Prologue

In the year 2002, two babies were born on August 24 at 12:00 at the opposite ends of the world.

In San Carlos, Arizona, a baby girl was being slapped to make her breathe. A shrilling cry rang out and the midwife looked up at the petite woman who just gave this child life. Silently she held up the child, its back facing the mother. The women around her gasped, upon the center of the baby's back was a small, yet distinct birthmark of wings. The midwife looked grimly at the mother who wore a calm, yet confused expression upon her face. "This child is going to be different. She will change the world and those around her in ways people will not expect." Everyone stared at the baby, then the mother and back again. The mother didn't say a word, just held out her arms to hold her first-born child.

However, over in Mainz, Germany, a completely different birth was taking place. The mother was screaming in pain, twisting on her bed in pain. The doctor pulled the baby out screaming, his eyes were already open and burning with hatred. The doctor stood stunned holding the baby and glanced up at the mother. She was collapsed on the bed, her auburn hair in disarray. Suddenly she started to seizure, he past the baby off to a random nurse and quickly started to calm her down. The nurse who was holding the baby looked around at all of the people in the room and saw that no one noticed her standing there holding the screeching baby. Slowly, she silently slipped out the door and out off the tiny hospital.

Chapter 1 Welcome to My Life

Walking down the hallways of her high school, Clio Harmony Clear Waters sighed again noticing once again people were avoiding looking at her, and those who did gave her looks of utter repulsion. Those looks weren't from her dressing in black, threatening others, or being deformed, it was because she carried a bible in plain sight. Choosing to ignore the stares she was getting, drawing herself to her full 5'5" she shook back her long black hair and smiled and waved at those still glancing at her. Clio continued to walk across the school to her first hour class, art. Upon entering the room a cool blast of air hit her in the face, shaking her head she realized that the school left the air conditioner on all night again. Striding towards the back of the classroom to her seat, she found Ebony Mira Oliver and Tyler Diego Rios waiting there for her.

Ebony and Tyler were her two best friends, some of the only people who would be her friends. They have also been dating for almost two years now. Ebony was an oxymoron on herself. Her dark blonde hair was streaked with natural brown and red highlights, was mid back and pulled back into a braid and her light blue eyes peeked out from under her bangs, her skin was tanned from the Arizona sun. People often referred to her as an elfin girl because she was only 5'3" and she had a mischievous air about her. Tyler was a pure Mexican teenager; he was only 5'6" and was of lanky frame. He kept his short black hair spiked, his skin was naturally dark, and his eyes were a dark, dark brown and slightly slanted up. The only thing people say marred his features was a scar that ran from his left eyebrow down to his ear. He would never tell anyone where it came from, so they made up stories.

They sat there waiting for her, or more like Ebony was sitting on him. Clio smiled at them and sat down in her normal spot, looking at the two of them. "So I take it you couldn't find a seat any where?" Clio asked looking around the empty room.

Ebony blushed and shrugged her shoulders, "This is more comfortable then anywhere else." Clio gave Tyler an arched look.

Tyler laughed, "Hey, don't blame me, I didn't raise her."

"So? You're the one dating her," Clio retorted.

Ebony turned even redder when he laughed again. She hopped off his lap just as the bell rang for class. Everyone began filing in, Ebony and Tyler sat on her left and Alexander, the other addition to their group, came in and sat on her right. Alexander was her knight as she called him, he stood up for her when some one tried to pick a fight; he always seemed to know where she was too. All of the other art students sat at the other tables away from them. Alexander looked over at Clio and just shook his head, "if anyone new came in it would look like we had leprosy or something."

She just shrugged, "oh well, they don't know what they're missing." As if on cue, Ms. Bear, the art teacher, walked in and behind her a tall boy with dark brown hair with hints of red and sharp green eyes followed her. Ambling up to her desk, she set down her bag and turned to the class. "OK kids, be quiet. I don't want to hear gossip today." She said in her normal blunt way. "We have a new student today, his name is…" glancing down at the paper she held, "… Markus Demetri Schadeck. He moved here from Germany, please welcome him with kindness and not your usual torment." She turned to look at Markus who was surveying the class just as they were doing to him. "Sit anywhere you want, I'll get you started on a project later."

Ebony leaned over to Clio; "think he'll avoid us to once he notices your bible?"

Clio nodded her head at the tall blonde girl near the front, "once Brittana gets her claws on him I doubt he'll come any where near us."

She watched the new boy start to come towards the back of the room; Brittana catches his arm and smiles at him. "You can sit here, we have more then enough room." She motioned for one of her friends to move.

