Chapter 1

Rocky's POV

My body slumped deeper against the car seat as I stared out the window of my father's old truck. The music blasted in my ears from my iPod as I took in a deep breath, awaiting the new life that was ahead of me.

My name is Rochelle James and I am currently 16 and a senior in high school. I know what you're thinking, how can a young girl like me be a senior this year? Well, if some of you have not guessed it already, I am a total nerd; and no, I do not have dorky glasses and a face infested with horrible acne (thank goodness). I am simply your typical teenage girl with long, wavy, dark brown hair up to my mid-back and hazel green eyes. My body isn't too skinny or too fat, it's just right in my eyes.

Anyway, I know what you guys are still thinking. A 16-year-old senior? Well, it's a long story, which pretty much ties into the situation I am currently in.

My mom had passed away when I was fairly young and my dad pretty much had a total meltdown. Luckily for me, it wasn't one of those 'get drunk every single night and beat up his 10-year-old daughter every morning when he came home from who knows where' things. It was practically an isolation type of thing where he would work extra shifts and if he had a day off, he would either spend it out at the lake nearby or locked up in his bedroom. Seeing as I had so much time on my hands, I had no other choice but to learn how to do things on my own. I learned how to cook, clean, and dress myself with no needed assistance from a parent. I learned how to take the bus to go to school since my dad would leave in the early hours of the morning and wouldn't be back until later that night.

After learning how to be more independent for my better being, I decided to take higher-level classes since I wasn't much of a social person nor was I athletic in any way, shape, or form. I would always do my homework on time (no procrastinator here) and work my butt off in order to receive A's with almost every single assignment I would turn in. Which is why I am 16 and almost graduating this year from high school.

Oh, wait! I almost forgot to mention the fact as to why I'm in the car with my dad and a whole mess of luggage in the back of the truck. Well, as I have already mentioned, my mom had passed away when I was only 10 years old and my dad went into depression mode. After hating the fact of coming home to a house that held too many memories of a person that would never again walk through the front door, my dad had decided to move from our cozy, country home in Texas to a busy, city neighborhood in Chicago. I can't really say that I hated the place, but I was never too fond of city environments, especially not the people there. I mean, I loved the fact that my classes were always filled with such diverse people and I was able to learn more about different cultures (and sports, definitely sports), but the people there were just plain rude! Luckily for me, my dad didn't like that place much either.

So...here I am, traveling to my new home in Black Forest, Colorado. It wasn't exactly the country lifestyle that I have grown to love ever since the day I was brought into this world, but at least it wasn't the city.

As my dad swerved the car through the narrow road that was surrounded by trees, I couldn't help but look at him from the passenger seat. He had the same shade of hair as I did but with light brown eyes instead of my hazel green ones. His face had aged a bit, not because of the years that have gone by but due to the stress he had to endure from losing his beloved; and yet, here he was with a bright smile on his face as he looked down at me.

"You okay there, kiddo?" he asked, ruffling my hair a bit which was a habit that I hated whenever he called me by my childhood nickname.

I glared at him playfully through my messed up hair that now covered my face and blew it away, only to have it land softly in its previous place. I straightened my stance as I began to fix my hair, brushing my fingers through it to get rid of the newfound knots that he created.

Once satisfied with the outcome, I looked back at him and smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine."

He returned the smile and turned back to the road ahead of him. "So how do you think your new school will be like?"

I shrugged my shoulders, removing my earphones as I placed them on my lap and switched off my iPod in the middle of a song. "Oh, I don't know, the usual I guess. Books, lockers, teachers.....people," I said sarcastically, trying to hold back a smile as I noticed the look he gave me from the corner of my eye.

He rolled his eyes dramatically, letting out a playful sigh as he gently nudged me on the shoulder. "Haha, very funny. But I'm serious Rocky, are you nervous about going to another new school?"

