Chapter 1
I was sitting in a prison. A prison where everyone here hates me, well almost anyone. I’m staring out the window when I should be focusing on the boring math page on my desk. Mother has been worried recently about my grades, like she cares anyways; it burned my heart when the thought settled. Leaving an empty feeling in its place. Ever since Dave, (my mother’s boyfriend) moved in things have gotten a lot worse. He still beats her, She still swears he loves her, and I still sneak out at night alone. Just to get away from the screaming and crying that they do. I began to forget what caring was. Forget what friendship was, love, and happiness. I clicked my black nails against the desks wood, staring at the tree as if it were more interesting then the snobby girl beside me (applying much more lip-gloss then needed), the nerd in front of me (Who seems so in love with the math page that I could almost picture him making out with it.) Ugh. I hated it here. My blonde hair fell in front of my eyes; I didn’t move it, just sat instead and stared out the window, almost as interested in the tree as the nerd is with the math page. I sighed. Then the teacher spoke. Snapping my attention from the tree, I looked up at her; she was talking to someone standing in the doorway. I couldn’t see who it was. I wasn’t interested anyways, but before I could turn back towards the tree she said my name. I lazily looked at Mrs. Darwin whose hair was much to gray (looked like she was dipped in gray paint, seriously har-har.)

“Hmm” I managed, I was too tired to give an actually what or actually care. She gave me a polite smile and waved someone to come stand next to her. I was waiting for a preppy, prissy, annoying brat of a new student. Cause like we all know, the student came from England? Or maybe Europe? Rome? Ehhh whatever likes I’m interested in another real human being. Let me explain. Rule one, don’t care for anyone cause the outcome is always pain. I use to be a sweet, pretty in pink, help everyone kind of girl. Until I learned people didn’t care about me, even after I helped. My attention was focused back onto Mrs. Gray hair over here.

“I’d like you to meet Ash. Ash Blackwing” Her sweet smile irritated me. I’ve already killed her five times, that is inside my mind, not in real though the thought pleases me. I’d much rather be in my nice, warm, soft bed, asleep or writing my heart out, writing music, the only thing that sooths my soul. I sighed at the thought. Mrs. Darwin flashed me her coldest glare, I bit my lip, biting down the chuckle. She lot like a rat when she did that. She must’ve thought I sighed cause I didn’t want to meet what’s-his-face over there (who I cannot see, I think he’s hiding from me. Figures everyone kind of does.) The boy stepped up beside Mrs. Darwin. I looked over at him and instantly my breath caught, my body froze, a really cold feeling washed over me. The boy was shockingly beautiful, but that’s not what caused this odd feeling. Every nerve in my body was panicking, telling me to run screaming from the room, but a almost magnetic attraction made me want to get up and kiss him. I instantly killed the feeling. Sick because of the thought. Mad at myself for the feeling I had no name for. What was I thinking! Hatred now burned deep for the strange beautiful boy. Hate for him making me feel that, for making me feel again. He had long black hair (emo cut), gray eyes, which were wide and alarmed (that matched mine, weirdly enough I was freaked and wanted to run screaming from the room), pale white skin. His style clearly showed he was dark (har-har don’t think so buddy this is my school, and I am the dark princess). He had a black hoodie, which had white strings, black boots, ripped jeans, and the weirdest wristband I’ve ever seen. The band had a really big bird spread across it. As if it were something secret he quickly shoved his hands in his pockets. Ugh a dark one with secrets, great just what I need, a friend. I glared at him, and he smiled back. Ticking me more off then I already was. Ash or Asher, or whoever this kid was shifted his weight, and finally got the nerve to introduce himself.

“Hi. I’m Asher. But people call me Ash.” His voice was the deepest and wisest I’ve heard. He put his hand out for a handshake I guess. I also made no attempt to suppress the look of disgust, as if his hand were covered in spiders. His expression changed to pain. Hurt that I wouldn’t accept him. No one would, except me he knew that, and I think he knew I did to. I know he’d be alone if I didn’t do this ugh. I felt my expression soften as I reached out and shook his hand. I realized he probably would accept me if I’d been the one standing in front of his desk, at a new school, alone and different. I shook his hand, my voice cold but kind of nice I guess, at least the nicest it could get.
“Raven. I'm Raven Bloodthorn.” I kept my eyes down. Afraid of feeling anything for this boy. That I had grown to hate more than anyone in the last five minutes but that I had also grown to like. Mrs. Dull hair over there smiled, and spoke, her voice was a sickening kind of gentle.
“Raven, I’d like you to show Ash around please. I also mean around the school, and not the exit. Now go. If anyone asks you have my permission to show him around just be back by the bell.” And with that a hole had burned in my soul. I couldn’t be caught in public with him. I don’t need to look like I care, I don’t need a friend. I felt my lips turn into a snarl as Ash smirked. I change my mind, I just hate this kid. I slid off my chair, my desk groaning as I moved. Don’t worry buddy, I’ll be back before u get cold. I was on a mission to make this kid hate me, and I will succeed. I took one glance back at my desk on the way out, already missing it as I walked out the classroom door. After getting out of that jail, I looked around the hallway. Blue and white walls, with the checkered floor, and the gray lockers that didn’t seem to amuse me much at all. The floor made an unexplainable noise as my wet combat boots skidded across them. I heard the unpleasant sound of Asher walking beside me; I kept my eyes on the checkers, trying to count each one, while trying to kill off the buzzing sound in my head. Asher had the nerve to clear his throat. I snapped my head up, glaring at him, all while keeping my voice cold. I was going to make this as clear as possible, ugh why did I have to do this anyways? He’s not my responsibility. I turned towards him, slamming my hand against his chest, pushing him back a few inches before he skidded to a stop, and I was amused to see the look of surprise.

