2 Chapter Two

3 months later.....

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Dawn opened her eyes and slammed her hand against her cracked alarm clock. She was tempted to close her eyes and forget about today, but she knew it will only bring more trouble. After a couple of seconds, a defeated sigh escaped her lips and she stretched herself on her bed before creaking up like an old woman.

Today was the day, as long as she avoided him - nothing will go wrong.

Pushing off her old ratted blanket, Dawn readied herself for Snowfall High.

30 minutes later, she was ready. Dressed in an over-sized black jacket and tattered jeans, she sprayed her mother's old musty perfume over her body.

Choking on the thick smell, Dawn's eyes almost rolled back in disgust. It will be all worth it, she repeated to herself. It's all worth it.

Grabbing her bag, she ran out of her room and through the front door before her mother could catch her. She couldn't miss breakfast at school, it was one of the only meals she would get today since her mother had spent this month's food stamps on alcohol instead.

10 minutes later, Dawn saw the familiar old bus stop ahead of her and couldn't help but smile at the sight of it. When she left, the only part of her hometown she missed was strangely this bus stop. It was here that she would come to whenever her mother would bring men home late at night, their eyes leerily staring at her as she cowered in the dark corners of her home. It was here she came to when the kids at school were so cruel to her, she ditched school to cry herself into slumber.

Stepping around the thawing wet puddles that always appeared in early January, Dawn found a safe damp spot to sit on the bench while she waited for the old town bus to crawl by. Ms. Lincoln always drove the 7 am bus and she always remembered to pick her up. If it was anyone else, they would rather pretend this rural bus stop didn't exist and "forget" to pick her up even though she had been using the same bus stop for 12 years.

About 5 minutes later, an old faded blue bus with the words "Welcome to Snowfall!" labeled on the side pulled up in front of her. The doors swung open to reveal a old African American woman with a wide smile on her face.

"Come on honey! Don't want to be late for your first day of school!"

Nodding meekly, Dawn climbed into the bus and sat in the seat closest to Ms. Lincoln. No one else was on the bus yet and as the ride continued on for another 20 minutes, Dawn slowly felt her eyes close.....

Screech! Dawn quickly braced herself onto the hand rail kept to the side for handicap riders and braced her body for impact.

"Get out of the way you stupid kids!"

Ms. Lincoln's angry screams at the kids who ran in front of the bus calmed down Dawn's thundering heart.

"Sorry Dawn. These kids are just so out of control! Ever since the president came clean about the supernaturals, the kids around town have become reckless. They all think some hot vampire will come swooping down to snatch them up. As if they're freaken Bella Swan! It's gotten to the point of being crazy!"

Making a soft noise of agreement, Dawn sat back into her seat, her exhaustion now gone. Looking around the bus, she noticed a unexpected figure sitting in the back. Their face hidden in the hoodie of their jacket.

When had they gotten on she wondered.

"Dawn!" Ms. Lincoln's call swung her attention away from the stranger and back to her. " I was asking how you felt about this whole supernatural thing? Sometimes - girl, I wonder if I'm only talking to myself." Ms. Lincoln's hurt expression softened up Dawn's heart. She was one of the rare few in town who were kind to her despite her mother's reputation.

Cautiously, Dawn answered her back. "Even if the supernatural does live around us, what will it change? Life goes on, the world keeps turning. People are born, live and die."

Ms. Lincoln went quiet at her words. The bus stopped at a red light and Ms. Lincoln swung her head around to look at Dawn. Concern was shown in her eyes.

"You ok, darling? Did something happen?"

Shaking her head, Dawn looked only forward to the front of the bus.

"The lights green now," Dawn stated.

A concerned sigh escaped Ms. Lincoln as she turned back and drove closer to the bus stop next to Snowfall High.

The man's red eyes looked at the young girl sitting in the front. Her words lingering in the back of his mind. "...what will it change?"