Prologue
The forest was beautiful. Just as beautiful as she'd imagined.
Perfect green trees surrounded everything. Tropical-looking flowers blossomed even though it wasn't Spring. Splashes of red, yellow, pink, and white dotted through the forest floor. A few stray bluebirds chirped, unaware of the hour. Crystal-clear water gushed through the middle of it all, reflecting the perfectly round moon.
She'd read about this place in the travel guides, but wow. It was something else in person.
The only thing that spoiled it all was her mood.
Because he was doing it again.
"You have to do it. Please..."
"I can't. I won't." She stood there, arms folded and lips pursed. This was the millionth time he'd asked. The answer would always be no.
"What about the ones who died that night? What about them?" His stormy gray-blue eyes beckoned her to understand. He seemed completely at a loss, and utterly without hope.
But she knew him. Knew he was putting on a show for her. Knew there was another way. There had to be.
And now he had pushed her too far. "We've been through this before. I said no, and that is my final answer." Her own voice was tinged with anger, rising above the sounds of the quiet forest night. "I'm tired of you pushing me around. Enough is enough. It's time for us to part ways."
He sounded surprised, the first real emotion he'd had all night. "What...?"
The sounds of snapping twigs and soft footsteps sounded behind them. "Oh dear...That is a problem..." A soft and sickly sweet female voice replied. "You see...he needs you to pull this off...and I need him. Plain and simple. You aren't going anywhere."
Her eyes widened. "You...?"
The branches nearby rustled and she snapped her head in the other direction. Something was in those bushes. A monster, maybe? No. It's presence wasn't sinister enough. But she'd had this odd feeling they had been being watched since they entered the area.
"I'm sorry...." He really did sound sorry this time as he sighed. "There just isn't another way...I hope you can understand that."
She started to shift her attention back to him. "I...."
There was a blinding flash of light and she felt a sharp blow to the back of her head.
He grunted in pain and her vision went black as he slumped to the ground.