Love of an Angel

No answers yet but the plot does thicken in this chapter. The next chapter introduces three new characters and also...tells why Serena's family is out to kill her.

ChapterThree: First Kiss

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Serena could only stare. Surely this was all just one big misunderstanding. 'That's it!' she thought. 'It's a practical birthday joke!'

"Serena...this family faces disaster as long as you are alive." her Grandpa began. Then he began again, this time much more sternly, "We must make sure that you die."

"Come on..." she said, not daring to believe the cruel and harsh words coming from such a man of love and kindness. "Oh, Stop it everyone!" she grinned. "What is this ? Some kind of birthday gag? You wanted to scare us didn't you?" she laughed. Harsh expressions were returned. "Bingo! Right?" This was getting insane, almost unbelievable. So it absolutely had to be a joke!

She turned to Andrew who was slumped over the table, the red blood staining the mahogany. She shook his shoulder. "Andrew, c'mon, get up! That blood's just paint, and your acting totally sucks..." She immediately regretted this for her Grandpa nearly exploded in rage.

"DON'T YOU TOUCH HIM!" he bellowed. He then turned to one of Serena's older male cousins and instructed him to take Andrew to another room.

Serena's eyes were wide in disbelief yet again. Her parents were being shuffled from the room yelling at her Grandpa. "Father! You can't-" her dad had been cut off by Grandpa, who seemed to be running things. "You two go with your son. Serena is no longer your concern."

Her mother, who against her will was being forced from the room with her husband and son became hysterical. "SERENA! PLEASE, SERENA, RUN! GET AWAY FROM THIS HOUSE!"

Click.

The door had been shut behind them and terror rose in Serena like it had never done before. "...wait." she said in a voice barely a whisper. Strong arms pinned her own behind her back. Rage grew as it had never done before in Serena's body. "HEY! What the hell is going on? Cut it out or I'm going to get pissed! And I don't care if you ARE family!"

Her family wasn't listening to her obvious requests. They circled around her, trapping her in case she decided to run. "I said LET GO!" she tried to shake them off. Her retaliation got her pinned to the floor roughly.

Her uncle...her father's own brother...had her pinned down with his arms wrapped tightly around her neck. 'Oh God! I really could use a savior now!' she thought bitterly. A female cousin, who looked much like her said, "Forgive us Serena. We must protect our own lives and families. You have to be disposed of!"

The man pinning her to the ground had hate in his eyes. What the hell had she done wrong, damn it! He began, "I'm sorry Serena. But you had the tough luck of being born into THIS family." This was insane! 'Why...do I...' the air was being choked from her lungs and her throat was at the mercy of strong and merciless hands. He tightened his grip, "Die... DIE!"

"NO!!!!" she bellowed. A strange force was again brewing within her. What was this feeling? It was almost as if...her body was being taken over.

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Serena's eyes fluttered open. Much to her surprise she was sitting on a pine tree branch quite high up the very tree she and Andrew had been talking about earlier. "Huh? Why am I here?" Dark specks on her skin distracted her attention. Her heart pounded as she realized what the specks were. "Flecks of blood? What happened?" she wondered aloud.

"Hey you there!" a deep soothing male voice called from below. She glanced down. "Yeah, you there. The big cat up in the tree." It was him! The man who had saved her. A puzzled and slightly amused look came upon his face. "What are you doing up there?"

"Hey. You're the guy who saved me!" she cried.

"Saved you?" It seems he didn't remember. 'What does he go around everyday rescuing people from emanate danger? Who does he think he is, Superman?' she wondered.

"Yes, yesterday! You caught me when I fell from the overpass." she declared. Suddenly it seemed he remembered.

"Ah. I thought I'd seen you somewhere before." he paused before changing the subject. "So you're Serena. The people in this family are out looking for you." He raised his eyebrow in suspicion, "Rather frantic about it too, for some reason."

Serena's eyes grew wide. Of course! That was why she was in the tree. It was just...she didn't remember how she got there. 'God please don't let him turn me in.' she pleaded silently. He continued. "The question is, what should I do with you? I'm under obligation to this family these days." His face was concentrated in deep thought, as if trying to make a decision. "Come on down. I'll-"

She cut him off. "No! I am not coming down! You want me? Then you'll have to climb up here and drag me down yourself!" How dare he betray her? For a brief moment she thought she may have found some solace in this mass confusion.

Her thoughts of anger distracted her from the present. When a voice called, "Coming right up." her answer was immediately snappy with, "What's coming?"

"Me." said the voice as the man as he reached her. He sat perched on the branch mere inches from where she sat.

She screamed. "Wait! How- when did you-?!"

He was polar opposite to her frantic attitude and he shone a calm posterior. "Just now." he said with the traces of a grin playing at his lips. This didn't go unnoticed by Serena. 'Nice mouth.' she thought, 'wouldn't I love to...no, NO NO! There are a thousand and one reasons why you shouldn't go thinking that way. The main one being he'll probably turn me in to my psycho family back there.'

"Stay the hell away from me!" the words exploded from her mouth. "God! Everyone is being so damn weird! Why are they doing this to me?! It's too cruel to be a joke!...And Grandpa and Dad! How can any of this be called a birthday party?! What the hell did I do wrong?!" she was more or less talking to herself and the man in the tree with her seemed to notice. He also seemed to notice, even though soaking wet and covered in what looked disturbingly like blood, that she was beautiful. He was especially partial to the long blonde hair that hung down beneath the branch they were sitting upon. It seemed to go on forever...

as did she...

"Well, I did say I was going to a friend's place to study once when I actually went and hung out downtown. Oh yeah, I bleach my hair blonde." she realized.

"Hey." he tried getting her attention. His attempt proved futile as she continued rambling.

"And I pretend I'm sick and play hooky from classes I hate. Oh and I tried smoking one time. Yeah, and the other day I found a wallet with twenty bucks in it and used the money to buy a Mariah Carey CD..." she paused and her face looked confused.

"I said hey!" he tried again.

"Oh my God! Or is this all about the time I got drunk and the cops chased me around because I kept making faces at them?! Or...or the time that OLD guy tried to hit on me and I kicked him in the balls?! OR-"

He grew tired of waiting for her to notice he wanted her attention. 'No matter. I'll get it one way or another.' He grasped her wrist and pulled her to him and before she knew what was happening his lips were pressed firmly onto hers. His kiss softened and she became captivated. That was until she realized she'd never done this before!

He broke away and she stared for a moment. And then...she screamed.

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