I had always thought I would die peacefully, but, I guess not. I died today. A gunshot. Atleast I saved my best friend's life-right? After I was shot I blacked out, and died. It all started two weeks ago, when my friend decided to date a mysterious stranger from the Internet....."So, who is he?" I asked as I flipped my long light brown hair over my shoulder and leaned toward the laptop on the desk. "He said his name's Kaleb. Kaleb Trinity." My best friend said. "Kaylee, that's such a cheesy name, are you sure he's not a fake? I told you it wasn't a good idea to join online dating sites." I said frustratingly as I looked into her bright green eyes. She sighed and laughed. "Oh, Mari.....I'm sure he's alright. I mean, look at his picture, he'soooo cute." She pointed at his picture. I was sure it was photo shopped. Or atleast a fake picture. A knot formed in my stomach."Kale, I don't think-" I started to say but was stopped short by her. "I know you don't like this idea, but I really think it'll be fine. Please, trust me just this once....okay?" She asked as she stared into my pale blue eyes. I rolled my eyes and let out a deep dramatic sigh. "Fine, just this once." I said under my breath and I started playing with my nose ring. I wasn't too keen on the idea of dating people online, or even dating in high school at all. She smiled and clapped and returned to the laptop. "What time is it?" I asked. She looked at the time on her computer. "Oh, it's already six thirty" She said with a worried expression. "Oh, shoot! I'm late for dinner-again!" I said as I grabbed my dark blue and black hoodie off her full pink bed. I slipped it on, zipped it up halfway and pulled the hood over my head. "Your step-moms really strict Mari." She said as she stood up and gave me a hug. "I know, it S-U-C-K-S." I said overdramatically. My mom had died when I was ten, and my dad remarried after I turned fourteen. My sixteenth birthday was in two weeks. I ran out of Kaylee's house and heard someone yell my name. I turned around and saw my friend ride up to me on their bike. "Hi Derek, what are you doing? I thought you usually tore up the streets racing with your buddies on your bikes." I said as he stopped by me. He had unusually orange hair that he flipped to one side, stark blue eyes and a few freckles by his perfect nose. "I dunno, I thought you'd be late to dinner again. Your step-moms scary, so I decided to escort you home. And this isn't a very good neighborhood either...soo....yeah and I thought if I brought you home she might ease up on you a little." He said as he played with his bike's handlebars. "That's nice of you, but really you don't need to." I said as I bounced on my toes, anxious to get home, but I also feared what punishment I'd get for being late. "No really, I insist. I mean, the other day a girl from our school was shot just down the street." He said. He really was worried about me, but he didn't know that the streets were safer than my own house. My step-mom changed my dad, he's an alcoholic now. And they both do terrible things. The house is always trashed. There's almost never any food there. My step-mom only makes dinner to keep up appearances, to make other people we're a normal family. What does normal even mean anyway? I sighed as I was forced back into reality by Derek as he got off his bike. "I guess you can walk me home." I said reluctantly as I looked down at my green neon high-tops that my black leggings were tucked into. "Great." He said. I didn't miss the smirk on his face. We walked for a minute before he broke the silence. "You know, I'm sorry about what happened to your mom. I trie-" I cut him off. "It wasn't your fault, you tried. It's okay. I'm alive aren't I?" I looked at him with a small forced smile. He looked at me with sad eyes full of regret. He did try to save her, but he saved me. He tried to save both of us, but he could only save one. He had chosen me because my mom was too heavy and already too close to death. It was the most powerful thing we shared, this ten year old's nightmare. The memory was kind of blurry, but as powerful as if it were yesterday. We were in the ocean, and Derek had insisted on going farther out, because he wanted to go into this little cave he heard about. My mom took me and him into the cave. The water in the cave came up to my chest, and the ceiling of it was four feet above my mother's head. She was five-eight. Derek and I walked to the back of the cave with my mom, when all of a sudden the cave started to shake and collapse. A piece of the ceiling fell on my mom, she struggled to get out. Derek tried to lift the piece off of her, but it was too heavy for a little boy. My mom's eyes rolled into her head. I ran for Derek's hand as more fell from the ceiling. A sharp piece fell and went into my shoulder. I screamed and fell. Derek turned and ran back for me. He helped me up but I kept staggering, so he lifted most of my weight and tried to run. His fore head was bloody. He had been hurt too. We had finally made it out. The cave was huge and most of it collapsed behind us. We struggled to shore, and I blacked out. I was shocked back into reality again by Derek who was talking. "I'm sorry, what'd you say?" I asked. "Nothing....I just said we're here." He smiled at me. I was sure he'd said something completely different. But, we were at my house. My stupid white house, with its white picket fence. I gave him a hug and thanked him for walking with me. He walked me to my front door and knocked. The door opened. "Hello Derek, may I ask why you're here?" My step-mom said. It was all fake...the niceness. She was in her blue jeans and green cardigan sweater. Her dark red hair was in a big sloppy ponytail. And she had bare feet. "I