"No thank you." Markus replied in an accented voice as he shook his arm free, "I'm going to sit back there." He pointed to the table where the four friends sat staring at him in disbelief. Leaving her and everyone else in shock he continues to the back of the room and sits down.

Ms. Bear burst out laughing at that exchange, "well let that be a lesson to all of you. Now to carry on what I was teaching Art II yesterday, painting the grass…"

The four of them were still staring at him in disbelief when he sat down between Tyler and Alexander. "Are you alright?" He asked with a curious look on his face.

Tyler was the first to speak up, "why are you sitting here?"

"Because I can and I want to, is there a problem?"

Tyler looked at Clio who motioned with her hand to continue. "Everyone here avoids us because we are Christians and Clio here carries a bible out in the open." Gesturing over at her and she just held up her red leather bound bible. "He protects her even though she can herself, she just wont hurt anyone." Pointing at Alexander shaking his dark brown hair out of his eyes so he could look Markus right in the eye.

Clio held her breath, also noticing Ebony did the same, waiting for him to get up and leave like everyone else. But he just smiled and said, "well then this will be an interesting year wont it?"

Clio started to giggle then laugh. Ebony joined her, while the three guys looked at them in confusion. The rest of the class was turning around to see what was so funny. "What was so funny?" Tyler inquired after they stopped.

Ebony looked at Clio, " you tell them."

"Fine." Clio looked at the three guys waiting, "it's a girl thing."

"WHAT?" Tyler exploded, "what kind of answer is that?"

Alexander chuckled and shook his head. " Hers, you should know that, you've known her since Elementary School."

Markus grinned at them, "now I definitely don't want to move."

They all sobered up when he mentioned that. "OK, but its your head." Alexander said. "You're going to be shunned by the rest of the school. You already are." He motioned his head towards Brittana. She was the last one staring at them with a look of disbelief and anger.

"Let them, its nothing I'm not use to." He replied with a dangerous tone.

Tyler cast a wary glance at Alexander as if to say "we need to watch this one."

Ebony spoke up "since you have officially joined the Outcast Christians, lets make the introductions. I am Ebony Mira Oliver. This is Tyl…" she start slapping Tyler on the arm.

"I know my own name thank you." He interrupted, "Tyler Diego Rios at your service." He declared while giving a half bow.

"Alexander Gage Engelo, the 'knight' of the group. Call me Alex," he stated running his hand through his hair.

"You need to cut your hair." Clio said eyeing him, looking back at Markus "my name is Clio Harmony Clear Waters."

"Markus Demetri Schadeck, good to be here. So what are we supposed to be doing?"

"Well, the four of us are Art IV, so we do whatever we want as long as we complete our projects, so for today you can probably do anything you want. Ms. Bear said she would get you started tomorrow." Clio thought aloud. She got up and went to her drawer and pulled out her painting.

The other three stood up and went to get their projects. Ebony was working with plaster, Tyler was drawing with charcoal and Alex took out his clay figurine.

Markus looked across the table at the watercolor painting Clio was doing. "What is it?"

Peeking up at him she turned it around, then he saw two figures in a small pond area? "Who are they?" He asked again.

"It's of Jesus and John the Baptist," she said turning it back around.

"Interesting, their features aren't very clear," he pointed out.

"Not supposed to. No one knows what they really looked like, so why would I try to be another person to say what they looked like."

"Fair enough," Markus sat back in his seat and dragged his binder out to take get a piece of paper and pencil and began to doodle.

Ebony glimpsed at Clio and smiled at her. The end of the hour rolled around and Markus walked out with the group, "what's your next class, man?" Tyler asked glancing at his schedule.

"Psychology."

"Clio and Alex have that nex…" Tyler stopped suddenly when someone shoved him into Ebony. "What the…" he stopped talking again when he saw the local gang standing in front of them.

"I see you people corrupted another unsuspecting person." The tall leader sneered showing off his lip piercing.

"Shove off Logan, he joined us willing." Alex said.

Logan turned to Markus, "is that true foreigner? You joined these ingrates by yourself?"

Markus stepped forward and lifted his head and look straight into his eyes. "Yes do you have a problem with that?" He answered in a low, accented voice.

They all saw Logan visibly pale and gulp loudly, "w-well, o-ok then. Um, lets go." He quickly walked away and his followers went after him in confusion.

They watched after him curiously, and then Clio sighed and turned to Markus. "Welcome to my life, let's go to class."