“Look kid, I don’t know who you are, or who you think you are.” I took two long steps closer to him, ignoring the strange beautiful smell of wilderness on his hoodie. “But I want nothing to do with you, so back off and leave me alone if you even want the smallest percent of a social life you’ll stay far from me! Also that’s a bathroom –I pointed to the bathroom across the hall-, that’s a locker over there – I pointed at the locker-, and that’s a classroom. This session of friendship can now be considered as killed. Have a good day Ashder.”

His face went dark, and suddenly my heart froze. His perfect lashes flickered down; he bit his pink lip with his amazingly white teeth. SHUT UP RAVEN the voice inside me said. I imagined them sharp white teeth on my neck… SHUT UP. I snapped out of it quickly and the demons inside me hissed at my heart. What did you expect Raven? Someone that would love you, Haha come on LOVE? You? Haha never in your life. No one could love a monster Raven, the voices hissed. A pain shuddered through me, I realized no one could love me, not like this. I snapped around and took a few angry steps away from the spot where Asher still stood, my checks burning as my already broken scared heart, cracked a little more. Until I felt the warm deadly touch of a hand on my shoulder. My mind and heart were buzzing, my soul stirred, I sucked in a gasp of air through my now parted painted black lips, and froze. I don’t know how many seconds pasted, as we just stood there. Stop Raven (I was getting insanely sick of talking to myself.). I pushed his hand from my shoulder, a black tear left its trace on my cheek as I angrily wiped it away, I stomped down the hall and out the exit into the woods, freak this I was going home. Hate stained my soul again, my heart instantly froze back over while the demons scratched at it with their frozen black nails, I would never cry again, and that was just a phrase anyways. (Haha a phrase, that’s what your mother called it when you went dark. So honey, this isn’t a phrase it’s a mistake.) shut up I hissed at the voices. I slide down a beautiful oak tree, it’s comfort was what I needed, I flopped my head back and stared at the sky. A beautiful blue, with white cotton balls, I use to think that they were ripped up cotton balls when I was little. (stupid girl, the demons hissed) I lowered my lashes, I couldn’t stop being this way, could I?A rumbling in the distance snapped my attention from the sky. At first I recognized the sound as thunder. I looked back up at the sky. Blue. Beautiful blue. I swear I heard thunder…. The rumbling sound hit again. Except louder, almost as if inside my head. It was a pain, but yet a sound. I clutched my head, my nails digging into my skull. It wasn’t just any sound. It was voices, so many whispers…I pried my fingers from my skull, digging them into the soft moist soil, I could feel the dirt under my nails, I could hear the whispers getting louder and louder. Then everything went silent, the woods were an eerie kind of silent, and not even a bird or bee made a sound and everything was so at rest. I relaxed my muscles (what was u thinking. Ur going INSANE.) The demons hissed. After shaking the dirt from my sweating palms, and prying the dirt from underneath my pitch-black nails. My blonde hair fell over the shoulders of my black Hollywood Undead t-shirt, my lashes painted with the blackest mascara flicked down; there was a bitter pain and strange warmth radiating from my stomach. I tugged my shirt up and. well gasped for air at what I seen (Calm down, it’s not there, your going insane, u stupid worthless little girl.) Blood, it was blood running down my stomach, staining my jeans, my hands ripped at my stomach I was panicking. Then I blinked. Nothing was there, just soil I had scattered across my stomach, it must have been my soil covered hands. Why can’t I be normal, paint my nails pink, smile with my teeth, have friends, not demons. This time I had had enough I got to my feet, brushing off my black ripped jeans, and I ran. Twigs snapping, and the leaves crunching, my feet padded this stained earth, leaving my tracks in the dark soil, wind brushed my checks making my hair whip around my cheeks, my vision blurred but I quickly blinked, pushing myself farther. I wanted to fly. (Like u could be an angel? What about fly? Like a bird. Darling you’re daydreaming) I ignored my demons for this was my moment. I ran, not knowing where I was going, but I ran because I think I was trying to get away from my demons, from myself, from the beautiful boy who may accept me, I was running from this messed up world.