Chapter 1

*Clara Moore*

2 years later.

"Happy Birthday to you!" My best friend, Dawn Clifford, flashed me a bright smile as she finished her lovely little ditty. She was flawless, born with perfectly straight teeth, blonde hair and blue eyes. Dawn never really cared much about other people's opinions and she always did what made her happy; for instance, in that moment, she chanted that awful song in my ear even though she knew how I hated birthdays, especially mine. Her cheeks were lightly coated with freckles and she was beaming as she looked at me, waiting for me to open my locker we were standing in front of before school started.

We were seniors this year and that meant it was our last year in highschool and frankly, I wasn't as excited as Dawn. Her eyes twinkled as I put in the combination for my locker. I looked at her suspiciously with my ocean eyes narrowed, while slowly opening the iron door. To be honest I didn't know what to expect but it wasn't something so minimal. Usually with Dawn, everything had to be extravagant with streamers and big helium balloons but peering inside the slightly rusted locker all I saw was a small box. It was black with a silver lining and only a single card rested on top of it.

I always found it unusual that birthdays were classified as something that should be celebrated when it actually just meant you were one step closer to death, and in my case, I was literally one year closer to being executed. I took the tiny note from the box, opened it and read it silently.

Happy 18th birthday Clara!

Love you, Bitch!

-Your very best friend, Dawn.

"This is the first year I wanted to do something small but meaningful for your birthday because I know you hate birthdays and since your 18 today and it's a special age, I just thought-"

"Dawn, are you feeling alright?" I lifted my eyes from the coffee stained birthday card to her face and smiled, shifting the ragged bag on my shoulder to a more comfortable position. "You have never, not once since the day I met you in eighth grade, treated my birthday as a minor event," I said as I placed the back of my hand on her forehead. "Yeah, I seriously think you're coming down with something."

"Very funny. Just open the box," she said with a grin. Sighing, I grabbed the box and opened it. Inside were two tickets to go on a hot air balloon ride, and it was dated for exactly a month from now. "I know you've been dying to go on one of them so I thought it was the perfect gift but there is one condition."

"And what is the condition?"

"Well, you have to take someone, not me, since I'm the only human interaction that you have." I looked at her with my lips slightly parted and closed it as quickly as it opened. "That is not true! I have a lot of interaction at the diner," I said. "You know that doesn't count." I tilted my head sideways and focused on the wall behind her as I contemplated her offer. I guess it was true that I didn't really talk to anyone besides Dawn but I didn't need to. I was going to die soon anyway, but she didn't need know that.

"Fine," I said, my eyes drifting back to Dawn's, challenging her. "But I'll do you one better, I'll get a boy to go with me."

"Then it's a deal, you have the tickets, you just need the boy," she stated, her voice oozing with joy as I folded the card once more and placed it inside the box with the tickets. A soft chime of a bell rang through the hall that signaled that we were probably late for homeroom. "We have to get going." She said and I know she wanted to pull it off that she didn't mind being a bit late but I could still hear the worrying tone behind her words. One thing Dawn hated was being late. I, on the other hand couldn't care less.

***

After school I sauntered out of class and waited for Dawn at my locker. It was basically our meeting point when the school day ended since she was the one who always drove me to where I needed to be. Just like every other day she had to drive me to my part-time job at the diner a few blocks from here. I never minded to walk but Dawn usually insisted that she should drive me when she had nothing else planned.

My sea-like orbs shifted around the hall as I waited patiently for a few minutes. Lockers were pressed against each wall in this part of the school; some looked fairly new and others seemed older with rust that creeped around the corners of the metal doors. This place always felt dreary. There were no vibrant posters taped to the walls and everybody looked as tired as I felt even though school hadn't even begun three months ago. Finally, Dawn made her way around the corner and her eyes lit up when she saw I was waiting for her. It was about time she got here because I barely had 15 minutes to get to the diner.

Lil's Diner.

This was where I worked. I cherished this diner and loved it with everything I had. It was my escape from the real world and as I walked into the small diner I immediately noticed the familiar sound of wood burning, crackling at the tiny furnace and the delicious smell of greasy foods provided for clients. I worked as a waitress here at Lil's and I enjoyed every moment of it.

