Chapter One.

"Yes! HA!" I shouted, as the 8-ball rolled an inch further popped into the pocket. Johnnie Rotnam and Jordan Mackenzie laughed. "I beat Matt!"

"Nice game, Ally." Matt Duncan grinned. "But I'll beat you next time."

The glass door clanged open and the only remaining guests burst through the door, Ewan McKnight and Kurt Normand carrying tennis rackets, my best friend Jake Allen still on his skateboard. The last class party of the year was almost over and I was the only girl left. Not that that bothered me. I'd been friends with these guys for three years. Well, six years for Jake.

"Hey Ally, hey Matt." Jake leaned on the back of the couch that I had sunk happily into, pulling my ponytail as our typical greeting. "So who won? Did Alexandra Swift beat the almighty Matthew Duncan?"

Matt nodded, faking a glum look. I laughed. He was so cute sometimes. "Congrats, Ally." Jake leant forward and whispered in my ear. I shivered as his breath, warm against my neck and ear, touched me.

Matt, standing a few feet away from me and leaning on the cue he'd been using, "ooh"ed and I swatted at him. He dodged, smirking. "Jake is not my boyfriend. You owe me, Matt. Or I'll tell the entire class I beat you at billiard. Especially Alec." I had a trump card here. Alec and Matt were best friends and rivals in everything. Alec would leap at the chance to tease Matt about losing to a girl.

"Fine." he pouted, pretending to frown. "You win. This time."

Two minutes later, Johnnie, Ewan and Kurt left. They were taking the bus back together. Two minutes after that, Jake's mom arrived to drag him off. Waving wildly and shouting out goodbyes, he left.

So that only left Tim (our wonderful host), Matt and I. Matt's mom arrived and started talking to Tim's. He mouthed "phew" in my direction and sat down on the couch next to me.

I was sipping a Coke, trying to see how much I could contain in my mouth, and nearly spat an entire mouthful out when Matt looked straight at me and went, "Nice game." Like, wow. Matt had never congratulated anyone on beating him before. Well.

I put the cup down on the table and hurriedly swallowed. "Thanks. You were good too. It's your first time. I bet if you played more you'd be great."

He turned around to face me. We were staring straight into each others' eyes. Wow, his eyes were a really nice dark brown.

"Matt!" his mother called and I hurriedly moved backwards. "We're going now. Hello, Ally, is your dad coming to pick you up?"

I smiled hello. "Yeah I'm supposed to wait for him at the guard house."

"Okay, we'll walk you there." she put her hand on my shoulder. We said goodbye to Tim and his parents and walked off. At the door, Matt's mom was still talking to Tim's. "Matt, walk Ally out first, will you?" We both made identical faces. She laughed. "Guess not yet, huh? Still too young? I don't think so. You guys should've seen yourselves just now. Come on, Ally, I think you can come our way."

Tim's mom came out. "No, no, it's this way."

"Oh! We came this way, I think Ally can come with us," she said.

Tim's mother insisted on bringing me. "Nice directions, Mom," Matt grinned at me and waved. "See you next time? Four years, haha. Or we could meet up earlier?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I'll see you." and waved as I walked off with Tim's mom. We walked off in silence. I would be going to the "sister" school of Matt's school. We'd end up in the same junior college, most likely. And so would Jake, Ella McCartney, Natasha Rider, Corrine Blake, Joel Lloyd and Stephen Tyler. I'd see Ella, Natasha and Corrine next year at the all girls' school we were going to, and the guys would meet up at their all boys' school. After spending six years in co-ed schools, I wasn't sure I would survive.

I hugged my parents hello, waved bye to Matt and Mrs Duncan across the street, and we drove home dancing to the latest Michael Buble CD. My life was so perfect sometimes.

We reached the bungalow where we lived. My dad, mom, older brother, younger sister and I. When we got in, Tom and Jess were jumping about in the living room, playing a modified version of Twister I'd come up with. Tom was two years older than I was, Jess was one year younger. Amazingly, at fourteen, twelve and eleven, we got on better than most siblings I knew.

"Guys. GUYS! Sit down now." Mom called from the kitchen. I'd immediately dumped my bag on the couch and joined in. We looked at her. "Your father and I have to tell you something."

Uh oh.

"Guys..." Mom looked at each of us. "We're moving to America."

Jess jumped up and ran to her and hugged her. "Yay Mom! Thank you! I loe you!" Tom and I looked at each other. Oh. My. Gosh.

We were moving to America? Moving, not going for a holiday. But, what about school and all that? I'd worked so hard just to get into a good secondary school, how could we leave now?

Tom seemed to be running along the same wavelength as me. His normally small eyes were huge.

Mom looked at the two of us, concerned. "Aren't you guys happy?"

"Well..." Tom muttered.

"Yes, kinda..." I continued for him. "But for how long?"

"Oh, Ally. We're emigrating there. You know, permanently."

I'm pretty sure my jaw dropped then. "Oh." Then, "Will we, um, come back, um, sometimes?"

