what house he was in. She figured ThornWell, but he was kind, unlike the majority of others she had heard of. Perhaps he was a RoseWood, but she wouldn't know until he told her. "After all that torture you probably ended up in the house you wanted, right? Speaking of which, what are you?" Tilting her head to the side, she looked at the male. Maybe he was a ThornWell but if he was, he wasn't anything like the others from what she heard. Maybe all the horrid stories she had heard weren't true.

Landon smiled at Danielle even though she was a RoseWood. Honestly, he didn't care. When she asked him what house he was in, he new then that she would want nothing to do with him after hearing the name falling from his lips. He hesitated for a moment, before speaking, "I'm in ThornWell. My whole family has been in the house so you can imagine what would have happened if I'd not been asked. Well, I'd better..." Landon wasn't able to finish his sentence. A voice was yelling to him. "Harper! What the hell do you think you're doing?" Landon turned to see a rather large and muscular guy that was in the same year as he. Landon had come across this particular man a few times during his first year. His name was Anthony Williams and the man absolutely hated the ThornWells. Landon said nothing, merely eyeing the other man. As Anthony approached the pair, Landon stood his ground. He'd learned fairly quickly the year before that it was best to not run from the other man.

As he stood next to Danielle, Landon refused to look at her. He wasn't angry or upset but just thought that it would be best if he focused on Anthony. The larger man stopped in front of Landon, glaring at him. "Well? Why are you with a RoseWood? Causing trouble again, I suspect." he said. Landon looked at Anthony as if he were crazy. "Are you insane, Williams?" Anthony just laughed. "Look, it's the first day back and I don't have time for this. Just back off." With that, Anthony gave Landon a hard shove. Landon was forced backwards a few steps. He couldn't believe that Williams had even touched him. He could only hope that his sister hadn't seen it. Though they didn't always get along, Laurie was very protective of her younger brother.

"And you all say we are the mean ones. Look, I wasn't even doing anything to her. I ran into her..literally." Williams looked between the two before him for a moment. "Like I'd believe anything you say, ThornWell. I'll just have to teach you a lesson. You obviously didn't learn anything last year." When he'd finished talking, Williams moved his arms quickly, thrusting them towards Landon. When he did this, water went soaring towards the other man. Landon quickly began manipulating the air, forcing the temperature to drop dramatically in hopes that the water would freeze before reaching him. The air became so cold that those around Landon could see their breath and Williams was even beginning to shake from the chill. The water did begin freezing but it wouldn't in time to prevent it from reaching Landon. Suddenly, however, great flames collided with the water, evaporating it quickly. "Williams! I suggest you back off of my little brother. I'd hate to have to hurt you." Laurie said. Wonderful.. Landon thought. He'd never hear the end of this.

Williams seemed to want nothing to do with Laurie and so tried to urge Danielle away from the ThornWells. Landon walked off with his sister, but..when he was certain that Laurie wasn't watching him, looked back at the pretty girl that he'd been talking to. "I don't know how many times that I've got to tell you..if you're not gonna pick on them at least ignore them completely. You're lucky that I saw Williams attack you. You would've been drowned..or worse." Landon said nothing, merely nodding his head. Laurie quickly left him though, seeing her group of friends. Landon quickly made his way towards his small group of friends. They were all already laughing and having fun. He wasn't surprised. They three men were talking about the new year..what they hoped would happen..and how it hadn't snowed yet. Landon joined his friends. They wanted to know what had happened and he'd explained it to them. "Well, that's what happens when you're left alone." Kyle said, laughing. Landon joined in the laughter. "I know. You'd think that you all would learn not to leave me alone." Landon said.

They still had another four hours before dinner would begin. Landon decided to head off on his own and slowly made his way back into the school. He wanted to find a place that he wouldn't be bothered. He'd already had enough excitement for the day. He found himself in the Library by the end of his walk. There wasn't really that many people in there at the moment and so he was able to find a corner couch to occupy. Landon picked up one of the books that was littered on the table in front of the couch. He began reading, trying to forget the events of earlier. It would do him no good to dwell on what had happened.

Landon had smiled at Danielle before he replied. He had a nice smile, she had to admit. He then confessed he was a ThornWell, and she felt her stomach knot up. She had hoped he didn't see her change of attitude, but it was likely he had. Danielle couldn't believe what she had heard for some reason. Landon didn't exactly look like a RoseWood, but one should never judge a book by its cover. In all honestly, she didn't understand why someone would pick RoseWood when they could be in ThornWell. Then again, Danielle was a RoseWood. After brief consideration, she concluded it was best in RoseWood with genuine people, rather than ThornWell with cruel, dangerous ones.

It wasn't until she saw an man, a much larger one, approaching the two that she accepted him for what he was. After all she should have guessed he was one. The other man stood in front of Landon and spoke sharply. The men exchanged a few words before Landon was shoved. Danielle just watched what happened from there with Landon, and the man named Williams. Landon confessed they had just ran into each other, Williams shot him down, and then the blows started. Williams shot water at Landon, and the temperature quickly dropped. Danielle bit her bottom lip and tried to keep herself from shivering. She could see and hear the water begin the harden in mid-air.

Just as quickly as the fight had begun, it ended. The fire was random and it's creator revealed herself, speaking to Williams. As soon as Danielle saw the female, she narrowed her eyes.. For some reason her gut told her the girl was nothing but trouble and to stay away, so that's what she planned to do. Williams turned to her and eventually persuaded her to move along. Landon and the other female walked away, but not before Danielle could sneak a glance of the kind ThornWell she had met.

As she walked with Williams, she told the truth. "I don't see the problem. We did just run into each other." Her voice was softer than usual and she could feel herself becoming uneasy. Williams continued walking as if he hadn't hear her. Danielle tapped Williams on the arm since she couldn't reach his shoulder. He stopped and looked down at her. "Yes?" Danielle gazed up at him and questioned him. "Can you tell me why the ThornWells and RoseWoods don't get along? It doesn't make sense to me. Williams smiled at her. "That's a story for another day." He walked away, not allowing Danielle to question him or even reply. Frustrated, she huffed and brushed a stray piece of hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear. Two things would calm her down: reading or sitting outside. Danielle still had exploring to do, so checking out the library seemed logical. However, she didn't exactly feel in the mood to sit and read.

After about twenty minutes of walking around, she found a large tree in the front of the school. There was a lake near it, along with many plants. This calmed her down greatly, along with the silence that came with the scene. It seemed as if all of the people had disappeared into thin air. There was not a person she could see on ground, and she silently thanked the Lord. She looked at the tree and noticed how tall it was and where the branches started. Danielle guessed the first and lowest branch was around seventy feet. The corner of her lips tugged upward and the branches reached out for Danielle, as if they wanted a hug. They wrapped themselves around the female, cradling her and carrying her high above the ground. They stopped when she was at about the fifth lowest branch and set her down gently. Danielle swung a leg on each side of the thick, sturdy branch and rested against the trunk, gazing and admiring the beauty of nature.

As Landon sat, reading, he found his mind drifting to the events of earlier. No matter how much he tried to keep his mind blank, he kept seeing what had happened earlier and more importantly the pretty girl that was in RoseWood. He really shouldn't be thinking of her and yet he couldn't help it. This was something that he would have to keep to himself. He spent at least three hours reading and trying to figure out why the girl had intrigued him so. It wasn't until his stomach began growling did Landon finally sit the book down. He slowly stood from his seat and walked out of the library. He took his time walking through the several halls, being greeted by a few fellow ThornWells. It didn't take him too long before he'd reached the Main Hall, a large room where everyone ate together. He slowly made his way to the ThornWells' table, a richly colored long-table that was upon the right side of the room. The RoseWoods' table was on the left. The only difference between the two tables was the decorations that was located on the tables. Landon saw his small group of friends already sitting at the table, on the very end that was closest to the door.

He sat down next to Kyle, who was on the far side of the table. from there, he could eye the RoseWood table and all those that sat there. There was still a few minutes before dinner would begin so the four boys spoke quietly to one another. As they spoke, more and more students began filing into the large room. Everyone in the room seemed fairly happy to be there, even with the opposite House being so close. The teachers and staff of Halloway's would always dine at the table that was located against the far wall, facing the two House tables. The great doors opened and the teachers began filing in, a perfect line heading down towards the high table. None of those that had been to the school before fell silent. They knew that there was no need for it yet. The Headmaster, Mr. Blackwood, was beaming at the group. When all of the teachers had reached the table, the kitchen staff began bringing out plates piled high with hot and delicious foods and pitchers of drink.

When all of the food and drink had been sat out at the tables, the Headmaster rose from his seat and all fell silent. "Greetings all! I trust that you all arrived without any troubles and have found the school to be your liking.' The man fell silent for but a moment. "As we begin a new school year, I would like to welcome you all. The old..and the new. Halloway's is so very glad that you've chosen to pursue your talents with us. I shall go over our few rules, for those of you that have not heard them..or have forgotten. It is forbidden to attack another student. Doing so with result in expulsion. Secondly, please be on time to all slotted times that you'll find in you daily schedules which you shall receive in the morning. Please remember that we are a family. We must all get along. This year we shall be punishing any that are caught disrupting the peace amongst the houses quite severely. Also, please note that any caught out of the house parlors after curfew will serve detention for a week, for each transgression." He paused once more. 'Well, what are you waiting for? Dig in!" With that, everyone began filling their plates and cups, and began eating.

