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Colin opened his eyes slowly, waking up to feel the soft rays of dawn grace his pale cheeks. The air was cool and the skies a purple orange hue as they usually were in the quiet, coastal settlement of Paradise Harbour. The town was small but had everything a person could possibly need to get by. The markets were open early for the eager and hungry while the many bars and cafe's welcomed the company with time and troubles to drown. Towards the edge of town overlooking the barren white sand beach was what seemed like a derelict residence. One of the front windows were shattered and the grass overgrown as if not mowed for years. Inside, Colin stared at himself in the half-shattered mirror trying not to frown as he put on his favourite grey t-shirt. His lean but somewhat defined figure remained visible through its worn and thin material. He woke alone and slept alone in the house his parents left him after their untimely death. It was fortunate they weren't alive now to see the mess their son has become ever since the murder.

"Mom... Dad..." Colin muttered in his head as he cleaned himself, gradually shaving his facial scruff. Minutes passed and the boy found himself surrounded in darkness and forest along an empty long stretched road. There was nothing but moonlight to illuminate the little he could see. It was happening again, the memory of the night he would never forget. Before he could take a step, repeating flashes interrupted. He whimpered and gasped now covered in red, police sirens ringing in his ear with no one close by to steady him as he trembled with fear. A second later he was back in his bathroom, with a thin visible cut below his chin. He had lost track of time again, late again for work. Colin washed and wiped the blood off his face and made a quick stop to the fridge, gulping down some Milk. "Breakfast." He thought as he finished off the Milk carton a day sooner than its use by date.

Locking up the house he turned to face the path ahead. Paradise Harbour greeted him as it did every morning. Showing him all he could have had but didn't. The streets by the time he met them were filled with townsfolk on their way to work, opening up their stores, school kids walking on the way to school and the rich mingling outside the country clubs and taverns. The boy was met with a few glares, the small population knew his story and kept their distance from the boy they perceived as the one stain the perfect town carries. It was nothing to Colin as he was used to this sort of treatment, he knew the truth deep inside that not everyone there was as they seemed and that the true murderers of his parents were amongst the townsfolk. The sad thing was that Colin himself wasn't sure if Revenge is what he truly wanted or needed, with no one in his life to tell him if it was or wasn't.

(( Okay guys wrote as much as I can to open this story up, I hope some of you can hop in and join! It's a modern RP that is open to some supernatural elements but I want to keep it as realistic as possible and make the social interactions and drama the main point. So feel free to introduce your characters as you see fit be they an outsider, resident, villain, friend of Colin or whatever! I'll keep this open until' enough interested people get involved to progress this lil' idea :] ))

It just so happened that one of those school kids was Kimberly Chase.the group of girls were walking on a sidewalk not to far from the beach. It's light shimmered acrossed the busy street. She ran as fast as her small feet could carry her in an atempt to catch up to the others.

"w-wait for me..!"

The other girls didnt like kim, but only used her as a carrier. The poor girl happily took their things for them, her fragile arms full of heavy books and satchels. The girls giggled at her. "silly fool" they would mumble.

Still hurrying, Kimberly speedwalked behind the girls as they chattered loudly. As she did so her foot caught on an uneven slab of cement. She could feel the world shift. CRASH. pain shot through her legs as she landed on her face, blood dripping from her forehead and nose. The books and things lay scattered around her.

"ew! You've gone and dirtied our things! You filthy rat!" the girls scolded Kimberly then laughed at her before turning and continuing on their way.

