(Author's Note) Well everyone, since this is my first story there isn't much I can say for now. However, I would like to say I do enjoy it when my stories are given a review and when my lovely viewers favorite them! So please do so! This is all that I ask of my readers and I would greatly appreciate it if you do so! The more reviews I get, the more I know you enjoy the story! BTW I apologize for it being so short and not having much detail! I might go back and change some things in the future.

(Edit) After receiving a private message, I will be fixing a lot of problems in this "chapter", which will soon just be called the Prologue.

Prologue

I don't remember why I had begun running. I wasn't even sure what I was running from. Was it to escape a fate I couldn't escape? Or was I just running away from myself? Could it have been because I had a selfish thought and decided to act on impulse? My mind began processing ideas and making up fake memories that even I couldn't distinguish whether or not they were true or false. All I could think about was getting away. No. I had to get away. I must in order to survive.

The alarms had been going off for a while now, and I was unsure if I was going to make it out alive in one piece. I felt exhausted from the constant running through what seemed like never ending hallways and dead ends. I heard voices coming from behind a corner, however I recognized these voices. One of them was my older brother, who waved to me as he saw me out of the corner of his eye. He was trying so hard to hide his fear for me, but I didn't care at the moment. I was just glad to see his smiling face even in the face of perpetual danger. But his facial features changed all too soon, and now I was witnessing him look worried for the first time as he waved me over to him in a urgent fashion.

"Hurry! Get out of here, Serenade, before the Desians find you!" The determination show in Dagran's eyes was mixed with the look of pain and foreshadow as he knew what would happen if I were to stay behind and help.

"No, I won't leave you here! Come with me, please!" I begged and pleaded with him, but no matter what I said I still knew he would never change his mind. He had made his decision and he was willing to stick with it even if it meant losing his life.

"You know why I can't. I must stay here with our parents. It's my job to take care of them," this time he was serious as he looked directly into my eyes, and grasping my shoulders to keep my steady.

"But you'll all end up dying here!" Why? Why did I still argue with him? This may be the last time we see each other and yet I was acting like a spoiled brat. Funny. Having someone risk their life for another even if it meant losing their own is a pretty pathetic way to go. Yet, it can also be taken as being heroic. Too bad there weren't a lot of people I knew who are like that where I was.

Soon enough time had begun to catch up to us as I heard footsteps growing louder and louder with every second. Looking nervously around the room, I tried to find the direction of where the footsteps were coming from, but I was interupted as Dagran began to shake me repeatedly until I came back to reality, leaving me disorientated thoughts that were cut off to short.

"You don't think I know that already!" His face became distorted as if he was lost in thought, yet surely enough he was back to shaking me again while locking his eyes with mine. "I've been thinking about that lately and I've realized that you're the only one strong enough to survive. Mom and Dad can't last must longer and I too will end up with the same fate. But it's up to you to now. You possess a gift like no other. Remember who you are and what you believe in. Trust only those close to you, got it?" He meant every word he said, and that caused me to tremble my lips and lose my balance momentarily.

The look in his eyes at that moment made me frightened of what was to happen. The pain in his eyes showed his true emotions. He wanted me to live not only for him but for everyone else. Yet, I knew that if I stayed I would have caused more deaths. I looked down at my hands as a light started to shine from them. No not here and now. I quickly closed my hands and placed them to my sides as I hung my head in defeat. I was right. I was losing this battle with him. Nothing I said would have made a difference. Too bad I didn't get another chance to find out.

"I-I…Promise…" I shuddered at the thought of how I was going to survive on the outside. How would I live, would it be in fear? No. I refuse to live in hiding for the rest of my life. They would have to catch me first before I surrendered to their bloodied hands and knuckles and their malice filled so-called "hearts."

"Good girl. Now get out of here while you still can. I'll hold the Desians off for as long as I can. No matter what you hear just keep running. You got that?" He patted my head and hugged me for the very last time. I think I faintly heard him say Goodbye, but I couldn't quite make them out under the slur of his words. It was as if he was trying to say more than one thing at a time but sadly time was what we didn't have at the moment. All we could do was stare at each other as if we could read the others thoughts of good luck and hope of safety. Was he really going to fight off these Desains all by himself? He's a fool thinking he could stop them alone, but I couldn't bring myself to say that to him. That's the last thing I wanted to say to him.