Mom shrugged. Universal sign language for "I don't know. Maybe."

"What about secondary school? What about our friends?" I asked, eyes huge. Oh my gosh, how could they do this to us?

"Yeah, Mom, what are we going to do?" Tom said, pulling at his short black hair.

"Oh, you guys! Come on! It'll be fun! We're going to stay in Los Angeles, you know. All the shops..." she glanced at me.

I crossed my arms. "Mom. You know I hate shopping."

My mother finally lost her temper and gave up. "I do not care. We're moving to America and that's that. And in fact, we're leaving next week. You have one week to tell your friends goodbye and goodness knows what you want to do, then we leave. I'm organizing a farewell party for the day after tomorrow. Now go to your rooms!" She stomped back off to the kitchen. Tom and I looked at each other. I shrugged.

Back in my room, I powered up my MacBook and accessed Facebook. I'd already created an account, even though I'm underage and all that. Who cares? Half the school already has Facebook. And that's a few thousand people.

I changed my present status ("Ally Swift loves rubbing the fact that Man Utd lost in my cousin's face", which had a long string of comments) to a new one ("I'm moving to USA. For GOOD."). And immediately six comments popped up in the notifications box and three chat windows opened. There was thirty-two people online. No wonder. I ignored the waiting chat boxes and went to my status.

Ally Swift "I'm moving to USA. For GOOD."

Tina Lee OMG NO WAY.

Georgia Roberts u could've said so earlier!

Jake Allen serious? jeez. :(

Natasha Rider *jaw drops* poor u!

Matt Duncan o.O why didn't u say something just now?

Jake Allen oh. my. god.

And more still were popping up.

Jordan Mackenzie !

James Williams whoa. Where?

There were more coming on. I posted a note:

Yes guys. I'm leaving for America. Next week, as a matter of fact. I'll be moving to Los Angeles (that answer your question, James?), which would be good in normal circumstances, but I have no idea when I'll be coming back home. Thank God for Facebook and IM, I'll keep in touch. Actually, I'm throwing a farewell party the day after tomorrow at my house. 2p.m. to midnight. My mom is also going to have a jumble sale, so ask your parents to come at noon if they're interested.

As, pretty obviously, I won't be seeing any of you guys next year, I've just gotta thank you guys for being such awesome friends (and enemies, sometimes).

Jake, you rock, I know you'll survive without me, haha. You were a great BFF.

Nat, keep on having fun and being popular. Thanks for being one of my best friends, don't forget me!

Matt, keep practicing. Maybe you'll beat me next time. If there's a next time.

Johnnie, Ewan, Jordan, keep on trying to impress the girls.

Kurt, believe in love, you'll know it when you see it.

Corrine, keep going, I know you'll make it big in Hollywood one day.

Ella, dance on, girl!

Joel, Stephen, thanks for letting Nat and I fight with you guys. I know Nat always wins, but thanks anyway.

Georgia, thanks for everything. All the music you brought into my life, it definitely changed me.

Tina, you were a wonderful love guru. Thanks for it all.

Krissa, thanks for listening to me rant on and on about random stuff.

Melanie, you are a great singer. Remember that.

To all you other people, who I've conveniently neglected to mention, remember, you're still special, and thanks!

And then, I locked the door, spared a glance for the full moon, pulled the curtains shut and fell asleep.

•••

I woke up at six in the morning the next day. Sunday! I was still set to my school term alarm clock. There was a knock on my door and Tom said, "Ally. Let me in."

I yawned, fell out of bed and stumbled to the door. I opened the door, and Tom, with his bed head, walked in and plopped down on my bed.

"So what are we going to do about this?" I asked him.

"Not much we can do, is there?" he raised an eyebrow. An expression that had endeared him to many of the girls I knew. Tom was cute, sure. Even as his sister, I could say that without being accused of incest. But I bet now he was glad he hadn't committed himself to a relationship. Long-distance was hard, I suspected. "Once the folks have made up their minds, there's no changing it. I guess we'll just have to go. Seriously. There's no point in running away, Ally, I know what you're thinking. Get real."

I didn't want to accept it, but I knew Tom was right. I nodded glumly and told him to get out. "Ally, chill. I'm heading off to the pool, okay? Tell Mom and Dad when they wake up," he said, backing out of the door.

Still in my pajamas, I padded off to Jess's room. I knocked and entered, to find her watching Linkin Park videos on her computer. "Hi Ally," she said, without even turning around. "You okay?"

"Um. Yeah?" Jess seemed to be psychic sometimes. "So… You excited about moving to America?"

"Yes!" she turned around with a huge grin on her face. "Yes, yes, yes! Ally, I am so excited!" I laughed in spite of myself.

Jess looked at me. "But you're not happy about it, are you? Neither is Tom. You don't want to leave, because you're having too much fun here. And you're furious with Mom for making you work so hard to get into a good school and then suddenly making you leave." I stared at her, mouth open. Wow, she can really read minds. "Well, Ally," she continued, "I know you're not happy, but (no offence) so what? Tough luck. Get on with your life. You're not happy about moving to America. I'm not happy with the fact that you and Tom get to go with Mom and Dad to that Christmas ball they're throwing early because of us. But I'm making the best of it. I'm going to Stefan's party."

