𝗉𝗋𝖾𝗌𝖾𝗇𝗍 𝗍𝗂𝗆𝖾
𝖯𝗁𝗈𝗇𝖾𝗂𝗑, 𝖠𝗋𝗂𝗓𝗈𝗇𝖺

                  PHOENIX, ARIZONA. Thalia didn't know how to feel about it, she understood that her family had to be constantly on the move but sometimes she wished that they could just stay in one place for a long period of time.

Even if it was just to get Jade through her last year of school, having to move every three to four months to make sure that no one caught on to where they were was exhausting and damaging to the girls education.

The pink haired girl sighed as she ran her fingers across her hair, sleep eluded her. For as long as Thalia could remember, she could never sleep properly. It was like as soon as she closed her eyes, even if for a minute, the nightmares would return.

A knock on the door brought Thalia out of her head, she twisted her head to the side as Jade entered her room. "Are you awake?" She questioned softly, her voice filled with sleep and a frown worked its way onto Thalia's face.

"I'm always awake," Thalia retorted, rolling onto her side as Jade shuffled further into her room. Jade missed a box by a hairs width before slipping onto the bed beside her sister. "Can't sleep?" She questioned softly.

Jade shook her head, "I'm nervous and anxious," She admitted, turning to look at Thalia with a sad look on her face. "Are you feeling it too? Is that why you're still awake?" She questioned softly.

Thalia thanked the gods above, even though she didn't believe in them, that her sister didn't remember much of the night their parents were murdered. "I've learned to just go with it, new schools are a daily parts of our lives."

Jade chuckled sadly, "I wish it wasn't, I'd like to settle down; to have friends that I can keep for more than just a couple of months, and maybe a boyfriend or girlfriend." She pouted, and Thalia sighed.

"I want that too, just without the love part of it," Jade looked over at her with a frown, "But you know we have to stay on the road. If they get close, we could get caught in a deadly crossfire."

"You know, for all the times we have travelled on the road and new schools, I have never seen you have a crush on anyone." Jade mentioned, and Thalia chuckled bitterly, she didn't like the idea of love.

It made you vulnerable to being hurt, that's what had happened to her mum. She loved her parents together, but she blamed their deaths on her dad's work. He often brought it home with him and it ended up with getting them both killed.

Thalia sighed as she brushed her sisters hair out of her face, looking over her shoulder seeing the bright red numbers that signalled the time. "Get some sleep, we have two hours before we have to be up for school." She changed the subject.

Jade frowned for a moment before curling her arm underneath her head, and closing her eyes. Thalia sighed before rolling onto her back, looking up at the ceiling again. Her mothers voice floating back into her head.

"Get your sister and hide in the closet,"
"Thalia! Go now."

Thalia closed her eyes for a moment, willing herself to forget; but the screams never left her head, her mums eyes never left and the pleading never left. It was an endless cycle of torture, and maybe that was just punishment for not saving her mum.

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"Oh my god, you're so pretty!" A red haired girl jumped up from beside Thalia, and the girl jumped up in shock. Her lips parted into an 'o' shape before she sent her a sheepish smile. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

Thalia tilted her head to the side, assessing her. Thalia was normally a good read of character, and the girl in front of her seemed like a person she could get along with. "It's alright, just wasn't expecting it." She explained, closing her locker.

"I heard we were getting two new girls but they never said you'd be starting today," She gushed, and Thalia cocked a brow in return. "God, I'm sorry. I'm such a talker, my friends always say that. I'm Allie!" She introduced herself.

Thalia's lips tilted into a soft smile, "I'm Thalia," She glanced around the crowded corridor noticing the stares and whispers. "Let me guess, you don't get many new comers." Allie shook her head.

"No, normally it's at the start of the year' and its normally guys," She sent a swift glare to one of the girls at the other side of the corridor, and the girl quickly turned to look back at her locker. She turned back to face Thalia. "You're the first girl we've had in a while."

Two arms encased Allie from behind, "Allie. You can't just run off on me when Cayden is around. It's not fair!" She whined, and Allie chuckled lightly as Thalia smothered her own laugh. The brunette had her head burrowed in Allie's neck.

Allie patted her arm sympathetically, "If anyone can deal with that asshole it's you, Mads." She reassured, Allie grinned noticing Thalia's reaction. Thalia had leant into the locker for a moment, as she watched the interaction.

Mads finally looked up and a shocked look encased her face, "I'm sorry I didn't know she had company," She quickly detached herself away from Allie. "I'm not normally so clingy. I'm Maddie." Her Scottish accent came out with her apology.

Thalia's eyebrows rose in shock, "You're Scottish?" She questioned, tilting her head to the side and Maddie looked away self consciously. "No, I'm sorry. It's not a bad thing! I was born in Scotland."

