~*~*~*~Reine De Méfait~*~*~*~

By: The Mistress

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the OCs…well that and the plot.

**Chapter 1-An Accursed Discovery**

~~~Angel's POV~~~

Hi, I'm Angel and I have just gotten into some seriously crazy shit! Seriously, I'm not even freakin' jokin' right now. I was just sitting there and then that weird guy showed up out of the blue-but then the craziest thing happened-….Okay…Let me just start-over here. My name is Angel Moseley and I have quite the story to tell. *sigh* and I hope it ends well, or at the very least not as bad as before.

Okay my story has a not so pretty beginning. It happens right after my mom dies. I mean it's not like that was a complete shock or anything because she'd been sick for a while and on top of that she was a heavy smoker so we'd known this was gonna happen for a while now. What was really shocking was that after Mom died the house I grew up in got taken away because my name wasn't on the deed, only Mom's was and now she's gone. I was really sad to see that old house go but it wasn't the end of the world. The people who were taking the house said I had three days to get anything of hers I wanted so there was that. Most of the stuff didn't have any sentimental or monetary value so I left it there. The only things I took were my Mom's big jewelry box, her two cameras, her computer, and of course her perfume. Her Chanel no.5, now that had some real sentimental value. Everyday or before she went out she'd always spray a little on, just so she smelt fancy she'd say.

But enough with memories past, back to the present-err…well back to the story at hand fits better here I guess. Regardless, after I packed up everything of value I took it to my boyfriend's apartment so it would be safe or so I stupidly thought. Ya see my wonderful boyfriend (please note heavy sarcasm) James Braxton was apparently a filthy, no-good, cheating, son-of-a-bitch! Why the name calling you ask? Because that man-whore deserves it that's why! While he and I were together he was secretly seeing some skanky silicone chested slut behind my back. And he decided to tell me this after my mom dies. What kind of sick fuck does that?! Well apparently the one I dated for four years! I mean I climb the long rickety set of stairs that lead to our apartment, get in the apartment, carefully set my deceased mothers things down, and finally collapse onto our beat up old couch. At this point I just want to roll over and sleep forever but I get up and start making dinner.

*sigh* There I was being a good little girlfriend making my ungrateful bastard of a boyfriend dinner, wondering where he was when all of a sudden BANG! The front door was practically thrown open and in stumbled a drunken James. That, now that wasn't what shocked me because James wasn't the…driest fellow you could know. What was surprising was the bottle blond that was pretty much glued to his side, giggling and stumbling along with him into the apartment.

A sudden and burning rage engulfed me like a tidal wave, I mean here I am cooking for this bastard after packing up my dead mom's stuff and in he stumbles drunk, not a care in the world, groping some blonde whore all while my world crumbles around me, not a thing I can do to stop it either. It feels like I'm totally helpless and there's nothing I can do. And I know I should have taken the high road and calmly asked James what was going on and asked him what he thought he was doing with this woman and overall kept a level head, but DAMMIT! I'm sick and tired of the high road!

I'm tired of doing what's right, of what's normal. And I think I might have snapped a little, because I blacked out for just a second but when I came back to myself I was screaming at a wide eyed James, I was asking him who this woman was, what the hell he was doing with her, why he was drunk, and what was going on. When the little worm did speak it was to try to stutter out some half assed explanation. And I know I asked him to explain himself but I swear the minute he opened his stupid mouth to start talking I wanted to gut out his vocal cords so he could never spew out lies EVER AGAIN!

I gritted my teeth together and was about to tell him to go ride a one horse open sleigh straight to hell but BlondieBimbo opened her over glossed lips and said in the most annoying voice ever, "Jamie I thought you already said you broke up with her, like weeks ago. What's she still doing here?" And I know it's cliché but I was speechless. I was really speechless, for a moment I could thing of nothing to say to either of them. And then that moment passed and I had a lot to say, quite loudly I might add.

I took a claming deep breath and screamed, "YA KNOW WHAT 'JAMIE'? YOU CAN ROT IN THE DEEPEST, DARKEST, DANKEST PIT IN THE SEVENTH LEVEL OF HELL!" I started grinding my teeth again even though I know it's a terrible habit to have. "And you can also cook your own damn food, clean your own damn apartment, and sleep around with any ol' WHORE you want to now because WE'RE FUCKING DONE!"