During the meal, everyone seemed to be in good spirits. Even Landon was quite happy despite the fact that his sister had sat next to him. Landon found his eyes searching the RoseWood table for Danielle. He was willing to be that she'd already forgotten about him and what had happened earlier. "Dude, are you even listening to me?" Kyle asked, eyeing his friend closely. Landon tore his eyes from the other table, smiling at his close friend. He'd seen her but somehow doubted that she'd noticed him. "Sorry. I'm just tired. What were you saying?" he asked. Kyle seemed to study Landon for a moment before speaking. "I asked if you knew when you were wanting to start practicing again. You know..since we haven't since before the end of school last year." Landon remained silent for a moment, thinking. "Well, how about tomorrow? Classes won't start until the day after so it seems like a good time. Say..around two in the afternoon, in the music hall?" The other men agreed.

It seemed like no time before dinner was over and many students began making their way out of the room. Landon rose from his seat, separating himself from those he held dear. He wanted to spend a bit from them. Though he adored all of his friends, they were still your typical ThornWells. They loved tormenting the RoseWoods and found pleasure in the pain of others. Landon often wondered how he'd even been accepted into the house. He realized that he could control air but his outlooks were often completely different from those around him. He sighed softly. Landon made his way quickly back to the library and back to his couch that he'd been sitting in earlier. He sat down and picked up the book he'd been reading earlier. He wanted to finish it before the next day. He was glad that his friends hadn't followed him. He just wanted to spend his time peacefully. Landon found himself wondering if Danielle had made any friends yet. That had been one of the hardest things that Landon had gone through the year before. It had taken him a few months before he'd found his small group. He could recall being so very lonely until he'd met Kyle.

The peace and quiet surrounding Danielle was calming to an extent. Of course it was nice to get away from everything, but the complete and utter silence was starting to annoy her. However, the silent whispers of the wind and beauty of the landscape kept her from moving. Oddly enough, Danielle ended up toughing it out and sitting there for three hours straight. Although her body was still, her mind was racing. She couldn't stop thinking about what happened earlier and who she had met, especially one boy in particular. Landon in her thoughts was like the little sibling that never went away. It became annoying after a while, but you secretly loved every minute of it. Every time she tried to push thoughts of him away, they would just reappear. Danielle finally gave up on pushing them away and let her mind wander.

It wasn't until she saw students moving on the ground that the possibility of dinner dawned on her. Once again she felt the tree branches wrap around her. They brought her safely to the ground before retaking their original positions. A small grin formed upon the female's face, and she started half running, half jogging towards the crowd of students. There was a sea of kids filing in the double doors, and the crowd was slow to disappear. She stayed in the back and let others go before her, not really caring if she was last or not.

She eventually reached the door where a young woman with black hair was holding the door. Danielle thanked her, and the girl smiled. "You're very welcome. You must be a new RoseWood. What's your name?" The woman stepped out from behind the door and joined Danielle in the school. They walked towards their destination while they conversed. "I'm Danielle, and yourself? How long have you been at this school?""The name's Claire. It's a pleasure to meet you, Danielle. I've been here since last year. I love this school. Everyone in the RoseWood house is so nice, but aren't we suppose to be? That's how we get in the house. Only downside is the ThornWells. Ugh, those people. They're such ugh. I can't even." Danielle tried to contain her curiosity but it was to no avail. "Why? What's so bad about them? They are just people after all." Her comment caused Claire to scoff. "People? I think you mean animals. They are the cruelest, most unpleasant people I've met in my life. Just wait until you have to fight with one. Those things can get ugly quickly. I was in one myself. It wasn't pretty." Danielle's mind wandered back to the fight earlier just as they reached the Main Hall. "You're pretty opinionated, aren't you?" That was the last thing Danielle could mutter before the two entered the large room. "Aren't we all?"

Claire led Danielle to a large table on the left side of the room. Sure enough there happened to be two chairs not occupied, right next to each other. Claire didn't even hesitate upon taking the seat to the right, leaving the left seat opened. Danielle sat down as mountains of food and pitchers of liquids were being placed on the tables. She had never seen so much food in one place before, even in her old schools. The sight and scent of the food caused her mouth to water, and she had the urge to eat everything right then and there. Unfortunately a man, which she was told was the Headmaster, stood on a table and welcomed the students. He stated the rules and then told everyone to begin eating. The last words left his mouth and it seemed as if the people around her turned into animals. Danielle filled her plate eventually and poured herself a drink. As she took her first bite of food, she scanned the room. She noticed a table for the teachers, the RoseWoods and ThornWells on opposite sides of the room, and even Landon. It was funny. He looked determined for some reason, but she couldn't figure out why. She smirked, and Claire caught sight. "Are you gonna eat or stare off into space? And what are you so happy about?" Danielle shook her head and lowered her eyes. "Nothing, I'm just so happy to have so much food around me. She picked up her fork and resumed eating.

With a full stomach and weary eyes, Danielle stood up from the table and exited the Main Hall. She didn't bother to wait for Claire or talk to anyone else. She could always do that later and she yearned for a new book to read. Why not go to the Library now? Curling up to a good book in bed was one of Danielle's favorite parts in a day. She loved being able to relate to characters or even feel like she was in the story. Her feet carried her all around the school until she found large double doors. She pushed one open quietly and there it was: the library. She felt like jumping up and down, but all she could do was smile and walk towards the different sections. It seemed as if every book in the world was in that single room. After maybe 10 minutes she found a book that intrigued her. She took it off the shelf and found a chair and table in the back of the room that would suffice.

Landon was finished with the book he was reading in no time at all. It hadn't been a terribly long book. Reading was one of the few things that Landon enjoyed doing. His family had always thought that this was silly considering he always hated doing any sort of school work. He gently sat the book down upon the table but remained sitting for a few moments more. There was still several hours before curfew so he wondered what he should do to take up some time. He could always head outside and do some laps around the track or perhaps he could even just turn in early. He wasn't quite sure what he wanted to do. Maybe he should have just with with his friends. At least he wouldn't be sitting in the library alone. Finally deciding upon what he wanted to do, Landon rose from his seat and slowly made his way through the library. He took his time, moving through the different sections of books. He found two books, one on the element of air and one about some adventure in a fantasy world. He slowly made his way to the large desk where the librarian sat. He handed over his books and waited patiently for the woman to finish checking him out.

As he stood waiting, Landon was looking around. He noticed Danielle sitting in a chair and reading. She was a fair distance away from him and he could see that the pretty woman hadn't seen him. A smile graced his face as he turned quickly around. He softly asked the old woman for a sticky note and a sharpie. He scribbled onto the yellow paper with the black ink. 'Sorry if I got you in trouble with Williams. I should have left you alone after you told me your house.' He flipped the paper over to write on the back. 'I would offer to buy you coffee, to make it up to you, but I somehow doubt that would help. Landon.' When he finished the note, Landon fold the paper carefully. He then handed the sharpie back to the old woman as she was still working on the computer system and checking his books out. Landon focused his mind and it didn't take long for the piece of paper to begin floating towards Danielle.

The yellow piece of paper floated unnoticed to the pretty woman. It hovered for a moment and when the woman didn't notice it, Landon allowed the paper to fall onto the page that she was reading. He turned around, speaking with the librarian. Landon wasn't sure why he'd sent her that message. If anyone had seen it would have caused trouble. He was certain that she would ignore him anyway.

Landon had never been very popular with girls..or women when he was younger and still in grade school. He was one of the few in his school that were..different. He'd always done as he pleased, not caring what anyone thought of him. It wasn't until his senior year that he'd gotten a girlfriend. That same year they broke up after having gone all the way. When he'd started at Halloway's, however, things changed. He had become very popular with the women, though he'd not been with any..save one. She was a ThornWell and was quite fitting to the name. She was hanging around his sister now. Landon had broken things off with Sydney, the woman had become very bitter towards him. He couldn't blame her. He'd not gone about it so well. If he could go back in time, he would have waited until they were alone before breaking the news to her.

The librarian finally handed him his books. Landon thanked the old woman and turned around. He supposed heading back to his dorm would be the best place to get some reading done. Although he loved being in the library, his dorm was always a place that he could go and just be completely himself. He hated that he had to pretend to be a cruel person. He could just mind his own business and he normally wasn't bothered when in the dorms. He loved it.

Danielle was an avid reader, she would say. She blew through books extremely quickly for some reason. She hated finishing a book but loved it at the same time. Every time she finished a book she felt proud of herself, but at the same time she was extremely upset. Sometimes she didn't classify endings as true endings, but just torture. Often times she came up with scenarios as to why the author ended the books how they did. One author could have gotten sick of the book and threw a page together they thought would suffice, another author could have passed away while writing so their masterpiece was published where it was left off, or worst of all, the author would leave it to the reader to figure out the ending, or just assume all the pieces in the puzzle would fit perfectly together. In reality, Danielle was fed up with the puzzles. She never was good at them.

She had been reading leaned over the book, her head in her hand. The book wasn't as interesting as the girl thought it would be. At about three quarters of the way in she had to pause and rub her eyes. Sleep could draw her in at any moment and the last thing she wanted was to fall asleep in the library her first day. She turned back to her book but found a yellow sticky note on it. Danielle didn't know where it came from, but why not read it? It could be for her or for someone else, but she wouldn't know until she took a peak. In the end, it was for her. She wondered how Landon had gotten the note to her. She hadn't seen him or anything. In fact, she didn't even know he was int he library! What a coincidence.

She saw the marker he had used bled through and that there was writing on the back. She flipped the note over and read it, a smile tugging at her lips. The little note made her shut her book and put it back on its original shelf. Really, she didn't mind putting the book back. It was so boring. For once she was glad she was interrupted while reading. Plus, being interrupted by an attractive man wasn't bad at all. How could she mind it? She searched her pockets for paper or a pen, but she found nothing. Just her luck. She wasn't granted with the gift of telepathy or anything and she didn't know if Landon was. As she pondered how to send him a message, she remembered she could turn invisible. She face palmed herself and shook her head. Soon enough, the young female was invisible.