Instinctively the boy woke from his daydream, memories from the past eating away at his present. It all stopped when he saw sight of the girl surrounded by the popular snobs. Colin returned their obnoxious stares with a blank one of his own as he rushed to Kim's side. He pulled a handkerchief from his back jean pocket and wiped the blood from her face. After witnessing what had happened to his parents, you'd think a boy would be squeamish or appear affected but Colin was unphased. He stared into her eyes and asked with a calming tone "Are you alright? Here, let me help you..." He picked up some of the books and offered to help the girl up. Before he had a chance to return the dropped items, one of the snobbish girls snatched the book from his hands and scoffed at the boy, "Ew, you did not just touch my math book..you're cursed... Everything you touch, everyone you meet... It's no coincidence something horrible happens after." Colin realised this and nodded, not having anything in him to rebuke the words of the girl. It was true that the few people he had let close to him suffered at the hands of a terrible fate or accident. Whether it was truly because of this curse the townsfolk were so willing to pass on is another question.

She looked wide eyed at Colin as he helped her, a slight blush on her cheek. But as the girl spoke to him, her gaze narrowed and she looked at her.

"that's not true..! Leave him alone!"
Her mouth had tilted into a slight frown as she took his hand and got up slowly, looking defiantly at the girl. She was about to lash out another retort when the three other girls tapped her shoulder. "she's a lost cause. Just let her be cursed." the girl nodded and grabbed the rest of their things, casting a glare at Colin before whipping her head around and walking back to the group, their heads high.

Kimberly sighed quietly, watching them leave.

Colin's eyes widened slightly as he watched Kim defend him, it was an odd feeling. The two had just met one another yet the boy feels somewhat drawn to Kim. He saw a glimpse of beauty underneath her fragile frame. As he watched the girls walk off he chuckled slightly "Heh.." Then turned his head back to Kim "With friends like yours who needs enemies ey?..." He picked up the rest of the belongings on the floor and handed them in a neat fashion to the girl "Here.. you better head on over before you're late. Couldn't have that just cos' of me. I'm Colin by the--" He cut himself off remembering what the girls had said as he gazed into Kim's seemingly innocent eyes once more "The less you know about me the better, they kinda have a point..."

With a cheeky smile, Eli walked past the group of women confidently with a brisk stride and tall stature. He wore the college blazer well and would be an exemplary model if appearances were all that mattered. Perfect teeth, unblemished complexion and a universally attractive face. He stared at Kimberly intently as she conversed with Colin whom he chose to ignore from his line of sight.

He turned his attention back to the girls then back to his gold Rolex to double check the time. The straight A honour student couldn't be late to the first class of the semester. He shot Kimberly one last stolen glance before following behind the group of girls.

"This'll be my year I know it..."

She smiled slighlty as she got his name. "i dont care what they say. Most of them hate me because of my parents." Kim's smile widened. "i'm Kimberly!" she bravely took his hand and shook it gently. "thank you for helping me..!." she glanced at the clock tower. Colin was right. She had five minutes. And her new uniform was a mess now. Eh..who cares. She waved a bit at Colin as she scurried on, trying to get to school on time."goodbye now!" Turning forward again, she saw a boy acrossed the street. Hn..?

Colin couldn't help but smile also after getting the girl's name but the mention of her parents forced a change in his disposition. He seemed curious to know just exactly who her parents were. He returned her kind gesture warmly and replied "It was my pleasure, I.. I hope we meet again!" He saw her wander off, having not noticed the other boy across the road and gasped, looking at the time revealed by the decorative clock tower visible from the town square. He was headed that direction anyway, he had been working at the Paradise Cafe ever since he finished high school a couple of years back. He did well during his final year but knew he would get no offers no matter how hard he tried, certain made sure he didn't succeed when he should have. Colin tried to push those thoughts out of his mind. He looked back towards Kimberly once more, catching a glimpse of her small figure before rushing to the cafe.

The boy arrived to a hectic scene. The seating capacity had almost capped and for the vacant seats, tables were too be cleaned and cleared. He didn't wait to receive a yelling from his manager who just shot him a cold look as he entered. Colin knew what do and just bowed his head politely as some sort of an apologetic gesture. He quickly grabbed his apron and cloth and began cleaning up the mess, fighting to keep the girl he just met off his mind. "There's something about her.. Heh, there really is." He wiped the smile off his face and continued his work. A couple of hours would have passed now and lunch was just around the corner. Keeping the cafe clean was like a losing battle. The boy would manage to catch up but then the lunch crew would ruin his good work, as most of the patrons from the school left an awful mess.