As he spoke those words, I couldn't help but look at him with sadness. He knew very well how much I hated going to new places, but I knew he never did it on purpose. We had moved a few times within the state after we had left our original home; and after doing so countless of times, I had grown accustomed to him randomly saying that we were moving to a new home or apartment. He never really did quite realize how much I dreaded the whole moving thing, until now I guess.

I let out a distressed sigh as I gave him the most reassuring smile I could muster. "I am nervous. But that's what makes it an adventure, right?"

He smiled weakly, obviously catching the fact that I was trying to lighten up the mood, with little to no success.

He didn't say anything else after that and I was left with my own thoughts as I stared out at the trees that passed by. My gosh, how many trees can one city hold? As I continued to stare at them and imagine myself running through them at an inhuman pace (I've always done that since I was a little girl), I couldn't help but notice a dark figure running at the same speed my dad was allowing the truck to go. I squinted my eyes slightly, trying to get a better view of it; but the second I had seen it, it was gone.

I rubbed my eyes to check if I was hallucinating before I rolled down the window and stuck my head out.

I blinked once, twice, trying hard to erase the image of what I was seeing but it still remained as the figure became smaller and smaller as we descended down the road. Is that a.....wolf?

I sat back down on my seat, rolling up the window with a shaking hand. I shook my head slightly, trying to decipher what I had just seen. It was literally a pitch black wolf, who seemed to be.....staring at me? How can a wolf be staring at me? I know many animals become curious when a vehicle would pass by, hence the reason why there are so many accidents around the nation every year, but this wolf was different, in an odd way, and I couldn't put my finger on it. I know I couldn't see it very well since my dad was driving at a fast amount of speed, but I could've sworn I saw some sort of intelligence in that creature's eyes.

Ok.....Black Forest, Colorado was officially driving me insane already.

I shook my head and leaned my elbow against the window frame, laying my cheek against my hand as I let out a soft sigh. My dad must have noticed because I could suddenly feel his eyes on me.

"Everything okay?"

I nodded in response, not even looking his way. I instead began to wonder how the people in town would be like. How the students in school will be like, which was my main priority. Like I have said before, I am not too much of a sociable person; and even if I was, I don't think many people would like me. The second they heard about how I had advanced a grade when I got to middle school, I was immediately labeled as the school nerd, which I didn't really mind because it was nothing but the truth.

This was my senior year for crying out loud, and I didn't want to spend it hidden behind books and make everyone think I was a loner or something. Which, again, I kind of was, seeing as I have never had a boyfriend or anything; but it was never a necessity.

To my relief, my dad turned left and parked the truck in the driveway in front of our new home. I gathered my iPod that I had left on my lap and put it inside my back pocket as I exited out of the truck. My black vans landed on the soft dirt beneath me with a loud thud. I looked up at the house, pleased to see how old fashioned its appearance displayed.

The house needed a new paint job, but it would suffice for the time being. It was a two story home with a large porch out in the front that held a small wooden swing that would definitely sit at least two average sized people (if the swing didn't decide to give way in the middle of someone sitting on it). There were two large windows that overlooked the front yard on the second floor, which I automatically assumed were either the two bedrooms or simply one of them.

We made our way towards the porch, flinching slightly as our feet connected with the floor boards. It creaked and groaned as we slowly made our way to the front door, but there was no indication that it would give way any time soon. The house was old, that was clear as day, but it still had character and proved that it would stand tall for who knows how many years more.

My dad held the door open for me as I made my way inside. The house was dark, due to the windows being blocked by thin curtains that prevented any light from coming in. I looked to my left, seeing that there seemed to be a door that led to some other place in the house.

As if hearing my thoughts, my father answered, "That's the office area. That's where I'll be most of the time." He smiled sheepishly as he made his way to the living room which was to my right. Before I followed him in, I began to observe my surroundings. The walls were painted a dark red color that have faded out throughout the years. The dark wooden floors appeared to have been polished recently, so they shined brightly despite the lack of lighting in the hallway. The wooden staircase, that was made up of the same wood as the floor, led to the second floor upstairs. It wasn't much of a grand entrance to a new home, but I liked it. It was simple, just what I have always l preferred.

