Murphy Elementary-Middle School - Detroit, MI - September 2000

It was a crisp September morning in Detroit. All of Mrs. Wade's fifth grade class piled in, taking off their sweaters and boots before sitting in their desks. Today, they had a surprise coming for them: two new students. Mrs. Wade smiled as she waited for the students to be settled in before making the big announcement. Once they were quiet, she cleared her throat and began.

'Children…' she said sweetly, 'we have a special treat today! We have two wonderful new students here in our class all the way from Paris. Please give a warm welcome to Rebecca and Emily Ouellet!'

The class clapped slowly as my twin sister and I slowly walked into the classroom. We had just moved to Detroit from Paris because Daddy thought it would be good for his weapons business O&R Enterprises. My stomach was bursting with butterflies as we stood in front of the chalkboard, my normally pale cheeks slowly turning green. I'm extremely shy, and the thought of being in a new country, in a new school, and making new friends terrified me. I could hear a few students murmur as they looked at us. Rebecca and I were unusually tall for being only nine years old - a trait that we had inherited from our mother. Our platinum blonde hair fell to the backs of our knees, and we had almond-shaped, dazzling hazel eyes. Mrs. Wade smiled at us, her brown eyes sparkling with interest.

'Girls…' she said softly, 'why don't you tell the class a bit about yourselves?'

I swallowed back the lump in my throat. I opened my mouth to talk, but I couldn't find my voice. Rebecca sighed.

'Well, we moved here from Paris because Daddy wanted to expand O&R Enterprises,' she said, 'he thought that Detroit would be a good starting ground since he specializes in weapons. We've only been here for a week so we're still getting used to American customs. We hope we can find a few friends here since all our other friends are back in Paris. Thank you.'

The class clapped again. My eyes darted around nervously as small beads of sweat began to form on my forehead. I wanted to go back to Paris. I hated Detroit. Mrs. Wade spoke up.

'That was wonderful…' she began, 'umm…which one are you, honey?'

Rebecca laughed.

'I'm Rebecca,' she said.

'Rebecca,' smiled Mrs. Wade, 'well, why don't you and Emily go have a seat? There's two desks beside Joshua.'

Rebecca nodded. She took my hand, leading me to the back of the classroom. I hid my face in my hair as we walked through the aisles, my stomach churning as everyone murmured. I quickly sat down, trying not to look at the young boy. I was so deep in thought, I barely heard him speak.

'Hi.'

I jumped at the sound of the boy's voice. I turned my head, staring at him with wide eyes. He laughed.

'Someone's a bit jumpy,' he teased.

I bit my lip. The boy looked to be about ten. He had long, dark brown hair and bright, clear crystal blue eyes. He had a small mole above his upper lip, and - I had to admit - he was cute. He smiled warmly at me, sensing that I was nervous.

'Scary, isn't it?' he said.

I plucked up courage.

'W-What is?' I stammered.

The boy chuckled.

'Being in a new country,' he said, 'being in a new school. You looked like you were about to up-chuck when you were standing in front of the class.'

My cheeks flushed. Rebecca's always been the more outgoing one. I've been shy for as long as I can remember, and I always get nervous around new people. I would always hide in a corner if a new person came around, but Rebecca would take to them immediately. I hated it. The boy smirked. He slowly reached a hand out, brushing his fingertips along my cheek. I gasped at his touch, cowering away from him, shaking. The boy sighed.

'I'm not gonna hurt you,' he said softly, 'you're just…really beautiful.'

I gasped.

'What did you just say to me?' I whispered.

The boy chuckled softly.

'I said you're beautiful,' he said, 'I know it's a bit sudden since we just met, but you really are.'

I blushed even deeper. This kid barely even knew me yet he already said that I'm beautiful. I always attracted attention from the boys back in Paris, but I was way too shy to approach him. The boy grinned, extending his hand.

'I'm Josh, by the way,' he said, 'but you can call me Scud. Everybody does.'

I smiled. I gently shook the boys hand, my hazel eyes studying his blue ones. I was surprised at how friendly he was, and I was slowly beginning to feel comfortable around him, which was unusual.

'So…' said Scud, 'why did your dad pick Detroit?'

I laughed.

'You know Detroit and their guns,' I said, 'Daddy thought it would be perfect.'

Scud chuckled.

'Your dad's a smart man,' he said, 'how else would he have become a multi millionaire?'

I giggled. My father was always good when it came to guns and weapons. He and his childhood friend James Robinson started the business a few years ago, and when he became rich, he thought it was finally time to expand. Scud reached his hand out again, gently tucking my hair behind my ear. I hissed a breath through my teeth as his fingertips brushed the back of my ear, a small shiver running down my spine. He smirked.

'Did that tickle?' he teased.

I shook my head.

'No…' I mumbled, 'it's just that I've never had a boy do this to me before…'

Scud laughed softly.

'You're only ten, Emily,' he said smoothly, 'I don't think you're ready for a boyfriend yet.'

I growled softly as Scud began to trace imaginary tattoos on my cheek. I took a deep breath, checking my tone before I spoke.

'I'm nine, actually…' I said coolly, 'Rebecca and I will be ten next month…'

'Ahh…' said Scud softly, 'Libra or Scorpio?'

'Libra,' I answered, 'October 8th.'

Scud chuckled.

'You're just over four months younger than I am,' he said softly, 'I'm an Aries. April 4th.'

I laughed softly.

'The Ram and The Scales…' I said softly, 'what are the odds?'

Scud laughed. He took his hand away, his eyes studying my face. My heart hammered against my rib cage, a feeling that I have never had before. Was I getting my first crush?

'You have really pretty eyes…' whispered Scud, 'their shape and color are just…something I have never seen before…'

'I can thank my father for the color,' I said, 'my mom gave me the shape.'

Scud grinned. He was just about to say something else when Mrs. Wade cleared her throat. Scud and I jumped, our heads immediately turning to the front of the classroom. Mrs. Wade crossed her arms, arching a brow at the two of us.

'Joshua…' she said sternly, 'is there something that you and Emily would like to share with the class?'

Scud smiled innocently.

'No, m'aam,' he said, 'I was just getting her used to being here. This is quite scary for her, after all.'

Mrs. Wade smiled.

'Well, that's very sweet of you, Joshua,' she said, 'but you can continue that at recess. Right now, we have a class to do.'

Everyone murmured. They turned to the front of the class, watching as Mrs. Wade began to write on the chalkboard. I looked at Scud out of the corner of my eye, a small smirk crawling across my face as I studied him. There was something about him that I couldn't quite put my finger on, but I had a feeling that this was the start of something magical.