• Prologue:The Dream


    Darkness surrounds me as I find myself standing in the middle of a meadow with tall, green grass. Thousands and thousand of stars fill the warm night as my gray eyes stare out into the open meadow. Not a single tree is in sight for miles. The moon is just starting to rise into the night sky. The grass is swaying, and my long, black hair is blowing in the wind. It’s quiet, to quiet nothing seems to be making a sound. Then I hear it a rumbling sound in the distance that almost sounds like a jet coming over. Suddenly the sky lights up, and I’m temporarily blinded. Then everything goes black except for a few blinking lights of what looks like a UFO. The words Star Gazer are etched out across the side.
    Fear and panic began to course through my veins. I feel the urge to run, but I can’t move. I stand frozen in place even when the door starts to rise. Then I see him and my urge to run gets even stronger. I know he is dangerous, yet I know he won’t harm a single hair on my head. He gorgeous jet black skin is shining in the moonlight. He isn’t looking at me, now he’s looking up into the night sky. Suddenly he begins to shimmer and transform in front of my eyes. He skin is now tan and he’s very muscled. He looks my way now, and he eyes are bright green and gentle looking. He starts to descend down the ramp moving towards me. When he’s just a few feet away I’m able to move again.
    I turn to run, but he catches me by my wrist. I freeze again then slowly turn towards him. I look into his eyes, and I get this strange feeling like I know him even though we have never met. He tries pulling me into his arms, but I hesitate. He stops waiting for me to decide whether or not I want to be in his arms. Slowly I begin to move closer to him. He tries to pull me into his arms again, and this time I let him. His chest his warm, and I automatically snuggle into him. He whispers sweet things in my ear that cause me to giggle and blush. His voice is like silk, and I’m in love with it.
    Suddenly he stops, looking up at the Star Gazer. A look of concern crosses his face. He picks me up and we’re running back to the ship. Everything is blurring, we were moving at unbelievable speed. We are half way to the ship when a siren begins to go off loudly, and he starts to move even fast. We’re almost to the ship when a huge fiery explosion goes off.
    I bolt awake, now sitting up in bed with sweat pouring off my forehead. Nicholas is still snoring softly next to me. I climb out of bed gently trying not to disturb him. I walk over to my bedroom window, and pull the thick black curtain aside. Downtown L.A. is lit up bright orange. Something must be going on, but I’m to tired to care. Suddenly my best friend JoJo comes bursting in through the room. Nicholas is now the one bolting upright in bed. “JoJo, what are you doing here so early in the morning?” I ask.
    “Did you see the shooting star cross the sky and land downtown?” she asks excitedly.
    “What shooting star?” I ask. While JoJo and I talk, Nicholas makes his way over to the window, and is peering out. Suddenly he interrupts out conversation. “Ladies gather up your things, we need to leave now” he says with a look of concern on his face.
    “Why?” I ask.
    “Just do it for me baby, please” he says. I nod my head, and he leaves the room. I pull my black duffle bag from the closet, and begin to pack the most important things I will need. I pull out three pairs of jeans, two pairs of sweatpants, three tank tops, two T-shirts, two sweatshirts, several pairs of sock, panties, and bras. Heading towards the bathroom I slide my father’s dagger into a side pocket. In the bathroom I grab only the important things, plus my makeup. I gently lay it all in my bag, and now I’m ready to leave. I sit on the bed and murmur with JoJo until Nicholas enters the room with a bag of his own.
    Next thing I know we’re all getting into his big, black truck. I’m sitting in the middle while he drives. I’m leaning on his shoulder, and JoJo is sitting next to me. I start to doze off when I suddenly here the door open and Nicholas swearing under his breath. I sit up and look around. We’re in downtown L.A., and JoJo is no longer in the truck. I instantly knew that was what Nicholas was swearing about. “We have to go get her” I say. Nicholas nods as I jump down to the ground. He’s right behind me and we begin searching as we shout her name. Then I see her standing in a crowd with a bunch of other people. They seem to be standing around a giant hole in the ground. I walk over and I feel my knees buckle.
    I was looking at the words Star Gazer etched out across something that looks much like a UFO. The same ship from my dream. The world was about to come to an end and I knew it. I came back to reality and Nicholas was looking at me with a concerned look. I was down on my knees, and he helped pull me back up. “What’s wrong?” he asked.
    “We need to get out of here” I say. He nods, and that’s when the door of the ship begins to rise. I know he’s standing there before I even see him. The door finishes rising and he’s there just like I knew he would be. He’s just as gorgeous as he was in my dream. Nicholas and I bolted for our truck as he started to walk down the ramp with thousands and thousands of others following behind. We get half way there when the screams start. I turn around to look what’s going on, and I wish I didn’t. Everyone around me is getting slaughtered, blood is everywhere. I reach the truck and realize that JoJo didn’t come with us. I scan the area trying to ignore the fact that people are getting killed around me.
    I find her and she is standing in front of him, staring. She’s staring at the beauty that he is, but I know the truth. I scream for her to run, but she is entranced. As I scream JoJo’s name, this demon turns and looks at me. I see something flicker in his eyes, a feeling maybe. He then looks back at JoJo, and he slits her throat. She falls to the ground dead, and I drop to my knees. I’m numb as I stare at her dead body laying on the ground. Nicholas runs over and scoops me up, placing me into the truck. He shuts the door, and runs around to his side. He steps on the gas, and the tears start to roll down my cheeks.
    I lean against him crying and he rubs a hand on my back. Then everything goes black as I drift to sleep. I awaken, confused on where I am. I soon realize I’m in the truck, and we’re on some kind o backroad. My eyes sting from the crying as I remember everything that has happened in the last twenty-four hours. I sit up and Nicholas looks over at me. “How you feeling?” he asks.
    “I don’t know” I reply softly. He nods as he rubs my back gently. I go silent for a few moments. “Where are we going?” I finally ask.
    “Remember the old cabin in the woods?” he asks as he glances at me.
    “Yeah, best childhood memories” I say as a smile flickers across my face.
    “Childhood what about High School?” he questions with a grin across his face.
    “Those were some of the best nights” I reply.
    “Well we’ll be safe there for awhile because it’s hidden.” I nod and then we go into silence once again. After a few moments I ask “How much longer?”
    “About ten minutes”replies Nicholas. I nod as I lean against him again knowing he’ll keep me safe until his dying breath. I close my eyes, and keep them closed until I feel the truck come to a stop. I open them and we’re finally here. I grab my duffle bag and open the door just a little when Nicholas grabs my hand. I freeze and strain to here a sound. Soon I hear it a gentle hum in the distance that turns into the loud roar of a what sounds like a jet engine. The ship passes over us then stops hovering for what seems like forever. It passes over and I let a deep sigh of relief out. I open my door and go straight into the little cabin. Nicholas is right behind me as I crash onto the couch.
    “There’s a bed” he says with a smile.
    “Carry me” I say as I lift my hands up looking like a small child who wants to be picked up. A smile flickers across he face as he picks me up, carrying me to the bed. He sets me down gently then climbs in next to me. I’m asleep before he even turns out the lights.