Chapter 1

I leaned back against the trunk of my favorite elm tree and breathed in the warm, sweet Mississippi air. I loved the spring, the warm breezes carrying the scent of just bloomed flowers, the sounds of baby animals experiencing the world for the first time, and the fabulous spring gala that my family threw every year. I closed my eyes and listened to the soft chirp of a bird in the tree above me, it really was quite relaxing.

"Mary Alice! Mary Alice Brandon! Where are you?"

I groaned softly at the sound of my mother's panic filled voice. What now? I thought. Mother was always worrying about something and no matter how trivial it was she always made it sound ten times worse then it needed to be. I stood up and straightened out my dress and hair. My mother couldn't stand it if I didn't look perfect every second of every day.

"I'm right here mother," I said coming out from behind the tree and walking slowly toward her.

"I've been searching for you everywhere! Come quickly, William and his family will be arriving soon to discuss the details of your wedding. We need to get you ready."

She grabbed my hand and started to pull me quickly behind her. She hurried us across the front lawn, through the front door and into the house. She pulled me quickly up the curved staircase to my bedroom. As we entered she let go of me and headed toward my large walk-in closet. I sat down on the lilac colored, satin comforter that was draped over my bed and watched as my mother searched through my many dresses for the perfect outfit. I sighed and looked out the balcony window. My mother had been looking forward to this marriage literally since the day I was born. No one was surprised though, after all it was only proper that the two most prominent families in all of Mississippi should marry into one another. Needless to say that both families had been preparing for this day and now that it was nearly upon us everyone was scrambling about last minute details.

I stood as my mother emerged from the closet, dress in hand and started stripping me down as if I was an infant who couldn't dress herself. I thought about arguing with her about it like we always did when she got like this but decided against it. I had more important things to worry about like how I was supposed to pretend to love this man I barely new. I closed my eyes hoping to catch a glimpse of what the future would bring, but I saw nothing. I guess it was a good thing I didn't because if I did my mother would realize that I had lied to both her and my father when I told them that the visions had stopped. For as long as I could remember I had experienced glimpses of things that were going to happen before they actually did. When I told my parents about it they told me that I was just dreaming and that I shouldn't say such things, especially in public, or people would think I was crazy. I hated lying to them but I had no choice, I had seen where I would end up if I didn't. Scared and alone in a dark, cold place. I wasn't sure where I was in the vision but I knew that I was there because of them, and that it wasn't the dark that scared me, but the excruciating pain that I was in, like someone was burning me from the inside out. No, as much as I wanted to know the truth I couldn't do anything to let them know that I had lied.

Mother finished buttoning me up and led me to sit in front of my vanity. As she brushed my hair I looked up into the mirror and frowned. I did wish there was someone I could talk to about it all, especially because of the most recent vision I had, had.

The one that told me that something was coming for me, something bad, something evil, and it wasn't going to stop until it found me.