She turned back to the computer and thoughtfully searched for a Breaking Benjamin song. "Life ain't fair, sis. Get over it."

As she played, I sat on her bed was thought. Jess was weird. But she was smart. And right. Jess was lucky. She was the most popular kid in her level, a social butterfly, with guys fighting to be with her. Just like a miniature Natasha Rider. Maybe I'd better listen to her.

Just then, Jess's phone rang, "21 Guns" by Green Day. She picked it up. "Hey Taylor."

Taylor Felton was Jess's best friend. Same age, same school, same class. She was about as pretty as my sister, even though they looked the exact opposites of each other. Jess was a tanned brunette (wavy and shoulder-length), with green eyes, medium height and size. Taylor was pale and had straight glossy black hair, blue-grey almond-shaped eyes and she was as tall and thin as I was. She was a really nice girl.

I couldn't hear a thing Taylor was saying, but then Jess said "OK" and passed the phone to me. Covering the mouthpiece, she muttered, "Daryl wants to talk to you."

Daryl Felton. I quickly ran through what I knew about him. Not much. He was in the class next to mine, which meant he was in the third best class. He was pretty cute, short with spiky brown hair, brown eyes and a totally adorable smile. He was in the school track-and-field team. I'd only spoken to him once, at some school event. What did he want with me?

"Hello." I took the phone.

"Hey, Ally." Daryl's voice was a lot huskier than I remembered. "How are you? Taylor told me you guys are moving away?"

"Yeah," I muttered. "Not very good at the moment."

"Oh." He said. "Do you think you're up for a party? I'm having barbecue tonight and everyone's invited. No parents allowed, of course. We had to have it today, because I know tomorrow's your farewell party and the day after that, lots of people are leaving for their trips."

I though about the Felton estate. They had a huge piece of land, and their parents had built a mansion. It had a pool, riding stables, basketball and tennis courts and a lot more. I knew a lot of our friends were leaving for their holidays this week, and I wouldn't meet many of them at the Christmas ball. "Okay, I'll be there." I told Daryl.

"Great!" he exclaimed. "Thanks a lot, Ally. Come at three o'clock. Taylor says you guys live nearby. See you!" I grinned and handed the phone back to Jess.

"Hello Daryl," she said. "Can I speak to Taylor, please?" She paused. "Hey Taylor," she said, walking into the toilet, shooing me out of the room. I knew she wanted to talk in private. Why not do it online? Jess had Facebook too, and it was cheaper.

I proceeded downstairs to the kitchen and grabbed a bowl of Special K. Sitting down at the glass table in the kitchen, I poured milk in and started eating. It was only seven by the time I'd finished.

Mom came down and switched on the light, which I'd neglected to do, preferring to eat in the dim light of the morning sun coming in through the curtains. She yawned, and then spotted me and took a step backward to crash into the sink. "Ally! Oh my, you gave me a fright. Why are you up so early?"

"Hi Mom," I said. "Tom's out swimming. Jess is on the phone. We're all up." She grabbed a bagel and sat down next to me. "Hey Mom, can I go to Daryl's party later? Jess is coming too. I haven't asked Tom. It's a barbecue."

"Ally, you need to pack," she said. I groaned. "But you can go." She smiled and I laughed out loud. "I know how much you'll miss all your friends. So your dad and I have agreed that you guys will be allowed to go to as many parties as you want. Darling, I'm really sorry about this sudden move. Listen, I haven't told Tom or Jess the reason for this sudden move. Do you remember your Uncle Evan?"

"Yes I do! He lives in Vancouver, doesn't he?"

"Yes he does. Well, his wife is sick. And he needs family within the continental US, so we decided that we should move there. Los Angeles is rather near Canada, and Evan has been a really good friend to us. He needs our help. Besides, I thought it would be a good idea for you guys to see the place where I grew up and met Dad."

"You grew up in America? Cool."

"So I hope you have fun later. Do you need a lift?"

"Nah. We'll walk. It's nearby."

"Okay. Hey, how come I've never heard of this Daryl before?" she giggled. "Ooh, is he your new fling?"

"MOM." I frowned and hit her arm.

She laughed and danced off to her room, dropping her bowl in the sink as she passed. I sighed and began to wash up. Mom still thought that I was Miss Popular. She expected all of us to take after her, and because of the fact that both Tom and Jess did, I couldn't bear to tell her I wasn't exactly the cream of the crop. Mom had been an "alpha", as Dad put it. She'd be insulted that her eldest daughter wasn't one too.

I spent a while reading magazines and talking to Jess. Tom came in at eight, shivering. "Hey, sis. It's cold out." I nodded to him and asked whether he wanted to go to the barbecue. He shrugged (meant yes in Tom-language) and went up.

At two thirty, dressed in a blue tank top and brown combat pants, Tom, Jess and I walked to Daryl's house.