When Fate Pulled Us Back

Disclaimer: No, I'm sorry, I don't own DN Angel. In fact, in this fic, I only own Nevaeh!

AN: Okay, so this is a collab fic between me and Fate12343, who is the voice of Monica Cregg. We'll be switching off between chapters, so this is going to be almost like a published role-play book sort of thing. I hope you have fun reading!

AAN: (Another Authors Note) I didn't use a spell check on the conversation, since it's just the two girls messaging back and forth… probably unprofessional on my part, but I wanted it to look natural. Anyway, I swear I'm done now, enjoy!

…

"Nevaeh, wake up." My mom's voice cut through my dreams, (stabbing my teacher with a fork, quite pleasant) and I opened my eyes to see a glass of water and two pills. "Take your pills now…" she tried to sound apologetic, but I had a feeling she really couldn't care less. She hadn't wanted a schizophrenic daughter, but had I asked to be one? No, and she shouldn't blame me for it. I sat up and straightened my shirt (yes, I sleep in my clothes. No, not the ones I wear to school…) before taking the pills. I was tempted to swallow them dry, just to see her reaction, but I knew I'd be miserable for the rest of the day. I reached for the water and swallowed both pills, wincing as they slid down my throat with a feeling I doubted I would ever get used to. Those were for my psychosis and hallucinations. I hate both of them, but the pills slightly more. Besides, you've never heard some of those voices… they're quite sympathetic sometimes.

Anyway, after she was gone I dragged myself out of bed, grabbed whatever I'd be wearing for the day, (I'd forgotten exactly what during the night) and stumbled to the bathroom. After a quick shower, I was dressed and combing my straight amber hair. With a noise of annoyance, I saw that the black-tipped ends were brushing against my shoulders. I'd have to go get a trim soon…

It looked like I was wearing the school uniform again. I kept forgetting about that… I hated our uniform, but at least the gray blazer, navy blue blouse and pleated, plaid, knee length skirt didn't look as bad on me as other people. Besides, today was the last day. Then it would be over. Middle school, the year, the uniform… they'd all be gone. For good.

"Nevaeh!" My mom yelled, "Hurry up, we're going to be late!" I quickly did up the final few buttons on my blouse and stepped into my boots. I suppose I forgot to mention those to you… Well, no matter. I just like wearing boots.

Makeup? None.

Nail polish? None.

All was well. "Mom," I yelled back, "I've still got another hour! You're reading the clock wrong!" I loved that old binary clock… even though I couldn't remember how we'd gotten it or why we kept it. No one in the house could read it, not even me. But I had a normal watch, which I had looked at just before I'd gone to get changed. It was six thirty, and I left for school at half past seven.

"We need a normal clock!" She replied. "I've got toast!" I laughed to myself. We didn't get along most of the time, but today… today things seemed good.

It's almost as though she knew she would never see me again.

...

After eating a piece of toast, I was sitting in front of my computer, fingers on the keyboard, tapping away at messages I was sending out. Finally, I finished one to a teacher, explaining that 'no, I was not particularly interested in doing community service over the summer, I had plenty to do already, thanks for the offer though.' Of course, that was a lie, but still… I really wasn't a 'people person'. After clicking the 'send' button, I closed my inbox and logged into Facebook.

Ah, it looked like Monica was on… I stretched my fingers before opening a chat window.

'Egh, mornin' Monica...' I typed, yawning, 'How've you been? Last day of school, thank god... so sick of getting up every freaking morning with pills and a glass of water shoved in my face...' Of course, just because school was out didn't mean I didn't have to take my pills, but my mom would let me go back to sleep afterwards in the summer.

She replied almost instantly. 'Ehe.. YAY! Last day! :) mornin' to you to Nevaeh. I've been good. Sorry I was gone yesterday, had the last school soccer game. We won, again. :P Yea.. Sucks about the pills huh?' Haha, that was Monica for you. Cheery, even in the mornings, sporty, and my complete opposite.

I sighed and slapped out, 'Seriously. They're a pain, but I guess it's better than hearing voices telling me to stab the teachers to death all day... Cool about the game though. :) S'pose you kicked the winning goal?' I rolled my eyes, knowing the answer would be yes, and hit enter.

A minute later, her reply: 'Oh how I would love to stab this one math teacher... Yea.. I did. :) The medal's are so cool! I'll post some pictures of our school teams and the medals on facebook soon!' See? What did I tell you?