Finding Landon was harder than she thought it would have been. The library was enormous and she swore she went in a circle several times. Eventually she found her way to the librarian's desk and sure enough, there he was. He seemed to be checking out a few books so she planned on waiting until he was done. The process took longer than the female thought it should have. Maybe it actually didn't and she was just imaging things. She had a tendency of doing that, especially when it came to boys. Danielle always thought of worst-case scenarios first rather than the obvious. Her crazy imagination actually ended a few of her relationships. Over the years she had a number of boys she went out with, but she was never too serious with any of them. Majority of the time she felt bad when they asked her out. She didn't like them, but how could she say no? Despite her saying yes, the male she was with usually ended the 'relationship', if you could call it that. Dates were occasional with boys, but nothing steady. There were only two boys she was serious with . There was David, and then of course, there was Andrew. Frankly, David was a dick but there was something about him that kept her hanging on for the year they were together. She was 15 and he was 17. Call it stupid love, but that's sure what Danielle thought it was: love.

It wasn't until she met Andrew did she actually know what the word meant, tasted, and felt like. She met him sophomore year, soon after her break up with David. They went out for a year and a half. The time they spent together was special, but she ended up breaking it off when he couldn't accept the fact she was going to Halloways. He wanted to be with her at college, but she was different than he was. Danielle never bothered telling him what her deal was when he asked.

Danielle stood behind Landon, but when he turned around she was afraid he would see her. It was weird when she was invisible. She felt totally exposed, but it was the exact opposite. No one could see her. It was quite ironic. Not really sure what to do to get his attention that wouldn't freak him out, Danielle watched him closely. Touching him could make him think it was nothing and brush it off, but whispering something would just be straight up weird. After coming up with nothing clever, she ended up grabbing his hand. She intertwined her fingers with his and gave his hand three long pumps. She then released his hand and brushed past him and headed towards the back of the library. She hoped he had gotten the hint to follow in the direction she went, but he couldn't see her so all she could do was hope. Maybe Landon would brush it off and think nothing of it, or maybe he would follow. She figured he wouldn't get the hint, so she prepared herself to watch him walk out of the library.

Danielle was satisfied with how she had approached the situation, making sure she didn't come off as too creepy. She needed to get his attention, so how else would she do it? She was invisible and had nothing to lose! Fortunately, she was able to make her clothing disappear so she didn't have to strip before hiding. She couldn't even bare the thought of that. That would be extremely gross and well, weird!

Landon had frozen when he'd felt someone take hold of his hand. He looked to his side to find no one standing next to him. Odd. He then felt the three squeezes on his hand and then the feeling of his hand being held was gone. Whoever had been next to him brushed past him quickly. Landon waited for a moment, trying to figure out who it had been. He slowly began walking in the direction that he'd thought the person had headed..if they'd continued on straight from his side. He moved slowly, reaching out with his mind, trying to find whoever had wanted to get his attention. It took him a few minutes of walking around before he locked onto a few thoughts. He could tell that it was Danielle. The few thoughts that he allowed himself to listen in on made him smile. He followed the thoughts, able to find exactly where they were coming from.

He finally reached the back of the library. He looked around for a moment, making sure that no one was watching him. Luckily, it seemed that they were in a very secluded area of the library. Landon wasn't even sure if he'd ever come back to this area before. He was quiet as he moved to lean against one of the few large tables that was placed about. 'Lucky for you, I'm telepathic.' Landon put into Danielle's mind. He was smiling. He closed the link between them, hoping that she would speak with him.

As he waited, Landon began wondering what other abilities that Danielle had. He had always been fascinated with the abilities that everyone around him had. He had learned quickly when he'd first started at Halloway's that it was best to know what your enemies could do. You could better protect yourself in a fight if you were prepared. His sister had told him so many times before he'd arrived the year before, that he should prepare himself. He should know exactly what would be thrown at him once he was accepted into ThornWell. He'd ignored Laurie, instead choosing to go about things his own way. Being able to control air, Landon could easily force someone to pass out if they were pestering him bad enough. He'd luckily only had to do that two or three times before. Landon did not take pleasure in hurting others. In fact, he would always try to find a way out of a tense situation without violence. It was only as a last resort that he would ever use his abilities in such a terrible way.

He opened the link once more between Danielle and himself. 'This wouldn't be so awkward if you'd come back into the visual spectrum.' He laughed lightly. Closing the link between them, Landon sat his two books down on the table he was leaning against. He wondered why she was risking being even near him. If anyone were to find out that they were speaking to one another, even after the two of them finding out what houses they were in, they'd both be roaster. Or..at least that's what Laurie had always told him. He'd never been in this sort of situation before and he wasn't quite sure what to do. He felt drawn to Danielle. He knew that he shouldn't be speaking with her and yet here he was. He felt unable to just walk away. He wanted to know her and yet he felt as if he couldn't.

Landon tried to push these thoughts from his mind. He shouldn't be thinking like this. He had enough to worry about without adding a RosWood to his plate. He needed to be concentrating on his band and his school work. He smiled once again. He doubted that he'd actually be able to leave her alone. There was just something about her that intrigued him. "You do realize that you are..different. There aren't many that would question or go against what they are told." He looked down for a moment. "You're probably the only RoseWood that has even given me a second glance. To most of them, I'm just a ThornWell. The enemy." He looked up, then, still smiling. He was glad to have met this woman. She actually reminded him a bit of himself. The thought made him..happy. A feeling that he'd not thought that he'd truly feel again after Sydney.

Danielle walked to the back of the library near a corner, seemed to be hidden by the thick bookshelves. It had a few tables and chairs and when she stopped she turned around, waiting and watching. Thankfully, Landon found his way back but sent her a message. Danielle shook her head, oh how lucky he was. He could just send her messaged telepathically, but she had to turn invisible and go search for him. If he could communicate with her mentally, did that mean he could read her thoughts too? The thought of people reading her personal thoughts made her feel totally exposed. At this school she had to worry about her thoughts now. Great.

Landon leaned against a table and put his books down. He opened the link once more and Danielle laughed a little. She didn't know if he had heard her, but it didn't matter to her. She went over to him and ruffled his hair, quickly stepping back. Why not? It wasn't like he could see her. Being invisible made Danielle so giddy. She hadn't been invisible since her senior prank at her high school. Frankly, she pretty much did everything herself. She came up with the idea of making her school haunted. It was a huge success, if she said so herself. People freaked out so much they dismissed school early. Slamming doors, pouring paint on the hallway floors and leaving messages, moving desks in classrooms, slapping yard sticks and rulers against chalk boards, even breaking the lights in the ceilings, it was such a thrill! Talk about an adrenaline rush! Messing with the light bulbs was a bit tricky, but it paid off in the end. The principal claimed it was a sham, but took it back when Danielle had messed with him. Looking back on it, she didn't feel guilty at all.

She sat in a chair at the table and finally made herself visible. His words took her back somewhat, but made her happy at the same time. "Different? Me? Why of course I am. Until I understand why everyone hates everyone, it looks like I'll just have to be kind. When I do find out though, you better watch yourself!" Danielle winked at him and smiled. She had no intention of screwing up a friendship at this school, especially with Landon. He was a ThornWell and she was a RoseWood, so what? If she was punished for being nice to a ThornWell, then this school had some major problems. "I think I've given you more than two glances. ThornWell is just a name, isn't it? Same with RoseWood. People are people in my book." She brought a knee up to her chest and wrapped her arm around it. "By the way, I prefer hot chocolate instead of coffee."

Her mind wandered to what would happen if anyone caught the two interacting. They ran into each other earlier and that ended up in a fight with some other man. It was pretty crazy if you asked her. It was amazing that two people couldn't apologize to each other without accusations from other people. If they were caught by someone else, what would happen? Would another fight break out? Would people turn the other cheek? Would the Headmaster get involved? Who would the fight even between? Certainly, she didn't think it would between Landon and she. Landon didn't seem to be a fighter. As a matter of fact, Landon didn't even seem like he was a ThornWell. His attitude was so kind compared to ones she had heard about from that house. Maybe he just had a different outlook on everything. That would make sense if he did, considering everything that had happened.

The fight replayed in her mind and she thought about the girl with the flames. She stuck up for Landon, and claimed to be his sister. Before she could stop herself, she threw a question at him. "So, the girl earlier today was your sister?" Danielle sat there and didn't say anything more about it. She didn't want to tell him she had a bad feeling about her, but if he was related to her, maybe she was okay. Then again, siblings can be very different. What she said to Williams was cold, and Danielle figured maybe she was the kind of ThornWell people always talked about. "Sorry, curiosity got the best of me." Danielle smiled shyly and let her eyes land on her knee.

When Danielle said that she preferred hot chocolate, Landon laughed. "I'll definitely remember that." he said, smiling. Landon had been about to say something else when Danielle spoke once again. She was asking about Laurie. He was silent for a moment. Danielle apologized to him, and was smiling shyly. "No, it's all right." he said, slowly moving around the table to sit next to Danielle. He pulled out the chair and sat, making sure to not sit too close to the pretty woman. He didn't want to invade her personal space. "She's my sister. Her name's Laurie and she's two years older than me." Landon was now looking down. "Try to stay away from her." He paused for a moment, as if letting Danielle comprehend what he was saying. "She's a true ThornWell. She can be pretty nasty." It was true. Laurie loved picking on RoseWoods. She actually seemed to take pleasure in it. The year before, the older girl had caused a young RoseWood to be taken to the infirmary. The girl was being forced to repeat her first year because she'd not been able to go to any of her classes. Landon had felt bad for the girl. There was nothing that he could do, however. Laurie was going to be Laurie just as Landon was going to be himself.

