Chapter One: The Lions Den

I stood there floating for what seemed like ages. Around me there was only the galaxy, a dark and empty space of the galaxy with nohing in site excpet a dark planet that was odly shaped. It was very unsual because the entire planet had looked like it was split into five parts. One of the parts looked as though it was covered in lava, the other entirely covered in water, and the other was white, I figured it was covered by snow or ice. Then there was the part that Except one part was bigger than the other it was covered with clouds and it looked liked it didn't get any sunlight and next to the big part was a part of the planet that was surrounded by plants except the plants were oddly colored at least from what I can see from so far away. I continued to stare at the strange planet until a person, at least I think it was a person appeared. It was too dark to see who he/she was. They started to get closer and closer while they're repeatedly calling out my name making me feel colder and colder until finally.... The alarm clock goes off and I wake up. Yep, it was a dream. I've been having these dreams since I was little. I've never really known what they meant, but I've never payed attention to them.

"Get up Melody your gonna be late" said Nicholas.

Nicholas is my best friend in the whole wide world. He always makes sure I stay on time.. well almost always. Hes about 6 ft 2, and his hair which is a little longer than short in length is an unsual color; his hair is the darkes shade of black. He either keeps it a bun or off the the side. And his eyes are a mixture of blue and white. He almost always wears the same thing, jeans and a solid color shirt with a jacket over top not that I'm complaining since his shirts always compliment his muscles and other features. The only thing I had to remind myself about him is that he wasn't really....real. At least thats what my parents and the doctors told me; Nicholas claims otherwise. You see, I suffer from something called "Ocular Melanoma". It's basically a tumor in my eyes that cause me to have different eyes colors...and yea, its deadly. But I've been doing pretty good if you don't count the "seeing things that arent there" situation. They say it could be a new side effect, I say that he's real but..who believes a sick girl.

"I'm not kidding get up already" said Nicholas. I get up out of my bed and head towards my closet. My room was pretty plain, I had a dresser, a bed, a vanity, a stero that could play my music from my mp3 player (which I took my mp3 player everywhere). When me and Nicholas were bored we would turn the music up and start to dance, it was always so fun because it was like he never danced before, everytime we would fight he would turn on the stero and play a song. I never really understoof how he did it, he said it was "magic" and he couldn't do it a lot since it took a lot of energy. And then there was my bookshelf, me and nicholas would always read a few chapters before I went to bed, sometimes he would read in the most funny voice that I couldn't control my laughter. And when I read to him he would always stare at me with blank eyes. I'm quickly sliding the clothes I don't wanna wear to the right until one of my peices catch my eye. It was a beautiful white off the shoulder top that had spaghetti straps, my dad had gotten it for me a year or so ago. I decided I would wear them with some black high waisted jeans and a grey jacket around my waist.

"Turn around" I said.

"Why? I'm not 'real' remember " he said with a smirk. I gave him a glare and he tossed his hands up in defeat and turned around. After I put my clothes on, I walked over ot my vanity and open the beautiful enrested box and took out a choker that my father gave to me a year ago before he died in a car accident. My father was a kind and creatrive man, he wrote books about another world out there and the people, he used to tell me the stories like he had actually been there; everyone says he was the best storyteller ever. Everyone talks about him and what he used to do and how he was funny, kind,warm, etc. But No one ever really talked about the accident, all they ever say is that it was tragic. The chocker was absolutely beautiful it was a lovely metal "chain" if you could call it that, it was a beautiful brownish-gold color it the chape of vines that would widely entangle each pther like a braid and in the middle was a stone that no one could reckonize, it was shaped in a tear. I put it on. I don't know why but it was always weird wearing it because it was like I was wearing it wrong, but sarah was assured me I was wearing it right; but top be honest I don't even think she knows how to wear it. I open the drawer looking at the makeup that I would wear for today.

"You know you don't have to wear makeup, your beautiful" Nicholas said with sorrow in his eyes. I never really thought I was beautiful. I had long wavy hair that was a light aburn- brown kind of color and in the sun it would look fiery red. And my eyes (thanks to my condition) were very...unique. I had one with light brown and gold it in and the other with blue with some hints of green. My face was a not to round but not to oval shape, at least thats what my dad said. And I had full lips that were a light pink on my fair skin tone. I picked up a lip gloss but put it back down.