'Haha, like I'll be around... But still, just one more day and then I'm out. Thank you God for creating summer vacation.'

"Die…" I jumped and whirled around. I hadn't ever heard this voice before… funny, but it sounded familiar. I guessed my pills hadn't taken effect yet. But it had been almost twenty minutes… A 'ding' from the computer alerted me to Monica's reply.

'Aha, same. I've got alot to do this summer, like camp, birtdays.. Wee... :/ YES! THANK GOD! Oh.. I got to go soon.. I get out early so, I'll talk to you after.. The bus is going to be here soon.. Hey, I uploaded some more fanfictions for DNA.. OH CRAP! Got to go.. Mom's telling me to hurry the freak up..Give me a break.. Ok, talk to you later!' Yikes. She typed that up fast…

"Nevaeh, come on!" My mom yelled, "I've got to get to work!"

I was just going to reply when someone screamed. I jumped three feet out of my chair, whirled around, and threw my mouse at the wall. Thankfully, it fell short and hit my bed without breaking, but what had that been? Putting on a cool(er) façade, I typed a quick goodbye.

'It's not like I've got much to do over the summer... but yeah, my mom's saying the same thing. I'm starting to wonder if she got my pills mixed up with the asprin again though... keep hearing voices. Whatevs, later!'

I logged out and tried to compose myself. I'd heard voices before. I'd heard screams. It was all part of being schizophrenic. I just had to live with it until my pills took effect. Please, please let that be soon… I normally didn't mind the voices, which I had dubbed One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, and Mastercard, (don't ask) but this was a new one. No… two new ones; that scream had been a different tone. Was I really going crazy? I grabbed a large, circular pendant from my dresser –a large golden watch, with the face on one side and a long black scythe on the other, the blade and end of it sticking out, away from the metal. I tugged it over my head as I ran out of my room, tucking it into my shirt as I ran downstairs. It was my good luck charm, and I never went anywhere without it. (My mom and I got into a huge fight when I wore it to a wedding… I ended up keeping it in a small handbag, but still, it had been with me.)

As I stepped out of the front door and jogged to the car, I felt myself relax. I'd be at school soon. I'd get to see the idiots I called classmates one more time, slam my rattling locker door shut for good, say goodbye to all the teachers… (well, maybe not) and finally, finally, walk out of middle school forever. I was in high spirits by the time the red Pontiac pulled up next to the old brick building.

"Bye Nevaeh," my mom said, "I'll see you at noon, okay?" I nodded and leapt out of the door, glad that we didn't need to bring our backpacks today. Last day, no notebooks, no huge, ten-ton backpack weighing me down, and we got out at noon! Nothing could be better. I bent and snatched up a long, thin branch, twirling it between my fingers, simply thinking as I walked along. No one came up to me and said hello, or waved at me, or looked at me twice. My mom worried about me not having friends, but I told her not to worry, that I enjoyed being left to my thoughts. Of course, she would still introduce me to different people from time to time, but we'd always just say a quick 'hello' and drift away from each other. Then she allowed me to open a Facebook account, and I'd met Monica. I can't even remember how, but it didn't matter; at least, not now.

A few steps later, I slipped into my normal corner of the school grounds, which was always shadowy and cool and peaceful in the mornings. Perfect for me. I was alone, alone in body, mind, and soul; alone in my deepest thoughts.

This morning, like so many others, I thought about my father.

I didn't know him; he had walked out on my mother before I was born. But she had shown me pictures, and told me about him. He was handsome, with blonde hair and bright amber eyes, and, according to my mom, though slightly intimidating sometimes, he was funny and kind. I had asked her once why he had left. Only once, because she had told me.

My father had also been schizophrenic. He had always managed to get along with his disease, fighting and laughing with the voices in his head whenever they appeared between pills, writing music and occasionally locking himself in his room when he got too out of control, but… one day he had almost killed my mother. She had locked herself in the bathroom, terrified, while she waited for him to calm down; waited for almost an hour. And when he had, he had been so ashamed, or so she had told me, that he walked out. He walked out and never came back.

I hated him for that, for leaving us. But I could understand, somehow, why my mom hated my disease, hated, at times, me. I could understand why she made sure I always took my pills, always was calm. She didn't want me to have to go through what my father did. She didn't want me to hurt someone I knew just because of who I was.

I sat in the corner of the grounds, thinking and letting my thoughts spread around my mind, until the bell rang. For the last time, I stood reluctantly and walked over to the doors, where a crowd was forming, trying to get in. This was it, finally. The next time I walked out of those doors, I'd never have to go back in. I smiled. It was about time.

