The sky had long since been covered by dark clouds, and a storm was on the horizon. The ocean's waves smashed hard against the dock, but it stood relenting. Only four boats were docked in the entire harbor, and each was thrown around to the whims of the water beneath. The wind had recently picked up, lifting up and taking away everything not anchored to the ground. Mother Nature ruled over the island, her anger in full force.

An empty dock had recently taken to playing host for two teenagers. Both were male, and around eighteen years old. They stared off into the horizon, as if waiting for something. They had bundled themselves tightly in thick jackets, and the hoods dangled, ready to be used if rain arrived.

The boy on the right was tall and built like a runner. He had smooth black hair that normally went to his neck, but was currently flailing about in the air. He had bright green eyes that shone even through the dark cover that the clouds provided. Small bits of stubble peeked out from his face, the tell that he hadn't shaved in a few days. His face also was marred with a small scar that traced the side of his left cheek, and another scar rested above his right eyebrow. Neither was disfiguring or horrible, but they were hard to miss.

The other boy was slightly shorter, but not by much, and was toned. His hair was a copper brown, cut nice and short. He, unlike his friend, didn't have a single blemish on his face at all, and was clean-shaven. His features were aligned in such a way that it was almost impossible to place his heritage, but he was granted with classic good looks. His most defining feature, though, were his eyes. Both shone with a bright red, and to stare into them too long was to get lost in their wonder.

The black-haired boy turned to his friend after a particularly nasty wind pushed them both slightly off balance.

"Thomas, we should go home. They aren't going to be coming. It's too late, as is, and this storm won't be helping anything. They probably just got a room at some hotel, and are waiting for the weather to clear up."

Thomas shivered as a cold wind pushed right through to his bones. He gritted his teeth for a moment, but didn't turn to look at his friend.

"They said they were coming today. When can you ever think of either of them lying? You can head home, Vance. I'm not going anywhere."

Vance just sighed, and looked back out to the ocean.

"You're just being stubborn. You and I both know they aren't coming. It's not like they lied. The shit just hit the fan, and things changed. Just be patient"

Thomas walked farther onto the dock, and Vance waited a moment before jogging forward to catch up. A strong wave shook the dock slightly, and the two friends paused a moment to hold their balance. Thomas turned around to look at Vance, and sighed melodramatically.

"Look, I know they're not coming, okay? Does it make you feel better if I say it?"

"A little."

Both laughed a bit, and Vance walked right next to his best friend.

"They'll be here."

Wind pushed Thomas's hair into his face, and he used his left hand to hold it back.

"I know they will. But it's been six years, Vance. Six years."

In one quick movement, Vance grabbed his friend in a headlock, and practically dragged him backwards off the dock. Both were laughing as Thomas struggled to get out. By the time he succeeded, both were off the dock and back on solid ground. The boy composed himself before looking facing off against his friend. Before Thomas could say anything further, though, Vance beat him to the punch.

"It's been six years, Thomas. What's another day?"

Thomas nodded, knowing his friend was right. Both of the friends took one last look out to the rough ocean before turning away. Thomas's glance was a bit longer. The pair quickly made their way up the stairs that connected the small port to the rest of the city, and after the annoyingly long walk, the two peered at their home beyond them.

Even with the rough weather, quite a few people were outside, going through life as if nothing was happening. That was the way it was in Esperanza. No matter what stood in their way, the people would keep at it. It was just the way they made it through the day, and those same values were passed on to all the children who had grown up on the island, Vance and Thomas included.

Separated from the outside world, the people on Santa Esperanza Island had always been self-dependant, able to stand on their own without the need of any mainland assistance. The people depended on one another, and the civilization flourished because of it. The island, and the city inside it, was just a giant family. One was hard pressed to find someone they didn't know, or at least know of, especially considering the entire island only housed around five thousand or so people, and only around 1000 lived in the Esperanza City itself.

The walk sign flashed green, and the pair quickly made their way across the street. A nearby car honked, and both noticed a familiar face driving it. She wasted no time in sticking her head out the window.

"Vance! Hey!"

Thomas laughed as Vance smiled with a slight sigh. The girl's arm flailed around the air, and Vance returned the wave in stride. The girl must have broken a couple driving laws as she managed to maneuver her car into a parking space on the side of the street.

"Hi, Allie."

The girl jumped out of her car, narrowly avoiding being hit by another, and crossed the street. She had long red hair that fell down her back. It was blowing freely in the wind. She was right in front of the pair in seconds. It was only once she got there that she noticed Vance had company.

"Oh, hi Thomas. What are you two doing walking around out here? It's probably going to start raining any minute."

Vance noticed how Thomas managed to shirk away quickly, leaving the responsibility of dealing with the girl to him. The brown-haired boy gave a quiet laugh as he did so, which only made Vance angrier. Still, the teen knew better than to show it to Allie, and kept a smile plastered onto his face.

"Oh, a couple friends of ours were supposed to show up today, but it looks like their boat was held up. We were just heading back to the house. What were you doing?"