"We're running late anyway" I said to Nicholas. Nicholas gave me the most Award winning smile. I sometimes applaud my brain for making someone like him. I quickly grab my bag and head downstairs There I meet my mother sitting at the dinning table surounded by her many assistants. My mother is a very busy agent for fashion so she was rarely ever home.

"Good moning miss melody" Said sarah her main assistant. Sarah had been with me since I was little she was a few inches taller than me, her light brown hair would always be kept in a braided cornw, her eyes were green and so light with joy. I smiled at her and greeted her with a good morning. I looked to my mother who was on the phone with an ear peice in her ear as she was too busy on her phone and computer to even greet her daughter. My mother had darker skin than me and had the brown hair and full lips like me, I got my arburn hair and fair skin from my father. Sarah gave me a soft smile and shook her head and worded "I'm sorry". I worded back "Its ok". It wasn't her fault my mother is to busy to even acknowledge her only daughter. I've never felt that I mattered or what I did mattered but it's at times like these that make me know that it's true. And it wasn't that I was mad about her working so hard for providing us I just wish she would give me some attention some times. But at least I had Sarah, she was always like a mother to me. I headed towards to the door and open it looking back at my mother one more time who was sitting at the dining room table table still on the phone and typing in the computer not even looked back to wave goodbye. Nicholas put his hand on my shoulder even though it was cold I appreciate his actions.

"Have a good day miss Melody" said Sarah waving goodbye with one of the warmest smiles.

"You too" I said to Sarah while closing the door. I look out towards the drive through and take the jeep that my father went with me to look at when I was 16 and got my drivers license. I get in the car , and toss my backpack on the back seat as Nicholas floats through the door and sits in the passenger front seat. I start the engine and Nicholas quickly says

"Can I pick the music" he asks making puppy eyes. For a 19 year old he sure has good puppy eyes.

"Fine, but I'm not singing today" I said. He always picks songs he knows that I know and always makes me sing, he says my voice is the gift of angels and could sooth any creature I could meet. But I think he's exagerating, like what beasts would need to be soothed by a song? He sighs and nods. As he picks the song. He does the wierdest dance and sings the song. I can't help but laugh at him, he's so goofy. As he continues to dance I slowly nod my head and lip sync the words. He thens tries to hit the highest note and I can't help but laugh and sing the note. He tries again and I shake my head while laughing. "No" I yell while laughing. He gives me his pouting face and I cant help but laugh but I quickly stop as I pull into the school parking lot. He looks at me with worried eyes, and I give him a reasurring smile telling him that I'm ok. I grab my cross body bag out of the back seat and put it on. I put on my headphones since its the only way I can communicate with Nicholas without looking like a complete loon.

"You ready?" I asked him. He nods and gives me his look of determination. I can't help but smile, you would think we were heading into war with that look...but to be honest we kind of are except war would be easier because eventually the pain ends but this doesn't. I open to door and take a deep breath and close it behind me and lock the car. I walk with Nicholas side by side to the entrance and stop at the entrance.

"We got this" he says with a caring smile that could probobly melt all the girls hearts in the school...even mine. I can't help but think "how I wish he was real".

"yea..ok. Lets go." I said with the best determined face I can muster as we head into school or should I say the lion den. "My entire life has been like entering a lions den, I always have to watch my movements and my words. I wonder if anyone ever feels the same? Maybe just Maybe I can meet someone else who feels as..trapped as I do. " I thought to myself.

Nicholas looks at me with a reasurring smile that told me he would be with me through it all.

"Or maybe I've already met them" I thought as I looked at Nicholas who had just a hint of the type of anxiousness in his face that told me that he definitely didn't like to be around these people just like how I didn't like to be around them. "Maybe we can always go through things together just like this. Maybe we could be like this forver." I think to myself. But a little voice in the back of my head tells me that; forever is a long time.