I turned to my right and entered the living room. It was a decent sized area that now contained the same furniture that my dad had decided to stay with after all these years.

I looked up at my dad, who seemed to be observing the furniture as well with a sorrowful expression. Apparently sensing my eyes on him, he turned to me and smiled, not a hint of anguish from before displayed on his features.

"You just get settled upstairs in your room, kiddo. I'll take care of everything else. Most of the things inside the boxes are already up." I nodded in acknowledgment.

"Yours is the one facing the backyard. And I think you might like something about it." With a wink, he disappeared back into the living room, leaving me dumbfounded. What was he talking about?

With a shrug, I spun around and continued up the stairs. As my feet reached the top step, I was surprised to see that only two doors were on this floor with two windows adjacent to them. I looked at both of them and headed to the one right in front of where I stood. I opened it slowly, taking in a deep breath as the door creaked opened. To my surprise, the room was quite larger than I envisioned it to be.

My bed was lined up against the wall to my right with my favorite purple comforter and cushions. Beside the bed laid my wooden night table, which was painted black a few years back by my dad to compliment the bedspread. Right beside the door was my desk where I usually worked on for many hours after school and on the weekends. As I walked forward, I couldn't help but smile at the small book shelf that laid on the other side of the bed beside the window. The books were organized in alphabetical order, just like I always liked it. My dad had actually taken the time to organize them. Either that or he just took a picture of how I had it back in Chicago before dumping them all in the box. Typical dad.

I placed my backpack on my bed, my smile broadening as I noticed the window seat. I actually had one! I walked towards it and sat against the cushions, smiling happily as I noticed that he had gotten me one that matched the rest of my purple obsession I seemed to have. I gazed down at the yard below before settling my eyes on the forest before me. It was quite impossible to see over the trees, even if I was on the second floor, but I could tell that it seemed to stretch on for miles.

I exited the bathroom with a smile on my face as I took in my new room. It was perfect, simply perfect.

~~~~~~~

I made my way downstairs after a long afternoon of setting up my belongings. It was actually an easy task and I was surprised at how quickly I had done it all. The only reason I took long was due to the fact that I had decided to take a nice long shower to ease some of the stress that slowly began to form.

I entered the living room and smiled at my dad who was sitting comfortably in one of the couches with a plate of pizza in his hand. He wasn't one who was fond of cooking, which I didn't mind one bit. I actually enjoyed the task.

I made my way to the other couch and helped myself to the plate of pizza my dad had laid out for me on the coffee table. I jumped and landed on the couch, glad that I had not spilled anything in the process. I smiled as my bare skin came in contact with the cool fabric of the couch. I was now wearing a black tank top with purple shorts, my typical 'night gown'. It was comfy and something I enjoyed wearing whenever I was done for the day and simply wanted to relax by the TV.

"So are you ready for tomorrow, kiddo?" my dad asked, facing me for a brief second before allowing his eyes to fall on the TV once more.

I gulped down the piece that I had in my mouth, suddenly losing my appetite as the realization of going to another new school dawned me. It was something I didn't want to think about in the few hours I had left before I had to go to sleep and go to school in the morning.

I nodded, placing the plate on my lap as the sweet smell of my dinner no longer appealed to me. Seeing as his eyes seemed to be glued onto the TV, he never even seemed to notice the frown that now laced my features. Just the thought of entering a new school surrounded by new students with classrooms that held new teachers made my stomach churn.

I stood up slowly, my stomach suddenly filled with butterflies for an unknown reason. I have been to many new schools before, what made this one any different? Yeah, I hated the fact that I had to start new, again, but I was able to cope with my new surroundings. Why the sudden nervousness?

I had no idea why I even bothered to think about it, but something in my gut told me that this new town that we were in was a lot different than the others.