CHAPTER 1

It was a mid-summer morning, though, judging by the light shown through the clouds, one could argue that it was nightfall. Three boys were running from the warmth and comfort of one of the houses, to the cold adventurous rain and mud outside.

The oldest of the boys was Arnold. He had dark straight hair and brown eyes. At age 9 he was once convinced that there was another world in his closet. He was now 11, and was too old to believe in anything you couldn't prove. Following him were the twins. Jack and Joey were both blond hair blue eyed, both 10, and both afraid of Mary Poppins.

They all raced around the corner to the neighborhood park, jumping in puddles along the way, until Jack fell and cut up his knee. He called out to the other two who were already halfway down the block.

After they had stopped Jack from running home to cry, they decided to cut through the alley to save time.

This wasn't a new alleyway to them. They had been through here before; they even had a fort set between neighboring hedges! Of course that was before it was taken down by Mr. D, who valued his family's privacy.

He was an odd man, Mr.D. He and his family were never seen at church, and they hardly ever went to a school event unless their daughter or son was in trouble.

Their oldest son didn't even go to school! At least not Arnold's, which was not hard to believe seeing how his was the best in the county. Still the whole lot scared Arnold and the twins.

His house was the second house from the end on the left-hand side. They were three houses away. Two. One. They looked over to see their old fort, now reduced to a cracked board, which was leaned against an opening on the hedge.

The twins took to the opposite side of the alley, while Arnold went toward the hedge.

"Arrrnoold! Don't, we'll get in trouble!" Jack whined.

"Oh come on! It's ours anyway!" Arnold sneered.

" I dunno Arn. We have other boards why don't we just-" Joey started

"Come on! It is ours, and besides why do they need it!"

"But-"

"Chicken!" Arnold rolled his eyes and started pulling on the board. Joey and Jack were looking at him with a mixed look of admiration and deep concern, but where startled when Arnold dropped it abruptly back to the ground. He was staring through the hedge, and without breaking his gaze, he motioned to the twins.

Quickly, trying not to make a sound, they joined Arnold's side and stared at amazement and fear through the hedge.

There was a little girl. She had rich blond flowing hair, she was wearing a bright yellow dress without shoes and her bright blue eyes were fixed to the sky. As the rain fell past the top of the hedge, it turned into snow. Yet, it wasn't snow. She didn't seem cold or wet and she clearly wasn't dressed for the weather.

The three boys stood staring at this scene for what felt like hours, but finally Arnold ran through the hedge to the yard. He stepped into a pile of snow and felt warm flakes on his skin, but once the little girl looked around to him, it melted and turned back to rain.

" How'd you do that?" Arnold demanded.

She didn't answer, but her eyes were wide with terror.

"I asked you how you did that!" he gave a kind of warning in his tone as he stepped closer.

Again she said nothing, but stood there shivering. Her hair, so long and flowing before, was now plastered to her face from the rain. Again he moved closer, Jack and Joey close behind him.

"Do it again!" Joey ordered.

"Yeah. Do it again will you?" Arnold picked up the order. He was inches from her face now. She was shivering even more violently, but still said nothing.

Then she tried to turn to run, but Jack grabbed her arm and threw her back to the muddy earth. Arnold stepped over her and pushed her face further into the mud until she started to cough. She sat up, her face stricken with tears and mud. She started to scream, but Arnold quickly covered her mouth while he lifted her up and ran her though the hedge.

She was trying to kick, but was so scratched up by the hedge that it hurt to move. Arnold threw her on the gravel at the park beside the swings them kicked her in the ribs. Half of her was too hurt to scream, the other half was too scared.

Jack was next. He punched her in the face and stomped on her ankle. This time the girl let out a high pitched scream, but it was conveniently drown out by thunder.

Jack and Joey hoisted her into a swing, where Arnold twisted the chain around her left wrist tightly. Once they deemed it secure enough they started to push her on the swing then kicked her off. There was a clearly heard snap and a horrible scream of pain.

The boys looked around to make sure they weren't being watched, and then exchanged horrified looks before running home.

The girl was left lying in the gravel silently sobbing. She was doubled over, holding her left arm in her right. Her arm was bleeding from the chains, and swollen like her ankle. Her face and hair was covered in blood and mud. Her favorite Easter dress was torn. She was shaking horribly violent. She started coughing uncontrollably. The pain in her body surged through her as she coughed and shook. She wanted desperately to be found. Her head throbbed continuously until she slipped into darkness.

"Ariana?" a sweet but distant voice said. It must be an angel. Then Ariana heard the "must be" angel start to cry.

"Sweetheart, she'll be ok." A closer man spoke gently.

Suddenly she was aware that she was warm and on something soft. And for one moment, she was at complete bliss. However, once she came to this comfort, everything that had happened to her with those boys came rushing back to her.

She couldn't contain it.

She screamed.

Every muscle in her body tensed as her voice carried in the tiny hospital room. She fell silent to the touch of a soft trembling hand. As she opened her eyes she saw her mother looking down at her. Right next to her mother was Ariana's father. Both had tears streaming out of their eyes.

Ariana looked around the little room as her mom stroked her face. It was small, but it was a private room. The walls of the room were pale yellow, and at the corner of her bed was the face of a young boy. He wore a worried expression which made him look ten years older than he was.

She looked deeply into his watery blue eyes. His straight and ear-length blond hair was shadowing his face making him look a lot like one of the boys that attacked her.

She screamed. He moved closer to her right, the shadows vanished, and he placed his hand by her side. Ariana could see tears dripping down his cheek. She stopped. Then, lifted her hand slightly and placed it on his. She looked at her parents once more before drifting back to sleep.