Landon released a soft sigh. Instead of telling Danielle what had happened the year before, he simply put the images into her mind. He hated to do it, but she needed to know how serious he was when he told her to stay away from Laurie. The fight that had happened between his sister and the girl had been terrible. Laurie had merely toyed with the girl, laughing the entire time. When Laurie had finished toying with the girl, she'd engulfed the younger woman in flames. Landon had been surprised that the girl had lived. He'd heard that she was still going to be going to Halloway's but hadn't seen her yet. He wondered if she'd actually decided to come back. If it had been him, Landon doubted that he would.

When the past events where finished replaying in Danielle's mind, almost as if she'd actually been present for the fight, Landon eyed her closely. He hoped that she now understood why he wanted her to stay away from his sister. "Has anyone offered to tell you why our two houses hate each other so much?" he asked. He allowed Danielle to answer and when she did he spoke. "Back when the school was founded, there were no houses. The school had a parlor for the men and one for the women. It was the only time that we were apart from each other. Well, for a long time, we all got along. It wasn't until Halloway's celebrated its seventy-first anniversary that all of that ended." His eyes were glued to Danielle. "There was two students that began fighting with one another all of the time. Slowly, as the fighting became worse and worse, more and more students began choosing sides. When the Headmaster of the time realized how out of hand things had gotten, he put into action a new set of rules in hopes that they would deter any violence. It didn't. Towards the end of the school year, the two students unleashed all of their abilities upon each other. They were both injured quiet badly. After this had happened, the school was divided. The Headmaster realized this and so he set up the two houses that we have today. Our houses are named after the two students that had caused all of the strife between the students. The fighting that had gone on between the two students is rumored to have been all because they had fought over beliefs. Which actually makes sense considering how things are now."

He fell silent for a moment, lost in thought. No one liked talking about the past of Halloway's. It always seemed to bring up fighting amongst the students. Each house believed that their founder had been right. "Anyway, try not to ask around about it too much. No one likes talking about it." He smiled brightly at Danielle. "So, got any plans for the rest of the day?" he asked her. He wanted so badly to invite her to go and get something to drink and he decided that if they went closer to curfew, the fewer people would be around. Of course, he could always alter the memories of any that saw them together. He just preferred not to have to do that.

Landon could recall the first time that he'd gone out with Sydney. His sister had teased him endlessly. He could only imagine what would happen if Laurie found out about him even just speaking to Danielle. When he thought about it..he didn't care. He was tired of his older sister trying to run his life. At some point, he just needed to separate himself from her. He loved his sister dearly but they were just..so different. His parents loved telling him how he should be more like Laurie. He needed to act more like a ThornWell. What did it matter, though? He was different and he liked it that way.

When Landon told Danielle it was alright for asking about his sister, she felt nothing but bad. He seemed uneasy and she wished she could take back the question, but it was better to know sooner than later. He brought a chair close to her and sat down. She smiled at him but the smile faded when he started talking about his older sister, Laurie. "Alright. I had a bad feeling when I saw her.." She let her sentence hang in the air. She sat in silence until she heard Landon sigh. Wondering what the sigh was for, she looked at him. Danielle was about to ask, but before she could, terrible pictures flooded her mind involving Laurie. They were truly terrifying. A young girl was engulfed in flames by the end, screaming. All while Laurie stood there and laughed.

The pictures ended and Danielle sat there, tense as a board, jaw hanging open. "Oh my shit. It's days like these I wish I could manipulate water. Pardon my language, but oh my God..Did the girl live? Do you even know why your sister did it?" By the end of her question she was looking him in the eyes. Danielle was slightly terrified, and she moved back in her chair quite a bit. She didn't want him to take it the wrong way or anything, but damn. That was horrifying stuff. Not to mention, he was related to her. He was eyeing her, and asked her if anyone had offered to tell the story of the two houses. "Well I asked Williams but he said, and I quote," Danielle lowered her voice and sat up straight, as if sizing up Landon. She put her arms out like she was big and mighty, trying to imitate the man from earlier. 'That's a story for another day.' She returned to her normal position, slouched slightly in her chair. She crossed her legs and smiled slightly, excited for the story.

"Wow. Alrighty then. That does make sense..I won't talk about it. My lips are sealed. She pursed her lips and put her fingers to her mouth, as if twisting a key and throwing it away. She smiled and looked at him oddly, tilting her head to the side. "Plans? I mean, besides living.. She tapped her index finger on the table as if thinking and shook her head. "Nope. I think I'm free. Her smile grew and she laughed a little. "Are you sure you wanna hang around me? Wouldn't I ruin your reputation or your family's or something? Come on Mr. Harper, you don't want to put all of that on the line for a little freshman, do you?" She teased him and stood up, not wanting to stay and longer in the library. She pushed her chair back and stood two feet in front of Landon. She had had too much excitement in this room for a day.

Danielle looked around and saw the library was now deserted. "Now I warn you, this library is empty despite the librarian. We must not touch each other," She reached out and touched his arm when she said 'touch'. "talk to each other," She raised her voice the slightest bit on the word 'talk'. "or even stand near each other." On the words 'stand near', she took two steps towards him. The whole time she had the biggest smile on her face. If others were around she wouldn't be so brave. She would have kept her words the same, but her actions would have differed. She would have just stood there and asked instead of acting it out. She extended her hand to him. "Would you care to join me in the ultimate, dangerous, forbidden adventure ever of.." She smirked and finished her question. "Walking around together?' She paused and smiled. "So, what do you say, Mr. Harper?"

Landon smiled at Danielle. "If I didn't want to be around you, I would have left the moment I realized that you were a RoseWood." he said, his hazel eyes focused on the woman before him. "I'm the family disappointment. They've gotten used to me doing things that I shouldn't. They expect me to make fools out of them, I think. Besides, being in a band probably doesn't help things either. My mom likes to remind me of everything else I could be doing. " The girl next to him stood. Landon followed her lead and rose. He listened intently as Danielle spoke to him. He wasn't quite sure what the woman was doing. She was telling him all of the things that they should do. He began smiling once he realized what she was doing. When Danielle was close to him, Landon remained silent for a moment. He could tell that the woman wasn't done speaking. She offered her hand to him, inviting him to join her. He pretended to hesitate for a moment. "I don't know. You are a RoseWood after all. Imagine the looks on everyone's faces if they..saw us together. He paused for a moment, a bright smile gracing his handsome features. He gently took hold of Danielle's slightly smaller hand, holding it within his own.

"I suppose I can can join you but we'll have to make a stop at the kitchen. I owe you some hot chocolate, after all." Landon leaned over, picking up his books, and then gently led the woman to the library's exit. He stopped at the doors and turned his eyes to Danielle. "Ready?" he asked before leading the way out of the large room. When they exited the room, they found themselves in one of the many hallways. He'd not let go of Danielle's hand and thought nothing of it. He led the way slowly down the hall, noticing that there were only a few students in the hallways right now. The few that knew Landon had given odd looks towards him. Danielle was new enough that none of his house knew her face yet. They would only truly be in trouble if someone from Danielle's house saw them. The adrenaline that he felt just from walking with Danielle was almost blowing his mind away. He'd never felt anything like it before. Trying to get his mind off of such things, Landon spoke.

"So, how's it feel to be going against the status quo on your first day?" He was still smiling. He couldn't believe how much he'd been smiling that day. Though he wasn't by any means a sad person, he wasn't very happy much of the time. He was usually just okay. He wasn't sure why all of a sudden he was feeling like a different person. He..liked it, though. He liked feeling this way. After a few turns here and there, the pair had arrived at very large wooden door. Landon paused there, and smiled at Danielle. "Here we are. We at least made it this far. I'm actually surprised that no one said anything." He opened the door and revealed the large and clean kitchen. There was only a few cooks left and when they realized that there were students there, quickly asked what they could get for them. Landon allowed for Danielle to order her drink and then ordered his own, a hazelnut flavored coffee. They didn't have to wait very long before they were given their drinks. Landon thanked that cooks and led Danielle out of the room. "Is there anywhere in particular that you'd like to go to?" he asked, taking a small sip of his coffee.

As he waited for her answer, Landon was eyeing the hallways again. He still couldn't believe their luck, so far. He had been sure that someone would say something to them. He knew that if or..when his sister found out that the older girl would be on a rampage. He only hoped that he'd be able to convince Laurie and even his friends that Danielle was different. The guys would be easy. He'd be able to talk to them tomorrow during band practice. Laurie, on the other hand, would be very difficult. He could only imagine how that would go down. In all honesty, he didn't want to find out how she would react. His sister was one of the cruelest in ThornWell. He would do everything in his power to make sure that nothing happened to Danielle. Even if that meant going against his family. He needed to be his own person..to stop allowing his name to rule over him. If that started with being seen around campus with Danielle, then so be it.

She laughed. "You know, it's never too late to turn back. Aw, I'm sorry. Parents can be tough. They should be happy you're being original and not a robot. Robots are boring." Landon grabbed her hand and she looked at their hands together. His was larger and it seemed to fit perfectly with hers. It felt odd, but nice at the same time. They made their way to the library doors and she nodded to him when he asked if she was ready. Danielle watched the expressions of the students they passed. Some gave Landon odd looks and she figured they were ThornWells. Luckily, she didn't see anyone she knew or had seen earlier in the RoseWood house. She was actually glad she was new. People didn't know her, but she bet they soon would as the RoseWood that was holding hands with a ThornWell.

