"Autumn, someone's here to walk you to school!"

My eyes snap open, landing on my dad's blurry figure. He's leaning through my doorway with his hand clutching the doorknob. Quickly, I pat my bedside table for my glasses, smiling as I feel the plastic under my fingertips. As soon as I slide them on, Dad and the doorway are more defined. His smile seems to light up my dim room.

"Who?" I groggily grumble, attempting to blink the sleep out of my eyes.

His smile stretches. "He says his name is Cody."

My heart seems to skip a beat, my slightly foggy mind trying to wrap around this fact. "Oh, um, tell him I'll be down in twenty."

Dad nods before softly shutting the door behind him. For a moment, I stare into the darkness of my room. My furniture seems like a collection of shadows and silvers of sunlight seep through my blinds. In a way, it's almost calming. Nothing sticks out and begs for attention except for my thoughts. Why on Earth is Cody at my house this early? Why, today of all days, does he feel the need to walk me to school?

Finally, I shove off my covers. My feet smack against the floor as my hand slaps against the base of my lamp. Light illuminates the room. Humming a tune under my breath, I head to the bathroom. Even though I'm exhausted from staying up all night, a new energy has invaded my body. It couldn't be caused by Cody showing up. Nope. Never.

Once I fit in my contacts, wash up, change, and apply a bit of makeup, I'm ready to head downstairs. For some reason, nerves flutter in my stomach as I shove open my door and descend the stairs. I yank my fingers through my hair, flinching as a few knots tangle around my fingers. Finally, I pat down my shorts and yank down my top, which delicately flows as I move.

I hop off the second to last step as a rush of giddiness flows through me. A jolt stings my legs and rattles my head as my feet smack onto the ground. Dad gives me a sly smile, pushing himself off the wall. Clutching the strap of my backpack, I glance around the small space for my friend. Then, my gaze shoots to my dad, who is smirking.

"Well, I gotta meet Mom at the salon. Your friend's in the living room. And Autumn, why didn't you tell me you had such a charming boyfriend?"

I lightly shove his arm as my face heats up. "Dad we're simply friends."

He grips the door handle before turning his head and offering me a knowing look. "Well, you're really happy to see this friend."

I roll my eyes as he yanks open the door. "I was happy to see Ash as well, but I wasn't dating her."

His eyebrows shoot up. "Well, I guess that's true. Have fun! But not too much-"

He basically flies out the door as I practically slam it closed behind him. My heart hammers in my chest as I lean against the door. My eyes clamp shut as Dad's laughter seeps through the door.

"Dad!' I whine loud enough to be heard through the wood behind me.

His laughter seems to increase in volume. After what feels like ages, I glance out of the window. The driveway is vacant, the faux greenery in my yard waving to me.

"Ready for school?"

I jump at the sound of his voice, whipping around to glare at him. "You scared me!"

He chuckles, rolling his eyes as he leans his arm against the wall. "Nah, you're just very jumpy."

I lightly smack his arm, readjusting my bag on my shoulder. "Why did you feel the need to walk me to school?"

He shrugs, his expression refusing to reveal any emotion. "Well, I thought you could use some company. You know, with your Chip and all, and the government lurking about, you could use someone like me to protect you."

A sarcastic laugh rises from my throat as my heart flutters and beats faster. My fingers intertwine in front of me, my sweaty palms nearly meeting each other. "I don't need protection. And really, the government lurking around? It's called cameras; technology."

Cody lets out a deep sigh. "Well, is it wrong to want to walk to school with my friend?"

A smile greets my face and his worried expression turns to a blissful one. "Nah, but don't get here so early next time. You had to deal with my talkative dad."

His smile growing and a laugh shaking him, he pulls open my front door. "I like your dad. He's really nice." Then, he dramatically gestures to the outdoors while stepping to the side. "After you."

My eyes roll as I approach the door. Then, before he realizes what I'm doing, my hands grip his back. I push with all my might, setting my feet firmly onto the floor. Cody sails out the door, his arms flailing before he throws them out in front of him. He manages to catch himself in a pushup position.

