The Soldier's Girl

Prologue: The Nightmare Begins

8 YEARS AGO... Serenity's P.O.V.

I slammed my truck door closed and sighed in frustration. Olivia tapped on my window and I rolled it down, the mixture of laughter and joy of winning the football game filled the air. Her blonde hair was straight and her blue eyes popped against the color of her skin. Her pink, floral dress was loose but form fitting at the same time. The brown belt and flats she wore helped bring attention to the dress' design. "Are you sure you don't want to come to the party?" She smiled and her brother, Hunter, that was in a black button down shirt and dark faded jeans, came to stand next to her.

"Yea, Ren, come hang with me and your dumb brother." Hunter flashed me an award winning smile that made all the girls, including me, at West Creek High School melt. Adam, my brother, and Drake, Olivia's boyfriend, came to stand with us. I blushed at Hunter's words but shook my head.

"I wanna go, but the responsible Magomery sibling has to go check on our dad." I said glaring at my brother. Everyone shrugged and started walking away but Hunter stayed.

"Come one, these things aren't ever fun unless you're around." He said fake pouting. I smiled and chuckled at his his attempt to make me change my mind.

"Maybe I'll stop by later." I said and he grinned with victory.

"I'm counting on it, see ya there, Ren." He walked away and hopped into Adam's jeep. I sped off ready to go to the party and was tired of worrying about my dad. My mom got diagnosed with cancer last year, while my dad got deployed to Afghanastan. He came back just last week and he seemed different, I just couldn't put my finger on what it was. He seemed moody and anti-social. Hell, he's missed every single football game, something he doesn't do if he's home. I turned up the radio and some song I've never heard blared through my car. The windows were down, the breeze felt good especially in this Tenessee heat. The stars shined and it seemed like the whole world was on my side. My mind went to Hunter and I cursed slightly. No matter how many times I've told myself that he wasn't good for me it doesn't work. Hunter is the captain and quarterback for our football team, he's known for being a bad boy. He's also Olivia's brother, her ridiculously hot brother. I pulled into my driveway, determined to get to the party later, the house looked deserted and there was only one light on in the entire house. Dad's truck was parked crookedly in the garage and a sickening feeling began to form in the pit of my stomach. I grabbed my keys and jumped out of my truck. Had he been drinking again? I walked into my eerie, silent house and I spotted the picture, that was taken during Christmas four years ago with all my family in it, was shattered all over the floor.

"Daddy?" I said and my voice shook with fear, I haven't called him daddy since the fifth grade. I walked into the living room where he sat with a glass of whiskey in one hand and a small hand gun in the other.

"You weren't supposed to be home yet, Serenity." He said sounding and smelling like a drunk. "I'm so sorry, Baby Girl, I left and you had to take care of your mother. Watch as she died, I should've been there. I'm sorry, I'm an awful father." He said a tear rolling down his tanned cheek.

"No, you're a perfect father, just put the gun down." I pleaded feeling frozen where I stood. My heart ached and guilt consumed me, I should've known what was wrong.

"I want all of the pain to stop. All the screams, they won't stop. I need them to stop. I'm sorry, Serenity." And with that he brought the gun to his head and pulled the trigger. A scream erupted out of me and I dropped to my knees. I stayed like that for I don't know how long then blue and red flashing lights appeared along with Adam, Olivia, Drake, and Hunter. But they were blurred against the vision of the red patches that could only be described as blood, my father's blood. Weeks past and I felt numb, while Adam stayed at our old house I went to stay with Olivia and Hunter at their ranch.

The music pounded throughout the house, no one but me was home. I held Hunter's dad's Black Velvet whiskey in my hand, I swayed my Daisy Duke covered hips and my loose, white, lace tank top would rise up my stomach when I raised my hands over my head. "What are you doing, Ren?" I heard Hunter say when I spun around to look at him. He was sweaty from football practice and I was a little too drunk.

"I'm having myself a good time. Wanna join?" I said winking at him before taking another swig of alcohol.

"No, now give me the bottle, Serenity." He said trying to grab it. Everytime I'd pull it back so my chest would crash into his, he smelled good even with the sweat. I wanted him and bad.

"What? I thought you liked it when girls got drunk and threw themselves at you." I said dancing around his dad's desk.

"Not when you do it." He said achieving at taking my liquid sanity away.

"Oh, so basically I'm not your type, right? I mean you haven't seemed to notice that I've been wanting to fuck you since like ninth grade. Great don't I feel worthless." I said wobbling to the bathroom and I rummaged through the medicine cabinet. I grabbed Hunter's mom's old pain killers and studyed the bottle. I wonder...

"That's not what I meant, Ren." I heard Hunter say getting closer to the bathroom. It was now or never and before he could reach me I undid the lid and put all the pills in my mouth. I wanted the guilt to stop, I wanted the hurt and pain to stop. They were painkillers... I fell to the ground and I heard Hunter scream my name. "Ren, Ren! Come on, Serenity! Open your eyes, open your eyes!"

Several weeks past, at least it felt that way. I woke up and a desert was in my throat. Adam was sleeping in a chair on the left side of my bed, Olivia and Drake were sleeping on the couch, and Hunter was in a chair on the right side of the bed holding my hand with his. "Hunter," I tried but my throat cracked and stung. My vocal cords protested when I tried again so, I finally gave up. Hunter seemed to wake up and he pulled me to him.

"Don't ever do that again, Serenity Paige." He said then he got me a drink of water. Everyone woke from there sleep and an unfamiliar face appeared in the crowd.

"Hello, Serenity. You may not remember me but I'm your uncle. Please call me Nick." He smiled at me but I continued to frown. Once I was fully recovered my uncle took me to a New York City while Adam went to Alabama State University. I kept in contact with Olivia but everything changed. Getting 'gifts', by the way I use that term loosely, can really change your life. And what I didn't know was that Fate had something very different planned for me. Something that I never saw coming.