• A New Dawn
    Chapter One: The ‘Untouchables’

    Three boys sat at a table, all of them so handsome they were almost pretty. The oldest (by just barely), was laughing at a joke he’d just made. His messy black hair was tied into a short ponytail, his green eyes bored, and his goatee was a work-in-progress. His name? Skyler Masterson. The second oldest sighed, not really amused by Skyler’s joke. He was there to keep the peace, sort of. He went by Korban Lee. His hair was messy and blond, just reaching to his shoulders. His grey-blue eyes were bright with intelligence. The third, a year younger and a junior, flipped a page in his book, bored. His untidy red-brown hair barely reached the nape of his neck, and his chocolate brown eyes were focused on the pages of his book. Also the younger brother of Korban, his name was Seth Lee. Together, they made a group called the ‘Untouchables’. The whole thing was actually Skyler’s fault, but the brothers went along with it.
    Just then, Skyler perked up in his seat, staring over their heads at a girl who’d just walked into the lunchroom. Her brown hair was shoulder-length and somewhat messy, and her emerald green eyes were wide with curiosity. By the look of hesitation and confusion on her face, it was obvious she was new.
    Skyler let out a low whistle. “Who’s the new girl? She’s hot.”
    Without even looking up from his book, Seth answered, “Her name’s Reagan Porter. She’s in the tenth grade.” He flipped his page.
    Skyler blinked. “You know everything, don’t you? How is it he knows everything?” Korban shrugged.
    “I’m simply more observant than you. That, and she’s in my science class.” He still didn’t look up.
    “Well, I’m going to invite her over,” Skyler replied with a grin.
    “You’re going to scare her,” was Seth’s bored retort. Skyler glared at him.
    “You go ask her, then.” Korban looked between the two of them, getting worried.
    “Now just hang on a moment. This is all—“ But before he could finish his sentence, Seth had set his book down and walking over to where Reagan was standing.
    “Or… you can do that,” he finished lamely. Skyler grinned.
    “Ten bucks if he cant get her to sit with us.” Korban raised his eyebrow.
    “Deal. The opposite applies to you.”
    “Deal!”
    Meanwhile, Seth walked up to Reagan, smiling pleasantly.
    “Hello, there. Do you need any help?” She jumped, blushing as she saw how handsome he was.
    “Uh, no… thanks, though.” She shifted her feet awkwardly, feeling very embarrassed.
    “Would you like to sit with me and my friends?” He motioned to where Skyler and Korban were eagerly watching the exchange. As soon as Reagan and Seth looked over at them, they pretended to be engaged in a conversation. He rolled his eyes, turning back to Reagan. Her face flushed, and he watched with interest.
    “Um, I guess so…” At least now she had a place to sit. He led her back to his table, ignoring the whispered conversations that were erupting all around him. Reagan did her best to ignore them as well.
    Eventually he sat back down and she quickly followed suit, her face still red.
    “I’m Seth, by the way. This is my older brother, Korban, and his is—“
    “My name’s Skyler. Nice to meet you.” He grinned charmingly at her, reaching out his hand for her to shake. She stared at his hand for a moment, then up at him.
    “You’re one of those, aren’t you?”
    Skyler’s grin faded.
    “What do you mean, ‘one of those’?”
    She shrugged. “I dunno. Flirtatious, annoying.” Korban sniggered, and Seth smiled to himself. He was starting to like this girl.
    Skyler’s grin completely vanished for a moment, and then he replaced it with a not-so-pleasant smile.
    “I see how it is. Fine. If you want to sit with us from this moment on, you have to become one of our girlfriends.” She started at him levelly for a moment, thinking.
    “All right, then,” she answered smoothly. “Well, I definitely can’t be your girlfriend. You’d just try to get into my pants.” Skyler flushed, but didn’t deny it. She turned to Korban. “It’s not that I don’t think your handsome or anything, but I don’t know you at all. No offense.”
    “None taken.” Then she turned to Seth.
    “I guess that just leaves you, then,” she said with a smile. He blinked a few times, surprised.
    “Me?” Seth asked, unsure.
