**Chapter 1**

"You're getting married in a few months." I wasn't surprised when mother informed me of this, I knew it was going to happen. But I couldn't get married, not now.

"I have a boyfriend though." I said.

Mother shook her head. "Not anymore, Emerald." She pushed me slightly so I was sitting on the white couch. 'I bet she only did that so she could be tall for once' I thought. "I called Jacob today and informed him of your situation." She said that like it wasn't a big deal, that she didn't care about the guy i'd been dating since I started highschool.
"You did what!" I wanted to scream at her but I should've known. I knew I was going to be forced into marrige just like the rest of my family but not til I was eighteen. 'wait a minute' I thought. 'it's May, and my birthday is is July. Which means i'll be eighteen in a few months' I was an idiot sometimes.

"Who?" I asked, staring straight into my mothers emotionless grey eyes. She didn't care about me 'cause I looked like my father. They're married but, like me, were forced into it- for money probably. When they married our families became very, very rich. That's most likely the reason i'm getting married to.

"A boy named Zachary." Mother said, her annoying voice pulling me from my thoughts. Not that my thoughts were much better. She said it rudely, like I should've known who he was. She'd never talk to my brothers like that. She actually loved them, she always said she expected great things from them. But me, she always told me that i'd never be as good as them. And I know they never said it, i'm sure my brothers think the same thing.

"When am I going to meet him?" I asked.

"Tomorrow morning, his parents and I need to discuss things." She said, not even looking up from the book she held in her hands. I nodded, that made sense because tomorrow was Saturday. I stood up from the couch and started walking upstairs.
My room was on the second floor of out three story house, I was surprised when my mother didn't give me the basement. The basement was bigger than my room though. My room was probably the smallest in the house. Which, being me, is what I should've expected.
I walked inside the dark blue room and sat on the bed. My bed was small too, but it fit perfectly in the tiny room. If you skipped all the other rooms and ended up in my room, you'd think it was just any other house. You'd see a closet, a small bed with a black comforter, a desk with papers scattered all over it, and a bedside table with a few things (lamp, alarm clock) on it. My room wasn't much to look at, but it was covered in drawings and pictures.
The sound of the front door opening and closing made my head snap up. Jon and Alex (my brothers) were home, Dad was in his room, nobody had let Sadie (Our German Shepard) out. Maybe mother went to the store. But she never goes out unless she has to. I sighed, not caring anymore, and pushed a loose strand of black hair away from my face. Falling back on my bed, I closed my eyes and thought about the next day.