After thoroughly dumping his ass I stormed off to what was once 'our' bedroom and started packing my things up to leave. I didn't have a whole bunch so it didn't take long but it did fill up my whole car. The only part of my car that wasn't being taken up by boxes or bags was the driver seat. After packing up I left, and didn't look back. But in retrospect I probably should have because while in my little rage I left one single item behind by mistake, my mom's Chanel no.5 perfume. It must have accidentally fallen from the box that had the cameras and jewelry box in them.

Of course I didn't notice this til the next day after I found that crazy fucking-…well I'm getting ahead of myself here. Back to where I was. I had just left 'Jamies' apartment and was just driving, just driving aimlessly because I didn't have anywhere to go. I mean it wasn't just my Mom or anything because I have family, I have two sisters and a brother but they live very far away and my Dad, well he hasn't lived with us for years. My Dad lives in Tennessee now but even if he did live near by it would have been awkward, me just showing up out of the blue. He and I have never really been close. Don't get me wrong, I love my dad and I know he loves me, it's just we're just not…compatible I guess you could say. Our personalities clash and we don't have anything in common with each other; let's just leave it at that.

I get along pretty well with my sisters as long as there is more than one state between me and them and my brother…well I have no clue where he lives. Back when I was 19 he caught a severe case of the 'wander-lust' and just took off one day. He left a note that said he was going traveling and that he might be back one day but that was damn near five years ago. I like to think I'll see him again but I don't lose any sleep over the fact that I'm probably not going to.

Needless to say I was pretty much shit outta luck about now. It was dusk and I could only think of one place to go where I could calm my frayed nerves and relax, The Bonnbeau Cemetery. Now you're not supposed to be there after dusk so I parked my car in the shade of a little quick-stop store and walked the two blocks to the cemetery and hopped the closed fence. I wandered to the very back of the cemetery where they have a man made pond. There's this huge tree next to the pond with branches that are so long and heavy they hang really close to the ground, they're great for climbing from branch to branch.

I climbed from the lowest branch and kept climbing til I was about nine or ten feet from the ground. I found a semi-comfortable branch and settled in for a while. You could hear the frogs and crickets all around and in the pond, chirping and croaking like a strange nocturnal symphony. I closed my eyes and just listened, and I almost fell asleep when I heard a car engine, a really close one at that. I opened my eyes but stayed perfectly still so that I could see what was happening but what was happening couldn't see me.

A small non script Corolla with its lights turned off drove up next to the pond and parked close to a small bench resting below a tree and a man got out of the car and practically ran over to the bench and kneeled before it. I thought perhaps that he was going to start praying or something but instead he moved the bench aside and started digging with his bare hands. I guess once he dug down far enough (for him at least) he stopped and half heartedly attempted to wipe his dirtied hands on his pants before he started going through his pockets like he was looking for something. I don't think he found it because he started frantically searching though all his pockets and then jumped up and ran back to his little car.

He wrenched open the driver side door before rummaging through the small interior; searching, searching, searching for the mystery item. With a cry even I could hear from where I was at, he stumbled from his car and scurried back to the forgotten hole. He carefully sat whatever he'd retrieved from his car into the little hole like a delicate seed then covered it tenderly with soft dirt and patted it down for good measure. He then replaced the bench he had moved earlier and stood up and nearly sprinted back to his car, seemingly very eager to leave behind whatever was buried beneath that wrought iron bench.

I heard the sound of the guys engine fade further and further into the distance, and once it was completely silent in the cemetery again, except for the sound of the frogs and crickets, I nimbly descended the elderly tree and slowly walked over to the bench. Almost every step I tool was followed by a pause so I could hear if a car or an engine was approaching. Finally making it to the bench I quickly moved it so I could see what that guy was in such a rush to get rid of. I carefully dug into the fresh dirt and after a few seconds of digging my fingers brushed against fabric.

