• I gasped. This was it, the feeling that was spoke of. The freezing cold crept up my neck at a painfully slow speed. I wanted to remember and appreciate my life in these last moments, but all I could think was "Not me, oh please god, not me!" Then the icy hands gripped and twisted my skin, I screamed and that was all I did. Scream. It was all I could do.

    Chapter 1
    Walking to school in the morning bored me enough, an hours walk through a lethargic town, but when Johnathon decided to join me, I just wanted to smash my head against a brick wall. However, as real life goes, my mother told me I had to be nice to him, or I was grounded. So I attempted the grueling task of being nice to the cocky, annoying and beautiful - in the most frustrating way, ever - new boy who had moved next door recently.
    "So, Yuki, it's nice to meet you for the first time." He flashed a grin at me, but refusing to be dazzled, I turned my head and grunted. "You're from China, right?" My head almost cracked back. I hated it when people made that assumption.
    "No." I retorted. "I'm half - Japanese." His face crumpled a little. My heart dropped. someone that beautiful shouldn't look so anguished. No. I thought to myself, you hate him, you hate him, you hate him.
    "Oh sorry, I don't know much..." He babbled on, trying to redeem himself to me. Why? Why couldn't he think I was some boring, ugly freak and shut up?!
    "Urgh, it's okay, most people make that assumption." I caved in and reassured him.
    "Hm, I'm not really like most people though, am I?" He winked at me and walked ahead. Stupid cocky idiot.

    I grimaced as I walked into the classroom where my eager friends awaited me.
    "We heard, you know." Melanie said, along with shoving my shoulder. Urgh, I don't know why I counted her with my friends. She was always so sure of herself... just like Johnathon. No. Stop thinking about him, god dammit.
    "Well, I'm extremely glad that you heard. Now what, exactly, was this amazing news you heard about?" I growled at her. One day she would leave me alone.
    "Don't act stupid. You and that strange new guy." Great. I glanced at my other friends. Mateo and David looked jealous but Elicia and Myra attempted to look disgusted, although, I could see right through the charade. I sighed.
    "Look, my mum says I have to be nice to him, or I'm locked in the house, so get off my back, okay?" Why did I have to explain such a simple thing to my friends?
    "Alright, calm down Yuki-kun." Melanie tried to hurt my feelings. Maybe it would of worked if she understood Japanese honorifics.
    "Melanie-Chan. I think that was the honorific you were looking for. They're meant to be used for those you respect, so I don't know why I bothered." I replied, almost shouting. She should have known better to try and embarrass me. I left the room and slammed the door behind me. As soon as I turned around, I felt someone's cold breath on my face.

    Well, exactly who I wanted to see. The exact same person I had just stirred up an argument over.
    "Are you alright?" He looked up at me from under his eyelashes. "...Yuki-Sama?" My heart lurched. I stopped breathing. He lifted his hand up and twirled a piece of my hair in his fingers. Then he leaned in, ever so slowly. My knuckles itched so badly. As fast, and as hard as I could, I lifted my hand into the air and slammed my fist into his face. Except, I didn't feel it slam into anything. It just hung in the air. Before I knew it, I fell forward. But he caught me just before I hit the floor.
    "Don't..." I caught my breath. "Touch me!" I screamed in his face and ripped his hands off my wrists.
    "I was under the impression you wanted me to kiss you, but I guess you're not ready." He smirked, his eyes not meeting mine, and walked off.

    Lounging around at home by yourself, was hardly what I liked to do the most. But I was stubborn and after being so annoyed by Melanie and Johnathon, I decided to leave my friends alone at school. I wanted to carry on with this idea, but I was so bored. Before I could think about it, I had picked up the phone and rang Mateo, to see if he was going out. Boys, at least not annoying, beautiful ones, were easier to hang out with than girls, after all.
    "Sure, meet down at the spoo-ooky woods." He had laughed when I asked. The 'spooky woods' were just some plain old trees in a desolate clump of land. My mum and dad were at work and wouldn't be back until the middle of the night, so going wasn't a problem. Only getting there. I didn't mind the woods, surrounded by my friends, but I loathed walking there. I always played the brave one, but I was scared all the time while walking to the woods. Across the desert wasteland of a field.