I burst into giggles, nearly gasping for breath as I lightly close the door behind me. Then, I turn and proceed to enable the alarm to the house. I turn to stick my tongue out at my friend, but suddenly I'm hoisted into the air. A soft gasp escapes my lips as I'm thrown over his shoulder.

"Hey, let me down!" I protest, swinging my feet in the air. My pale colored bag obeys gravity and drops to the concrete below me. It's in perfect view from my position.

Cody's own bag is draped across his other shoulder, slightly sagging towards his elbow. I stretch my hand, reaching for it as I'm swung in the opposite direction of my bag. Instead of grabbing his bag, my body lurches forward, arms extending to protect myself. I end up landing on my hands with my feet landing by Cody's. I groan at the sharp pain in my arms, turning my head to glare up at him.

"Sorry," he apologizes, swiftly grabbing my arm and yanking me to my feet.

I reach down and grab my bag, swinging it over my shoulder. "It's fine." A small smile worms it's way onto my visage. "Let's get to school!"

He nods, linking his elbow through mine and dragging me away from my house. Thick storm clouds loom over us, casting shadows everywhere. Trees sway in the slight breeze, my hair blowing behind me. The lawns we pass are perfectly cut, save one whose grass is reaching for the doorknob of the house. Weird. Maybe it's vacant.

I wiggle my arm away from Cody and point towards the house, which he is closer to. "Hey, look at that house. Isn't that strange?" I think that's where the lady whose husband I suspect is a government worker lives.

He furrows his eyebrows before nodding. "Yeah, that is weird. Maybe the owner moved out, or someone died."

My shoulders move up and down as I fixate my gaze on the sidewalk ahead. The house is now behind us. "It's just, I saw the lady that lives, or lived, in the house the other day. She was very nice, too. She'd sit on her porch and wave to me almost every morning. I'm wondering what happened."

"Autumn, it's no big deal. I'm sure she moved."

My heart sinks to my feet. I can't believe she moved without telling me! She was such a great neighbor. She even prevented someone from robbing my house a few years back. "Yeah, but I'm gonna miss her if she did. Still, someone needs to cut the grass."

He nods absentmindedly. I wonder what he's thinking about.

The walk to school is filled with a bit of mindless chatter and contemplative silence. Once we arrive, I notice Kaylee's group tarrying by the entrance. Harper and Kaylee are absent, as expected. I wonder where they are now, what's happening to them. Are the AntiChips humane to their hostages, or are they brutal like the government?

"I can't believe Jared and Eva are suspended," Cody suddenly mutters from beside me as the five minute bell sounds.

A let out a shaky breath before opening the left door and gesturing for Cody to walk through. "Yeah. I don't know how I'll survive without their constant bickering."

He chuckles, gently grabbing my arm and pushing me in front of him. "Yeah, but I can also open my own doors."

I roll my eyes before heading towards my locker. I'm not sure why, but it feels like nothing can put a damper on my positive mood. Smiles constantly litter my face and a giddy feeling swims in my stomach. Of course, I'll miss my two friends. However, I feel that Cody will suffice as great company.

******

******

By the time lunch rolls around, my stomach is rumbling. So, I hurry to the cafeteria, lucky to be one of the first people in line for lunch. A tall guy stands in front of me, his hands in the pockets of his pants. To my left is a sneeze shield hovering above a few deep pots. Then, a few people in front of me, is one lunch lady handing out plates. The other is by the pots with a huge stack of plastic trays beside her, dumping a few different foods onto each plate before passing them to her coworker.

As I cross my legs and lean a hand against the sneeze glass, I accidentally stumble forward. Of course, I bump into the guy in front of me. He spins on his heel, dark hair falling in his eyes. His chocolate eyes hold a fiery anger. His nostrils flare, thin lips pressed together.

"Excuse me," he hisses, drawing the attention of a few other students are us, "but I'd suggest you watch where you're going."

"Sor-ry" I draw out in a slightly sqeaky tone, holding up my hands in front of me. "I tripped. You don't have to get so upset."

