I feel it running through my veins. And I need a fire just to know that am awake. We raised darkness to the break of day. And I need that fire just to know that am awake.

"Cami, Camille!" I release a sharp breath and snap my eyes open as I feel my Dad's hand on my shoulder.

"Wh.. what happened?" I ask, adjusting the way am sitting.

I look around me in confusion. My Dad is staring at me like am crazy, well I am. "Are you okay?" He asks, I don't miss the concern in his voice.

This is one of the reasons why I am so lucky to have a Father like him.

"Am not sure," I whisper and look at the road as I scratch my head. I notice that we are parked on a road. The last thing I remember was listening to Mom yell at me for getting arrested... Again. "Why aren't we moving?"

Dad removes his sit belt and ask. "Were you having a nightmare?" Ignoring my question.

A nightmare?

"No!" I reply sharply. Who has nightmare in the afternoon? There is a reason why the night is fused to the mare, hence the name Nightmare.

He nods slowly like he does when he's trying to figure something out. "You were whimpering, and the tire blew out when you screamed. Are you sure you are okay?"

I lick my bottom lips and sigh. "Okay, I was dreaming, and in the dream I was drowning in a molten magma," I know it sounds ridiculous, but I was really drowning in a molten magma, and it's weird that I keep listening to this music lyrics over and over again.

"Dreaming? Camille, you were asleep for ten minutes," Dad sounds really concerned about me.

I smile. "Come on, Dad. I was just messing with you," I wink and remove my sit belt. "So... what are we doing about the tire?" I change the subject before Dad start questioning me.

He opens the door. "Thank God, I have a spare tire," He steps out of the car.

I shut my eyes and sigh. Seriously, what is wrong with me?

I step out the car and walk to help Dad. My mouth drops open when I see the tire. "Did we hit something?" I ask because the shape of the tire doesn't look blown.

It was like it exploded, leaving scattered rubbers on the wheelrim. "Not-" He struggles to get the spare tire out of the booth, seems like something is sitting on it. "Entirely sure."

I get my head inside the booth and push the heavy duffle bag to the side, so Dad can lift the tire.

"Thanks, Cams," He smiles and retrieve his toolbox. Things like this doesn't bother him, since it's his job as a Mechanic.

"Hey, Dad! Where is Mom?"

"There is a boarding school in The Vale, the headmaster is a friend of mine, he knows how to handle kids and discipline way more than I can, try this again and that's where you'll be spending the rest of your life," This isn't the first time am hearing her threaten to lock me up. I remember this time I got suspended for punching a fellow student, she threaten to ship me off to Cambodia.

I call her bluff.

Her voice almost gave me a heart attack, for a moment I thought she was a ghost. When I got out of the car she wasn't there, and now she'll leaning against it.

"Corrinne," Dad calls to caution her. It's a little too late for that Daddy Doo. "Let's do this at home," His voice is firm and harsh, no doubt she'll obey.

Mom hates it when Dad uses the authoritative voice with her in my presence, more than she hates it when people don't see the point she is trying to make.

My Mother is strict, I wonder how Dad put up with her. She is reason why am like this, the reason why the tip of my strawberry blonde hair has an orange highlight at the tip.

Orange isn't my color, but I did it intentionally to rebel against her. She love giving me the condescending I am your Mother and I know better than you crap, and I love to give her the I don't care shit.

Dad continues to fix the car while Mom scowls at her feet. Oh! Lord, save me from this woman.

My phone vibrate at my back pocket, I reach for it and unlock it using my fingerprint. It's a group message from my friends, we call ourselves The Five Headed Hydra, everyone knows that only one head matters, which is mine.

I smile as I read my friends messages over and over. Those four are the only people that can get close to me, the remaining run when they see me. You can say the strict gene was pass down to me. Damn me! If I don't like it.

Everyone knows who I am, everyone knows who Camille Stark is, they know I don't take shit from nobody, well except my Mom.

Who apparently is still staring at her shoes. Creepy.

I feel it running through my veins. And I need a fire just to know that am awake. We raised darkness to the break of day. And I need that fire just to know that am awake.

I can't get that lyrics off my head, what does it mean? I know it's a song, and I have definitely heard it somewhere, but I can't seem to know where.

Am not much of a music or movie fan, I only have one song on my phone and it is Kim Wilde Kid's in America. That's literally the only song I know. I party a lot but the lyrics doesn't sound like the one you hear at a party. I don't even know what they mean.

"Camille," A voice calls in my head, I look around to try and locate the owner.

"Dad," I call.

"Yes, Sweetie," He answers without taking his eyes off the car.

"Did you hear someone call me now?" I ask as my eyes scan the empty road.

"No."

"Right, now am hearing things," I whisper, but am sure I heard a male voice in my head calling for me.

I put my phone back inside my back pocket and rub my eyes. Am sure it's because am exhausted.

★†★

The whole ride home was silent, Dad was humming to the song playing on the radio, and Mom kept sighing. I know the conversation playing in her head isn't quiet, I can see the rage in her eyes.

I run up to my room and shut the door behind me as soon as we arrive home. We live in a very quiet and peaceful neighborhood, our house is marked for disturbance all because Mom can't her fucking voice down.