"Exhilarating and terrifying at the same time." She shook her head and laughed nervously. Walking down that hallway was actually a lot different than she thought it would be. She thought she would have been okay and confident. Instead, she felt like she just robbed a bank and was walking down the street the day after in disguise, trying not to blow her cover. The urge to run was so great, but all she was doing was walking down a hallway with a boy. Barely anyone was around on top of that. Why was she getting like this? She didn't even know anyone at this school! They reached the kitchen and in no time she had her hot chocolate. She smiled wide and thanked Landon, blowing on her beverage. She took a sip and almost spit it back out. It was burning her mouth and she forced herself to swallow it. She held the beverage in her hand and decided to give it a while before she could take another sip. Danielle pretended to think hard about where to go and then turned back to him. "Well, considering I just came here I don't really know what this school has or where to go. You know, I got lost in the library and even trying to find my way to there. So, I'll go wherever. Just make sure it won't bore me to death." She smiled and let him lead her.

As they walked, Danielle opened her mouth to blow some time."So I'm gonna ask you questions now, and you can't stop me." She stuck her tongue out at him and smiled . "So you said you were in a band. What do you do/play? Who is in the band with you and what are their names? How long have you guys been in a band and what is it called, if you ever came up with a name. And um, I think that's it. Oh wait! One more! What kind of genre are you? WAIT, one more. Sorry. Are you guys good?" She smiled extremely wide and blew on her hot chocolate for a while before taking another sip. It was cooler this time, but still hot. She was able to take a few sips before her tongue started to feel like it was on fire.

She looked at Landon and wondered what he thought about her. Mainly, just if he thought she was weird. Danielle could be extremely loud and obnoxious, along with curious..and bubbly..and annoying..and needy, but mostly just straight up odd. She thought she was odd at least. She wasn't one of those people that hid in a corner rocking back and forth if someone mentioned something she didn't like. No, she wasn't that kind of odd. She was always curious and was, well, different. She couldn't help being herself, but she just hoped it wouldn't mess things up with Landon.

He laughed when Danielle had said that she'd gotten lost on the way to the library. "I can see getting lost heading anywhere here. The school is huge. It'll take you a while to learn where everything is." Landon began walking, leading the way through the hallway. He walked slowly, knowing exactly where he was going to take her next. Danielle spoke up, informing him that she was going to ask him a few question and then proceeded to stick her tongue out at him. He laughed, smiling at Danielle brightly. "If I can't stop you..then ask away!" He laughed. He really liked Danielle. She wasn't like anyone that he'd been around before. Though he wondered what she thought of him, he refused to read her mind. When Landon had been younger and had discovered his abilities, he'd at first not been able to control any of them. Most of his abilities were directly linked to his feelings. As he'd gotten older, Landon had begun working to control his emotions. It took several years before he had full control over his abilities. In all honesty, he felt exposed anytime that he linked minds with someone. He had recently learned to block others from reading his thoughts during the link but he just couldn't shake the feeling that when linked, they were one person.

Danielle quickly began asking her questions. Landon waited until the woman next to him fell silent, waiting for his answers. "I play guitar and do leading vocals. My friends are in the band with me. Kyle Manser plays guitar and does backing vocals. Jaimie Smith plays bass and does backing vocals. Then there is Peter Youst, our drummer." He paused for a moment, going over her questions in his head. "We've been in the band for about..a year, now. We're called Pillar of Society. We mostly play punk rock..sometimes pop. It just depends on the song." Landon was still smiling, leading the pair through the school, ignoring the looks that he was getting. "I like to think that we're good but..I'm probably biased." He took another sip of his coffee. He probably shouldn't be drinking it since he would need to try and get some sleep before breakfast. "I actually have practice tomorrow afternoon. If you want, you could come by." he said, coming to a stop in front of a large set of doors.

Landon opened the doors, and waited for Danielle to enter first, before following her into the room. The room that he'd led her to was slightly smaller than the library had been but it was nicer, if that was possible. There were many plush couches and chairs and even a large screen against the far wall and a stage. This was where, on the weekends, that everyone would convene for a movie. When not being used for showing films, the theater was used was used for plays or, for Landon and his friends, a place to practice together. "It's not very interesting right this second, I'm afraid, but usually this place is always busy. Once the year really kicks off it'll be lively again." Landon explained to Danielle what the room was used for. He walked over to a clipboard that was hanging on the wall. He picked up the pen that was connected to a piece of yarn, that was tied to the clipboard. He scribbled on the board, putting in the time slot that his band would need to practice tomorrow. He then turned back to Danielle, smiling. "I spend most of my time in here. Or the library. It's easier to stay out of fights that way." It was true. He'd found that many wouldn't bother you if you were in either of the two rooms that Landon had spoken about. He'd quickly made both rooms a frequent place to be found at.

He waited a few moments for Danielle to look around the room. The couches and chairs were all colored in the house colors. It was obvious that even the faculty of the school wanted to separate the RoseWoods and the ThornWells. "We have to start wearing our uniforms when classes start. I'm not looking forward to it. I suppose it could be worse. Don't forget to pick up your house ties, scarves, gloves, socks, and anything else that I've forgotten. The school store opens tomorrow. If you want, I can go there with you in the morning? He was eyeing her closely. He wondered if she would want him around her after today. It was one of the unspoken rules amongst the houses. No contact with the opposite house..ever. "So, I'm willing to bet that you've not seen the stables yet. I actually was thinking about having my parents let me bring my horse this year but..I'm not sure. I probably wouldn't have tons of time to actually ride or anything. Of course, I suppose that I could always borrow one of the school horses if I wanted to ride." He grinned at Danielle. "Wanna check it out? Or just walk around outside?" He took another few sips of his coffee. He wondered if Danielle even liked horses. He'd just assumed that she did.

Danielle looked at him with wide eyes when he said he sang. She waited until he was all done to speak. "Ooooh, you sing? That's hot." She smiled and continued. "Come by? Ahhh, I don't know about that. I don't want to disrupt your practice." They stopped at a large set of doors and when they swung open, Danielle walked in. The room was beautiful! It had the colors of each houses and she shook her head slightly. She wondered what the first movie of the school year would be like. Danielle noted what Landon said about the library and the theater, but she doubted she would spend a lot of time in either place. She liked to be out in the opened space, mostly in trees. After moving from England when she was a child, growing up in America was a huge difference. Making friends was difficult, the school systems were entirely different, and her being different didn't help at all. She spent most of her times in trees, hidden from the world. She liked that she could move the tree branches to hide herself; it gave her comfort. Even at this school, she knew she would do the same.

"Uniforms?" Danielle twisted her face in disgust and sighed. "If this school gave out some pamphlet for incoming students, then I didn't get it. I guess you can come. I have no idea what to get anyways. If I have to wear a tie.. She mumbled the last part, dreading what the uniform could look like. She hoped it would be at least decent. She didn't think she could bare being in a hideous uniform for the whole year. She snapped out of it when he brought up horses. "Stables? You guys have horses here?! She shook her head in disbelief and laughed. "Is there anything else that might blow me away here? Is there an underground tunnel to Japan, or a space station on the roof? Is Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz a student here?" She took another sip of her hot chocolate. It was the perfect temperature for her. It was hot, but hot enough for her to chug without burning her mouth. She took a long sip and licked her lips.

Danielle pulled him towards the door. "If we wanna go somewhere else before curfew, I suggest we get going! We have horses to see."[/color] She walked with him to the doors and pulled them open. She didn't know which direction the stables were, but she just kind of walked forward, hoping she was going in the right direction. "I had a horse when I was younger, but when we moved I had to give her away. You couldn't really bring a horse on a plane. Plus, my parents said it was too much work to take care of her. If you brought your horse I could probably look over him or her. Your horse just might love me more by the end of the year." Danielle looked at him and softly nudged him forward. "Okay, I have no idea where I'm taking us. Lead the way, sir."

As they walked, Danielle thought about her old horse, Dasher. She missed her horse. It was really her family's horse, but she always referred to it as her horse. They got Dasher when she was a pony. Danielle was only four at the time, and she was actually scared of the animal. It wasn't until her mother coaxed her onto Dasher did she fall in love with the beauty. When her dad had to go out to take care or her, Danielle tagged along. She didn't even bother asking. By the time she had to move, she had a special bond with the horse that no one could understand. Giving her away broke her heart, and she was sure it broke her horse's heart too. She never saw her after that. It's been a long time, and she wouldn't be surprised if she had passed on.

Thinking about Dasher made her sad, but at the same time excited to see all the horses at the stable. "Are we almost there yet?" She was getting restless. She looked around and saw no one. At least they were alone. She thought about Landon having a horse and it caused her to smile. "Ready for another round of questions?" She smirked and took a deep breath. "What's your horse's name? How old are they? How long have you had him/her? What color are they? How did you get them? What gender are they? And lastly, how many horses does your family have?" She paused and thought about any more possible questions. She shook her head and looked at him. "Okay, all done this time. She smiled and looked ahead. Her eyes could cover some major distance, and she swore she saw the stables coming up. Her heart accelerated some. She couldn't believe she was this excited to see horses, and they weren't even hers. They brought back childhood memories, and seeing a horse would either make her complete or crumble.

