"Christine! Christine!" John shouted my name at me. I turned to look at him, breaking my stare from my 'promised' one. John's bright blue eyes were clouded over with desperation and fear. Good. He should be scared. In fact, he should be terrified right now; not only of my promised one, who stood near, watching protectively. But of what I was going to do to him right now; I was tired of the lies and the hurt. I squeezed the handle of the knife tighter in my hand. John noticeably flinched even though I know he was trying with all his might to act like a rough and tough guy. Would I really do it? I turned my gaze back to my promised one. He smiled the sick smile that I've come to know. And love.

"Do it. End the lies, darling," he said softly as he reached out to touch my cheek. I leaned into his touch.

"Christine," John said slowly as he tried to get my attention back to him. "Babe…..Honey….." I reluctantly turned my attention back to him. "Sweetie…..I need you to think about what you're doing right now. I know that…he….has filled your head with all sorts of ideas…but, babe…."

I wasn't listening. I was never going to listen to him again. I didn't need to anymore. I, apparently, was the 'chosen one'; he had been waiting for me. I had been promised a better life a long time ago; my life had already been planned out for me and I hadn't ever had a clue.

I had been wasting my life waiting for John to propose and settle down. Since high school, John has been the popular guy who is great at everything and everyone loves him. And I've been the perky, pretty cheerleader who never left his side. I never left him; even when he went to bed with another woman, I forgave him and stood by his side. Through everything. I never left John's side but I could never figure out why he wouldn't commit to me. He said he loved me. Said that he would always love me. But why no commitment? Why couldn't he promise me?

"Don't do this, Chrissy!" John's voice was starting to gain a desperate edge to it; almost a tone. Where was that desperation and adoration the past year? Somewhere in the back of my twisted mind, I knew that what had promised to me wasn't true; that it was all I lie intended to get me away from John. I finally broke my gaze away from my promised one. I turned back to John, holding the handle of the knife even tighter than just a few moments ago.

"Chrissy, honey. I want you to put that down. You don't want to hurt me—"

"You hurt her, John. She gets to hurt you—fair is fair," my beloved promised one called out to him.

Deep down inside there was a part of me that knew that John loved with me with all he had. But I had stopped listening to the rational part of my brain a while ago. My promised one has brainwashed me. Is it really being brainwashed, though, if you're conscious of what used to be your right and wrong? It felt like I was still capable of managing my own thoughts. I couldn't think right now. I glanced down at the knife in my hand. It was all too confusing to try and sort out right now.

My promised one moved away from his brethren and reached out for me again. I leaned into his embrace as his strong arms rested on my waist. "Darling….time is wasting…..You are the chosen one. You are the one who has been promised to me and I have been promised to you. Your kiss could save the world, but you and I both know what you should do. End the lies. He's spent his entire life lying to you. Break away from the lies and the pain and the hurt. End it," his words faded to a whisper as he placed a soft kiss on my forehead and then slowly backed away, smiling that sinister smile, leaving me to do what I had been intended to do all along.

I smiled and raised the knife…