It would have been obvious to any normal person that the question was strained out, as if making basic conversation was the last thing the boy really wanted. It was apparent, even if you had never met the boy, that he didn't care the slightest what Allie was doing. He was just doing his best to be polite. Of course, the girl took no notice.

"Oh, I was just running an errand for Daddy. He needed me to pick up some milk from the store for dinner tonight."

Both Thomas and Vance had known Allie's father, Mr. Grant, for years. He was a teacher at the local elementary/middle school, and was really popular around town. The man was always able to make anyone smile. His wife had died years ago while delivering Allie, but the man had always seemed to just accept things as they were, and treasure each day he had.

Of course, this led the man to spoiling Allie a bit, and the girl was used to getting what she wanted. And it was obvious to everyone that she really wanted Vance. Of course, Vance didn't want her. The girl was nice, but she wasn't exactly the brightest around. Just like now, he did his best to be nice to the girl, but she just wasn't taking any hints that he was trying to send her that he wasn't interested.

"That's really cool, Allie. Look, the two of us really need to get home. We still have to finish up some homework, you know. Besides, you don't want your dad to worry about you."

The girl nodded quickly, and then turned around. Vance sighed outwardly, and Thomas started laughing again. Allie didn't seem to notice. Just when it seemed like she was going to leave, she quickly spun back around, and said, a bit louder than she needed to, "I know. You can come over to eat at my house, Vance. It'll be fun. I'm sure Daddy won't have a problem with it, either."

Thomas, though he wanted nothing to do with dinner at the girl's house, still felt a small twinge of hurt that he wasn't even invited. Of course, he was also certain the girl had forgotten he was even there, her eyes locked tightly with Vance's. Vance, in turn, put on the biggest fake smile, with a nice artificial look of disappointment.

"I'm sorry, Allie. You know I'd love to, but I just can't tonight. I really have a lot of homework to do. Ms. Paile is PMSing and gave the class a shitload of Calc to ponder over. If I don't finish it, she'll probably waterboard me."

Allie laid a hand on Vance's arm, which his eyes shot to immediately. Thomas clearly saw the struggle on the boy's face, his discomfort over the whole situation apparent.

"Of course, Vance. Maybe I'll have Dad talk to somebody. He might be able to do something about her."

"It's fine, Allie. Just get home. I'm sure I'll see you tomorrow at school."

"Yeah. We can pick a better night for you to come over. That'll be a lot of fun. I'll even make sure we're making pork chops. I know they're your favorite."

How the girl found that out, Vance didn't want to know. One look at Thomas's smile, though, gave him all the answer he would need.

"Yeah. Maybe some other time."

The girl wasted no time in running back across the street, and jumping back into her car. As she pulled away, she waved wildly again. Vance's wave was far less enthusiastic, and once the girl was out of sight, his arm fell to his side. The teen glared over at Thomas, who was smiling widely.

"I'm going to kill you."

Without the smile faltering in the slightest, Thomas replied, "I know."

Both crossed through the rest of the town without incident, and safely made their way to Thomas's house just as the sky decided to start dripping. Both threw themselves inside, and shut the door quickly. The house was warm, and smelled quite obviously of cooking. Good cooking.

"We're home, Mom."

Both Thomas and Vance threw their coats onto the coat rack next to the front door, and crossed the living room into the dining room. Thomas ducked his head into the kitchen, and saw something cooking on the burner. He lifted the lid, and both steam and sweat aroma flew out.

"Mom's making corn on the cob."

Thomas glanced over at his brother, who was standing in the threshold between the between the dining room and kitchen.

"Where is she, Jackson?"

Jackson was a bit shorter than his older brother, around 5'10. Two years younger than Thomas, the boys looked remarkably similar. Both had the same mess of brown hair, and the same glowing red eyes. There was no doubt to anyone that the two were related.

"She's just in the bathroom. So, a no-show for Zack and Penny?"

Thomas nodded his head, and Jackson shrugged.

"Honestly, I kinda saw it coming. I mean, they've haven't visited in six years. I thought it was kind of weird that the two just call up and say they're visiting."

Thomas nodded again, and opened up a nearby cabinet. He grabbed four plates, and passed them over to Jackson, who took them and slipped out into the dining room. Thomas was grabbing the silverware when he heard Jackson yell out, "You aren't getting away from helping to set the table, Vance. You live here, you help here."

Thomas laughed, and passed the dejected Vance to place the silverware around the table. Vance brought out the glasses, and the three boys finished the job in mere moments working together.

"Not bad. Look at what my boys can do when they work together. It brings a tear to a mother's eye."

All three rolled their eyes, but it was Vance who replied, "Give us a break, Ms. Edwards."

The boy attempted to scoot past the woman to get back to the bedrooms, but she caught him and gave his hair a quick tussle before he could escape. Vance disappeared from view, trying desperately to get his hair back into position. Thomas and Jackson both laughed, but stopped when their mother gave them a mischievous look.

"We surrender. Please don't kill us."

Each Edwards brother managed to slink off to their respective rooms without any torture. Thomas noticed that Vance had already pulled out homework, and was working.

"I thought you were lying about the Calculus."

"I wish."