"Don't even think about break boy, after your little stunt earlier you're lucky you're still employed." Colin just smiled at his grumpy employer and continued his rounds. He would need to go help out the back as he was one of the more experienced members of the hired team. A few more would start in a little while to help with the crowd. Colin enjoyed his work more than he let off as it took his mind off everything, here he needed to be someone else, here he had another purpose. To get the job done and get it done well. Something he couldn't wrap his head around when it came to investigating what had happened to his parents as every move led him to a dead end. Before he could spare another thought, the customers poured in like water bursting through the floodgates. The boy smiled an innocent smile from behind the counter, "How may I help you today sir?"

Kim managed to stay upright by watching the ground ahead of her. She didn't need another fall like that. She felt her forehead gently. Oh no.. A knot had already formed above her right eyebrow.

How am i to explain this to Nick and Keon....?

She bit on the nail of her thumb as she finally reached the school. One minute...! She quickly tapped her toes on the stairs before hurrying to class.

Late..she smiled and nodded as her teacher scolded her. Taking a seat in the back she breezed through each class by doing her work and staying quiet. She refused lunch and studied on her own during the time, destin to pass in all her classes this year. She usually did, except for History. Always history...

About half way through her personal study she noticed something tucked into her math textbook. Plucking it out, she felt the worn cloth with brown stains. Colin must have forgotten this... Placing it safely back into the book, she turned to look out the window, a light smiled upon her lips.

Eli had already made it to class before the girls and many others before them. He made it his duty to get into the teacher's good books, also applying pressure and threats of his own at the stubborn ethical ones. The Ginifers were one of the college's major contributors to the budget and much of the teaching salary are pulled straight from those funds. Paradise Harbour College, or as outsiders would describe as PHB carried with it that upper class stigma. It was a school with those who could afford it. Eli had the brains to carry his heavy pockets but had to ensure no one would get in the way of his success. He wasn't perfect at all his subjects after all.

After class he caught eye of Kimberly once again, following her from a distance. He'd seen this girl before in some of his other classes. Seemed like one of those students that worked hard but were humble and shy. Eli had dated half of the more prominent girls with stakes in the running of the school and year level events. He was sick of the same same. 'There was something about this one' he thought.

"Busy busy I see" He said looming over Kim before she could realise. The other nearby girls looked shocked, as if they couldn't believe what they were seeing. Someone so reputable talking to a virtual no one, or infamous one. "How about I help you with whatever you're struggling with? Histor's in my DNA." Spoken confidently and with a slight flirtatious tone.

"h-huh..?"
She looked away from the window and gazed shyly at him, her face red.
"w-why would you H-help some one like me..?"

Kimberly was extremely nervous around most guys, after all, living with her dark hearted brothers wasn't always a safe situation. Growing up with them made her virtually frightened of men, and pretty antisocial around them.

Eli's smile only widened at her impression. Mentally he scoffed, [So innocent. She's not like the others. ] He sat down beside the frightened girl and began flipping through her books intrusively. As if he owned them himself. "What do you mean by that? You just look like someone that could use the help." He stared at her more intently and looked her from head to toe. "What do you say? We can start from this chapter here. Did you remember much about Paradise Harbour's founding families?" This was his speciality. History of the harbour. He would use this to guide his very actions, know who to accept and reject based on the blood lines. The Ginifers influenced many institutions at the time, responsible for Paradise Harbour's commercial success.

