Hide & Seek

When I woke up, I couldn't remember anything. It was like all those times of when I dreamt and told myself to remember my dreams when I was asleep, but once I woke up the memories of the thoughts that my mind had when I was asleep just disappeared into a black void and I couldn't get them back. I hate it when that happens.

I opened my eyes, slightly surprised to find myself in my room, underneath the dark comforter of my bed. The last thing I could remember from last night was sitting at dinner with mom and thinking about taking a shower. Subconsciously, I reached up - thinking my hand would be engulfed in sweaty, greasy tresses of short brown hair, but I was surprised when my hair actually felt like I had just dried it from getting out of the shower.

It was obviously just past 7 am, my blaring alarm clock told me so - but when had I taken a shower?

That thought was quickly pushed away when I noticed the sun glaring in from my opened window. Damn that was bright. I rolled over - taking in the fact that there was sun for once since I had been in Forks but that thought was pushed away (also) when I noticed something else very surprising.

The closet door was open.

I sat up quickly, staring at the ajar door. Since when had that door when open?

"Copper Ophelia Ac- oh." I turned around, again, to find mom standing in my doorway with a bucket of water in her hands. She was obviously going to use that to wake me up. "Well, I guess I won't be needing this." She turned away and I could hear her feet padding against the wooden flooring of the hallway and down the stairs to go pour the water out.

Expect the unexpected from Blakely Josephine Acres.

My hand came down on the top of the clock, silencing it for the morning. I glanced at the time. Ten minutes to get dressed and five minutes to eat. Then off to school for my second day of my last year ofhell prison school. My green eyes fell to the floor, then dashed across the bedding, and then to floor again, and then back to the opened closet door.

This may be my last chance to ever go in there, and I wanted to look good today - not for a boy, for the Mason-Swan-Dwyers.

I know, I seemed stuck up - wanting to look good for a family that just moved here - but maybe that was the only way I could get them to stop glaring at me like I was someone who knew the meaning of Life but wouldn't tell.

I was out of the bed and into the closet in a matter of seconds.

There was a flip switch on the inside beside the door. I almost forgot to flick it up, used the automatic-motion-sensing LED lights that came on, well, automatically.

It felt like I had just entered the beginning of a maze. I kept to the first row of clothes, not wanting to get lost, and looked through the many clothes.

I pulled out a white button up short-sleeved shirt, and a charcoal gray vest that hung right beside it. A few more outfits down there was a pair of ankle-length gray slacks that would look prefect with a pair of boots that were the same color as the vest.

I changed in a matter of minutes and was rushing down the stairs, my bag hitting against my side, and rushing over to a plate of food waiting for me. I practically inhaled the scrambled eggs and bacon - taking a few large gulps of orange juice and kissing my mom's cheek as I rushed even more to my car.

I was on the winding road away from my house in a matter of seconds, also, and speeding down a morning-rush-hour filled road. Who knew Forks could have rush hour?

After arriving at Forks High once getting out of said traffic, I sat in a parking spot with my hands gripping at the black leather steering wheel and staring out into empty space as thoughts enslaved my mind.

Why couldn't I remember what happened last night?

Why did I have the feeling that I was missing something?

...something important...

Tap. Tap. Tap.

I jumped in my seat and looked out the driver seat's window. It was Artemis. He was giving me this look, almost as if saying 'are you alright?'

My hand went up and turned off the ignition, taking out the key and shoving it into my bag. Artemis opened the door for me, I stepped out. Tate was a few feet behind him, this look on her face saying she was annoyed at Arty for some reason but still worried about you.

"You alright, Copper?" He asked, concern shining in his dark brown eyes.

I nodded. "Yeah, just thinking about some things." It was then that I realized how warm it got when the sun came out here in Forks. I loosened up the gray scarf around my neck, showing off the bare skin of the junction between my shoulder and nape of my neck. Something flashed in Artemis's eyes that I couldn't explain.

"Well, come and wait for Roxe and Zander with us over by our truck." Tate broke the thoughts of Artemis's mind - he smiled at me, showing his pearly white teeth. How does what get teeth that white?

"Sure." I nodded at the younger twin and started following her as she walked of in the direction of their vehicle.

Zander and Roxe showed up about ten minutes later, thankfully breaking the awkward silence that had overtaken us.

School started.

The family I had been hoping to impress didn't show up.

All throughout the day I waited for them to show, glare at me from across the hall or in the lunchroom, but by last block - both my partners not showing up - a slight bit of relief washed over me.

The same thing happened for the rest of the week.

I saw a glance of Nessie and her mysterious no named Indian arm candy on Thursday in the office, but my new group of friends distracted me for just long enough that when I looked back up they had disappeared.

Had the family moved?

On Friday, everyone happy that the first week of school was finally over, I walked out to my car.

"Hey, Cop, wait up!" It was Artemis. I still hadn't forgotten the way he had looked at me Tuesday morning, but I stopped nonetheless and let him caught up. He took a deep breath once at my side and walked along with me to my car. "Rox, Z, Tate and I were going to the movies next week, I - we were wondering if you wanted to go with us."

I wasn't exactly surprised by the question since they were really the only group of people I hang out with since I moved here. I nodded, a slight smile on my lips.

"Sure, I'll go. Just give me a call whenever you guys decide to go." I slipped a pen out of my pants and pocket and reached out my hand for his. He obliged quite quickly, but pulled it back when a slight shock ran through our hands when the touched.

Another awkward silence there. We both mumbled a silent "sorry", and I grabbed him by the wrist and jotted down the ten-digit code of my iTalk cell.

"See ya around," I dropped his hand and turned to unlock the car door. I could almost feel his hand lingering just a few inches away from my skin when he reached out to stop me. But the feeling disappeared. I slipped into the canary yellow Porsche and drove off.

When I got home, I noticed mom's car wasn't in the garage.

As I walked the house, I noticed a quickly scribbled note on the counter.

Gone to Seattle to talk with Publishers. Be back by Sunday night.

-Mom.

Of course, she left me alone for the weekend. Now what was I going to do?

I crumbled the note and tossed it into the open garage can. My eyes trailed up a stream of light coming in from the kitchen window. The dark green leaves and brown trunks of the trees caught my attention. I grabbed a coat from all the coat rack beside the back door and stepped out into the slightly chilly air.

Something was telling me not to step one foot into the forest, but I felt like defying common sense today.