I didn't go to my locker, seeing as how I'd be 'emptying' it later today (in truth, it was completely clean, I didn't stick pictures or anything to my door), but instead went straight to my first class, where I took my seat in the back. As the other students filed in, I overheard several 'can you believe it's the last day of school?' s, and a few 'oh, don't mention that!' s. I just sat in the back, pleasantly ignored. I rested my head on my arms and watched through half-lidded eyes as the teacher came in with a few stragglers, calling the class to order.

But, I suppose you didn't come here to read about my school day, did you? I'll fast-forward a bit, to when I left.

I was in my final class. We hadn't done anything today, the teachers had let us chat and hang around together, or in my case, write and daydream in a corner, unnoticed. Now I was again sitting with my head in my arms, watching the clock like a cat. One minute… one minute until I was gone from this torturous hell forever. Forty-five seconds now… thirty… twenty… ten… five…

The bell rang as I leapt out of my chair, away from my desk, and flew out of the classroom. I heard the teacher shout behind me, probably 'slow down!' but I paid her no attention. I was ready to be away from here; to be home and relax.

I was the first person out of the building, bursting through doors I would never open again with a smile on my face. It was good to be free.

"How was school?" My mom asked as I picked out her red Pontiac from the other cars in the parking lot and climbed in.

"Good," I said, "The teachers just gave us the day to relax, so no one did much." I didn't elaborate, didn't say anything as she handed me two pills and a bottle of water. I swallowed them, twitched my head in discomfort as one got stuck halfway down my throat, and swallowed more water. Blech, how I hated those pills!

The rest of the drive would have been silent, except that I had my iPod with me. I turned it on, and lost myself in Avenged Sevenfold's 'Nightmare'. Ah, sweet rock… or whatever the genre was. I didn't bother learning music genres, but instead grouped music into two categories: stuff I like, and stuff I didn't. It was much easier than searching around for a certain genre. We lived about twenty minutes away from the school, so I had time to flip around through my songs. After a few minutes, I settled for Emilie Autumn's sweet and morbid little ditty, 'Miss Lucy Had Some Leeches'. Not, and I repeat, not for the faint of heart or the easily disgusted.

After a few more songs, we reached home, and I clambered out of the passenger's seat. I was eager to talk some more with Monica, and tell her about the idiocy of some of my fellow students. I never called them my friends, because they weren't. They never had been either.

I ran upstairs and changed into a pair of loose black capris, a pair of black converse high tops, and a gray tank top. I let my scythe pendant dangle outside of my shirt this time, and checked the time before I slipped behind my computer. Twelve thirty exactly, and there was a message from Monica waiting for me. I stretched my fingers and settled into my computer chair.

She had sent me: 'OMG! Nevaeh! I cried! I'm such a child.. :( Anyways, I got ice cream and a pizza party for working with the litle kids.. Oh god I'm gonna miss them holding onto my arms and legs.. Hey, have you ever heard te song Real Gone? It's famous in the movie Cars.. I love that song.. My little brother keeps watching Cars over.. And over! So, I get use to the sound track. :)'

I rolled my eyes. If I had younger siblings (which I didn't, my mom had never remarried) and they watched movies almost on repeat like that, I'd never leave my room without my iPod. 'What a baby...' I tapped out, sighing, 'Though not as bad as some. One girl started crying when she got to school. Pathetic, huh? I started cheering when the final bell rang. It's good to be free. I can't stand little kids, but... hey, good for you. And no, I haven't. I'm not too into movies. Maybe I'll look at it though.'

I was staring at my necklace when she sent her reply. 'Yea.. Some of the guys started crying today too.. O.o It was scary.. Just saying! Hey we should try and get together you know? Chill or something. :) It would be cool!' I sighed. She kept forgetting…

"Baka… you don't understand." I jumped. It was the voice from this morning again. I'd just taken my pills too, so it wasn't that… I was going to go check the expiration dates on those bottles.

'Yeah, except we're in different countries... shame I can't just move to Canada... One sec, pills.' If nothing else, I'd take another one for the voices, but… I hated doing that, I felt like I depended on them even more than I already did.

"There is more than I could explain… more that you could never understand…" I jogged down the stairs and found my mom.

"Hello Nevaeh," she said as I stepped into the living room. She was flipping through an old cookbook, curled up in a dark green armchair. "Any dinner requests?" I shook my head.

