Arianna&Gabriel part 1

Swirling colors. Blue, green, purple. Flashing white lights hurt my eyes. I cringe, and try to run. The ground underneath me keeps moving, like sand. Pulsing beats. Drums pounding. I'm crying, sobbing with fright as I try to escape the thing I can hear behind me. Its breathing is harsh and ragged, with underlying growls. I can see a golden glow ahead of me. I dash for it, the air in my throat cold and biting. I can hear the thudding of the things feet, gaining on me. The glow is growing closer and closer. Suddenly I'm there-but it’s not safety! It’s a cliff! I am falling through freezing air, my hands clutching for something, anything. I see sharp rocks below, and brace myself for death. They grow closer and closer, and suddenly-
I woke up, gasping for air. My bed sheets were tangled around me and my t-shirt was drenched in sweat, sticking to my body. I sat up, threw the sheets off and got out of bed. I headed for that bathroom, thoroughly freaked out. I stared at my familiar, sun-browned face in the mirror. My vivid green eyes were wide and scared, with delicate black eyebrows arching into my hairline. My full lips were slightly open, fogging the mirror with my breath, while the nostrils on my small nose flared, sucking in air frantically. My wild black hair stuck out everywhere, framing my face in a mass of curls.
“You’ll be fine, Arianna,” I told myself, raising a trembling hand and raking it through my hair. I growled quietly when my fingers got caught.
Why did this keep happening? I’d been having these dreams non-stop for a couple of weeks now. What in the world was I supposed to be running from? Why did I fall off a cliff? Was this dream some sort of sign? Was something bad going to happen to me?
I shook my head and told myself to stop being silly. Nothing was going to happen. It was just a stupid dream. I slowly walked back to my room and lay back down, praying I would have no more dreams tonight.

*
I opened my eyes to the sun coming in my window. Dust motes were swirling in the light, and for a while I just watched the sun move across my bed. I glanced at the clock. 5:36 am. I definitely didn’t need to be up this early. Oh well. I didn’t feel tired at all, just content.
Around six my mom came in. Small, petite, with laugh lines framing her eyes and mouth, I dearly loved my mom. I had inherited her Italian looks, but her eyes were a dark brown, whereas mine were the beautiful green I got from my daddy. I also inherited my horrible height from him, and I hated being taller than most of the girls-and the guys too. My daddy was a true American, born and bred here. He and my mom had met at college and had been together ever since.
Are you ready to get up, honey?” My mom smiled at me and flipped on the light, signaling that I had no choice. I grinned ruefully at her and rolled out of bed, stretching and yawning. My mom left me to get ready for work. She works as an independent lawyer here in Utah, and my daddy works at the college university near by.
I quickly brushed out my hair, wincing as I worked through the tangles. The curls sprang right back up when I was done, and I sighed. Stupid hair. I changed into capris and a tank top, and grabbed my jacket. Our school didn’t have a very good A/C, so the principal allowed us to wear tanks.
On my bus, I quickly found my best friend, Kailli. Kailli was the coolest. She had a short ‘do, her brown hair spiky. She had big blue eyes and the palest complexion id ever seen in my life, and she was also the shortest chick in ninth grade. We were an odd pair. Almost polar opposites. She was spunky and outgoing, not afraid to be outrageous, but I was more on the quiet side, with a sly sense of humor and a sharp tongue. Or so I’ve been told.
“Hey Ari! How’s it hangin’?” She grinned cheekily at me as I plopped down beside her.
“Eleven inches below the waist.” I smiled deviously at her when she scrunched her nose and scowled at me.
“That’s gross, Ari! You're such a dork.” But she laughed anyway.
“I know.” I winked, and we both chatted happily for the rest of the bus ride.
At school it was a rush of babbling and laughing and fun. I always loved those snatched moments in between classes, where everyone was in a cheery mood, and the social boundaries weren’t really acknowledged as the crowd mingled, chatting with anyone and everyone. I smiled, breathing in the scent of erasers and chalk boards and guys cologne and girls perfume. And then-there! My group of friends emerged from the hustle, grinning. There was Ana Cowlski, curly red haired and covered in freckles, Mari Spinnelli, tall and willowy with golden hair straight down to her bum, also with faint freckles dusted across her cheeks and nose, Jasper Holsina, an average guy with straight, black, chin-length hair and bright blue, almost white, eyes, Carrie Beelino with mahogany hair that was choppy and wavy and came down to her shoulders, accompanied by pale skin tinged with peach, and finally, Gabriel Felswyn, who had white blond, messy hair and hazel eyes, but looked oddly sad and out of character, at the back, and clearly sulking. I glanced at him, wondering what in the world could be wrong at the start of such a great day. I wanted to talk to him, but the crowd swept me along as we all headed to our first class-History.
I sat down in class, quieter than usual, anxious about Gabriel. Gabriel was my best friend, my protector, my anchor. I’d known I'm since first grade, we’d hit it off then and never been separated. As I watched his familiar face, I was suddenly sucked into a flashback from the first time I ever met Gabriel.
I walked slowly down the hallway, overwhelmed by the strangeness of elementary school. I was in first grade, surrounded by people taller and older than me. This was so much different from kindergarten, and I did NOT like it.
Loud shouting and whooping caught my attention, and I wandered over to where a big crowd of fourth graders gathered. They were laughing and pushing some kid around like a pinball. I stared at the boy with the white blond hair and hazel eyes who looked around my age, whose face was stiff and unemotional, as if he wasn’t really there. But I could see the underlying pain, and my little first grader heart went out to this little boy. I pushed the big fourth graders out of my way and joined the little boy in the middle of the circle. The older kids hesitated to push a girl, and I glared at them fiercely. I burst into speech.
“Hey! What do you think you're doing? If my dad finds out that you were bullying my brother, than he WILL tell the principal. And I'm not afraid to be a tattle tale, not when you are all being such meanies!” I proclaimed, slinging an arm around the boys shoulder. He gave me a startled look. I hoped the big kids wouldn’t see the flaw in my plan-me and this little boy looked nothing alike! But apparently they believed me, because they were backing away nervously, glancing over their shoulders. Before 30 seconds had elapsed, the boys had dispersed and disappeared. I turned at smiled at the little boy beside me.
“Hi. I’m Arianna.” I grabbed his hand and shook it vigorously.
“I'm Gabriel.” He looked at me with shy smiling eyes. I laughed, happy at my success, and he started laughing with me. Kids streaming through the hallways stared at the two little kids giggling in the middle of the hall. I looked at Gabriel and just knew we were gonna be best friends.

I sighed reminiscently. Yeah. My Gabriel. I turned to look at him in his desk right beside mine. I caught his eye and flashed him a big cheesy grin, hoping it would cheer him up. He half-smiled before looking back down at his desk.