Chapter I
January 18, 1999
William walked down an empty school hallway. Someone whistled a tune he couldn’t
place, but it sounded familiar.
Around the corner, he saw the girl who was whistling. He might have passed her in
the hallway before, but he didn't know who she was.
As she got closer, William found her attractive and she felt familiar. He decided
on a whim to approach her.
As he headed towards her, he stepped on the shoelace he had forgotten to tie in his
rush to get to school.
He landed face-first on the hallway floor.
He rolled onto his back and grabbed his nose. Warm liquid coated his hand. When he
looked down, his palm was covered in blood. He stared at it in disbelief.
“Are you okay?” the girl asked. “That looked painful."
“Mm okay,” William responded.
She leaned over, grabbed his elbow, and helped him up.
William covered his nose once again.
“Thank you,” William told her.
“You are gushing like a volcano,” she said.
“Sorry,” William responded. He tried not to look into her blue eyes. He knew she