"Mom, I keep hearing voices," I said, "I don't… I mean, I'm wondering if my pills are expired or something." I was becoming a bit frightened about the whole mess, because I never heard new voices nowadays. I mean, Mastercard was the last, and she came about five years previous. (Fine, since you're probably wondering, all she said was 'Mastercard' until I started calling her that.) (Yeah… not the best conversationalist.)

"What do you mean?" She asked, "I watched you take your pills." I nodded.

"They're new, if that means anything…" She sighed and stood up, shaking her brown hair out of her hazel eyes. I watched her as she walked over to the locked medicine cabinet (I felt a pang of resentment as I remembered that she still didn't trust me completely) and opened it.

"Neither of these is expired," she said, taking out and checking each bottle in turn, "Do you want one for the hallucinations?" See, she insisted on calling them 'hallucinations', while I was completely happy just branding them as voices. We were different in that way.

"Sure," I said after a moment, and she handed me one. I choked it down with some water, thanked her, and slipped upstairs. How I hated those pills.

'Sorry about that, I thought I was using expired meds or something... I keep hearing voices! It almost sounds like... like that one guy... Guard-something or other. Can't ever seem to recall it when I want to...' I was talking about the voice actor for Krad, whose name was about as foreign sounding as his voice. But one of the two definitely sounded like him. Then it came to me in a flash. 'Guardiola! That's it...' I realized how crazy I must have sounded. Thinking I'm hearing voice actors… yeah right. That was a new one, even for me.

I turned my computer volume up (so that I could listen for the 'ding' that alerted me to Monica's reply) and started digging through my room, looking around for something I knew I had. Something that I wanted to see, to hold, to remember… Digging under my bed, my fingers brushed my jewelry box. I grabbed it and pulled it out, mindful of the top. It had been my grandmother's, and I took as good care of it as I would anything else, if not slightly better. Flipping open the lid, I brushed my fingers over several thick, double chains, a silver pendant with a red stone set in the center (I slipped that over my head, it was a favorite of mine), and a shadowbox-styled locket with several shark's teeth in it. (No, I didn't wear that often.)

There was a gold padlock, with a sapphire and wings set on it, on a similar colored chain, several bracelets… where was it? I opened the doors on the front and started pulling out drawers. There were three, and I opened the middle one first. I seemed to remember putting it there… but no, just earrings. I pulled out a pair with red jasper stars hanging from wires, setting them aside. I'd wear those tomorrow, for a bit of color. Then I tried to open the bottom drawer. It stuck a bit, and at first I panicked, but with a bit of wiggling it came free and slid out.

And there it sat, dull pewter and sparkling bright ruby and onyx. Chains and charms hung off of it, and the two clasps were styled to look like scythes. It was a thick metal cuff, about four inches long, and the only thing I had from my dad. He'd given it to my mom, only a day before he left, and told her, and yes, my mom and I can both quote his words, 'Give this to our daughter.'

There are some things in life I don't pretend to understand. How my father had known I would be a girl before I was born, why he'd given this to my mom, I will never know. I flicked the two clasps open and slipped the cuff onto my arm, simply looking at it for a long moment. I wasn't sure what it would be called (style-wise, at least), but aside from the scythe clasps and chains on it, there were several charms: a wing, a cross, a black feather; a long spear, what looked to be a pewter casting of a clock showing midnight (though my mom said it was noon), and a very small, very thin, glass charm, with three dots of color on it: black, red, and blue. There was also a clear spot, splitting the piece into four.

Then, in the very middle, there was a spot that looked like the cover of a watch, but when it opened, there was an empty hollow space, perfect for storing small things. I'd kept it empty, always knowing that I'd know what to put in it when it came to me.

Only then did I realize Monica still hadn't replied to my message. I walked over to the computer, sat down, and typed out, 'You probably think I'm crazy...'

'O.O Geez.. Don't worry, I'm crazy too! :P' Amazing how quickly she replied to that… I sighed and began to type my answer.

'Haha, well, I think we mean different things by 'crazy'... :) Course, coming from a schizo like me, I guess that's obvious.' I wasn't sure what else I wanted to say, but there was something… something there. I grabbed my iPod and shuffled my songs, closing my eyes and relaxing as the rough, beautiful strains of Emilie Autumn's 'Manic Depression' tore through my eardrums. After a moment of listening, I typed some more. 'Listening to some of Emilie's music... she's just wonderful. Manic Depression is about how I'm feeling right now... Sort of slowed down but still crazed...' And that was true enough. I felt as though, if maybe I searched hard and fast, I could find those voices, but I was to slow, and everything was surrounding me… 'Oh, and the voices are gone... nice and quiet...'