Landon smiled brightly at Danielle's reaction to hearing about the horses. He was glad to find out that she loved them. Suddenly, Danielle was pulling him out of the theater. He laughed. He was enjoying their time together greatly. "I'll remember that. I'll definitely let you know if I decide to have him sent here. And, we're going this way." he said, tugging Danielle in a different direction. "It'll be quicker to go this way." he said, smiling brightly. It didn't take long for the pair to exit the school and enter onto the school grounds. The stables were located at the right corner of the school grounds. The barn was very well kept and painted a deep red and white. There were many of the usual horse related luxuries: indoor arena, outdoor arena, trails. Landon couldn't wait for Danielle to see the barn. It was magnificent. Danielle asked if they were there yet. He laughed happily. "Almost. It should just be a few more minutes." He was smiling brightly, glad that the woman next to him shared his love of the creatures. Not many at the school knew that Landon did, in fact, love horses. Of course, not many people really tried to get to know him.

Danielle spoke, then, asking if he was ready for more questions. "I'm ready. Throw them at me." Landon listened closely as she spoke, taking in every single question. "I actually..have two horses." He looked at Danielle, wondering how she felt about hearing that he actually had more than one horse. He continued talking, "I've got a Friesian gelding, Zodiac and a Gypsy Vanner gelding, Mirage. Zodiac is seven and Mirage is nine. I've had both horses since they were born. Zodiac is a solid black horse and Mirage is a black, brown, and white horse. My parents let me keep them. They're both males but are fixed. Wow..how many do we have? At least twenty. My parents breed and show a few different breeds." He was smiling brightly. He fell silent for a moment, wondering if perhaps he could have his parents bring..both of the horses? "We have a three huge barns and everything else that you could imagine having for horses. Actually, I used to show Zodiac and Mirage. I haven't done anything like that since I graduated high school.

Landon wasn't sure what Danielle thought of this. He was happy to let the woman next to him use one of his horses. They could finally see the barn and were quickly coming up on it. There were a few students out in the outdoor arena and paid the pair no mind. Landon quickly pulled Danielle into the large barn. The barn was full with the sounds of the school horses and the few that were owned by students. A few barn hands were going about their daily tasks, ignoring Landon and Danielle. Landon watched Danielle, staying close to her, allowing her to take the lead. He was happy to hand over the lead. He'd spent most of his life in a barn and he'd seen everything in this one already. "Well? What do you think?" he asked Danielle as they stopped in front of a stall.

He had stopped them in front of one of the school horses, a brown horse that was fondly called Dusty. Landon opened the stall door and waited for Danielle to enter. "Go ahead." he said, smiling. "I know you want to. They won't mind. It's too late for anyone to want to ride her." After Danielle was in the stall, Landon followed her in, closing the door behind them. He slowly approached the creature and then took hold of the halter that was on her long face. He then brought the horse closer to Danielle. "This is Dusty. She's one of the older horses here and very gentle." Landon remained near the horse's head, making sure to keep her steady. Not that he thought the older horse would do anything. She was one of the calmest horses in the barn. "I was thinking that perhaps I could have my parents bring one of my horses. Which means you are going to have to start frequenting the barn once he gets here." He focused his hazel eyes on Danielle, a bright smile on his face.

It turns out Danielle had been going in the wrong direction the whole time. Landon spun her around and off they went. He answered her questions and her jaw dropped slightly. "TWENTY HORSES?!" She couldn't believe his family had so many horses! She tried to imagine what it was like to be surrounded by so many horses at once. She knew the feeling when they entered the barn. "Wow." That was all she could say. Seeing all the horses made her happy, and she sighed as if in relief. Danielle went in the stable and smiled at the completely brown horse. She step towards the horse and Landon grabbed the halter. Landon introduced the horse as Dusty, and Danielle started petting the horse. "Hi there, Dusty." She turned her attention to Landon. "No problem, as long as you don't just dump Zodiac or Mirage on me." Her smile was small. She wouldn't mind taking care of his horse, but she didn't want to have all the responsibility. After all, it wasn't hers.

Danielle looked around, noticing the barn hands for the first time. They were busy at work and paying no attention to them, luckily. She turned her attention back to Landon. "So, did you come here often last year or..what's the deal?" She continued to pet Dusty. She wondered how often Landon had come here last year, or how often he didn't come. He had to come by some considering he knew Dusty was gentle, which she was. Perhaps he missed his horses and came to the barns to spend time with the other horses. Her coat was so soft and silky between Danielle's fingers. The feeling was familiar, but not exact. She took a sip of her hot chocolate which was about half full now and almost warm.

"Hey, do you know what time is it?" Danielle thought it must have been close to curfew. Dinner seemed so long ago, and she figured everything the two had done together had taken a rather large bite out of their free time. She didn't want the night to end, but she knew it was going to soon. Anyways, there was always tomorrow. Landon had invited her to stop by his band practice, which Danielle doubted she would go to, but who knew? She just might, depending on how hectic tomorrow was.

When Danielle asked how often he'd come out to the barn last year, he smiled. "I spent any spare time that I had out here. As long as I wasn't in class or at band practice I was usually here. I didn't bring either of my horses last year so I would ride the school horses." he said, gently patting the horse. Landon eyed Danielle for a moment. He even watched her as she took another sip of her drink. Suddenly, she was asking what the time was. Landon smiled. "It's about either-thirty, I think. We'll have to head back in just a minute. Do you remember how to get back to your parlor?" he asked, gently releasing Dusty. The horse remained still, not moving. "Come on. We'd better head back. Would want to be caught out after curfew on your first day." Landon opened the stall door and waited for Danielle to exit with him. He closed the door and then picked his things back up. He quickly led the girl back into the school, the walk seemed to go quicker than it had before. "Well, I hope I haven't bored you too bad today." he said as they were entering into the school. The halls were now deserted, a foreshadowing of how close the curfew was getting.

Landon led the way to the corridor that led to the RoseWoods' parlor. He stopped there, watching Danielle. "This is where I'll have to leave you. If you are still wanting to be seen with me tomorrow, I'll meet you here after breakfast and we can go to the store. I think that I've still got the list of things that I needed last year. I can bring it. They must have missed your invitation somehow. Usually, the put in a supplies list. You should be able to buy everything at the store though." Landon was smiling brightly at Danielle. He didn't want this day to end. It had been wonderful. Landon spoke again, "Well, goodnight. I'll see you tomorrow." He hesitated for a moment but in the end smiled and slightly waved at the pretty woman as he turned and quickly made his way back towards the front of the school.

It didn't take Landon too awfully long to reach the ThornWells' parlor. He entered to find that the room was quite full, everyone glad to be able to spend time with one another once again. When he was seen by the others of his house, he was greeted. Landon smiled, waving at those in the main part of the room. Landon quickly made his way across the room and up the stairs to the boys' dorms. He slowly made his way over to his bed and sat his things down on the small night stand that was next to his bed. He then quickly changed into his pajamas and sat down upon his small bed. He could still hear everyone's laughter from downstairs. Landon sighed softly. He'd been surprised that Laurie nor any of his friends had noticed that he'd been gone longer than he should have. He was actually very thankful for at least one night of peace. He was sure tomorrow would be completely different. Landon gently laid back into his bed, and then pulled the curtains shut around his bed. He shut his eyes and quickly fell asleep.

---

Landon awoke early the next morning. He'd slept very well and no one had disturbed him. He slowly sat up and then opened the curtain that surrounded his bed. He slowly got out of bed and began digging through his things, looking for something to wear. At long last, he decided on jeans, a dark band shirt, a white hoodie, and his converse. His usual look. He made his way to the bathrooms, showered and got ready for the day. When he was satisfied with his appearance, Landon made his way back to his bed and began going through some of his things from the year before. He finally came across the small paper that he'd been sent the year before that listed all of the things that he'd needed to bring. He folded the paper up and put it in one of his pockets. He then quickly made his way out of the dorms and out of the parlor. Landon slowly made his way to the main hall and entered. There weren't very many students in there as of yet but it was still very early. Landon took the same seat that he'd had the day before. Food was already placed on the table and the cooks worked about to make sure that everything was kept filled.

Landon began quickly piling his plate with food. He was starved. He began eating slowly and soon enough his friends had joined him. They were all laughing and having a good time. Landon kept eyeing the RoseWood table, though. He wondered when Danielle would be there or if she even still wanted to see him.

His answered surprised Danielle. At first glance, Landon didn't seem he would be so into horses. When it came to him though, she never knew what could come out of his mouth. They hadn't know each other that long, but she already knew to not expect anything. He seemed to be a box full of surprises, but that was okay with her. She always loved surprises. She stared blankly at him when he asked if she knew how to get to her parlor. "Maybe... He led her out of the stall and she waved to Dusty. They walked through the school halls. The hallways were silent and Danielle smiled at how quiet it was. "Well, there's always next time. Try not to bore me so much tomorrow, will you?" She smiled and in no time they were at her house. Landon gave her instructions to meet here after breakfast and she nodded. "Yes sir. Her smiled never faltered. "Goodnight to you too. See you then." She laughed when he waved and she waved back. She turned and entered the parlor of the RoseWood House.

A few people stopped talking and looked to see who had entered. They smiled and greeted her, even though they didn't know who she was. Danielle smiled and said hello back. She stood in the corner, listening to the conversations going on. Soon enough Claire came up to her with another girl. The girl smiled at Danielle and introduced herself as Anderson. "Anderson?" Anderson nodded her head. "Yeah, that's what my parents named me. It's lame and sounds like a last name, so I go by Andy. I don't know why, but I like it. It's different. Props to them, but boo for me. Danielle laughed. "I'd love to stay and chat, but I'm really tired. Sorry, but is it okay if I catch up with you guys tomorrow at breakfast or something?" Claire stepped in and spoke for the both of them. "Yeah, that's fine. Where were you tonight though? The RoseWood house likes to come home early the first night to get to know everyone. I guess no one told you." "I was out exploring but--" Danielle felt bad missing it, and Claire must have been able to tell. "Hey, don't worry about it. It goes on the whole first week, or until everyone knows everyone's name and something about them." Claire smiled and laid a hand on Danielle's shoulder. "Really, don't worry about it. Go get some sleep. You look exhausted." Danielle smiled and thanked Claire. She made her way quietly to her room and changed into an oversized shirt and flannel bed shorts. She fell onto her bed and within in seconds was fast asleep.