    “Yes, you.” She met his eyes for a moment, and a weird feeling shot through her body. She quickly averted her eyes. Seth looked at her strangely, pondering what she’d just done.
    “Ooh, Sethy’s got a girlfriend,” Skyler said in a singsong voice. That got Seth’s attention.
    “You’re the one who made that stupid rule in the first place.”
    “He has a point,” Korban said calmly, ever the peacemaker. Skyler glared at him, and refocused his verbal attacks on Korban.
    Reagan and Seth’s eyes met for just a split second, and she looked away, grinning.
    School had certainly become a lot more interesting.

    It was after lunch now, and Reagan headed to her math class, her head filled with scenes from lunch. She found herself smiling again. After getting over her awkwardness, she had found herself enjoying the odd company and feeling strangely comfortable around the three boys, like they were family. She shook her head, and then entered the classroom.
    Reagan was once again early, but surprisingly enough there was one other student already sitting at a desk. The girl sat hunched over a clipboard, hiding from view whatever she was drawing. The girl’s red hair almost touched the desk as she bent closer for a moment. Reagan sat down in the desk next to her, feeling curious.
    “What are you drawing?”
    The girl jumped, and quickly faced Reagan. For a moment, she could have sworn the girl’s eyes were different colors, but she shook her head, clearing the thought. Besides, part of the girl’s hair had settled over one eye, blocking it from view.
    “Um, why do you want to know?” She asked nervously.
    “Just curious,” Reagan replied, then before the girl could do anything, she peeked over her shoulder, catching a quick glimpse.
    “Wow, you’re good!” The girl quickly put her clipboard away, obviously embarrassed.
    “Thanks,” she replied stiffly.
    “Sorry, it’s just that I draw a little myself. I like to look at other artists’ work. My name’s Reagan by the way. I’m new here.”
    “I know,” she said quietly, surprising Reagan. “I saw you registering in the office. My name’s Taby.”
    “Taby?” Reagan asked, wondering at her name.
    “Tabytha. I prefer Taby, though. Tabytha makes me sound like a grandma.” She smiled sheepishly. Reagan laughed.
    “I wont call you Tabytha, then. What grade are you in?”
    “Tenth.”
    “Same here!” That means we have English and Civics together.”
    “Tomorrow, anyway.” Taby replied simply. Their school ran on an A-Day, B-Day schedule.
    “Well, yes…” Just then, Reagan got an idea. “You should sit with us at lunch tomorrow.”
    “Us? Whom are you sitting with?”
    “Just Korban, Skyler and Seth.” Taby visibly paled at her words, her eyes widening.
    “You’re sitting with the ‘Untouchables’?!” She half-shouted.
    “Shh!” People were starting to file in. “The what?”
    “The ‘Untouchables’,” she said more quietly. Her eyes were still wide with shock. “They’re, well, untouchable—thus the name. The three of them are girlfriendless wonders.”
    “Not anymore,” Reagan replied, a little bit smugly. “I’m Seth’s girlfriend.” Taby didn’t reply, still looking shocked.
    “Wow,” she said after a moment.
    “Will you sit with us tomorrow then?” Taby, whose color had just finished returning, paled again.
    “No, sorry. Maybe another time.”
    “Aw… fine. I’ll hold you that ‘another time’, though.”
    “We’ll see,” she replied just as the bell rang for class to start. Taby turned forward in her seat, and Reagan did likewise, smiling. She’d just made another friend.

    Two Weeks Later

    Reagan had quite gotten used to life at school now. She went to her classes, sat and hung out with the boys at lunch, then sometimes went over to the Lee’s house after school.
    Finally after two weeks of begging Taby to sit with them at lunch, Taby had complied. She now sat awkwardly at the table, while Reagan talked to the boys.
    “So, what are the plans for this weekend?” Seth shrugged.
    “It all depends on what you have in mind. What do you want to do?”
    “I’m not sure. I was thinking that—“ She was interrupted as Skyler cleared his throat.
    “Eh-hem. Sorry. This is the friend you’ve been talking about? Taby Whitner, right?” Taby flushed, not feeling very comfortable about being the center of attention at the table. “Well, you can sit with us, but first… you must go through the initiation process,” he said with a creepy grin. Reagan just rolled her eyes, but Taby squeaked nervously.
