Prologue – The Dream

Shadows. That is all I can see, both behind and ahead of me. It seemed if I stopped moving even for a second, they will consume me in their endless void of blackness. So I kept running. Running through the darkness, hoping to see a light, no matter how small it was. Just a way to know that everything would be over soon. That the shadows would go away.

But there was no light. As I kept running, I was loosing hope. Loosing hope meant that they would win. They would win a war I could not let them win. But either way, whether I kept running or I stopped and was ingested into the shadows, they would win. They always won.

There was nothing else, except for black, I didn't know whether I was running forward or back. The shadows had that effect on people.

The people who come here… when they let go. I wasn't letting go, so I didn't know why I was here. I didn't know exactly why I was running, only that I was and that I had to escape, before I was gone.

Before everything was gone.

It happened unexpectedly. One minute, I was convinced that all hopes were lost; the next, a blinding glow lit up in the nothingness I was trapped in. I saw a figure in front of me, so close that I almost bumped into it. I slowed, knowing that as long as this light was there, that I wouldn't be harmed.

The figure was smiling. He had a nice face, a good face, a face of the light side… as if the blinding white wings that sprouted out of his back wasn't an indication. I couldn't register what he exactly looked like at first, but then I saw.

And I recognized the figure.

And I gapped at the figure.

It was Jesse.

He held out a hand to me, his smile turning into a full-fledged grin. I took his hand, smiling a little myself, I was no longer afraid of the shadows. Not when Jesse was here, in this dark nightmare.

He didn't seem to notice me looking at his chest. Because I was, I am ashamed to say. He didn't notice the other fact, that now my usually cream face was scarlet in embarrassment, he only looked ahead.

And in the next moment, we were running again. He never let go of my hand, but gripped it tighter in his own, it was warm, and gave me pleasant chills up my spine. A good omen.

As we ran, I felt lifted. Jesse's light was bright enough to make the shadows flee, they did it almost politely… as if he were a god. Are god's good looking?

Nah Suze, their ugly obnoxious guys.

I should have this dream more often…

No, bad Suze. I hated this place, I had had this dream every night, reoccurring…

But never with him.

With Jesse, the fear flew out of me as fast as my chestnut hair was flying behind me whilst we were running. Looking up at him again, he appeared as if he were enjoying himself, a smirk was plastered onto his good-looking face and he looked determined to get out… to get me to safety.

I relaxed, both mentally and physically, I didn't feel winded to my surprise, I never really was a good runner, but I felt a strange adrenaline… power… pump through me as I ran, as if it revived me more than exhausted me.

When I averted my gaze towards him, I saw that we were slowing, his face was as relaxed as I felt, as if we did this all the time.

We came to a halt, stopping so abruptly that I almost skidded into the shadows further. But his large arms caught me in time to stop that from occurring. One second, I was looking down, ready to gaze up at him, the next moment, I was pulled in.

Into his arms, not into the shadows, the large, tanned arms that had held me rooted on the spot, were now wrapped protected around my waist. My nose practically banged into the place where his shirt was open and I blushed the colour of cherries. I heard him sigh vaguely, but I wasn't really listening, my head was now buried into him, and my arms around him as he had his around me.

Now if Jesse could do this more often in real life, I would die a happy girl.

Oh geez, this next part would have to be the most embarrassing moment of my life. I looked up at Jesse, expecting to see dark brown eyes filled with love and warmth.

But instead, I raised my head to Paul Slater.

I know, I was shocked, devastated even. I should have known my dreams would change, nothing was ever perfect in Susannah Simon's life. But…

This. Gawd. I had to remind my tiny, stunned brain that this couldn't possibly be true, Paul Slater was back in Seattle, with his family. Not here, with me.

But the dream didn't end, or change at all. We were just standing there, me staring dumbstruck at Paul and Paul smirking down at me with a look that says I'm-a-big-bad-shifter-oppose-me-if-you-dare.

Oh, I dared, I dared alright.

My arms that were around him, suddenly dropped to my sides, I stopped struggling to find the right spot in the warmth his embrace provided and I let my body become fully still.

Paul looked down at me curiously, but taken aback as well. When he released me, I stepped back, so I could stare at him properly.

I glared. 'What the hell were you doing!' I demanded angrily, I didn't know why I was angry… oh yeah, he took advantage of me, and for the obvious fact that he was the Spawn of Satan. Now I remembered. I flicked some of my hair behind my back, frowning.

His eyes were alight with something different. It didn't look like rage, or fury, but amusement. I crossed my arms over my chest, looking down at what I was wearing.

I looked fine, I was dressed in a pair of levis jeans and a black halter neck top, my feet were slipped tightly into a pair of mules. I thought myself to be presentable.

Now Paul was laughing, what was so damn funny? I didn't do anything, I mean, sure I had just asked him what the hell he was doing, but what was funny about a girl rejecting him? Sore loser!

Though I guess I wasn't really rejecting him. I couldn't take this anymore. I had to get away from his laughter, I think at that moment I was the sore loser.

So I did the thing any girl who was facing embarrassment would do, I ran. Ran back into the shadows, picking up speed at quite a fast pace, I could hear him behind me, yelling out my name, I couldn't have cared less why, but he did.

'Suze! Suze, come back, I'm sorry!' But I was too far gone, soon his voice faded.

And I was alone again.

AN: So… that is the first chapter of my – and CharityGoddess's – new creation. I think it's alright for a prologue, but I don't want to base it on just Mercy and my thought's so it would be great if you reviewed and told me what you think. The next chapter is coming up and it should be quite longer as well, if that's what you want. I think that can be our poll for today:

Approximately how many pages do you want each chapter of this story to be? It can't be too long because then updates would become slower, and I don't think you peeps want that, so, just tell us how many. If your interested, that is. If not, I will just assume around four pages for each chapter.

Over and out.

Mercy and Ja.