I looked over at my digital alarm clock, the only thing that was lighting up my room were the bright red numbers on it. Apparently it was only two o'clock in the morning. It felt like I slept longer than that… but I guessed I didn't. Now the problem was, I couldn't get back to sleep, even though I desperately wanted to. I had to go to school in a few hours! I was going to be tired for the whole day. I was plagued with thoughts of falling asleep in class, until my alarm clock buzzed, jolting me upright. Six o'clock. I exhaled slowly, and got out of bed tiredly, sighing. I thought taking a hot shower would help wake me up, but it didn't. The minute the water hit me, it felt freezing. I turned the water's temperature up, and it only caused me to shiver. When I got out, I noticed there was steam on the mirror, like the water had been hot. I did my usual routine, but... I was slower about it. I tugged on my uniform, and looked at myself in the mirror. "... maybe wearing my hair down isn't so bad..." I muttered to myself, letting my hair cover the side of my face. I grabbed my messenger bag, and walked out of my house, starting the walk to school. The streets seemed surprisingly empty, when the sidewalks were usually filled with students heading to school. I looked down at my watch, and gasped. It was 7:55. I was late. Officially. I rushed the rest of the way to school, feeling my perfect record slipping away with each passing minute. I reached the school, and burst into the front office, panting. The secretary looked up, a surprised expression on her face. "Persephone? I've never seen you here past seven thirty..." she said in awe. I sighed, and didn't respond, feeling my face burn red in embarrassment. She typed my name into a computer, and printed out a tardy slip for me. I took it, walking up the stairs to my first class. Walking inside the history room, Ms. Dan looked at me in surprise. "Persephone... I thought you were sick, you're never late…" "I think I am sick..." I muttered, handing her the slip and walking to my desk before she could say anything. The rest of the day consisted of me sitting in class irritatedly, trying not to get called on. I was too tired for it. I was too tired for school in general today. At lunch, Jade arched an eyebrow at me as I sat at the table, biting into an apple. "You look different, Persephone... like, tired." "I am tired. Exhausted, actually." "Well what did you do?" she asked. "That's the thing. I didn't do anything! It was like a regular day yesterday." I grumbled. I didn't bother to tell her that Mr. Hall gave me a ride home, or that I had that bizarre dream last night. I didn't expect her to understand… I didn't even understand what was going on. When the bell rang, I sighed and walked into Mr. Hall's room, my chin held up bravely. I didn't want him to see me like this- "Agh!" I bumped into someone, and I apologetically looked down. "I'm sorry… I'm not myself today…" "I can see that…" I looked up to see Mr. Hall smirking at me. I gasped, taking a small step back. It was actually the opposite direction I truly wanted to head in. "Are you okay? You look..." "Different, I know. I'm just tired... and why do you care?" I huffed, adjusting my bag on my shoulder. "I care because"- The bell rang, cutting him off mid-sentence. I took the opportunity to head into class, hiding my face with my hair. I didn't know if I was blushing or not; but my appearance made the girls, and some guys in the room talk. I sat down at my desk, not bothering with the classwork, and laid my head on the table. To my relief, Mr. Hall didn't call on me at all during class. I could feel people looking at me incredulously, wondering how I wasn't getting into trouble. I honestly didn't know why. But by that point, I really didn't care. --------------------------------------------------- Persephone's turning into a rebel. Hot.