Fate

Prologue

The air was frosty, so bleak that one could see their own breath, curling like tendrils of smoke. The sound of taxis and people talking overwhelmed the vast city, and no one questioned the sixteen-year-old making her way through the crowd.

The gray-eyed girl with the thick wavy auburn hair stopped at the light, waiting for it to blink green once again, before continuing walking. Occasionally, she would look behind her to make sure she wasn't being trailed. No one was. No one she could see, anyway.

She approached the vacant building and opened it, ignoring the slight tinkle the bell made as she entered. She couldn't make out anything; the place was full of darkness and shadows. "Hello?" Her voice quavered and she willed herself to be braver. She tried again. "Hello? Darren? It's me, Penny. Penn Woods? You called me here, but I can't see anything--" There was nothing to be afraid of, she told herself. Just because she couldn't hear Darren, it didn't mean that there was something wrong. Maybe Darren wasn't there yet. Maybe he was sleeping. Knowing Darren, he probably was.

Her hand found the light switch and she flipped it, praying the lights would turn on.

It did. A blinding spotlight radiated a burst of light, and revealed a long table and a chair.

And there, her friend, Darren sat. Looking almost the same as the last time she saw him. Very handsome. Very dashing. And, to her horror, very much dead. His arms and legs dangled limply, and his eyes were glassy, scarlet trails leaking from his lips.

She tried to scream, but she found that she couldn't. She was paralyzed, in a state of disbelief and confusion. "Oh my god--" She finally found the strength to make a noise. "Somebody help..!"

A hand wrapped around her mouth, and instinctively, she licked the warm palm. As her attacker was caught off guard, she seized the moment to kick him/her in the between-the-legs and pushed herself away.

It was a good thing her parents had invested in Tae Kwon Do lessons for her. She had first insisted against it, thinking that she would never have to use it, but her father insisted. In a city like New York, he had said, you never knew. She was glad he made her go.

Instead of flinching, the attacker laughed amusedly, much to Penn's disappointment. "Remind me to never get on your bad side, girly." It was a female, Penn realized, which meant the blow probably didn't hurt as much as she had hoped it would. Her attacker took off the mask that veiled her face, and smiled.

It wasn't even a woman. She looked like a teenage girl, maybe two ages older than Penn herself. Her long blonde hair was wrapped up in braids across her head, making her look like an angel. The only thing that appeared out of place on her, were her eyes: her startling gray eyes, much like Penn's own. "I saved you," she continued. "From your little boyfriend."

"He's not my boyfriend." She replied quickly. Not yet, anyway, she added to herself. "Are you saying you killed him? Please tell me that he's not dead and that this is some kind of practical joke." Her voice was slightly squeaky and shrill, but she didn't care. She feared this girl, despite her angelic appearance.

"I saved you," the stranger repeated with only a hint of hesitation. "Your friend would have killed you if I hadn't intervened."

Penn took a step back in astonishment. She didn't expect that from the girl's lips. "Darren would have never hurt me. Not in a million years. He's kind, and loyal and dedicated and he loves me. You don't know him like I do." She said furiously.

The other girl looked taken aback, but recovered quickly, looking thoughtful. "Your 'friend' wouldn't hurt you, Penn," she said gently. "But he was never your 'friend' to start with. You would have to see what he really was." She waved her hand and Darren became... Well, not Darren anymore. His handsome face disintegrated into the face of an older bald man, with wrinkles and a goatee. Most disturbingly, his eyes were no longer Darren's sea of green. They became a sharp, fiery red that was only somewhat dulled by the glassiness of his stare.