It took Monica a few minutes to reply. 'Uhh... I think your voices just came to me.. It sounds like.. He's saying... 'Help me..'' I blinked. Something told me that she must have been lying, but… the time it had taken her to send this short message, and she sounded shocked…

'Funny, mine was saying 'die' over and over again. Just do what I did and grab your iPod... listen to lots of loud songs, and they'll be gone just like that!' I didn't want to tell her anything else I'd heard, because… well, I know it sounds stupid, but it felt like it was personal. Then a thought struck me. 'Wait, are you schizo? Maybe you should talk to a doctor... 'cause seriously, this sucks.'

'Ok.. I don't think I am.. O.O I'm listening to screamo... Uh.. I still here it.. He sounds like Dark from DN Angel... Have you.. Ever thaught that maybe, this magic stuff was real? I can still here his voice!'

'Psh, please. Magic is magic, but... it doesn't happen around us. We're... human. And really? Wait, didn't that one guy voice Krad? Wait, no. No. This is reality. We have rules here! Turn up the volume. Seriously, that can't really be him.'

Almost instantly, I got a reply. 'Alright I'll turn it up.. DUDE! I STILL FREAKING HERE HIM!
It's getting later... O.O
'Nevaeh! I just saw a flash of light! I've got my laptop with me right now! Here.. I'll send you a picture!' A few moments later, a small icon at the bottom of my screen alerted me to an email. I opened it, and opened the picture, but all I could see was a flash of light, like someone had taken a picture of a mirror without turning off the flash. 'SEE!'

'WTF? Yeah, okay... maybe we are going nutso. Like I need that pressure...' I sighed. It wasn't even one 'o' clock yet, and I wanted to go to sleep.

'AHH! MY WINDOW JUST BROKE!O.O Hold on.. Get by your cell! I'm loging off and calling you!' I blinked, then looked at the phone sitting next to me.

I knew from experience it took several seconds for a call from Canada to reach the U.S., so I took the few moments to type one more thought to Monica. 'You screamed too loud again? This is your fifth window of the year. Got my phone with me. Seriously, this is just freaky. Tempted to call the cops, but I'm afraid I'm hallucinating again.' I blinked as my hair brushed against my arm. Wait… my hair wasn't that long. 'DUDE WHAT THE HELL SOMETHING JUST TOUCHED ME'

A moment later, my phone began to vibrate. I picked it up instantly, not bothering to check the caller ID. I knew it was Monica. Aside from my mom, she was the only person who had my phone number. "Hey Monica," I said.

"Nevaeh!" She cried, sounding relieved to hear my voice (something I wasn't used to), "Something touched my shoulder… OMG! DUDE! I'M SCARED! Everyone's suddenly gone! And the sky's taking on a scary mist like color! WH-WHAT THE HECKS HAPPENING! AHH! ANOTHER WINDOW BROKE!" It took me about thirty seconds to process this information.

"Okay, calm down," I said, trying to make my voice sound soothing, "You're talking to me, so you must not be dying... it's peaceful on my end... haven't broken anything yet" I stood to go and push my jewelry box back under my bed, and the world spun. "Bleh... I feel kinda dizzy... like... really weird... and I can't... see straight all of a sudden... OhgodI'llberightback!" I dropped my phone and dashed off to the bathroom.

I came back several minutes later, and saw my phone sitting on my bed. I'd dropped it on the floor. "Alright," I muttered, "I don't know who or what you are, but you'd better get out of here." I grabbed my phone and picked it up, almost expecting the line to be dead. But no, there was Monica, swearing in Japanese and yelling at me, still on the other end of the line.

"Hey," I said, "Hey, I'm back, sorry… You can stop swearing…" Almost instantly, she fell silent. There was a long time where we both listened to the static caused by our breathing, which was quick and, on my part, extremely shallow. I was quite nervous, especially because my mom hadn't appeared to hear me running about upstairs. Normally she'd at least yell at me to walk.

It was then that I felt it: that strange, wrenching feeling in my back that made me feel as though someone had tied a rope around my waist and was pulling me in, towards them. "Monica," I said, "I'm getting a strange feeling… like something's pulling me towards itself. Like I'm supposed to be somewhere, and it's reminding me of the meeting."

