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“You running away from something missy?” the man’s gravelly voice asked.
 
Roseline nodded, pulling the collar of her coat up further around her neck.
 
“Well good luck to you.”
 
The man took her money and busied himself with printing her boarding pass.
 

As soon as the ticket was in hand, Roseline raced for the door.
 
She sat on the bench, her legs bouncing, absently peeling away the chipped blue paint from the wooden slats under her as she waited impatiently for the 6:58am train.
 
When it arrived, Roseline was one of the few passengers to board but that suited her nicely.
 

It wasn’t until the train had traveled nearly thirty minutes before Roseline finally breathed a sigh of relief.
 
The trip would take just under three hours.
 
She leaned her head back against the seat, closing her eyes to rest.
 
She would need it.
 
Within 24 hours Roseline would be in a different country beginning a new life.
 
She’d finally be free!

***

“
Pst
.”

Roseline swatted at the incessant voice.
 
It’d been calling to her off and on for a few moments but she’d refused to pay attention.
 
“Leave me alone,” she grumbled.

“Hey! New girl,” the feminine voice hissed louder.
 
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.
 
Mr. Roberts doesn’t take kindly to students drooling on his periodic table!”

Groaning, Roseline leaned back, wiping her face to make sure she hadn’t actually drooled.
 
Her vision was a bit hazy, groggy from a mixture of killer jet lag and a terrible night’s sleep.
 
“Where am I?”

A startling bubble gum pink Mohawk filled her vision.
 
Roseline blinked, unsure if she was still dreaming.
 
“Rise and shine.”

“Oh no,” Roseline groaned, glancing at her surroundings.
 
How could she have forgotten the past two days?
 
The flights had been tediously long.
 
Things hadn’t gotten much better when her plane touched down in
Chicago
.
 
She’d had to fight through customs and immigration, butterflies swarming in her stomach as she’d waited for the guard to succumb to her charms long enough to make him forget that her passport didn’t look entirely legit.

It was a botch job and she knew it.
 
Fane had always taken care of her details before.
 
She’d had to make all of the arrangements on her own this time.
 
But luck had been on her side.
 
The young, pimple faced immigration agent had easily been swayed by her batting eye lashes and low cut shirt.
 
When Roseline turned on her charm, no guy could resist her.
 
Sometimes being an Immortal did have its up sides!

And now, Roseline found herself sitting in a modern teenager’s hell.
 
Fifth period science!
 
The tweed loving science teacher glared at bubble gum girl, who was teetering precariously on a dented metal lab stool.

Under different circumstances, Roseline would have found the girl rather amusing.
 
Her hair wasn’t the only startling thing about her appearance.
 
The girl’s eyes were rimmed with dark black make-up giving her a rabid raccoon look.
 
Not to mention the black nail polish, spiked neck collar and matching leather bracelet.
 
She sure knew how to make a statement!

“You ok?” the girl asked as soon as the teacher shifted his attention away.
 
He’d instantly leapt back into his discussion on why science was vital to his student’s lives.
 
Like anyone cared!
 

“Yeah, sorry.
 
I’m not normally so rude when I first wake.
 
Rough dream,” Roseline responded, gingerly rubbing her sore neck.
 
The pain of
Vladimir
’s fists had already healed, but sleeping on the lumpy second hand mattress she’d picked up the day before had really done her in.
 

The girl glanced at her from the corner of her eye.
 
“No offense or anything, but you look pretty rough.”

Roseline laughed softly, tasting the bitterness swelling her mouth.
  
She hadn’t expected to struggle with homesickness.
 
Especially since she’d been
Vladimir
’s punching bag for the past three centuries, but she really missed Fane and
Romania
.
 
This place didn’t feel right.
 
The smells were all wrong.
 
Instead of clean mountain air, her nose was inundated by car fumes and smelly people on the subway.
 

“So…I’m Sadie by the way.
 
Sadie Hughes.”

Roseline nodded and turned her attention away.
 
She wasn’t there to make friends, to have a sleepover or giggle about the hottest guy in school.
 
All Roseline wanted was to be left alone.
 
To hide in the shadows and pretend like everything was ok.
 

Sadie frowned.
 
“Not gonna tell me your name?”

With a sigh, Roseline turned towards Sadie.
 
“Look.
 
I’m sure you’re a really nice girl and all, but I’m not here to be BFF’s with anyone.
 
I’m just here for the class.
 
Ok?”

She thought her straight to the point dialogue would sway Sadie, but she was wrong.
 
Apparently the girl couldn’t take a hint…or just refused to.
 
“That’s cool.
 
I’m a bit of a loner myself.
 
But at least I have a name,” she said pointedly, fixing her gaze on Roseline.
 

Roseline couldn’t help but allow her lip to twitch up into a smile.
 
The girl had spunk.
 
She liked that.
 
“My name’s Rose Danbry.”