---

"Wakey wakey! You don't want to sleep in your first day." "Uggghh, yes I do." "Don't make me throw water on you. Danielle's one eye shot open and she sat up. "You wouldn't." Claire smiled. "Oh, but on the contrary.. She paused as if waiting for someone, and sure enough a scream ripped through the house. "CLLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRRRRRRRREEEE!"
Claire smiled and nodded her head. Danielle raised an eyebrow at her. "Are you sure you're in the right house? "I think so, but who knows? Get dressed. We're going to breakfast. Claire threw a black pair of leggings and a red, form fitting tank top at Danielle. Danielle shrugged and waited for Claire to leave the room. She got dressed and brushed her hair and teeth. She threw on grey vans and made her way to the parlor. Claire and Andy were waiting for her and smiled when they saw her. "Looking like a true RoseWood. I'm proud of you. "Aww, look at my baby! All grown up! Danielle laughed at the two. They were acting like they were her parents, and they weren't doing too bad of a job. "Well, come on mom and dad. I'm starving!"

The three made there way to the Main Hall. When they got there, people started filing in. It wasn't too crowded, but a good amount of people were already seated and eating. Among those people was Landon. Danielle smiled quickly at him, unsure if he saw or not. Danielle and Claire made their way to the RoseWood table and sat where they were just yesterday. Andy sat on Danielle's other side. Danielle pilled her plate with food and began eating. She was starving! Claire turned to her and smiled. "So, how was your exploring last night? Danielle stopped eating and swallowed what she had in her mouth. She looked back at her and shrugged. "Alright, I guess. I kept getting lost. Andy seemed to be paying attention and she laughed. "It happens. Just try not to today. That was all that was said about that, and Danielle turned her attention to Andy.

It turns out Andy was in her third year at Halloways and could manipulate the earth as well. She loved drawing and was from Santa Monica, California. She had eight brothers and sisters, she being the youngest. Danielle listened as she talked, giving out basic information as well as more personal information. Andy had a lot to say about everything, even though she appeared to be so shy. Anderson wanted to become a tattoo artist after she graduated. Her whole back, as well as shoulders, was covered in black and white ink. Danielle smiled once Andy took a break from speaking. "You know, you have a lot to say. It's fun to listen to you. Andy laughed and wiped her mouth with her napkin. "Yeah, I've gotten that before. I don't mind though. Once I start going it's hard to stop. Danielle laughed and she turned her attention to the ThornWell table. By now the room was covered with students, but she could still see Landon.

It didn't take long for Kyle to notice that Landon wasn't really paying any attention to his friends. The blonde man frowned at Landon. "What's wrong?" he asked, eyeing his best friend. Landon quickly turned his attention to Kyle, looking puzzled. "Nothing's wrong. Why?" Landon had no idea what Kyle was going on about..unless he'd noticed that he wasn't paying attention. He'd thought that he was not being obvious with his lack of interest of what his friends were conversing about. Kyle only gave a shake of his head. "It's just that you're staring at the RoseWood table and not paying attention to a single word that we've been saying. Something's up and I want to know what it is." Landon eyed his friend for a long moment. He then opened a link to his friend, deciding that perhaps it would be best to continue this conversation privately. 'I..met someone yesterday. Someone that I know I shouldn't be hanging around or..even thinking about.' Landon thought, acting as they weren't even speaking now. 'What do you..wait. Are you trying to tell me that you're talking about a RoseWood?' Kyle looked at Landon as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing. 'Yes. I spent all day with her yesterday. She's different. And before you say anything else, realize that nothing you say will change my mind.' Kyle seemed to think for a moment. 'It's your decision. I just hope that you know what you're doing. I mean, we'll support you, you know that but..what about Laurie and her following? I can't imagine her being okay with this.' Landon laughed. 'No, you're right. Laurie will be furious but, there comes a point where I need to do what I want to do. I need to stop worrying about what everyone else thinks, you know?'

Kyle nodded at his friend who had just closed the link between them. Suddenly, two of the teachers began handing out house schedules. The students were all excited to see what class's they would be having. Though all of the house would have the same class at the same time, the different years were in different rooms. It could all get very confusing at first. After receiving his schedule, Landon decided to go ahead and leave. "I've got to go,' Landon said, standing up from his seat. "I'm meeting someone but I'll see you guys around two?" All of his friends nodded and wished him goodbye. Landon held Danielle's gaze for a moment as he walked out of the main hall. He then slowly made his way to the corner that he'd promised to meet her at. Breakfast only had a few minutes before it was over and honestly, Landon hadn't felt as if he could stand another moment in that room. He knew that it would only be a matter of time before Laurie found out about Danielle. He feared what the older woman would do. He'd only made his sister mad a few times before and it hadn't been pretty. Laurie had a very bad temper and he was going against everything she'd told him not to do the year before. Landon was willing to risk his sister's wrath, though. He couldn't possibly stop talking to Danielle. He rather enjoyed her company very much.

Landon arrived at the corner and leaned against the wall, waiting for Danielle. There were a few students walking through the halls now. Landon ignored the RoseWoods but would nod at the ThornWells. Until it got out that he and Danielle were friends, he needed to keep up appearances. Suddenly, Landon found himself staring at Laurie. "What are you doing?" she asked. "Nothing, just..chilling. What do you care?" The woman smirked. "I can't be curious as to what my little brother is doing?" Landon gave a shake of his head. "No. Now what do you want?" "I'm getting ready to call mom and dad, did you need anything?' Landon nodded. He asked Laurie if she could get their parents to have Zodiac sent to the school and all of his things. The older girl nodded and then walked away, leaving her brother standing against the wall waiting for the pretty woman from the day before.

Schedules were handed out and Danielle examined hers. Her classes seemed they would be alright, and she was grateful. At this school, she had a feeling she would have a lot of homework or none at all. At her other schools, the homework amount was very minimum. Those were high schools and elementary schools, but this was college. The rules were different here. With no pockets on her, Danielle put her schedule down her shirt and in her bra. When she looked up she saw Landon. His eyes were locked on her, and he was making his was towards the exit. Danielle excused herself form the table and explained she had to get her uniform. Claire and Andy smiled and said they'd catch up with her later. As Danielle walked, she could feel someone staring at her. her eyes scanned the room and stopped at the ThornWell table. A man with blonde hair that was sitting near Landon was looking at her. However, the male quickly averted his eyes once she spotted him. Danielle walked out and began making her way towards the meeting spot.

Her face lit up when she saw Landon standing there. "Hey stranger! How's it going?" She smiled and could feel people looking at them, but she shrugged it off. "So, ready to go? Not gonna lie, I'm pretty excited to start but dreading it at the same time. I really hope the uniforms are decent. Hey, do the houses have separate uniforms or does everyone have the same one?" She was really happy, which would explain her random babbling. She had a tendency to do that, especially when she was nervous and/or happy. She didn't know why, but it was just something she did. Danielle just assumed she couldn't contain what she was feeling so she spat out the first thing that came to her mind. Around Landon she just had this strange feeling. She felt warm inside, but she couldn't really describe it. It was different, but she liked it. She remembered how she felt with Andrew, and the feeling was basically the same. It was strange to have that feeling with some she had just met yesterday. Maybe her heart was trying to tell her something, or maybe it had just been a while since she had a friend like Landon.

She grabbed his hand and pulled him along. "Well, come on! Christmas is coming! She smiled and ignored the looks others were giving them.The people surrounding them were inaudible to the average human, but Danielle could her them loud and clear. Some were asking what they were doing, or who she was. A few ThornWells, she figured, asked if that was Landon. A few said it wasn't a big deal, but others of the RoseWood house recognized Danielle and they shook their heads disapprovingly. A few stuck to her. "Are they out of their minds?" "What a disgrace." "Isn't that interesting.. Despite all the negative remarks, there was one positive reaction. While they were walking, Danielle thought she saw a female flash a smile at them. It was small and very quick, but it was still a smile. It could have been her imagination, but she was convinced it wasn't. Weird. She thought to herself.

People mainly didn't know who Danielle was, and that was good. However, she wasn't looking forward to meeting every RoseWood tonight. Some had seen her, and she didn't want to put up with their criticism. The thought of her having to stay in caused her to groan mentally. She would rather spend time with the male she was touching right now, but it had to get done. Maybe after a long day of classes she would just be worn out. She hoped that was the case. That way she could have an honest excuse of not hanging around with him later, and she could get the greeting with her house done. Danielle made up her mind. She would swing by his practice today to make up time with him.

Landon's face immediately brightened at the sound of Danielle's voice. He turned his head so that he could see the woman that was now approaching him. She began speaking quickly and he was glad that he'd decided to go through with seeing Danielle. "Ready if you are." he said, smiling at the young woman. "We all have the same uniforms. The way that we're told apart is by our house pins, ties, and socks. They're all in our house colors. On Fridays we are allowed to dress slightly more casually, but other than that they're pretty hard up about the dress code." Suddenly, Danielle had grabbed a hold of his hand, pulling him along once again. He smiled, gladly following the woman. He could see the looks that they were already getting. Landon was very glad that he could block out others' thoughts..otherwise he doubted he could have stood for walking down through the hall at that moment. He could just feel the anger and confusion that was rolling off those that they walked by. He tried not to let it get to him and he was sure that he'd be fine as long as Laurie didn't find out. He really didn't want to be around when his sister did find out.