"What do you mean take it easy, Richard?" I hear her yell at Dad. They are arguing about me obviously.

"What do you mean by telling her about that boarding school, Corinne?"

Yep, definitely about me. Dad's sounds upset but his voice isn't as audible as Mom's.

I can imagine her throwing her perfectly manicured finger around.

"I wasn't joking, if she tries anything silly, and that is where she'll be spending the rest of her life," She sounds determined.

The rest of my life? What the hell? My mother is out of her goddamn mind.

It's not as if I don't love her or vice versa, she loves me more than life itself, or so she tells me when she isn't pissed. She is very controlling, which is one of the reasons why I can't tolerate her.

"You can't be serious, Corinne she's sixteen-" She cut Dad off.

"Of course she is sixteen. How many sixteen years old do you know behaves like Camille?"

Not much.

"Your point?" Dad replies.

"She is a troublemaker, do you know how many times I have been called to her school just this month?" She asks in a cool tone. I press my ear against the door to hear her. "Sixteen time! Sixteen time, Richard! Do you know how many time I have been called to bail her out of-"

"You've made your point, which doesn't improve your argument about abandoning her at a boarding school, especially THE VALE...."

I stop listening when I hear the name of the school, I thought she was kidding when she said I was going to a boarding school in The Vale, I didn't think she means THE VALE.

THE VALE is like a prison for troubled kids I have heard rumors about the school, I have never actually been there or seen the place, but according to what I heard, the school is hidden behind the woods, not like hidden hidden from the world but like inside the woods. I heard the place is like an haunted school.

And my Mother wants to send me there.

I know exactly what to do. I remove my phone from my pocket and open the group message. I wasn't going to go but now I need to.

I lock my door and walk straight to the window. This isn't my first time of jumping through my window, my room is directly above the dinning room, if I jump now there is great chance of running without them seeing me.

"Take the jump Cams, it isn't your first time," I close my eyes and take the jump.

I land on the floor with a loud thud. "Fucking shit," I groan and taste blood in my mouth, shit! I bite my tongue. I miscalculated, this is why I hate physics.

I get up from the ground and dust my jeans. The steel boot made the landing difficult. I don't think my ankles are fine.

I peep from outside to see Mom having a very heated argument with Dad. I really don't want to know what that is about. Am outta here.

★†★

"Cami, truth or dare?" April asks. This is what I hate about parties. Everyone here behaves like adults but I can see under those stupid bad boy girl shit.

"Why even ask? We know she will say truth—" Eric starts.

"Dare," I say, surprising them and myself, I don't usually play and if I decide to play, I just play stealth.

"Hmm . . . Cami, I dare you to . . . take a shot of vodka," Eric says, smiling.

That motherfucker, he knows I don't drink on week night because of my Mom, and I have school tomorrow, well I did ask Jessie to bring Ethanol.

"I don’t drink on school nights."

"That’s the point of the dare, besides you are at a party on school night," He smirks.

"Fine, one shot," I say. I think everyone will probably have yet another contemptuous expression at this, I look around but stop when his eyes meet mine, giving me a strange look instead.

He is unfamiliar, I have never seen him and it's weird that he is watching my every move. I can feel his eyes on me and it's like they are judging me. I hate it.

Someone hands me the clear bottle of vodka. I try not to think of all the mouths that have been on the bottle before me, and I just tilt it back and take a drink. The vodka feels hot and burns all the way down to my stomach, but I manage to swallow it. It tastes horrible. The group claps and laughs a little—everyone except the stranger.

My eyes roam the tall brown-haired boy leaning against the wall, gawking at me. His hair is pushed back off his forehead, forming a spike. My eyes focus on his body, from his black T-shirt to his arms, which are also covered in tattoos, am a sucker of tats but his is way off my chart, I know it his body and am not judging the weird and ridiculous symbol drawing on his arm. He’s tall, lean, and I know that I’m staring at him in the most impolite way, well he is also staring at me in an indecent way.

"Cami!" Jessica's voice snaps me out of my thoughts about him.

I glare at her. "What?"

She rolls her eyes, she knows me better than that. "Truth or Dare?"

Really? I could have sworn I just had my turn.

"Dare," I guess there just no time to die.

★†★

I am drunk, and definitely waking up with one hell of a hangover tomorrow morning. Thanks to Xander, who delivered me in one piece. I asked him to drop me off three houses from ours, I don't want to make an entrance.

And I still don't know pretty boy's name, he disappeared right before we started chugging.

I close the window quietly and careful, any sound wakes Mom, that is if is not sleeping, her Sense organs are very sensitive and sharp especially her ears.

God! That was close. Mrs Johnson should find something to do with her dog or I will, that creature almost got me caught.

I hear the lights of my room turn on. "Let there be light," Kill me now.

Mom is sitting comfortably with her arm cross over her chest on my reading chair, waiting for me no doubt.

There is no explaining my way out of this, my breathe smells like alcohol, I smell like fucking brewery.

"What did I tell you about this not repeating itself?" She asks and smirk.

God! She wasn't kidding. I am definitely going to THE VALE.

★ † ★

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Song Credit:

💗, Milia.