Prologue
A delighted smile broke across my face as I stumbled to the middle of the frozen lake on my skates. "Come on Jace!" I yelled at my best friend, "It's fine! The ice will hold! See?" I bounced up and down as best I could in my new blades.
"All right! Hold your horses! I'm coming!" Jace called back, a worried expression creasing his handsome face as he stared at the ice around my feet. Simultaneously, Jace's eyes widened and an earsplitting crack could be heard from under my shiny new shoes.
Slowly, stiff with fear, my petrified gaze drifted down. Thin, spider web cracks ringed my skates, dark water visible underneath. My whole body started to tremble when suddenly my right foot punched through.
Jagged ice splinters jammed through my thick pants leg and into my leg. A terrified scream rang from my throat as the icy water penetrated my padded layers. My other foot skidded forward and I slammed into the thin sheet surrounding me. My vision darkened around the edges as my head hit, but it didn't fade all the way. That is, until I punched clean through.
The last thing I remember was Jace screaming my name, the cry laced with fear and disbelief, as the murky water poured into my lungs, claiming me for its own.