"Lara!" Mr. Olsen pulled me into a tight hug and I wrapped my arms around his plump middle just as tightly. Mr. Olsen was the owner of this adorable diner and he was a sweetheart. His wife had died a few years ago due to a severe sickness and although I never had the privilege to meet her before she died, I only ever heard great things. Mr. Olsen and his wife had planned to open a small diner, such as this one, but since she passed, he decided to open one anyway in her honor; hence the name Lil's diner.

"Happy birthday!"

"Thank you Mr. Olly." My pale lips morphed into a genuine smile. Mr. Olsen basically stepped into the role of the perfect father figure since the day I had begun to work here. He welcomed me with open arms and I couldn't be more grateful. He always made sure that I ate and took great care of me with the little time we spent together every day.

I walked into the backroom of the small diner. A few cabinets were placed in the room so that employees had the opportunity to put away any unnecessary objects that they wouldn't need for their shifts. I replaced my apron inside the wooden compartment with my schoolbag, shutting the door afterwards. I tied the apron around my waist and wrapped my errant curls in a loose ponytail, not really caring how it looked at the moment. I walked out of the box-like room and made my way to my first customer, smiling brightly. "Hello. My name is Clara and I'll be your waitress today. How may I help you?" I took out the notebook from my apron pocket and started writing down orders.

***

I was exhausted by the time my shift was coming to an end but before I could begin my journey home, Mr. Olsen stopped me. "Clara, could you be a dear and take the trash out to the big bin?" "Yeah, sure." I balanced my book bag on my shoulder as I picked up the black bags and walked towards the main door of the diner. "Thank you. Have a good night, Lara," Mr. Olsen gave me a tight lipped smile before going back to washing the dishes that piled up after today's hard work. "You too, Mr. Olly."

I trudged around the small building and immediately slipped into darkness as I walked into the narrow alleyway next to the diner. The ground was uneven under my feet and the bags felt heavy clutched in my small hands. I realized that little strands of my auburn hair had fallen from my ponytail during the day as the soft wind gingerly blew them towards my face. It wasn't particularly cold but with a gentle breeze that occasionally passed through the neighborhood I could feel that autumn was fast approaching.

A distant sound caught my attention as I busied myself at the large bin. Was that a siren? I shrugged it off, thinking nothing of it. I struggled to get the trash receptacles inside the metal bin but once I stood on my tippy-toes, it fell in without a problem. The sound of solid objects hitting the metal below echoed through the alley. My muscles sagged with relief the moment the weight disappeared but it was short lived as my shoulders tensed once again. I could sense something wasn't right and it was only confirmed when a police car promptly stopped in front of the diner, the siren loud and clear. My breathing became irregular, coming out in short pants. They couldn't know, could they? I've been careful. I left no clues what so ever. How could they have possibly figured it out?

It was sudden and unexpected and my thoughts vanished as soon as it appeared when someone pushed me. My back bit painfully into the stone wall behind me. We were in a small space between the metal bin and the wall of the diner and the stranger's body was pressed against mine, alarmingly close. My heartbeat drummed in my ears. It wasn't rhythmic but erratic and needless to say I was scared shitless. My eyes darted everywhere looking for an escape, for anything that could've helped but all I could see was the person in front of me. We locked eyes and I was shocked at the burst of color I could see glowing from his. His hand clamped aggressively over my mouth making sure no sound could flee from my lips as we stared at each other.

I could hear gravel crunching beneath weighted feet behind him as someone walked closer to where the boy crushed me against the wall. I closed my eyes. I didn't want to see what was happening because I was terrified. My feet felt frozen to the ground despite the warm weather. "The alleyway is clear," a gruff voice drifted through the darkness, no doubt a police officer. We waited silently as the officer's steps faded and the boy visibly relaxed before me as the car sped off, sirens blaring. I couldn't let this happen. When was I ever the type of person to let someone manhandle me like this?

I did the only thing I could think of to protect myself in that moment. I lifted my knee with brutal force hitting the guy between his legs and almost instantly he let me go. He groaned, stumbling. I pushed him with every bit of strength I could muster before I ran.

Little did I know that he would be more than just some guy in an alleyway.