A/N: Hi People

A/N: Hi People!! I started this story like a year ago, but I got so caught up in my schoolwork that I put it aside for a long time. This summer, I just felt inspired to rewrite and finish it. I think it'll probably be done around the end of August, so it's still a work in progress. I hope everyone enjoys it, and if anyone wants to chat or message me, that would be awesome because I love making new friends!

-Rootbeer Chick

To Break and Build: Prologue

The wind whipped around Allie's hair, idly tossing her loose blonde strands as it blew southward. The girl watched the unseen force of nature rustle the leafy treetops and brush over the ground so that each tiny blade of grass waved to her in the breeze. Breathing the cool air in and out through her nose in an effort to relax, she let her shoulders slump for a brief moment of peace.

"Thank God midterms are over. They definitely weren't good for my blood pressure."

Allie cracked a wry smile at her silent thought before swiping her hair away from her face. This did little good, however, as the wind seemed intent on mussing it up. She gave up and turned around to gaze back down the cobblestone pathway leading up from Bakersfield College, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth as she debated whether or not to head back to campus. It was one of those days when she wished she could just walk away from that series of brick buildings and escape. Down that sloping hill, more harrowing exams, pompous teachers, and upcoming drunken parties awaited her, and she wanted to forget all this for awhile.

Allie swallowed hard, trying to dissolve the aching lump that formed at the back of her throat. Thoughts began to flash through her mind as she looked back on her disaster of an afternoon. The ticking of the clock in the exam room, each click of the second hand amplifying in volume as she stared desperately at the blank sheet of paper in front of her. That damn lump, pressing against her windpipe and nearly cutting off her air, and then those unbidden memories, tumbling through her head in a rush, paralyzing her so that she couldn't put pen to paper and write out an essay about the War of 1812. Her past assaulting her present…again. "Not the time. Block it out. Deal with it later." And so she fought a battle in her mind, finally killing those bad thoughts. Her exam, unfortunately, had been another casualty of that fight, as she had been so intent on keeping her breathing steady that she had barely written a paragraph come the end of the class period.

Her throat was burning now, threatening to explode, and she could feel salty water droplets begin pool at the back of her eyes. "Stop it. Stop it. Stop it."
Her own voice growled a mantra over and over in her head. Finally, in an act of desperation, Allie grabbed a fistful of skin on her wrist and pinched hard, allowing her fingernails to dig in. At first, she felt nothing, then finally a sharp sting that made her gasp a bit in shock. The tears receded as the new feeling beat them back. "Success among a world of failures," she mused.

Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she caught a quick flash of light from between the trunks of the trees. Startled, she released the death grip on her arm and turned, but the brightness had gone as quickly as it had come. Was it just the sun glinting off the ground? Allie wistfully hoped it was something more. But…what was there to hope for in a simple glow? She stared at the spot until her eyes bugged out, as if the force of her gaze alone might ignite a new spark in all that black shade. Shaking her head at herself, she sighed. "You're crazy." Reluctantly, she turned away and headed down the incline, rubbing her newly bruised flesh as she made her way back, towards, she supposed, home.

Allie, however, had not imagined what she saw, and though her footsteps led her away from that glade, the light in the trees reappeared all the same, shimmering a bit before taking on a clumsy shape. The angel squinted against the shadows, which contrasted sharply with the brightness that she had just emerged from. Smiling nonetheless, she wandered towards the forest's exit, wondering whom she would save next.

Monica walked briskly through the crowds of chatting students, eyes scanning the bustling campus for any sign of her newest colleague. She tried to push down the mounting worry.

"Monica!"

The voice called out to her from the left, and as she squinted through the mass of bodies, Monica saw her friend waving frantically in her direction.

"Gloria," she murmured, breathing a sigh of relief. She waited patiently as her fellow angel began to hurry towards her, nearly slamming headfirst into a throng of boys wrestling and slapping shoulders. When Gloria reached her, Monica quickly grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her into a fierce hug.

"And just where have you been?" She admonished gently. "We were all supposed to meet at the café an hour ago. Tess was not pleased, to say the least." Monica pulled away from the shorter angel and looked her in the eyes. Gloria shrugged her shoulders and grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to make you guys worry. I went to the wrong place. I, well, ended up in the woods off campus."

Monica laughed in spite of herself at her friend's faulty sense of direction. "Alright, come on."

Tugging on Gloria's wrist so she wouldn't get separated, the more experienced angel maneuvered her way back in the direction of Scoot's Bakery and Café, a small restaurant on the edge of campus that was also evidently a popular student hangout. As the two entered, they spotted clusters of young men and women huddled together in the red leather booths, chatting excitedly over hot fudge sundaes and cheeseburgers. Gloria shrank back at the sight of Tess, who was sitting beside Andrew at a table far off in the corner of the café. The older angel had spotted her and was already shaking her head and frowning.

Monica turned and smiled at the angel's anxious expression. "Time to face the music," she teased, pulling her friend over to the table.

"And just where have you been off to, little angel?" Tess scolded, her eyes turning to slits as she scrutinized her colleague.

Gloria bowed her head. "Got lost." She replied.

Andrew tried to suppress a chuckle. Gloria's meek, two-word answer testified to Tess's ever-present hold over their group, as the youngest angel usually tended to go into long-winded explanations when given the chance. "You think this is funny, angel boy?" Tess barked, her voice rising as she cocked one eye over at the blonde man sitting next to her. "This little girl had better find her sense of direction soon, or she'll be keeping us waiting on every assignment we get!"

Gloria plopped down across from Tess, leaving room for Monica to slide in after her. "Well, here I am ready to start the case," she chirped brightly. "So what is our next case, anyway?"

Tess rolled her eyes at the deliberate change in subject but let it go. "Alright, we best get back on schedule. Our assignment is a student here at the college. Her name is Allie Parker."

Monica leaned forward, face full of interest and predetermined concern. "How can we help her? What does she need?" she asked.

Tess frowned at this, reaching out to grasp her charge's hand. "The thing is, Baby, the Father hasn't really given us a lot of information on this case. All I know is that the young lady is a freshman here, and she's, well… deeply troubled by memories of her past. But what kind of memories….that I can't say. I do know, however, that He wants us to get to know her, to observe her. He wants us to find the answers this time."