Chapter 1: The Crystal

APOV

I grabbed my notebook, pencil and music player. I quick told my mom that I was headed out and closed the front door of my house and took off toward the ecological park. When I got there it seemed nobody was there.

"Perfect I'm alone today" I thought to myself. I wonder around for about ten minutes then I found a "Sitting Place." It was by a tree with a low branch and it was thick so my butt wouldn't hurt if I sat down. The tree was blocking the sun so it was cool but there was just the right amount of light so I could see what I was writing. Also it was by a stream but yet surrounded by flowers and other trees. I loved these kinds of places nothing but nature. In the future I hoped nobody would cut down this small park. But I know that was a hope that would fail. In about ten years maybe it would be cut down. The thought made me queasy. Of course in ten years I will be 24 and probably be out of the state. I mean don't get me wrong I love Kansas but it's just I want to be more I want to be famous author and for that I will move out east. That's where they all go. I think.

I grabbed the notebook and started writing. The characters came alive and my hand moved on it own. Words and words spilled on the page.

Samantha started into her own eyes. That could not have been her eyes it just couldn't have been. Under her eyes there were bags and her eyes looked black. It was caused by the same nightmare that dwelt in her sleep. She was running into the forest the deadly man and his horse right on her heals. He caught up to her and pushed her onto the ground. Her vision became blurry her eyes swelled with tears.

"Please Daniel!" She begged for her life. It wasn't her fault she dumped the loser. He had done drugs and now he was about to kill her. He held the knife up to her throat it barley pierced her skin making blood drip down her throat He chuckled and brought the knife deeper and clear across her throat. Then she woke up. It was always the same, the same knife, the same person, the same horse, and the same forest. What scared her the most was it made sense. Her family was going camping near by but it was also by the horse camp that Daniel was going to be at this summer. She broke up with him a week ago because she saw him smoking and doing bad drugs. HE said it wasn't his fault it was his friends. HE said they made him do it. She said it was a bunch of bull. Samantha who never got scared of anything was scared of her ex. She was scared to go on the trip. She HAD to get out of the trip she just HAD to.

I stopped writing and looked up at the sun it was just turning red and orange. She had about an hour before it got dark. She ripped the crystal off her neck and went to the nearest bridge. She placed it in front of her and held it out. She dropped it and it landed peacefully into the water.

Flashback:

"I'm home" my dad yelled down the hall.

"Dad!" I yelled coming toward him.

"I brought you something back from India" Her father handed her a pink crystal that must have cost a fortune.

"Dad I love it" I hugged him

"I'm glad kido" He replied

He never spoke to me again he just left that night without another word. I haven't seen him since. It's been three years I tried calling him but he would never answer and soon his number became disconnected. The crystal was just a nasty reminder of him and now it was gone. I leaned on the bridge and stared at the crystal the sun making sparkle.

"What are you doing?" A boy's voice asked. I jumped a bit then turned around.

The boy was about 6 years old. He had green pleading eyes and brown curly hair that hung in his face.

I smiled at him. "Just thinking" I replied answering his question.

"What about" He asked.

"Max your sister is looking for you everywhere you're going to be in so much trouble!" A boy with long blonde curly hair with golden eyes and he looked about my age. He came running up to us. Max hid behind me as he approached.

"But you two were talking and I saw this girl all alone so I came to talk to her" He protested

The boy looked up at me like he just noticed I was there. "So you were all alone huh" He smirked. I rolled my eyes and looked down at Max.

"Lets go find your sister she must be worried sick" I let him hold on to my elbow as we approached his sister.

She had long black hair that was up in a braid and was wearing some black clothes. She was so beautiful it made me jealous. "Oh my Angel Thank you, you are a lifesaver" She sighed. She took a hold of her brother's hand. Max slid out of her grip and handed me a piece of paper.

"Call me if you're ever alone again" He said seriously. I laughed and nodded my head.

"I will make sure I do that" I laughed "And if you ever need a friend or someone to talk to here's mine" I gave him a ripped piece of notebook paper with my number on it. His smile grew bigger and nodded his head.

"I'm sorry we really have to get going" The girl looked at her watch and sighed. "Nice to meet you and thanks again" She said as she took Max's hand and took off. I sighed and turned around. Behind her was the same boy that called after Max. His face was so close I could kiss him...WAIT snap out of it I thought to myself.

"Oh my gosh don't do that" I gasped pushing him away.

"I see some enjoyment in doing it though" He shrugged "I'm Jace short for Jason but let's never call me Jason"

OMG I love that name! Wait stop it. I mentally slapped myself."I hate that name" I lied.

"Hmm" was all he said. There was a long silence but finally he broke it. "what's your name?"

"Oh look at the time I better get going. I laughed and grabbed my stuff and walked away. I didn't get very far before he grabbed my wrist.

"At least tell me your name" He asked.

I thought about it then finally answered his question. "A" I simply said "That's all you need to know."

I walked away from the dumbfounded Jace and laughed mentally.

JPOV

I watched as the girl with dirty blonde hair walk away. Her brown eyes were deep and I felt as though I would get lost in them. Her skin was as if it got kissed by the sun. Something caught my eye it flashed and in that moment thousands of diamonds danced everywhere. I looked into the stream beneath the water was a tear shaped crystal lying peacefully in the water. HE reached as far as he could and retrieved it out of the water. Could it be A'S? I wondered. Maybe this was the break he was looking for.