    “I-Initiation process?”
    “Yes,” he said in a low voice. “You must become one of our girlfriends.” She paled, and looked at Reagan for help. Reagan shrugged.
    “It’s not really girlfriend and boyfriend. It’s just to make them happy,” Reagan said calmly.
    “Th-them?”
    “The jealous wannabe girlfriends. If they know we’re just hanging out as friends, they’ll flip.” Taby looked nervously at each of the other’s faces, and then stood up suddenly, quickly leaving the lunchroom. Reagan blinked, then turned back to talk to Seth, figuring it was nothing big. Korban, however, looked angrily at Skyler.
    “Did you have to say it like that?” She was nervous as it was. Now she’ll probably never talk to any of us again.”
    “Not my problem,” Skyler retorted smoothly. Korban sighed, exasperated at Skyler’s behavior, then stood up as well.
    “I’m going to talk to her. Hopefully she’ll even listen to me.”
    “Whatever floats your boat,” Skyler said with a shrug. Korban shook his head and left the lunchroom, feeling oddly worried about the girl, Taby. Something about her drew him to her, like an invisible string was connecting them. He soon found her outside, sitting under a tree and staring at nothing. He sat next to her on the grass, making her jump.
    “Hey there,” he said, perfectly friendly. She eyed him warily, looking pale.
    “H-hey…”
    “I just wanted to apologize for Skyler’s behavior. He can be an a-hole sometimes.” She suddenly laughed, finding what he’d said extremely funny for some reason.
    “Sorry. I probably shouldn’t laugh,” she said abashedly after a moment. He grinned.
    “It’s fine; you shouldn’t be intimidated by him. He’s just an idiot, after all.”
    She laughed again, and something about her laughter stirred odd, strangely familiar feelings within him. He started, his face turning red.
    “Alright, I wont be, then. He kind of acts like someone I know, anyway,” she said sadly, an odd expression coming over her face.
    “You okay?” he asked, brow furrowing. She blushed, looking up at him. Wow, he really is handsome, she thought.
    “I’m fine,” she said a little too quickly.
    “Kimiko…” he said sternly.
    She froze, her eyes widening in shock. “What did you call me?” He blinked, not realizing he’d said anything odd.
    “Taby?”
    “No, you said something else.” She looked at him oddly for a moment, and then sighed. “Never mind.” She shook her head, sighing. He shrugged off her odd behavior.
    “So, do you want to come back and sit with us?” She frowned, and opened her mouth to say something, but he cut her off.
    “About the whole ‘girlfriend’ thing. It’s just a big cover-up. You’d just sit with us and hang out.”
    “Really? Not actual… dating?” He frowned.
    “Well, we do go out, but it’s all of us together. Reagan and Seth don’t even hold hands,” he added with a grin.
    “Oh… well, that doesn’t sound too bad,” she admitted shyly. He smiled genuinely this, and then blushed as he cleared his throat.
    “If you want to, you can be my ‘girlfriend’.” She blushed as well, and an odd sensation of longing went through her. She gasped, surprised at the feeling. She took a moment to recover, not looking at him as she spoke.
    “I-I guess so…”
    “That settles it, then,” he said cheerfully, then groaned at something. “But now Skyler’s going to have a reason to tease me, great. She looked up at him.
    “What do you mean?”
    “Ah, never mind. Let’s go back in.” He stood up, and then offered a hand to her.
    She took it, smiling. She was now officially a part of the group. Reagan would be thrilled.
    As they walked back in, Reagan looked up at her and caught her eyes, smiling. She sat down next to her, Korban sitting on her other side. Korban suddenly looked around, noticing something.
    “Where’s Skyler?” Seth rolled his eyes.
    “Off wooing some girl.” Korban groaned. Even though Skyler had started the whole ‘Untouchables’ thing, he still insisted on satisfying his needs…with sex. It was never the same girl twice.
    “Do you know who it is?”
    “No idea. I think she might be a freshman, though.”
    “A freshman? What is he thinking?”