Sadie’s grin was infectious.
 
“See.
 
That wasn’t so hard.”
 
But her smile quickly faded as Mr. Robert’s lurched down the isle.

“Miss Hughes.
 
Care to share with the class?”
 
His tweed arms swept back to encompass the entire student body, who unfortunately decided to stare back at them with wide eyed interest.
 
Typical!

Rolling her eyes, Sadie shook her head and leaned her stool back across the isle to her own table.
 
She blew a large pink bubble, the loud pop made Mr. Roberts jump.
 
She collected the remnants of the gum with her tongue as he snickered in disgust.

Shoving his inch thick plastic rimmed glasses back up his nose, Mr. Robert’s turned and opened his mouth to reprimand Roseline but instead choked on his tongue.
 
His eyes traveled down Roseline’s silky tresses that curled appealingly around her waist, the low cut v-neck shirt that hinted at the perfection that lay beneath the thin material, and the short skirt and matching heels that accentuated her shapely legs.
 
Roseline’s aqua eyes narrowed with disgust as she heard his heart stutter, pumping blood frantically to keep up with his degrading thoughts.
 
His face flushed and a slight sheen stood out on his forehead as he cleared his throat.
 

“
Miss.
Danbry.”
 
He nodded down at her before scurrying back to the front of the room.
 

“Gross!” Sadie exclaimed as Mr. Roberts struggled to keep his eyes from flitting back towards Roseline.
 

Roseline nodded in agreement.
 
Sadie’s one word summed it up.
 
“Pervert.”
 

One of the things Roseline hated most about being Immortal was the way human men reacted to her.
 
It was quite pathetic when you thought about it.
 
Roseline’s perfectly lush rosy lips, heart shaped face, curvy figure and musical voice called to humans like mythical sirens enticing sailors to their deaths.
 

Not to mention the fact that she could hear their hearts pounding in their chests, smell their sweat glands as they released their musty scent and feel the warmth radiating off of them like a solar flare.
 
But that was the price she paid for choosing to live among the humans.
 
It was the only way to start a new life.
 
She would just have to endure the awkward stares.
 

Apparently her new acquaintance agreed with Roseline’s assessment of their teacher because she didn’t press the issue further.
 
Instead she turned her attention to her nails, scratching the black polish off for the remainder of class.
 
Roseline settled in, determined to refuse eye contact with every male in the room while she suffered through the next hour of class.

Her thoughts drifted to the day before.
 
Registration day.
 
She’d enrolled at
Rosewood
Prep school
for one reason only.
 
It was the best school in all of
Chicago
.
 
She couldn’t even remember the last time she’d stepped foot in a school building and this one had been a pleasant surprise.

Large red brick buildings, draped with ivy, were surrounded by manicured lawns that sprawled across The Hill.
 
A long private drive wound up towards the school.
 
Ornate wrought iron gates allowed access to students and faculty, but were locked each night to keep hooligans off school grounds.
 

It was a school for the rich.
 
That much was obvious from first glance, despite its claim to be open to all who wanted an upstanding education.
 
What a load of crap!
 
That just meant it was only open to kids that had parents with deep pockets.
 

Of course that wasn’t an issue for Roseline.
 
She’d smuggled her sizeable bank funds months ago.
 
Money would certainly not be an issue for her so registering for school had been a breeze.
 
Especially when she paid for the entire year’s tuition in cash.
 
The need to review her manuscripts from
Romania
seemed to completely slip the head master’s mind as he eagerly wrote out her payment receipt.
 

Shaken from her thoughts, Roseline rose to her feet as the final bell of the day rang.
 
Chairs screeched across the hard wood floors, a grating sound on her sensitive ears.
 
“Need me to help you find your car?”

Roseline shook her head, smiling kindly, but hoping the girl would learn to take a hint.
 
“No thanks.
 
I can find my own way.
 
I don’t live too far from here so I’m just gonna walk.”

Sadie’s mouth dropped open as she stared in disbelief.
 
“Are you nuts?
 
Didn’t you notice the insane weather we’re having?
 
It’s barely above freezing out there and your wearing a freaking tank top!”

Glancing down at her clothes, Roseline stifled a groan.
 
In her rush to buy clothes at the airport, she’d forgotten to pay attention to the weather.
 
Her designer top and thigh high skirt really made her stand out among the parkas and hoodies.

“Yeah I guess you’re right,” Roseline conceded.
 
“I haven’t had time to go shopping yet.”

Looping her arm through Roseline’s, Sadie steered her out into the bustling hallway.
 
“Come on.
 
I gotta get a ride with my brother.
 
We can give you a lift on our way.”

“No.
 
I’ll be fine.
 
I wouldn’t want to impose.”
 
Roseline easily could’ve lost Sadie in the crowd, but at the risk of creating a scene, she allowed herself to be pulled along.
 
What was with this girl?