"Understood," I said in a offhand way. After nodding my head I heard a Desian soldier call out to other guards to shoot anyone who got in their way. Soon after, they moved in around us. Dammit! We're traped. I started to hyperventilate until something caught my interest out the corner of my eye. It looked to be a small hole in the wall that was caused by an explosion that recently had occurred. Luckily it was about 20 feet away from my position and I had confidence in myself that I could make it through the wall before I was killed. I raced for the hole in the wall as gun shots were being aimed in my direction. Dagran yelled out, "Go," and soon after I began running for my life.

Yet once I was out I had a strange feeling. It felt as though I was dragging my feat, forcing myself to remain there. If I left, this would be the very last time to see him. No. I had to keep reminding myself that I had to keep going, yet my fears were awakened as I heard a bone chilling scream that caused me to question my selfish actions for leaving and letting others die for me. I often looked behind my shoulder but the tears running down my face made it uneasy for me to see clearly.

I knew he was dead. There is no going back for me or anyone else. This is the path we all chose and now I am responsible for the deaths of innocent people. It's my entire fault. I'm so sorry Dagran. Farewell everyone…

It had begun raining since I stopped under an oak tree to regain my breath. My legs took me as far as I was able to reach, hopefully far enough to remain hidden. Yet I was still able to hear the faint sound of screaming behind me. I chuckled,"Apparently not." After finally looking around at the area I was unfamiliar with, things had begun to catch my eye. Trees, bushes, even small shrubbery seemed as if they stretched for miles on and never ended. Small insects were on the grassy floor, and birds chirped in the surrounding trees as if they were never informed of the dangers around them. "Where to now," I told myself.

Black smoke had begun to rise in the midnight sky along with the smell of burning flesh, rotting corpses, and the strong scent of blood. Keep going. You can't stop here and risk being found.

When I felt as though I could keep going I kept running farther away from the area. This place was surrounded with nothing but death. I hated it. I wished for it to all go away. I didn't want to remember what happened this night or any other night.

As I continued to run, persistent thoughts were invading into my head. I imagined everyone's death as they helped me escape. Did they really have enough trust and faith in me? Where did they think I was going to go now? I haven't been outside of the accursed place unless I was forced to do relentless amounts of labor, which was an area that was still blockaded by iron fences and tons of watching guards, who obviously didn't pay attention to our welfare.

I was so focused that I couldn't sense the danger in front of me that I ended up tripping over a fallen, decaying log and hit my head on the cold forest floor. Get up! You want to live don't you? "I can't stop now. I won't let their deaths be in vain. I will make them all pay for what they did to us." I swore under my breath and picked up my bruised and blood covered self. My legs were trembling and I wasn't sure how long I had been running for or how many miles I had run. All I knew was that I was in an unsafe area that and had no idea of what was hidden in this forest.

Just then, something moved in the bushes too fast for me to recognize. I slowly looked over my shoulder and saw a hungry looking spider glare at me. My body felt as if it weighed a ton and no matter what I told myself I couldn't move from this spot, so I ended up crawling backwards, using my hands and feet to get as far away from the hazardous species in front of me. The spider moved closer to me and before I knew it I began screaming for help. I didn't think anyone would hear or even care if someone like me died.

The spider gnarled at me in hunger and in its eyes I saw myself; a fragile girl with unkempt brunette hair that reached 3 inches past her shoulders. The torn, grayish clothe she was wearing had holes just about everywhere and bruises and cuts that were shown in almost every visible place. Thankfully the clothe covered up the important parts. She had no shoes, no friends (that she knew were still alive or not), and no home or place to call her own. The only thing she knew for certain was the look of terror in her eyes. I didn't want to look at that girl. I didn't want to look at myself.

I ended up covering my face with my fore arms to try and offer myself some protection from the attack, even if it would have been ineffective and pointless. "Demon Fang," said a voice call out from behind me. The beast's body started to fade away while it screeched out loud in pain. Somehow, someone had saved me from that monster. I tried to turn and look at the one who saved me, but before I could the world around me went pitch black.

End of Prologue

Note: I did intend to make the beginning very vague, but in the soon to come chapters things will become very obvious.