Maddie's head snapped to look at her in amazement, "Oh my god, another Scottish baby! I thought I'd never see the day!" She flung her arms around Thalia's neck, making her stumble backwards for a moment.

Thalia let out a stifled laugh as she caught her balance, "I thought I'd be the only one, and I'd have to cover my accent again," Maddie pulled back to look at her with a frown which Allie quickly copied. Thalia sighed, "I got a lot of shit for it in my last school."

Thalia shrugged like it was nothing, just as Maddie was about to say something. The school bell went off. Maddie sighed, shaking her head. "What do you have first?" Allie questioned, tilting her head to the side in question.

"AP English."

Maddie grinned, "You have that with me, and my idiot brother but we ignore him," She joked, holding out her hand towards Thalia. "Come on, I'll show you where it is." Thalia smiled softly as she pulled her bag higher up onto her shoulder before nodding.

Maddie dropped her hand, although she looked disappointed she understood that some people needed time to warm up to others. "Lunch time?!" Allie called after the two of them, and Maddie turned to look at her before nodding.

"Lunch time?" Thalia questioned, confused.

Maddie quickly elaborated, "Me and Allie don't have many classes together before lunch, so we meet up then," She explained before offering a kind smile towards her. "Hey, why don't you join us?"

Thalia thought for a moment, it had been a long time since she had been offered to have lunch with anyone; people at her old schools tended to ignore her or she'd push them away because of fear of getting to close.

She wanted to change that, "I guess I can fit that in." Maddie let out a loud laugh, as the two gained looks from onlookers. Maddie was gorgeous, her chestnut hair brought out her eyes and she stood at 5'6.

"I think we're going to be good friends," She teased before groaning, noticing an approaching door. "And, we're here." She drawled, pursing her lips as she looked at Thalia with a pout. Thalia chuckled lightly.

"Don't like English?" She questioned, her lips tilting into a smile again.

Maddie chuckled, "Its not that I don't like English, I'm just not particularly fond of who's in it."

Maddie opened the door and the class quickly quieted into silence, everyone looked at Thalia and Maddie as they entered, "Back to your own conversations people." Maddie hissed lowly enough that it was frightening.

Maddie jutted her head towards the back of the classroom, before weaving through the many talking people. "She has pink hair, how unattractive is that?" A girl joked and Maddie stopped for a moment in front of Thalia.

Thalia lightly wrapped her hand around Maddie's arm, "It's alright, keep going," She pleaded, not wanting a confrontation this early in the morning. Maddie cocked a brow, examining Thalia's reaction. "Maddie, come on."

Maddie silently nodded before following after her, but not before glaring at the girl again. "If she says anything while I'm not around, you tell me." Maddie ordered softly, as she plopped into a seat.

"Who are we threatening?" A boy around our age questioned as I slipped into the open seat beside Maddie, he smirked as he tapped his fingers across the desk as he looked at Maddie. I noticed the similarities between the two.

Maddie grinned as she cracked her knuckles, "Bella, she commented on Thalia's awesome hair," She turned to look at Thalia. "This is my twin brother, Alec." She introduced the two of them quickly.

Alec scanned her over quickly as he grinned, "Bella is normally jealous, but to call you out because of your hair colour is atrocious. It's amazing." Thalia noticed three boys enter the room. One eyeing Maddie specifically.

"Maddie, your boyfriend is eye fucking you again." Alec complained, and a blush pulled around her cheeks as she glared at her brother.

"He's not my boyfriend!" She scowled, throwing a rubber at his head.

Thalia watched the interaction with an amused look, "His staring is saying otherwise, Maddie." She jutted her head towards him, and Maddie looked over; catching his eye. Once he noticed he sent her a quick wink, which only made her blush harder.

Alec let out a loud laugh at his sisters uncomfortableness. "Shut up," Thalia grinned at her and Maddie turned her glare towards her. "The both of you." Thalia threw her hands up in a playful surrender.

Alec continued to poke fun at his sister, Thalia joined in sometimes before she frowned. "What's up?" Maddie noticed the instant change in the pink haired girl, Thalia eyed around the classroom before landing on cold ice blue eyes.

"Who's he?" Thalia questioned softly, tilting her head slightly to the side.

Maddie looked around her and sighed with a frown, "That's Damien Sanders, he's the coldest person in this school. Doesn't really talk to anyone apart from his friends," Maddie explained, frowning. "I think he's only said a couple words to me in the past."

Thalia's frown only deepened, "Then why is he glaring at me like he knows me?"

Maddie glared right back, her eyebrows furrowing as she shot a confused look at Cayden who just leaned cockily back into his seat. Maddie scoffed as she pursed her lips, the teacher coming in pulled Damien away from staring at Thalia.

But it left a bad feeling in her gut.