Prologue

He stood in front of me with a small grin on his radiant face. His hand rested on the top of my head and he closed his eyes. The sound of popping bones shook in my back but I couldn't feel the pain of it. It only took me a second to realize he was taking away the pain, enduring it himself. Nothing but admiration and great gratitude washed through me. His lips moved softly, muttering muted words that my ears couldn't pick up. When he moved his hand to my side, he opened his eyes. "There, son. You've got them back…"

"So I'm free then, huh?"

He pressed his lips into a hard, thin line, shaking his head slowly. My gratitude faded. "What is it then? Why am I stuck here?"

He folded his hands together, staring at me solemnly. "You still have other tasks at hand…You're not finished yet."

"Then why have I been given my-"

"Because, He decided to make the choice."

"Of course," I muttered, crossing my arms over my chest in smothered resentment. "Gabriel, just tell me what I have to do…I just want to go and be free."

"Don't resent Him. He's doing this to-"

"To test me, yeah, I know."

Gabriel's eyes held nothing but sadness in them; pity. "You are going to protect someone. That's all you have to do…"

"Protect someone?" I asked, steel in my voice. "Wasn't I the one who was endangering those? So why should the predator become friends with the prey?"

"Because the predator has become the prey."

I rolled my eyes. "As if that would ever happen. I already have this little game figured out…"

Gabriel smirked, the slightest hint of arrogance bleeding through the smile. "Well then you should come out of this a champ."

"Don't I always?"

Searing pain bloomed in front of my eyes like flowers- slow and long. The air in my lungs ceased and my knees gave out beneath me. "Do not take His gift for granted now. If I were given the choice, I would have kept you down there…always chasing. Always looking from the outside in…I would have kept you stripped of it all."

Clutching my stomach, I wheezed, "Well, it's not your choice, now is it?" More pain, more suffocation. All around me the world shook with the mass of an unspoken power. Just like that, the pain was gone, as if it was never there. Gabriel smiled at me happily, like he wasn't the one who inflicted the pain on me. "Good luck, son…the name will easily come to you."

Without even a wave I walked away from him, knowing he was the one who needed the luck.

Chapter 1

"Emma, stop!" Mom screeched, grabbing my arm and pulling me back just in time for an eighteen wheeler to haul past me. Mom placed her hand on her heart and shook her head slowly. "You scared the living day lights out of me, Emma. Why don't you watch were you're going, huh? You know, I wont be with you one day and you're not gunna be paying attention and then-boom," she punched her left hand with her right fist. "I wont have my little girl any more. Then whose going to do the dishes?" A small smile tugged and the corners of her lips. She was trying to lighten the moment-for her, any ways- but it was evident that she was still freaking out. "Chill, ma. If all else fails, I'll be sure to bring Sasha with me. No biggie," I shrugged, smiling back at her.

Mom rolled her eyes. "What do you mean 'bring Sasha'? That girl is way too busy checking out males."

"Well then I'll be sure to have her seduce a strong guy that way he can follow us everywhere and save me when I come to another near-death incident, alright? Now, can we cross the street or are we going to stand here all day? Cause, frankly, I want to go across this street to that pizzaria. I am starving."

After my rant, we crossed the street quickly, blushing and waving quickly to the honks that were directed towards us. Even nine feet away from the pizza shop, I could smell the pizza, and I would of sworn that my mouth turned into a waterfall. Mom giggled and took a huge bite out of her abnormally large slice of abnormally great pizza. "Mmmm…."She groaned, closing her eyes. I smiled at her. A person would think, that after eighteen years of this on almost every other Saturday, she'd get used to the great pizza, but I've been proven wrong on several accounts.

But then again, I couldn't blame her for always acting this silly. Especially lately.

Ever since I graduated high school, and have been getting ready for college at Hallmark Institute of Photography, she's been all sorts of silly. And she's been just blowing money left and right. Every other second, 'Oh, honey look at this, it's adorable! Don't you think so? I think it'd look great in your apartment. Oh, can you believe that you're getting an apartment? Oh, my baby girl is growing up! But you know, you could always stay with me. I don't mind at all, sweet heart. Okay then, let's buy this-oh, how much is it? Only forty bucks? Well, that's not much at all!!! I get that in one hour!!' Then I'm stuck feeling bad when I tell her to stop then she pulls the 'this is the least I can do' bit. Talk about a guilt trip.

The wind blew lightly, bringing with it newly fallen leaves. Of course, the trees that were just everywhere had about a million leaves on them, but fall was just around the corner, so the chill in the air was a nice touch. "So, Emma, what do you want to do today? Huh? Some shopping, go to the park-OH! Maybe we could go look at some cars, hhhmmm? Wouldn't that be great to drive into college with a new shiny car?"

I glanced at mom wearily, "Mom, please I'm begging you. That's enough shopping. No car. I have my own-"

"But doesn't it-"

"-and it works like a charm." I softened my tone a touch. "C'mon ma. You're freaking me out, you know that? It makes me feel like you're sending me off to war or something, so you try to get me all the luxuries in the world before I go and get shot. I'm going to college. I'll be right off the highway. Not far from you. I'll be in an apartment. Not far from you. And I'll be so absolutely sure to visit you with any chance I get. You never acted like this when I went to high school-okay, a little. Calm down." I smiled at her, "You wont lose me. I'll still be here. I'll still be me. Alive, and breathing."

She rolled her eyes spite the pooling tears in them. "Oh, as if, honey. I'm sorry to say, but you are so prone to death, it's not even funny."

"But yet I recall you laughing on several accounts."

"Well, yeah. It's call hysterical relief."

"Ma, come on. I don't think I'll be dying any time soon. If so, I would of already been dead."

She flinched.

The wind blew again, this time taking our paper plates with it. They lifted aggressively and swooped like airplanes. Standing up, we both scrambled to snag them. Unfortunately though, I tripped over my chair and fell flat on my face. "Emma!" Mom laughed in exasperation, if that was even possible. Hands helped me up and brush me off. "Thanks, ma, but I'm sure I know how to peel myself off of the ground."

"Uh…" Mom droned. I laughed and turned, planning to ask if that's all she had to say, but it wasn't mom. Mom wasn't even the one who helped me up. It was some guy, with blond hair and grey eyes. Like, really grey eyes. Not dull, but bright, and dark. I don't know, just grey. His mouth pulled up in a smirk. He held out the paper plates, "This yours?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, thanks." I took them and tossed them in the trash.

"Anytime." He replied. Was it me, or was there a double meaning to his word? "I'm Chase."

"What?" I asked.

He placed his hand on his chest and pronunciated his words. "I'm. Chase."

"Oh…" I scowled. "I'm Emma…er…Thank you, by the way."

"For?"

"Uh…for helping me up?"

He smiled, "As I recall, you know very well how to peel yourself off the ground…right?"

I turned to mom, who just shrugged. "Yeah…right. Well, still, I appreciate it…"

"Well then you're still welcome."

For some reason, I really wanted to punch him in the face. It was easy to tell that he had this great air of arrogance and pride to him. I wanted to punch him in the face so bad. His smile widened, as if he saw that he was pissing me off. "Well, I have to go now," I muttered, my voice edged in steel. "It was, uh, nice…meeting you…I guess…" Yeah, I lied, I know.

"Is it? You looked pretty pissed off to me."

"Yeah, well like I said, I have to go."

"Most definitely pissed off." He laughed. I turned my back to him and walked off with mom, ignoring him. "I'll see you later!" He called. I flicked him off.

Jerk.

so hey, tell me what you think please!!!