Confused I tugged on the fabric and it turned out the thing was a draw-string bag with something inside of it. I shook the dirt of before pulling the bag open and tipping the contents out into my waiting hand. It was a smallish box that vaguely resembled a tiny treasure chest. It even had the little clasp in front to keep the box closed. Upon closer inspection I noticed the box was quite the amazing piece of art. The box was a dark Ebony wood, so dark it was almost black, and on each side of the box was a small carving. On one side was a fearsome looking wolf howling at the sky, and on another side was a coiling snake with an open jaw ready to strike, and on the third was a horse with eight legs strangely enough, while on the last side was a sickly looking girl with wisps a what looked like smoke surrounding her, but the most amazing was the lid, it was of a grinning androgynous face with swirls of hair curling around the sides of the box that created a beautiful looking aesthetic.

I was so enthralled with the fabulous craftsmanship of the little box that I almost forgot to open it to see what was inside. Key word here being 'almost', for if I hadn't opened the box I'd still be asleep in a tree right now. But I guess it was a stroke of luck that I was curious enough (coughNOSYcough) to see what lied within said box. I finally tore myself away from the carvings and flipped up the clasp and the lid popped open revealing a pendant nestled on a bed of crushed velvet. The pendant was so beautiful I stopped breathing for a second. It was rectangular in shape, two inches wide and three inches high and looked and felt like solid silver. The edges of the pendant had a woven look to them and in the center were two snakes coiled together biting their own tales to create a large intricate 'S'. It was stunning, and I couldn't fathom why the man from earlier had abandoned such an amazing little box and an even more amazing necklace here in the ground in the middle of a cemetery.

I shrugged that thought off and lifted the beautiful piece of jewelry from its safe place and was surprised but pleased to see a glistening silver chain attached to the pendant. The necklace was so perfect that I had to try it on just in case that man came back with a changed mind and wanted it back. I sat the box on a soft spot of grass and stumbled over to the edge of the pond so I could look in the water and see my reflection after I tried it on. I unclasped the chain and re-clipped it around my neck then flipped my hair to make sure none got caught while I was putting the necklace on.

I leaned forward over the pond and caught my reflection. And I'm not trying to sound conceited but it looked fabulous on me. The small rectangular pendant rested just above my cleavage, drawing attention to it in a slightly seductive manner. I was admiring my mirror self when out of nowhere the chain shortened and got tighter than I was entirely comfortable with. It continued to tighten and choke me making me freak out. I started frantically tugging at the chain to either loosen it or tear it off completely, I didn't care which, I just wanted to get it off. I was gasping for air, desperately trying to get more oxygen in my lungs. The edges of my vision started to get dark meaning I was about to pass out, and I unknowingly stumbled into the pond and slipped in the mud making me fall backwards into the murky water.

I flailed in the water, and attempted to stand because the water was only about chest deep, but I couldn't get my footing on the slippery bottom of the pond. The black edges on my already hindered vision slowly got worse and my throat and lungs burned severely from the lack of air and finally I couldn't fight any more and I sank to the bottom. I could feel myself slipping into the blackness that surrounded me, but before my eyes slipped closed for what I thought was the last time, was that Mom was going to be very surprised to see me again so soon. And just like that I was gone, but what I didn't know was that the necklace that cut off my air supply was what was also keeping me alive although at the time it didn't seem so.

My motionless body was quite abruptly engulfed in an ethereal light which was coming from the necklace that was tightly wrapped around my neck. The light got so bright that it lit up the whole pond and if anyone had been within seeing distance of it they would have thought a sun had been born on earth, small but very bright, nearly blinding. And like it never happened the light was gone, receding back into the pendant while at the same time my seemingly lifeless body was lifted by an unseen force to float on the surface of the now docile pond. And that's where I stayed for the rest of the night, in a deep slumber that made me unable to be awoken by outside forces. And while to the grounds keeper, who found me, and the paramedic he called who looked me over, and even the mortician they sent me to who said I didn't need an autopsy because I had obviously drowned, I was 100% dead, Dead, DEAD! But those men were dead wrong. I was much more alive than I had ever been.

~~TBC~~

A/N- Well here's the revised version of TGWCDA,

although now the story is called Reine De Méfait.

I hope you people enjoyed the first chapter.