Colin continued to serve the impatient patrons of the Paradise Harbour Cafe. He was someone that could not be overwhelmed easily. He handled each order one at a time, precisely and efficiently. Not all his customers shared their personal disliked for him and he did have his regulars. Probably one of the main reasons he hadn't lost his job yet after turning up to work late time and time again. What his boss didn't understand was he'd only be late to work when he had his episodes. Seeing his parents in cold blood broke the stoneskin boy to pieces. As he whipped up another aromatic cappuccino he thought again about Kim's words "Her parents, what about her parents..." He'd never heard about her let alone her parents. He needed to see her again to know more. "No one's ever understood before, maybe she could--" He was cut off by his manager, with an abrupt grumpy tone at that "Quit yer' bellyaching and work dangit, you'll scare away the customers" Colin looked up attentively and nodded serving the coffee to the waiting patron. "Aye sir, Aye!"

His closeness only made her more nervous, and when he looked at her again she almost flinched as if expecting to be hit.

"i..i dont know much about it.."

Infact, due to her tiny slice of studying time, Kimberly had not even opened her history book yet.

Eli was almost enjoying the power he had over the girl. It was all over his face and eyes, relishing each moment. He leant slightly closer and spoke in a softer tone, "Come with me, we can look over my notes at the cafe, over lunch. It's where all the cool kids go, you'd know that by now right? Lunch is on me." Eli was surprised at himself after that last line, he'd never treated his dates before despite his overflowing trust fund. This was the most effort he'd ever spent on any girl, this was what intrigued him so much. This girl wasn't a desperate whore trying to claw and him and his 'goods'. She was damaged goods that he wanted to claim for himself.

"e-eh...?" someone asking her to lunch..?
She looked away, clearly close to breaking.

"i-i couldn't possibly..."

Her brothers would be furious if she came home late... But if he really wants to help me...

"Do you want to get through history or not? I can help you out. I'm Eli Ginifer after all." He piled up her books neatly and stood up, carried them in his arms and waited for the girl to follow. He smiled at her and said reassuringly "I don't bite, come on." Then adding teasingly, "You do look kinda hungry."

Before Eli could add another word or gesture he was confronted by an angry blonde girl with vibrant ringlets, shooting an off stare of disgust towards Chase. "You're going to lunch with her? You promised me yesterday you'd come to my audition for the school play, it's about to start, you can't do this to me!" the girl whelped. Eli shook his head and spoke firmly at the girl, as if she was nothing but vermin in his eyes. "I don't make promises I don't intend to keep so don't put words into my mouth. Anyway, all the seniors know you can't act but will get the role anyway because of your mother's generous donations to the school's fundraiser last spring." She could have just slapped him that moment but he waved his finger playfully and shooed her away. "Uh uh, you'll be late for your 'audition' missy"

He later turned back to Kim and took her by the hand, "Now, how about that lunch?"

Colin sighed in relief as the first wave of customers died down. It gave him time to clean up his work space a bit and sneak in a sip of water. He let out that refreshed breath out as he continued his business searching his back pocket for his handkerchief "Gah where'd I leave that thing..." It failed to cross his memory that he had left it with Kim. Colin wiped his forehead with his arm and felt the heat get more intense as the midday sun shined its rays in full force. Smooth jazz music played in the background as he served the patrons, this also helped make the shifts easier. Colin admired such music greatly as it reminded him of his parent's and easier times. If things were different Colin would have pursued playing Sax and become a musician like his grandfather was but many things stood in his way. The worst one of those is his own guilt.

Kimberly stood shakily and followed Eli, biting her lip as he took her hand.

What..is he up to..? This must be more than studying to him...
When he took her books she made sure to take the math bool herself, oddly protective of the cloth hidden inside.

"i..i guess i'll come...." Kim ignored the jealous glares from the girls.

We have an hour before class starts again...i hope thats enough time...

Kimberly stood shakily and followed Eli, biting her lip as he took her hand.

What..is he up to..? This must be more than studying to him...
When he took her books she made sure to take the math bool herself, oddly protective of the cloth hidden inside.

"i..i guess i'll come...." Kim ignored the jealous glares from the girls.

We have an hour before class starts again...i hope thats enough time...