Deprecated (On Hold Indefinitely)

Deprecated: Chapter One

Prologue:

He stared at her while she slept. He tucked his wings tight against his back as he lay down next to her, atop her blankets. His hand stroked her long, chocolate brown hair. He then allowed his fingertips to gently touch her gray eyelids. He knew that behind those eyelids, were deep, beautiful verdant eyes that reminded him of the greenery found in the jungles of the tropics.

The demon rested his head on her pillow, inches from her face. He allowed her soft breath to caress his cheeks as he shut his eyes, eager to sleep next to her, eager to be with her. But he knew that he couldn't. Not yet. He would come for her when the time came, no matter how soon or late that may be. He would be there for her when she changed. This was a promise he had made to himself the moment her fate took a dark turn.

They were not going to stop him from making her into something great. He wasn't under their rule anymore. His plan was going to work; he was sure of it.

He kissed her forehead and sank deeper into the sheets, manifesting a portal that will send him back to the Everlasting Fire. As he disappeared, he thought about how dramatic her world was about to change.

Chapter One:

The wad of paper hit the back of my head with a crisp thud. I ignored the action and stayed fixed in my bus seat. My CD player was turned up as loud as it could go, but it still didn't block out the noise of the jocks.

"Hey loser, turn around!"

I didn't say a word.

"Get those ugly headphones out of your ears, darling!"

"Stop using that CD player. No one uses them anymore. Loser!"

I kept my breath steady. We were almost there. In less than five minutes I would be off the bus and onto campus. The jocks proceeded to make fun of me, but I blocked their insults from getting me frustrated.

Just deal with it for the rest of the school year, and then you'll be off to college. You can do this.

The school bus squealed to a stop and I stood up. The jocks shoved past me on their way out, their hands immediately pushing against my body. I rolled my eyes as each of them grinned at me, and then stormed off the bus, being the last one in a line of rowdy teenagers.

My best friend met me in the Quad, which was an area where four detached school buildings met in a common place. "Good morning, Miss Beautiful," She said, jumping up and embracing me in a hug, her lithe body wrapping around mine comfortably. She held out her coffee to me, and I took a sip. I gave her a grin when I realized that it was mixed with amaretto. There was a dash of cream, and a few teaspoons of sugar. It was blissful perfection.

"I figured that you would need a boost this morning," Winter said sheepishly, giving a warm smile as she tossed her platinum blonde hair over her shoulder.

"You're a lifesaver, Win. This is just what I needed."

"I've been called that a time or two."

My best friend grinned wildly and looped her arm through mine just as the bell tolled, telling us to move on with our high school career. It was only a little over halfway through my senior year, but I still couldn't wait until I crossed that stage at graduation. Student bodies shuffled past us on our way to Math, the class that every teenager dreads. On top of being the worst class ever, I had a test today. I had prepared myself as much as I could, but I still felt doomed to failure. I'm sure everyone mutually shared that feeling.

I slid into my desk, the hard plastic still cold from a long March night of sitting empty. Winter took her usual spot next to me, and we waited for the tardy bell to ring. Mr. Velasquez marched into class when it did, carrying a stack of stapled papers, presumably our tests. Winter tapped her wooden pencil against her desk, eager to get this over with. The teacher sluggishly passed the tests down each row, and first period began.