As they continued walking, Landon suddenly remembered the paper that he'd brought for Danielle. He pulled the paper out of his pocket and unfolded it. "Here. I found the item list that you should of gotten. It's from last year but I doubt anything has changed." He handed the paper over to Danielle, smiling at her. On the paper, it of course had Landon's full name and a list of everything that he would be expected to have brought with him. Two school uniforms, school ties, school pins, school socks, school scarves, tennis shoes, notebooks, pens, pencils, and quite a few other odds and ends that would be needed in a few of the classes. All of these things could be bought at the school store. "It's not like them to forget this. I suppose that you're just lucky." He laughed lightly. He led the girl through the school, towards the store. "So how was your first day here?" he asked, smiling.

Landon had thoroughly enjoyed the day before. It had been such a very long time since he'd really spent any time with a woman and he'd found that Danielle's company had been quite enjoyable. He could think of nothing else he would have rather'd of done. He was..glad that he'd decided to do what he wanted and not listen to what everyone around him said that he should do. It felt..invigorating to be breaking all of the unstated rules. Landon's eyes turned to Danielle. He couldn't shake the odd feelings that he kept feelings when he was around her. It was..different and something that he'd not been looking for. He never thought that he could feel this way..and it was strange. He'd only just met Danielle and yet he felt as if he'd known her for so much longer.

At last they reached the store. It was rather large and filled with all sorts of school related things. Landon gently led the way into the large room. They were immediately ambushed by one of the associates. The young girl began asking what she could help the pair with. Landon immediately informed her that Danielle needed a few things. He decided to let his friend take it from there. He held back as the associate began trying to drag Danielle to the changing rooms so that she could try on some uniforms to make sure that they fit properly. As Landon was waiting for Danielle to finish her shopping, he was just looking about the store lazily. He'd already seen everything that they sold as they'd not gotten anything new. Suddenly, he heard someone behind him. "Well, well. If it isn't Landon Harper. And what are you doing here?" Landon turned around only to find himself face to face with Sydney. "I'm waiting on someone. What about you?" he asked politely. The woman smirked. "I took a job working in here during my free hours. Of course, you're welcome to come by and see me any time." Landon looked down for a moment and then back to the dressing room. He wished that Danielle would come out so that they could leave. He wanted nothing to do with his ex. "Yea..I'd better not, Syd. I wouldn't want to give you the wrong impression."

With that, Landon walked away from the woman and put some space in between them. He now stood in a corner, waiting for Danielle. He hoped that Sydney would leave him alone. She was quickly becoming too much like his sister. He missed the woman that she used to be..the woman that he'd cared for at one time. He could no longer see that person when he looked at Sydney and Landon thought that it was quite sad.

"My first day was great, thanks for asking." It was true. Danielle had a great time with Landon yesterday, and she hoped there would be more great days with him. She didn't plan on going anywhere any time soon, and she hoped he didn't either. She hadn't been this happy since well, she couldn't remember ever being this happy! Of course there were great childhood memories, but she couldn't remember her exact feelings. Even when she went out with Andrew, she wasn't as happy as she was with Landon. The time she spent with Andrew was different. The two fought quite a bit, but nothing they didn't quickly come over. They reached the store and an associate quickly swept Danielle away. Danielle told her she just needed the uniform and such, and the woman grabbed a few sized of everything. With a pile of clothing in her hands, she went into one of the dressing rooms. Danielle plopped the pile on a little bench they had in there and sighed. At least the uniforms weren't that bad. They could have been worse.

She tried the main things on, piece by piece. The sizes didn't seem to differ that much. The woman had handed her smalls and mediums, which Danielle didn't mind. She changed as quickly as she could, not really wanting to be in the store for too long. The process didn't take that long. Everything seemed to be the same fit, so Danielle just went with the smaller sizes. They were more comfortable anyways. Plus being the height she was, it suit her nicer. Going over Landon's list from last year, she realized she had everything. Her eyes traveled to his name and she smiled. Landon Alexander Harper. The name had a nice ring to it. She folded the list and grabbed the clothing, taking it to the woman that was helping her. Danielle handed the clothing she wouldn't need back to the girl and thanked her. She took everything in her arms and went to the register. After she had purchased everything she needed, she made her way back to Landon with a slight hop in her step.

"All done," she stated, holding up the bag. She smiled but after noticing his expression, it faded somewhat from her face. "Hey, are you okay? You look like you've been slapped across the face, or you're just lost in thought. Either way, you still don't look as well as you do when you're smiling." Danielle looked around the store, her eyes landing on a brunette staring at the two. "Uh, do you know her?" She questioned, motioning in the woman's direction. She had an uneasy feeling about her, but it nothing compared to the one she experienced with Laurie. This one was more of a keep-an-eye-opened-and-watch-out, whereas the feeling from yesterday was like a run-for-the-hills-and-do-not-look-back. Danielle could be imagining it, but she didn't think so. The brunette in the store must have had some sort of relationship with Landon for Danielle to feel like this. The possibility of the two knowing each other made her wonder. What what the relationship between the two, if there was one? Friends, or possibly more? She felt a pang of jealousy. Why? She was unsure. So what if the two had gone out? Danielle had just met him yesterday. Certainly, she shouldn't be jealous if the two had dated. However, she was and she couldn't deny it.

She bit her lower lip softly and grabbed his hand with her free one. She started to move to the door, not wishing to be in the same room as the woman watching them. Maybe Danielle was making everything up in her head. It was likely the brunette could just be looking at them, or think Landon was attractive. People were entitled to their opinions after all. her thought caused her to relax and her smile came back. Don't over think a situation, especially something as stupid as a girl watching you and Landon, she told herself. Whatever Landon would say, Danielle told herself it was in the past now. That is, if they knew each other, or even had anything in the past together.

When Danielle approached him, informing him that she was finished, he tried to smile. He really did. He just couldn't bring himself to with Sydney so close. "I was beginning to think that I'd lost you in there." he said jokingly. Landon felt terrible as soon as Danielle's face fell. It seemed that she'd noticed his turn in mood. The woman next to him spoke. At hearing her words, Landon laughed lightly. "You could say that it's a bit of both." He'd missed that Danielle had said that she thought he looked better when he smiled. He couldn't shake Sydney's gaze from him. It actually still bothered him that she thought that she still held claim over him. Sure, he'd ended things with her near the end of the school year, the year before. They'd only been apart for a few months before they'd come back to Halloway's for the new school year. Landon had thought that he'd made it completely clear why he wanted nothing else to do with the woman. Perhaps..Laurie had been putting thoughts into Sydney's mind. That would certainly explain why the woman thought that she could easily get Landon back.

Suddenly, Danielle was speaking again. Landon turned his gaze to the counter, his eyes landing on Sydney. He remained silent for a long moment, trying to decide what to say to Danielle. Luckily, he was brought out of thought when the woman next to him grabbed his hand, pulling him along towards the store exit. Landon could still feel Sydney's eyes on them. He could only imagine what she was thinking. Likely, she was furious. When they were out of the school's store, Landon allowed for Danielle to take the lead for a short bit. When they were far enough away from the store, Landon gently stopped the woman. He moved slowly, leaning against the wall. His eyes found Danielle's holding them. "I know her..the girl in the store, that is." He paused for a moment, trying to think of the best way to explain the situation to Danielle. "Her name is Sydney and I dated her for a bit last year. I ended up ending things with her because she..changed. She's become quite a bit like my sister since the two became friends and I told her that I wanted nothing to do with someone so cruel. Needless to say she wasn't happy." Landon smiled at Danielle. "She's been trying to convince me to get back with her, which is never going to happen." Landon then decided that perhaps Danielle would understand better if she could see the events.

Landon slowly opened a link between him and Danielle, slowly allowing her to see his memories. Landon began recalling how he'd met Sydney, they'd managed to run into each other a few times in the theater room. The young woman had been very impressed with Landon's singing abilities and the fact that he'd been good looking hadn't hurt. They'd slowly began hanging out, spending more and more time together. In the beginning, Sydney had been a very kind person. Landon had adored her at one point. He'd asked her to be his girlfriend and that had lasted some time. When Sydney told Landon that she'd been accepted into Laurie's close circle did things begin to change. Slowly, the girl that he'd fallen for began to become more like his sister. He couldn't stand the fact the Sydney was suddenly picking on anyone that she could, even to the point that Landon had stepped in a few times. He'd tried many times to convince the woman to change her ways, that she was only hurting those around her. She would not listen. It was only after Landon had realized that he could do nothing to help her and that she would do nothing but bring him down did he inform her that he could no longer see her. Sydney had been furious. She'd yelled and screamed, vowing that he'd never find happiness with any other woman. It had hurt Landon to leave Sydney, but..in the end it was for the best. He could not remain with someone so alike his sister.

Slowly, Landon closed the link between the two. He smiled at Danielle, hoping that she understood that there was nothing between him and the woman any longer. "So I've heard nothing over break but how I'm a terrible person, from Laurie. She doesn't understand why I did what I did. It's fine, though. In the end, I'm the one that has to be all right with my actions." He smiled then, standing close to Danielle. For some reason, Landon hoped that Danielle had been..jealous of Sydney. He wasn't quite sure why and he felt terrible about this feeling. He tried to not think of such things but instead asked, "So, did you have plans for the rest of the day? Or, did you perhaps want to do something before I've got to be at the theater?" Landon hoped that she wanted to spend some more time with him. He knew that he was being selfish but he couldn't help it. He knew that at some point she would grow tired of him and then he'd be back to being alone most of the time.