"Yea…" she replied softly after a moment, "I do too. That voice is getting louder too… More clear. I think I'm gonna be sick now… I feel a sudden pull outside but… No one's around! It's all gray and shade. No people..." She trailed off as though doubtful, and I trailed my hand down the banister as I walked softly down the stairs.

"Mom," I called, holding a hand over the phone's speaker, "I'm going out!" My words echoed around the house, but I received no reply. "Mom?" I tried to walk into the kitchen to investigate, but was stopped by that strange feeling around my waist. I struggled against it, but it seemed as though it tightened the more I tried to get rid of it. Maybe if I grabbed the doorframe… But the moment I stretched my arm out, the cuff I was still wearing burned against my flesh. "There's no one here either," I told Monica, pulling my arm back as fast as I could and again following the pull of the invisible rope.

It was leading me outside. I paused at the door, staring out the small peephole. "Odd..." I said, "It's like dusk over here... and it's only about one in the afternoon... it feels like someone's got a rope around my waist and is pulling me in. I still don't hear anything anymore..." Monica was being quiet, something I had never associated with her. I was the quiet one… normally, but this was definitely not normal.

"Go with it," Monica said, sounding more serious than I had ever thought she could. "That might be our best bet… Gomen… I think I'm gonna go! I'm going to go after it!" Suddenly her tone switched to a strong, determined, powerful voice; something that made up my mind.

"Yeah," I said, "I think that's what I've got to do. I hope you're okay… I hope I'm okay…" A few seconds later, with my hand still on the doorknob, I hung up.

Then, slowly, have terrified and half… well, terrified, I mean, my mom did just turn up missing, I pushed open the door. The walkway from the door to the driveway was there, and so was the lawn and the driveway and everything else, but I was the only living thing I could see. There were no birds, no bugs… not even the neighbor's cat chasing said birds and bugs. It looked like midnight in a dead world.

I kept walking forward, now shaking despite the summer warmth. I pleaded for life to come back to the streets and the sky, but there was nothing, nothing and no one. Still, I followed the rope; the feeling that pulled me along against my wishes. I felt as though, maybe, if I followed it, I would find someone else. But I saw no one, and no one, and no one again. There was nothing, nothing, nothing here, nothing anywhere. My feet ached from walking, but still the feeling of being pulled forward did not cease.

I do not know how long I walked, it could have been only an hour, or a day, or a month, or a year. I was told later it was 'the distance between the worlds', however far that was. All I knew was that I kept walking, falling into a trance. Left, right, left, right, left, right…

It was the car that snapped me out of it. It drove by, noisy and kicking up dust, and made me jump. Something about that car seemed strange, but I shrugged it off. After all, what was normal today? But it was the first sign of life I'd seen for a while, and it ignited a spark of hope that made me feel stronger. I picked up my pace slightly, to a gentle jog that made me scuff up small clouds of dust with my shoes. The two charms I was wearing bounced about uncomfortably, so I tucked them into my shirt.

It was at least another hour before I slowed down, panting slightly, but turning as the rope pulled me. I brushed my hair out of my eyes, but then stopped dead. The same thing that was wrong with the car was wrong with my hand. It didn't look… real anymore. It looked like something someone had drawn. Like… a manga. I shook my head, and my hair again flew in front of my eyes. For a split second, I took comfort in the black-tipped ends, but then I jumped as I saw that, instead of amber, my hair was now red. Fire-engine red, with black tips.

Then there was a jerk on the rope, and I was forced to move forward again. Another jerk; I picked up a steady jog. I was now more determined than frightened; determined to find out what was happening to me. I hoped Monica was alright…

But then I saw him, and stopped dead. There he was, sitting in a tree, his back against the trunk, his feet resting on the branches.

He glanced up at me, and I took a step back. His eyes were cold and glistening, feline yellow, with slit pupils. His hair was long, and fell from where he was perched in the tree to the ground, where a golden cross just brushed the grass. (I was reminded of Rapunzel, though I had sense enough not to mention it.)

And, to add to the many things I'd found wrong with this day, a pair of feathered, white wings sprouted from his back.

"Ah Nevaeh," he said, "So glad you could come."

I stared at him for a long, long time before I spoke.

"Dad?"

…

AN: Alright, chapter one is finished! For once in my life, I am sorry about the length… I don't normally write stuff this long, but… I just couldn't stop! Please review!