    "Hey! It's Yuki-Sama!" The outbreak of shouts scared me enough, but the use of words sent a shiver down my spine.Did my friends overhear my run-in with Johnathon? If they did, why were they being so cold? I ran up to Mateo and David.
    "What are you on about?" I asked, breathless.
    "Well, after your argument with Melanie over Japanese honorifics," Mateo explained and gestured to Melanie, sat on a log with Elicia and Myra. "We looked them up on the internet and we're all sorry about how much of a b***h she is to you.. well other than her, herself, I guess." He let out a throaty chuckle and I hugged them both.
    "Thanks guys, it's not your fault. But just call me plain Yuki for now, eh?" I giggled and winked at them.

    A few hours later, we had a fire burning and were chatting, other than Melanie who was moping, probably due to the fact that I was present. Mateo walked off for a good 10 minutes and then returned with a bottle of something that I really did not care for. Being 16, most people jeered at me for not drinking, but it had killed my aunt, who i was close with, and i vowed never to follow in her steps. I could tell Mateo had already drank a lot, he was gurgling some nonsense I couldn't understand. He sat down next to me.
    "Yuki..." He breathed on my face. I felt sick rising up my throat. But I tried to hold it down.
    "What?" I snapped. He was leaning into me, for too close. I pushed him off.
    "Care for a drink?" He drawled into my ear.
    "No." I spat at him. "I'm not that pathetic." I really was shocked at Mateo. He had drank near me before but never had he been like this; never tried to come onto me. My face creased in worry.
    "Fine, spoilsport." He blew a raspberry at me and turned his back to me. I blew out. It was okay, he was back to normal. At least part way.

    I looked at my watch. 23:45. I really should of been home. I looked up to my wasted friends.
    "I'm going guys, it's too late." I got up and started walking.
    "Wait a minute!" I turned round to see Mateo running up to me. Great, I just wanted to get out of there.
    "What do you want?" I sighed.
    "To talk. With you. On our own, please." I really didn't want to, but I did anyway. We walked a few paces away from our friends. They couldn't see us. I turned to look at him. He leant into me.
    "So," He whispered. I tried to push him off, but he was too strong. Why was he doing this? Why? My best friend, who had always been nothing but caring? I waited for him to say something.
    "Are you alright?" He asked and twirled my hair in his fingers. What was this feeling? I was so confused. "...Yuki-Sama?" He leaned in to kiss me. It was that very second I realized. Déjavu washed over me. This had happened before. But at school, with someone who wasn't intoxicated. Johnathon. What was happening? Thousands of thoughts raced in and out of my head. But I knew what I had to do, before I had even thought of it. I slammed my fist towards his face. This time it didn't float in midair. I heard the impact. I felt a shoot of pain through my knuckles. I saw Mateo's face crumple and him hit the floor. I didn't know what was happening, but all I could think of was to run. So I ran. As fast as I could all the way across the field.

    Suddenly, a cold, sweaty pair of hands grabbed my shoulders, pinching and twisting my skin. My breathing stopped. Oh god. What was happening? Before I could turn around, a great force smacked against the back of my head. My legs gave way. I fell face down into the dirty grass. "I said..." A twisted voice growled in my ear. "Are you alright?" A kick was inflicted to my legs. I cried out in pain. I turned round to see the attacker. Mateo. I screamed. Why was this happening to me? I still screamed. Sick lurched out of me. Why would the screaming not stop? "Why... why do you hate me? Reject me?" His face twisted in hatred. He lifted up his fist and hit me in the face. Everything faded out. Into black.