Chapter One: I'll never sing of love if it does not exist.

The speakers thumped as the fast-paced guitar, drums, and lyrics ran through them, the driver singing along. It was only a few days into the school year, so a daily pick-me-up was necessary. After making a few turns sharper than he should have and probably driving far too fast in a parking lot, the owner of an elegant black hearse turned down the music to prevent any complaints. Right as he turned the volume knob, he heard a faint crunching from beneath his tires. He immediately stopped the car and got out. A pair of gold-rimmed glasses sat in front of his left rear tire. Picking them up, he looked at the two girls in front of him and said, "I think they're dead."

"It-it's okay. I, uh…" the pale, auburn-haired girl began as he offered her the glasses, their fingers grazing slightly. She became obviously flustered. "I don't need them anymore. Got… laser surgery." He stared into her eyes for a few seconds.

"You have pretty eyes."

"Thanks," she said with a smile. "I'll, uh… see you around?"

"Guess you will." He got back in his car, off to find a parking spot as the girl and her friend walked off, giggling.

Throughout the day, he saw the girl in the halls. She was bright and happy, but not overwhelmingly so. He felt an attraction to her, like the opposite sides of two magnets being pulled together with strong force. Noting how easily flustered she is, he put it from his mind, focusing on what he could do that evening.

She noticed him as the day went on as well. He had this mysterious aura around him that made it seem as if he had a million secrets no one knew. She found herself liking that fact. The matters of the day were more pressing than whether or not he had any secrets and whether or not he would ever tell her any of them, so she turned her attention to school and other obligations.

Days passed; the boy came to find that the girl's name was Clare Edwards, and Clare found out that his name was Eli Goldsworthy. Because Clare was in a juniors' English class, she saw Eli every day. Miss Dawes, after analyzing Clare's writing as unlike previous assignments, paired the two together. The two feigned annoyances, while both felt slight excitement. They become well acquainted after a few months, even though Eli took every chance to tease Clare.

This, reader, is where their story began.