Chapter One: The Bad Dream

My eyes flew open, his voice escaping my thoughts. I had had the same dream over and over again for the past week. His voice echoing in the meadow that I was always in. His voice always bounced off of nothing and continued forever, at least until I woke up. This time though, his voice remained. As soon as I heard it in the real world, I realized who the voice belonged to. I sat up and closed my eyes. A flash of my past went through my mind. "Fine! I don't need you!" The scream came and left in the same second. A tear rolled down my check, slowly and painfully. I swiftly wiped the forbidden tear away and took a slow, deep breath. I slid my eyes open and looked around for the first time to see the boys staring at me in shock. I had forgotten that they had rarely seen my cry. I tried to ignore their shocked stares.

"What are you looking at?" I asked like nothing was wrong. Like no tear had ever fallen.

"Nothing" I heard Paul mumble. I winced, I hated hearing him so dejected.

"Sorry, I just had a nerve racking dream..." I trailed off.

"Whatever, you don't have to tell us." His tone was questionable, and I wandered if he wanted me to tell him.

"Don't worry, Paulie, I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise." I said in a joking tone.

"Will you tell me please! You know you can trust me!"

"Oh, yeah, like that time you said that I could trust you and you went and told everyone!"

"That was an accident! It slipped!"

"Well, I can't afford this to slip, so, let me think..." I paused "NO!"

"Jerk" He said with the cutest pouty face. He crossed his arms, acting like a two year old who didn't get his cookie for lunch. I laughed.

"Emma," I heard Dwaine comment. "are you okay. You seem kinda down."

"Don't worry about it, Dwaine."

"But I worry about you." I smiled with a faint blush.

"Well, I worry about everyone." He covered up quickly. He rubbed the back of his neck, confirming that he was nervous.

I felt my smile fade slightly, the blush completely gone. "Oh, yeah, I know."

"Well then," I heard David say. "Do you guys wanna go get some food?" They all started to laugh. I knew this inside joke, and I laughed, too.

"When can I come?" I asked pleadingly.

"I don't think you should ever see any of us with our faces all demented and stuff." David said. There was a hint of laugh in his voice, but his eyes were serous. Everyone in the cave knew what he was talking about.

I was in the same meadow, and, at first, I thought that I was alone. I could only feel and hear myself, but the feeling quickly disappeared, and the presents of something evil was amongst me. I could feel the presents of my biological father all around me. I could see my mom, my dad, my baby sister, and my four year-old face looking in shock at the remains of my belongings. The familiar faces were circling my head, and the meadow quickly turned into my old house. Everything was perfect, just like it had been before I had met Max. I could see the red bricks, and how they melted together with the white roof. I looked down at the perfectly polished windows, and I could see my face in the reflection. I could see myself when I was a kid, my first steps, my first word, when I ran and jumped into my mother's arms. I always favored her; I could never be a daddy's girl, not after what happened. I could hear the fight in my head; the screaming and shouting, the crying and the hated in both of their voices. I remember thinking that they would never get along, and I was right. One would always end up hurt, but the last fight changed everything. I saw the meadow shifting again, and all I could see were the horrible remains of my destroyed mother. The person I had called mama once, dead at my feet. All I could hear where her last words, "I never have, or never will love you!" That's when I decided to pack my bags, as a four year old, and leave. I could feel a sticky substance soaking through my boots, and even though I was petrified to look, I did. I regretted it right off the bat, for when I looked down, all I could see was the creek in front of our yard. The only thing wrong with this picture was it was coated in crimson red. I could taste the nasty tang of fresh blood on my tongue. It was almost like a rusted metal, or maybe even a gold like taste. It stung the roof of my mouth, but, for some reason, I wanted more.

I woke with that taste still in my mouth, the taste of blood. I must be hanging around with the boys too much I said to myself. I chuckled, and the boys heard me.

"What's so funny?" Dwaine commented.

"Nothing, I was just thinking about..." I laughed really hard, and almost choked, "about you guys and…."

My face fell again. He looked concerned, and asked what was wrong.

"I have just been having a hard time these past, umm, years. Just don't worry about it, and don't ask me about it."

"Okay… are you gonna tell us eventually?"

"Maybe, when the time is right I will."

I must warn you, I have loved all of the boys, each in their own way. David is the one that I love because he is my leader, and my idol. Marko is the one with the best taste in color, with his colorful jacket and all. I love Paul because he is like a big brother. He horses around with me, and apparently, he likes me, which changed my perception about him. And then, there is Dwaine. Dwaine, the one who is always saying my name in my dreams, he is the one that I love. I wish he could see how I really felt. Maybe if I left a hint around occasionally….

"Hey, Dwaine."

"What?"

"What do you wanna do tonight?"

"Well, I was gonna go get some stuff… you wanna go with?"

"That all depends. What type of stuff?"

"Some chicks maybe."

"O. No thanks. I think I'll just stay here tonight."

"Oh, okay. Are you sure you don't wanna come? I'm gonna go get something to eat, too, if you know what I mean."

He started to laugh. I just stood there awkwardly. His laughing started to slow when he realized that I wasn't laughing with him.

"You know," he started, "the girls, to eat." He started to look at me like, Come on! You have to get this!

"Oh!" I started to smile, "I thought that you meant... oh." I was laughing now. "You have got to be kidding me!" I was about to fall to the floor I was laughing to hard. All of the sudden, I stopped and peered at him. "Wait, do you want me to come with you?"

"Yes," he paused, " yes I do."

And that was our first date.