Chapter One

August 27, 2001

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

"Oh, come on, Rose!" Dawn cried. "It will be fun!"

It was a warm Saturday morning in August. Rose and Dawn were in Rose's room trying to find something to do. "You know I don't like chatrooms," Rose DeWitt-Bukater groaned.

Dawn grinned. "Have you ever cybered?"

"Dawn!" Rose gasped. "That's totally gross!"

"I was only joking. Jeez, Rose, lighten up." She sighed.

"Sorry. You know what Cal tried to do to me," Rose mumbled, thinking back to the previous summer when her mother introduced her Caledon Hockley at the country club. He seemed nice at first, but he started to get violent. Luckily, her mom caught him when he tried to have sex with her. Now there was a restraining order, and she hadn't heard from him since.

Rose thought about it for a second. "Oh, okay! But only for a few minutes."

"That's the spirit!" Dawn clicked on the chatroom link under the screen name rose_bud2001.

"Are there any guys in Edmonton, Alberta?" she typed. Almost immediately, an IM box popped up.

JD_in_AB: Asl?

"My turn to type." Rose pushed Dawn off the chair.

rose_bud2001: 17/f/Edmonton u?

She waited for the person to reply.

JD_in_AB: 17/m/Edmonton

JD_in_AB: Cool

rose_bud2001: Yeah! LOL

JD_in_AB: You live near Old Strathcona?

rose_bud2001: Yeah I go to the SC High School

JD_in_AB: Me 2! I just moved here from the US so I don't really know my way around

rose_bud2001: I could show you around when school starts...

JD_in_AB: That would be great! Thanks

rose_bud2001: No prob

JD_in_AB: I have to go, my aunt has to use the phone

rose_bud2001: All right I'll meet you in front of the trophy case at lunch

JD_in_AB: OK seeya when school starts, bye

rose_bud2001: bye!

Rose turned off the computer, smiling.

"See! I knew you'd have fun," Dawn said, boasting.