Chapter 1

I saw blood, all around me, a mans body was laying there, right in the middle of the blood pool. I couldn't see his face. It was as if there was a cloud of smoke right around it. There was a small dagger plunged into his side, I turned around, I heard a woman's screams, and a baby's cry, then church bells. I turned back to the man, but he wasn't there, he vanished. I couldn't take it anymore. I began running, I ran faster than I could ever have imagined. I couldn't be bear the thought of him there, laying there on the ground, right at my feet. My head throbbed, my throat was on fire, I couldn't breathe, but I couldn't stop. I just couldn't. I saw a light, it came nearer to me, it glowed, a very pleasing glow. And then...

I woke up. Laying on the green grass under the old oak in the garden ,with a book next to me. I have been having the same nightmare for years, and I still haven't understood why. It always ended with the light. I looked up and saw the sky, it was painted pale pink with streaks of blue, I could see a really dull outline of a crescent moon in the distance, it was if it was hiding. I had to laugh, the moon hiding? I could hear the birds chirping, they had a world of their own, they were busy soaring through the sky. It was spring, flowers were blooming, I saw buds on the trees, and the mating season began. It had been over a month since I last saw Jace, my fiance, he had gone of to war, leaving me alone with my mother, an old lady in need of attention and caring. When he had left, I felt lonely, as lonely as I had been when my father mysteriously disappeared, I had been 6 then, a little girl, who thought her dad was the best in the world. I loved him very much, and I had always waited for him, I thought he had gone of to the grocery store to buy milk, I was a naive child then, after school, the first thing I asked my mother when I came home, was «Is Daddy back?» The reply was always the same, «No, Darling, not yet», my mother said those words with such sadness, her eyes were always teary.

Now twenty years later, he still hasn't come back home, and I still haven't given up. He was after all my father, but my mother saw it otherwise, she said, he won't come back. He left us that's all there is to it. My mother was naturally not very sincere, she was more like a fire, very easily lit and easily cooled. But even though, she took his disappearance harshly.

At night, I could remember hearing soft sobs from her room, I wanted to comfort her, but I never did, some how it felt unnatural. During my childhood my mother and I traveled a lot, I changed 6 schools, and we only settled down when I was in high school.

High school, the place where I met Larry, who later became my best friend and then my boyfriend. I went to Richmond High, the only high school in the small town of Richmond, Nebraska. The school only had about 400 or so students, and of course when a new student arrives the whole school knows about it. I was used to traveling, so I wasn't a shock to me that my mother decided to change the scenery again.

It was always like that with her, since my father disappeared, my mother had lots of boyfriends and one time was about to even marry, but of course, that did not work out because she was still officially married to my father. Going on, my mother ended a relationship the second it got serious, I don't know why that happened, but it did. And so, every time she ended a relationship we moved. And so, we ended up traveling around the continent. I still remember the first time we moved, I was about 7, I was really upset. But she just said, «You can find friends any where, so do not cry. Little one, you'll be alright.» And she was right, I was always accepted, but I never really had any best friends. I guess I missed out on that part until high school.

My first day at Richmond High, was a extraordinary one, unlike any other first day I've had. I remember going through the front doors, they were big and heavy looking. When I walked in, everyone looked at me. I was amazed, I was used to the fact that no one ever noticed me. But, the only reason everyone was looking my was, was probably because the most popular and most wanted boy in the whole school, Jace, and his girlfriend, Clary, were standing next to me.

That was the first time I noticed Jace, with his short golden brown hair and stunning blue eyes. The way those big blue eyes looked at me gave me the chill. My gaze left Jake and i looked at Jay. She was a small girl, probably 16 at the most. She had pixie like features, and her hair was an amazing honey blond color. She was very beautiful. They were a lovely couple, but I noticed there was a dark aura around them. I could feel fear rise up in me. It wasn't something that I experienced everyday, so I made me feel conscious and awake.

Suddenly I hear a noise. A strange one. As if someone is whispering into my ears. I was a girls voice, it sounded very child like. I heard it saying " Isabelle... Isabelle...please... Isabelle... Help.." then the whispering stopped.

"Your new here right? My name is Clary, and this is Jace. We will show you around. Come with us. " Clary said. She had a calm voice, it was soothing, but yet a bit disturbing. You know how sometimes someone is so nice to you that you get the chills from them? Well that is how she made me feel.

"I am my name is Isabelle, but you can call me Belle." I said, hoping not so sound to astonished.

Walking down the small schools hallway with the two most beautiful and admired people made me feel small and unnoticeable, which I knew was not true, because every living person seemed to e looking our way and staring at us. I'm not used to such fame, or such attention and I felt myself turning pink.

"Is everything okay? " Jace said, turning his head my way. He was a head taller than me, which didn't help because when I looked up at him, I tripped and fell.

I lay on the floor, feeling even more embarrassed about myself than ever. Someone picked up the bag, probably Clay, and then I felt strong hands picking me up. My only thought was : Jace ...