Thomas jumped onto his bed, and grasped his backpack. His bed was a lot less cluttered than his friend's, and he carefully pulled out his history textbook and a single notebook.

"So, what are you going to do about Allie? You know, you're just going to have to tell her straight out one of these days."

Vance glanced up from his math homework and looked right at Thomas. The black-haired teen had a smile on his face.

"Or, I could just ignore her for a few more months, escape to some college on the mainland, and not deal with her ever again."

Thomas opened up his textbook, and flipped to the page he needed.

"Knowing her, though, she'll probably find out where you're going, and stalk you all the way there, Vance."

Both boys chuckled, each thinking that in some part of their minds, they believed it could be true. There was silence for a short while as each went to town on their assignments. Thomas was the one who ended up breaking the silence.

"So you're actually going to the mainland? I thought you said you were just going to hang around Esperanza, maybe go to the community college."

Vance shut his math book, and looked up at Thomas.

"I don't want to be stuck on this island any longer. I just want an excuse to leave, if only for a few years. Then I'll make up my mind if I want to come back. Besides, it's not like your one to talk. You're not even going to college. You're just going to take off and use your Dad's money he left for your college funds to travel the world."

Thomas replied with a "true," but still didn't look up from his homework. After Vance realized that his friend wasn't going to continue, he reopened the book and continued from where he left off. The two didn't speak again until Mrs. Edwards called out to them that dinner was ready.


Allie called out a few times into the darkness of her home, but heard no reply. She flicked the light switch on, and found the entire living room empty.

"Daddy? Are you here?"

The girl could smell the food, and made her way to the kitchen. She could smell the gas was on, and saw that the oven was preheated, but when she opened it, found it to be empty. She turned the oven off, and looked to the fridge, where her father usually put a message to say if he had to leave.

"Daddy?"

She was scared, now. Her father never left anywhere without leaving a note. She grabbed her cell phone, and dialed her father's number. She put the phone to her ear, and waited for the ring. At the same time as the ringing began, she heard the song that was so familiar to her coming from behind her. It sounded like it was coming from her father's room.

Allie walked over to her father's room, and slowly pushed the door open. She could see a shape sitting on her father's bed, facing the other direction.

"Dad, why are you in the dark?"

The man turned around, and waited a moment for to reply, "Don't turn on the light, Allie-baby. Please."

She knew something was wrong, and despite what her father had said, flicked the switch. Her father instantly coiled, and took a moment before managing to straighten himself.

"What did I ask you honey?"

Her father turned to look at her, one eye shut as if still trying to get used to the light.

"I'm sorry, Daddy, but you just sounded like something was wrong."

The man looked down at the floor. He looked like he was covered in sweat. Allie took a step back, concerned for her father, but also worried about what was happening.

"Come here, Allie-baby."

"Are you okay, Dad?"

"Come here. It's all okay, honey. Just come to Daddy."

Allie knew something was definitely wrong now. He looked up at her, and now that he had grown accustomed to the light, she saw him look at her with both eyes open. Her heart seized for a moment. There was a hunger in his eyes that she had never seen before.

"Let me get a nice good look at you, baby. It's okay."

And then he lunged.


The house was once again shrouded in darkness, and in the living room, the man sat on the carpet, staring down at the soulless body. A red stain had spread into the carpet underneath the girl's broken form. He prodded her side to side with his finger, staring deeply into her empty eyes, as if looking for something. After a moment, he sighed.

"No, you weren't the one. What a shame."

The man stood slowly, fresh blood covering his hands, dripping slowly onto the corpse of the girl. Behind him, the front door opened quietly, and a blonde-haired boy calmly took in the scene. After a moment, the man turned and stared at the boy. The blonde-haired boy glanced down at the corpse, and then looked back at the man.

"You really did make a mess of things. Well, we both know how this is going to end."


Well, I finally did it. I started my opus. I'm well aware this is a very odd opening to what honestly is a pure bred fantasy story, but just trust me, it'll all make sense. I'm really looking for some input for this story which has been swimming around in my head for a good five years. This honestly will be the series that I'll be known for when I die, at least if I have anything to say about it. I'd appreciate reviews more so than you could possibly imagine, so please do so. It really will determine if this'll be the opening I stick with. I swear, I've written the beginning to this book a good eight times, but just never liked it. I think this one has potential, so judging by what you guys say will determine if I continue past this or not. Honestly, I really need reviews. I'm serious. Please review my story. And yes, I'm talking to you. Yes you. You know who you are, the person who just reads stories, never comments on them, and then runs off. The only way writers get better is with reviews. And practice, but screw that. I'm being honest here. If you want me to beg, I'll do it. I swear. Just give me a review. I promise I'll review your stories. I swear.

Here's the deal. You review this, I'll review you. The more times you review my chapters, the more I'll review you. And everyone likes a good review. That's my offer. Take it or leave it. I'm serious when I say that I plan on getting this story published some day, and if you help me along, I'll put you guys in the special thanks section. I will frickin make a special thanks section all for you guys. That's my promise to you. Take it or leave it, because that's all I can really do.

And if you managed to read all of that, you rock. Here's an imaginary cookie.