He narrows his eyes at me. "I know who you are."

A short laugh leaves my lips. "Oh, that's cool. We go to the same school. But I'm sorry, I don't know you."

He takes a menacing step forward, trapping me against the glass. The hot glass presses against my back. My own eyes narrow, breathing heavy as I attempt to stand my ground. I just wanted to grab some lunch and relax. I have enough problems without this jerk.

He grabs a fist full of my shirt, causing it to expose my not exactly flat stomach. That's when I snap, kicking where I'm sure it'll hurt. He yelps, jumping back and clutching his sensitive area.

"You're Eva's new friend, right? You're the one causing all these complicates for my girlfriend. Now, she's missing," he grits through clenched teeth.

"Who's your girlfriend?" I shakily laugh, stepping away from the glass. "Imaginary? Cause who would date a rude jerk like you?"

He seems to radiate anger. "Kaylee."

My eyes widen as something attacks my stomach. She had a boyfriend and I didn't even know.

As he raises his fist to strike my face, I duck. "Who do you think you are that you can randomly attempt to beat me up, huh?"

"The name's Jackson," he retorts, "and a lot of people happen to love me."

As I straighten my back, the lunch lady serving food raises her ladle into the air. "Hey, no fighting in my lunch line!" She exclaims, pointing her 'weapon' to the left. "Both of you, back of the line."

I glance over to see that the line has nearly tripled in size. "But he started it!" I insist, narrowing my eyes at the guy. Jackson; I've heard that name before.

"Back of the line before I have you both suspended!" The lady roars, thrusting her ladle violently towards the end of the long line. A drop of what I believe is soup drips from the ladle onto the counter. "Now!"

Rolling my eyes and shouting a few curse words in my mind, I storm towards the end of the line. I feel Jackson follow behind me.

Suddenly, I spin on my heel, catching the jerk by surprise. "You're that jerk that abused my friend, aren't you?"

His eyes fly wide in surprise. "Whoa, you have a friend?"

My own nostrils flare. "Eva!"

Then, before I can take a good swing at him, I feel a presence beside me.

"Autumn, who do you hate now?" Cody lightly jokes, glancing from me to Jackson.

"Oh look, you're little boyfriend is gonna defend you!" Jackson coos.

"One, he's not my boyfriend," I seethe, hands balling into fists, "Two, I can easily-"

A hand is gently placed over my mouth. "Let's not get suspended."

I throw off his hand. "This is Eva's abusive ex who so rudely tried to hit me!"

Cody takes a step towards Jackson. "Oh. So you think its okay to abuse girls, do you?"

As I catch the lunch lady leaning over the sneeze glass, I grab Cody's arm and yank him towards the end of the line. That jerk isn't worth us getting suspended over. Well, at least I can put a name to a face. This was supposed to be a good day!

It actually doesn't take long to claim my lunch. Then, Cody and I amble over to a table in the corner. It's vacant, which I'm thankful for. We both plop down next to each other, practically tossing our lunches onto the table.

"I would have liked to punch that guy," Cody mumbles, stabbing his apple with his fork.

"Me too," I sigh, "but it wasn't worth getting suspended. Apparently, he's dating Kaylee." Haha, but she's locked up.

He lets out a shaky breath. "Let's just eat."

I nod, my heart plummeting to my stomach. Great, that jerk ruined my day with Cody!

Suddenly, I feel his breath tickle my ear. "I think their might be a way to get you through Chip inspection. Tonight, Eva, Jared, and us are gonna meet up to discuss everything that's going on."

I slowly nod, disappointment flooding through me at the thought of the others joining us. Then, I pick up my apple and examine it. Red, like the blood that flows through my veins. I bring it towards my mouth and take a bite, the juice dripping down to my chin. Soon, all that's left is the core. It's kind of like me; underneath all of the juicy stuff lies a basic core. Underneath all of my facades is the true me; the me I'm afraid to show anyone. Yet, I've let in three strangers. But are they strangers anymore, or are they people I'll do anything to protect?