1 Chapter One

  WillowGrace Academy of the Arts; the perfect mix of beauty and intensity, as the name suggests. Through my grades, I had managed to score a plethora of scholarship money, and through my mother, had received funds to move from Tennessee to Denver, Colorado. My cheap black messenger bag weighed down with books on theatre, sagged on my shoulders.

  One of the books, in particular, consisted of a Shakespearian play that I had been told to familiarize myself with; Romeo and Juliet. Despite it being well-known, I knew next to nothing about it, and despite it being quite old, it had captivated and enthralled me from the first line; 'Two households, both alike in dignity, From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.'  

  I was chewing on my hoodie strings like a second grader, facing the daunting buildings in front of me. The echo of conversation around me threatened to drown my thoughts until a sharp elbow hit my ribs. "Hey! Sorry about that!" I turned at the loud voice to see a petite blonde sliding into place with me. She had clear blue eyes and fair skin, with a figure that made me suspect she was a dancer. 

  "It's fine," I murmured, rubbing the sore bone. 

  "Are you new here?"

  "Yes. Are you?"

  "This is my second year. I'm a dancer," she said, twirling on her toes in ecstatic motion as she confirmed my hunch. "And you?"

  "I'm majoring in theatre. We had to read this play, Romeo and Juliet. I really got into it so I'm hoping that whatever we're doing involves that."

  "Oh, what did you say your name was?"

  "I didn't. It's Lillian Range."

  "Oh! You're the girl I've been assigned to tour!" Without further ado, she clasped my hand in hers and dragged me off. "Now, I'll take you to the art building first, since its closest. Professor Marian said I should familiarize you with all the buildings so you really get a feel of the place."

  "Sure, that sounds great," I responded, bouncing anxiously on the balls of my feet.

  "Are you nervous?" She asked, looking at me with those curious blue eyes.

  I sighed. "Is it that obvious?"

  She shook her head. "No, but I've toured a lot of freshmen before so I know all the signs. For example, you're super shifty-eyed, but I get the feeling that you're normally pretty collected and focused." She was good. I was normally a very calm person, but meeting both this new place and these new people had me completely on edge. "Don't be nervous. Trust me, everyone here is super welcoming. Well, except for Raven Rodriguez. She hardly ever talks to anyone but she's one of the best artists here."

  "That's reassuring," I said, grimacing.

  "Don't worry. Although I do have to warn you, you might be sharing a room with someone who's not in your major and some of us get pretty passionate about their art if you catch my drift." 

  I nodded. "I understand."

  "Good. Then my names Gabby Velma." She held out her hand, smiled, and looked me straight in the eyes as she shook my hand. "Friends?"

  "Friends," I agreed, grinning at the fact that this was already going so well.

  We arrived at the artistry building and the blonde held open the door for me. 

  I stepped inside, immediately coming face to an easel with a dark-haired painter. She had lustrous straight black hair that curved down to her waist and tan skin. She didn't even turn towards me, but I could see her dark brown eyes that held something darker beyond color in their grasp. 

  The brush she was using moved in tantalizing motions. She was painting a violet rose. The petals looked to be made of pure velvet. They swirled together, cupping in the center and filling with rain. The stem was drenched in water. The leaves were studded with starlit rain. Suddenly, I tripped on my untied laces and pitched straight forward. So much for this going well! As suddenly as my fall, her hand shot out to catch me and held me up with a hand against my chest. My breathing caught in my throat as her fingertips brushed against my skin and I blushed a deep shade of crimson. "I-I'm so so sorry-" I stuttered.

  "It's fine, just watch where you're going," she answered. Her voice was low and just as captivating as her painting. Keeping her hand in place, she slowly pushed me to my feet, causing me to blush even deeper. 

  I couldn't look away from her. She brushed a wayward strand of black hair out of her eyes with the tapered end of her brush, slipping it behind her ear. 

  Gabby cleared her throat. "Anyways, these are the art facilities and this lovely painter over here is Raven Rodriguez." Gabby opened her arms, but the girl simply waved in my general direction. I was still staring at that rose. Her fingers worked like magic, brush strokes seeping color onto the canvas. "Lilly? You ready?" I finally broke my gaze and looked up at her.

  "Y-Yeah?"

  She smirked. "Okay!" Gabby pulled me out of the building, still noisy as ever, and dragged me off onto our next conquest. She was hopping around eagerly, such that she reminded me of a little bunny. "I'm going to show you the dance class next!" She pulled me in an eastern direction, towards a studio-sized building. "Just wait till you see my dance partner. He's so cute." I smiled at the eager girl, still thinking about Raven. There was just something about her. Her eyes shone with both passion and despair, wrapped together in a swirling iris. "Here we are!" Gabby said, interrupting my thoughts. She pulled open the door for me and I stepped inside, ducking slightly at the overhang. Upbeat music was playing, and the smell of sweat-soaked bodies filled the air. 

  Upon seeing us enter, an olive-skinned boy stopped dancing and skipped up to us, running a hand through sweat-soaked sandy hair. "Gabby!" The two ran towards each other and embraced, Gabby smiling sweetly. 

  "I missed you!" She piped.

  "Gabbs, it's been two hours," the boy responded, laughing. Then, his face grew serious. "I do need to talk to you, though." He glanced at me. "Is this the student you're touring?"

  "Yeah, I just have to take her to her class. Acting." 

  "Acting..." The boy turned. "Max!" He called over a dark-skinned boy who smiled at me. 

  "Hey," he said, waving at me.

  I smiled and waved back. "Hey."

  "Max, I need to talk to Gabby for a minute. She's touring this girl. Could you walk her to acting class?"

  Max smiled and nodded. "For this cutie? Definitely." I laughed as he held out his elbow for me. "Milady?" I chortled but wrapped my arm in his.

  "Why, thank you, kind sir," I responded, "that is most gracious of you."

  "Oh yeah, she's definitely an actress," Max confirmed.

  I blushed yet again, this time from the compliment, and started walking as he led me out the door. "Thanks for taking me to my class," I said as we stepped onto the pavement.

  "Anything for you, cutie." I laughed again. Max seemed like an easy person to be around.  He dropped me off at the door, still smiling. "Well, this is it."

  "This is me," I said. I shook slightly as I wrapped my hand around the doorknob, the cool metal resting comfortably against my hot skin. Despite being terrified, I felt an odd sense of belonging here. I took a deep breath and opened the door to my new life.