    “I don’t think he’s thinking at all,” Seth said with a sigh. “I hope she doesn’t fall for him.”
    “Same here. Poor girl… “
    Just then, that poor girl was rudely interrupted as Skyler set his elbow on the table next to her, flashing a grin. She just slowly turned her head towards him, her long auburn hair falling neatly onto her back. Her hazel eyes flashed with annoyance.
    “Yes?” she asked tartly.
    “Now, now, no need to be so rude. You may not know who I am, but my name is—“
    “Everyone knows who you are,” she said coldly, interrupting him. “You’re Skyler Masterson, the biggest flirt of the school and one of the ‘Untouchables’. Excuse me, but I have some homework to finish.”
    She stood up swiftly, leaving a stunned Skyler behind. He stood up slowly, looking towards the lunchroom door.
    “Does she always act like that?” he asked one of her friends. She giggled, blushing.
    “Not always… but she doesn’t date.”
    He blinked a few times, and then grinned, heading in the direction she’d gone off in. “We’ll see about that.” He walked around for a while, and then spotted her sitting alone at a desk in the Library. With a flourish he entered the nearly empty library, as most people were still at lunch.
    “We meet again,” he said cheerfully, sitting down next to her.
    She sighed, then set her book down, eyes flashing.
    “What do you want?”
    “A date,” he said simply.
    “No thanks. I don’t date. Besides, I know your type—never the same girl twice. I don’t particularly want to change my status as a virgin, thank you very much.” He flushed. Something about this girl was different, yet somehow familiar.
    “Well, it doesn’t have to be like that.”
    “Doesn’t it? I’ve heard the rumors, Skyler Masterson. I’m not going to fall for the sweet and innocent routine.” She started to lift her book back up.
    “Wait,” he said, completely abashed by her behavior. “I mean it. Just one date, please?”
    “Why should I trust you? You don’t even know my name.”
    “You could always tell me that, you know.” She eyed him warily for a moment, and then sighed.
    “Just one date? You promise nothing… well, naughty is going to happen?”
    “I promise,” he replied, completely sincere for once in life. For some reason he actually cared about her feelings. It was a confusing thing, this… caring about someone else’s feelings. He wasn’t sure if he liked it or not.
    “Fine. And my name’s Rebekah.” She bent down, writing something on a paper, then ripped off a strip, handing it to him. “This is my phone number… call me when we’re going.” Then she lifted her book back up, a clear dismissal. He pocketed the piece of paper with a grin, standing up.
    “See you soon.”
    She didn’t look up, and he left the Library, returning to the lunchroom. He sat down in his usual spot, his thoughts focused on Rebekah. Rebekah, Rebekah… he felt like he knew her from somewhere. He blinked as a hand waved in front of his face.
    “Eh?”
    “Welcome back to the real world. So, how’d it go?” This was Reagan. Taby was too shy to ask him about it, and Korban and Seth didn’t really care.
    “I have a date.”
    “Seriously? I thought when she’d left the lunchroom that was a definite ‘no’. Actually, we were just talking about going on a double date. Besides, if we make it a triple date, then she’ll be more willing to go out with you.”
    “Yeah… maybe.”
    “Skyler, really! Go back and tell her it’s a triple date!” She slapped his arm playfully, and then he rolled his eyes and stood back up.
    “Yeah, yeah.” He left the lunchroom again, heading back towards the Library. Rebekah hadn’t moved, still absorbed in the book he’d last seen her reading. He sat back down by her, and she sighed.
    “Now what?”
    He blinked, suddenly embarrassed.
    “Um, actually, I’m here to tell you there’s a change of plans. It’s a triple date now.”
    She looked up at him, surprised.
    “A triple date? With who?”
    “My friends, Seth and Korban, and their girlfriends.”
    “The ‘Untouchables’ have girlfriends now, huh?”
    “Yeah, I guess.”
    “You guess… “ She sighed. “Well, it looks like the ‘Untouchables’ are no longer the ‘Untouchables’.”
    “Looks like it,” he said with a grin. And to his surprise, she smiled back.
    Yes, things had definitely changed the last couple of weeks. And oddly enough, he liked it.