I do not own Finding Sky or anything in it! This is basically the whole book from Zed's point of view from Sky's first day. Some extra scenes that Sky was not there to hear will be put in, so be warned! Sorry if i get some American stuff wrong, but i am English so please forgive and forget!

Another day of school. Another day of mindless boredom. I had already chosen which classes I would be skipping in favor of other things. However there was one difference to today: there was a new girl. Not that I cared – how could she possibly be different from every other girl in the world? They were all the same. The school was buzzing with the news – a new British girl. Did she have a funny accent? Was she posh? I shook my head in disgust.

I rode into school alone as usual, ignoring my family's worried looks and would-be-kind words, offerings to talk, crap like that. I didn't want to talk to anyone – I just wanted to be alone.

I caught a glimpse of the new girl – Sky Bright, what a stupid name – at the end of school. A tiny girl, so small she almost looked like a child, with long blonde hair pulled back into a plait, baby hair curling around her forehead, wearing a Union Jack hoodie – well, she certainly didn't blend in. I just snorted and muttered goodbyes to my friends before riding off. I couldn't be bothered to be stared at anymore.

The next day was similar. I hung out in the parking lot before my Mum's voice came to ear and guilt forced me inside to my lesson – Music, with Mr Keneally. He was all rough edges, but as long as it didn't outwardly mock him, he would keep his anger below boiling point. I slammed the door open, strolling in as Mr Keneally was in mid-rant. He looked like he was lecturing the new girl, who looked like she wanted to blend into the wall behind her. She was sitting next to the shaved boy, Nelson, but I barely glanced their way, going to sit next to Yves, who looked pissed at my late arrival, fiddling with his clarinet. I saw all the girls in the room sit up a little straighter, push their chests out a little more, and I assumed an amused expression, not saying a word.

"Mr Benedict, so kind of you to join us," Mr Keneally said sarcastically "all of us are thrilled you've torn yourself away from your no doubt far more important schedule to make music with us, even if your arrival is somewhat tardy." It was so Mr Keneally: dry, annoyed, long-winded. A piss-take. I rose an eyebrow in challenge, rolling my drumstick in my hands to stop me from doing something I'd regret with this annoying little man.

"I'm late?" I rumbled innocently, seeing the effect it had on Keneally. Yves elbowed me in the ribs, but I ignored him completely.

"Yes, you are late. I believe it is custom in this school to apologise to the teacher if you arrive after they do." He ground out between clenched teeth. I stopped fiddling with the drumsticks and stared at the man for awhile. Would it be worth just saying no?

"Sorry," not worth it – Mum would have me roasting on a spit before the day was out if I got suspended again. The tension that had been building in the room suddenly disappeared. Conflict adverted – for now.

"You're not – but that'll have to do. Watch your step, Mr Benedict: you may be talented but I'm not interested in prima donnas who don't know how to treat fellow musicians. You, Miss Bright, are you a team player?" Keneally turned his threatening eyes from me to Sky who, in our battle, had been blissfully forgotten "Or are you afflicted with the same attitude as our Mr Zed Benedict?" I could hear the jab in his words. Sky frowned at the question, but a spark of fear glowed in her eyes.

"I. . . I don't know. But I've been late too." She replied in a small voice. My eyes flicked to her and then away again; yep, she was definitely scared. She probably didn't like conflict or anything like that. A wise but silly thing – there would always be conflict in the world. I knew that best of all.

"Let's find out what you can do. Jazz band fall in." Keneally threw wads of sheet music at the people as he spoke to them "Mr Hoffman, you take sax; Yves Benedict, clarinet part. Maybe you could prevail upon your brother to delight us all on the drums?"

"Of course, Mr Keneally," forever the loyal suck-up, Yves complied with a sugar-coated voice, saving the dark look for me "Zed, get over here." I was already up and moving to my place on the drums, anticipating the one place I could lose all my troubles. The one place I could get lost.

"Miss Bright can play my place at the piano." Keneally caressed the piano like it was his first-born child and I rolled my eyes.

"Um. . . Mr Keneally, I'd prefer –" Sky started timidly – she was definitely scared, shy.

"Sit."

Sky sat. Nelson muttered something reassuringly in her ear.

"Ok, take it away." Keneally said, choosing a comfortably spot to watch and listen from. I stared the smooth piece, hearing all the other instruments fall into place around me – the feather-light touch of the clarinet, countered with a harmony of deep, grounding sax and, on top of it all, joining the sounds together like a weaver's thread was the honey of the piano, Sky's fingers teasing sounds out of it and making them into rich, powerful tunes and patterns. I felt the music beat inside of me like my own heart, like someone was pulling at a tight string inside of me and making my fingers and toes vibrate with the repercussions. It was almost like I could see it in my head, like reading separate letters and joining them to make a word, a sentence, a story for everyone to hear and understand just like I did. I looked over at Sky, who was still playing away, pulsing the same energy I kept tight inside of me. She understood too – she understood what music could do and say and be.

"Very good, nay, excellent!" Keneally declared when we had finished "I fear I've just been bumped from the jazz band." He smiled and winked at Sky. I fought off a snort. Nelson said something in a low voice to her, but she didn't look up, examining the reflection of her hands on the piano lid, tracing out a soundless tune with the very tips of her fingers, oh so gently. Yves moved forwards and Nelson stood straight again.

"Sky, meet Yves." Nelson introduced, gesturing to Yves.

"Hi. You're good." Yves, cool as a cucumber, complimented, pushing his glasses up his nose.

"Thanks," she smiled politely and I almost smiled at her accent. So posh.

"That's my idiot brother, Zed." He waved a careless hand towards me. Suddenly I wasn't so amused. How dare he just wave me off? I had seen more than he could dream of, seen terrible things, and I deserved to be appreciated for them, not just waved off.

"Come on, Yves." I growled angrily. He ignored me, which set my teeth on edge even more.

"Don't mind him." he told Sky "He's like this with everyone." Nelson laughed.

"You twins?" Sky asked, her eyes flicked between me and Yves. God, how stupid is this girl? I asked myself.

"No way." Yves shook his head "I've a year on him. I'm a senior. He's the baby of the family." Sky looked at me sceptically.

"Gee, thanks, bro, I'm sure she wanted to know that." I folded my arms and tapped my foot, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

"See you at band practice." Yves tugged me away. I could feel Sky's eyes on my back as we walked out the door.

"Do you have to be so freaking rude all the time?" snapped Yves when we were out of ear-shot.

"I want to leave," I hissed, and at that second, I wasn't sure if I mean school or the whole of America itself.

"Look," he pulled me to a stop "I know you're having a tough time right now, but you need to grow up and work through it. I know I said you were the baby of the family, but that doesn't mean you're the most babyish." Yves walked off, leaving me to fume in the empty corridor at his words.

So, what do we think? Please review if you think my characters are wrong or anything like that!