"Why did it take you so long to get to lunch? Who were you with?"

The frank question threw Neve off for a moment. Claire usually beat around the bush, which gave Neve time to come up with an answer that wouldn't piss her off. But with such a direct approach... she would have to stall.

"J-Just a few people. It doesn't really matter." And it was already going terribly.

Becca slapped her hand on the wall next to Neve's head, leaning in. "Yes, it does. Don't try to stall, Neve. Just tell us. It'll make it easier for everyone."

It really wouldn't though. She had no doubt that they both had at least already seen the three new students, and her having talked to them didn't make it any better. The new students were exceptionally good-looking and seemingly sociable, as they had approached her like they already knew her very well. But what they were for Becca and Claire: competition. Their high school, like most high schools, had an unspoken but established hierarchy. Becca and Claire would definitely feel that the two girls were threatening their position on the hierarchy and would do something to them. Whatever that thing was, Neve didn't want to find out.

She opened her mouth to defend herself once again but was cut off by the sound of the door swinging open and girls laughing. Becca, Claire, and Neve all immediately separated and went to the sinks, Becca and Claire on either side of Neve.

Neve brought out some lipgloss from her purse (light pink, of course) and began lightly applying it, glancing behind her to see who the other girls were. Her eyes widened—Alice and Angelica!

Then she noticed that Becca was peering at her suspiciously and focused her attention on the mirror. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Alice and Angelica at the two sinks next to Claire, putting on makeup as well. Claire seemed to light up at this, instantly striking up a conversation with them. "I've never seen you guys at school before. Are you new?"

"Yup," Angelica answered, popping the 'p'. Her smile looked genuine, but her eyes glittered with mischief as if she had a secret she was keeping from Claire.

"I saw you and your friends at lunch today," said Claire. "If you want to, tomorrow you can sit with us."

Alice seemed to not like this idea, but Angelica said, "We'd love to!"

"Cool. I'll see you later then." Claire gestured to Becca and Neve and they all packed up their makeup.

Neve didn't miss the little wink Angelica sent her as she left.

Fifth hour wasn't Neve's worst hour, but it definitely wasn't her best. She was not a fan of history. And it sure was showing, as she couldn't even fill out this worksheet properly.

LIST FIVE CAUSES OF WORLD WAR 2

She groaned. She should've copied down the notes that Mrs. Robinson told them to the past few weeks, then maybe she might've had a chance with this.

"Having trouble with the assignment?"

She jumped, her head whirling around to meet the gaze of Lucas. Struggling to speak, she just nodded.

"I can help you," he said. "Just show me your paper."

She nodded to that as well, grabbing her paper and turning her body to face him. Glancing at the front of the classroom to make sure that Becca wasn't looking in her direction, she pointed at the question she was currently having difficulty answering. She knew it would be easier to avoid any repercussions if she just didn't have Lucas help her, but she needed to get the worksheet done, as it was due by the end of class.

"The causes of World War 2? That should be pretty easy; I heard from someone that your class has been studying it for a month or two now." He raised an eyebrow questioningly.

Neve averted her eyes, warmth flooding her cheeks. "W-Well... I wasn't exactly paying attention during those two months."

He laughed softly. "That's alright, but I'm sure you know something about it. What do you think was going on before the war started?"

Before even attempting to think about the question, she glanced at the time. 1:15. She only had a few questions left (well... she wasn't even sure if the ones she had answered were correct), so they had plenty of time.

So... what did happen before World War 2? She thought.

She thought back through the months but came up blank. She sighed. Had she really not been paying attention in class for the whole school year? Or maybe she couldn't think of anything because a certain blond boy was staring at her very intently, waiting for her answer. She closed her eyes for a moment, willing herself to focus.

No, not on the hot specimen next to you! She reprimanded herself. Think. Think! What happened before World War 2?

She tried to think through her sophomore year, but came up blank once again, and went back further. Finally, she remembered something of it.

"Hitler?" She inquired, opening her eyes.

"Yeah. Anything else?"

She thought for a moment, but couldn't find anything. "Nope."

He chuckled, a grin spreading across his face as he began to give her more hints as to what the rest of the causes could be. Stuttering and awkward as she was, Lucas didn't seem to mind helping her, a friendly smile always on his face.

This boy is the definition of perfect, she found herself thinking.

Then another strange thought crossed her mind: I hope Angelica invited him to sit with us tomorrow.

It was weird, but it was a comforting thought that someone who didn't completely hate her might be sitting with her at lunch tomorrow.

+++

The house was silent when she got home, which wasn't unusual, but instead of the emptiness she usually felt in the house, she could feel a presence. Except, it wasn't even that. She was alone, but at the same time, she wasn't.

She looked around the house; living room: empty. Kitchen: empty. Dining room: empty. Downstairs bathroom: empty. Basement... she wasn't even going to check in there. The upstairs bathroom was wide open, so she could clearly see that there was nothing out of the ordinary inside. She only peeked into Nate's room and didn't dare go into her mom's room. Only one more place to go...

When Neve stepped into her room, she immediately knew there was something in there. She sought to close the door but thought better of it. A part of her thought it would be easier to deal with it if it was trapped in her room, but the other part of her knew better: she couldn't beat it. She could just make it go away. So she opened the door as wide as she could.

Knowing that it was in this room didn't make it any easier to deal with, dread clawing its way through her. She closed her eyes for a moment and inhaled deeply. Panicking wasn't going to make the situation any better.

Even though it had many places to hide, her instinct told her to check the closet first. Her footsteps were gradual and deliberate approaching it. She had to keep calm, not rush things. If she hurried, if she let panic overtake, she knew the daemon would not hesitate in doing so either. When she laid her hand on the knob of the closet door, terror instantly filled her. She resisted the immediate impulse to run away and clenched her free hand.

Calm down, she told herself. You can convince it to go away.

Her reassurance did little to calm her nerves, but she took another deep breath and braced herself for whatever was inside the closet.

She opened the door.