Chapter One

The alarm clock rung with excitement. 6 o’clock- time to get up for school. I slammed my hand down on the button to shut it up, eyes still wide shut. I groaned at the thought of school. First days never really got to me. Some people get all happy knowing they are going back to see their friends and everything, but I hated it; the thought of another long year annoyed me, worst being that todays my birthday.
Pulling the covers over my head I could hear the sound of my mums footsteps slowly get louder. “Clara, up. Now!” Shouted mum. She opened the door and lashed my washing on the bed. “Come on, its the first day of year 11! You’re not going to be late, again.”
“5 more minutes.” I slurred.
“Fine, but no birthday party.” My eye shot open at the word ‘No’. I had been waiting for my 16th birthday since forever! I scurried out of my bed and my mum gave herself a little smirk and walked out the room. I took a look in the mirror and gave a look in disgust. I always look my worst in the morning, especially if I haven’t had enough sleep. I now regret going to bed at 2 in the morning, but it was worth it.

I was talking to Jay Michaels; fittest boy in year 12, every girls dream. Kind, charming, popular and gorgeous! He’s a year older but I’ve had a crush on him for four years, and when he decided to speak to me I couldn't let the opportunity pass. The thought of him just give me butterflies. I had to look my best for today. No matter how bad the black circles around my eyes looked. I decided to get a shower to wake me up, the hot steam felt like a fresh breeze to my face. Images of Jay went through my mind as I closed my eyes, he was so irresistible. There was a sudden knock on the bathroom door; “Clara hurry up, other people need to use the bathroom as well!” It was my annoying older sister! She had work today and everything has to go by what she says. “Clara! When I say hurry up I don't mean take your time!”
"I'm hurrying, give me 5 minutes!” Cant do nothing in this house, I can’t wait to move out. It’s constant complaining, ‘Clara this…’ ‘Clara that…’ when I leave they’ll soon be begging me to come back home. I grabbed a towel and put it around me then snarled my sister as I walked past into my bedroom. Now that I had a wake-up shower, I had an hour and a half to get ready; just enough time. First I had to dry my hair, then do my make-up; then style my hair and lastly find a nice outfit (not too showy, not too nerdy; cute and noticeable).

On the way to school I would usually walk to school with the girls down my road but slowly, each of their parents are starting to report them missing meaning they're getting lift's to school instead, leaving me to walk on my own. Its seems one by one girls from my neighborhood are going missing. My mum is starting to get concerned calling me home for ridiculous times like half 5 and I even have to stay either down my own road or by my best friends, Emma's house, as long as I told Mum that I was going. I had known Emma since we were both in nappies. Our mums were best friends and so when they had a Mothers' Meeting they would take us along with them and so we basically grew up together. We were like sisters, nothing was separating us. The problem was, we both had different ideas of who our friends were so Emma would hang around with all the stuck up girls who loved themselves while I stuck with the quiet ones. I never really liked Emma's friends. They were always bitching about each other and everyone knew they were only popular because of the stuff they do with lads. Emma was the same really, she had the attitude but she wasn't as open when it came to sleeping with lads. I wasn't that type of girl either. I can't really trust boys, the only want one thing and one thing only; I'd rather settle in a steady relationship because you love the person, not just because you want some 'fun'. The weird thing is, with all the girls going missing, they're the girls you would least expect to; the ones's you hardly notice, so really no one really cared until the numbers had dropped 7 girls in one week.

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Publication Date: 10-17-2011

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