was just walking Mari home, since it's not a good neighborhood. I'm sorry she's a half hour late to dinner, but we got caught up." He said to her and then turned and winked at me then left. I avoided my step-moms glare and stepped inside. I went straight to my room, I wanted to avoid the fireworks. I locked my door, then slumped down on the floor putting my back against it. I looked around my room. My futon bed was against the left wall, covered with a black big comforter I had gotten from my cousin last year. It had two bright blue pillows on top of the comforter. A painting of a big wooden cross with the sun blazing behind it hung over my bed, I had painted that a few months ago, after I became a believer. Across from my bed was my small plain dresser and next to that was my desk which held my laptop and trinkets. My floor was white soft carpet and the walls were a light blue. I kept sitting there while my step-mom and my dad were fighting-literally fighting. They were punching walls and the whole schabang. After awhile, it subsided and I stood up. I went to my desk and sat down. I turned the computer on, then I checked my facebook. My cell phone started ringing, I pulled it out of my hoodie pocket. "Hello?" I answered. "Hey, it's Nicole. Your aunt. Uhm, there's something I need to talk to you about." The person said. "Oh...hi. Well, what do you need to talk to me about?" I asked. "I can't....can't talk about it over the phone. I need to see you, four days from now. Meet me at the park......the one by the forest. Four days from now, at five pm." The line clicked, she had hung up. She hadn't talked to me since my mom died. That was overly weird. I looked out my window, it had started raining. I went and laid on my bed, and fell asleep. Over the next couple days, Derek insisted about hanging out with me, to protect me from what I have no clue. He seemed to know something I didn't. Those days went by in a blur, and soon enough it was time to meet with my aunt. I was sitting in my room, I was grounded. I peeked at the time on my phone, it was already four-forty-two. I opened my window and climbed out, luckily, my room was on the first floor. I peeked back and closed my window carefully. Then, I picked up my bike which I had left laying by my window. I started riding towards the park. She was already there when I got there. "Hey." I said as I rode up to her. I dismounted my bike and stood in front of her. She was pretty, with brunette hair and emerald eyes. "Mari, there's something you don't know. I need to tell you." She said as she looked at me, her eyes holding the darkest secrets. "I've kind of figured that, well, what is it?" I demanded. I was starting to feel mad, because everyone else knew something about something and they weren't telling me. I tried to push those feelings away. "Your mother, she.....she's......alive." She said. I felt my jaw go slack and felt water coming to my eyes. "She's alive?! You've know all this time, and you didn't even bother to tell me? Why? How? How did she survive? I mean, she.....she was DEAD for cryin' out loud! How is she alive?!" I said with anger as I paced back and forth. Nicole sighed. "Look, okay, I didn't have the choice to tell you. If I would have told you any sooner, only God knows what would've happened. But, now that your sixteenth birthday is nearing, I thought it would be safe to tell you now. Because your gifts are going to start showing themselves." She said. "What gifts?!" I asked, afraid my aunt was going insane. "I think I've said too much." She said, then she left. I was left standing there, my jaw slack, and my mind going round and round like a hurricane. It took me an hour to move my feet, I got on my bike and started going who-knows-where. I wasn't paying attention to what was in front of me, my focus was on what my aunt had said. All of a sudden, I collided with someone else on a bike. I landed on someones lawn. I lay motionless for a moment, then someone came over to me and asked if I was alright. I looked at the person and saw it was Derek. "Derek?" I asked, confused. I think I had a concussion. "It' s fine Mari. Are you ok? You don't look too good." He said, worry in his voice. He helped me stand. "I'm alright. Just in a bit of a daze. My aunt told me my moms alive." I said. I told him all she said. "I know." He said. He wasn't shocked at all! "YOU KNEW TOO?!" I felt anger brewing within me. "Ya, I knew. I'm sorry, but, if I told you, terrible terrible things would've happened. Sorry." He said. "What gifts was she talking about then?! Huh?!" I stomped around in a circle. "You're.......not....exactly human." He said. "Then what am I?! A freaking fairy?! I mean c'mon! Of course I'm human." I fumed. He looked at me with sympathetic eyes. I stormed off, I went home and fell asleep. The week went by in a blur, I felt like I was going crazy. Weird things were happening to me, my body was changing a little. My eyes were getting brighter, my hair was changing from light brown to almost a white. I was freaking out. My birthday was tomorrow. I decided to go to go to Kaylee's. "Oh, hi, Mari. What did you do to you're hair?! It's the whitest white I've seen!" Said Kaylee, astonished. "Don't ask." I said. "Guess what?" She said. "What?" I said. "He asked me on a date! He wants to see me tonight. Will you come with? Please?" She asked me. "I guess I can." I grumbled. "Great!" She said happily. Later that evening, around ten, we went to a small diner by the docks, we were gonna meet him there. "Look! I think that's him!" She giggled excitingly. I felt knots in my stomach, a tall figure in a long black trench coat was approaching. "Uh...Kaylee, I don't know about this. He doesn't look like that picture at all. He doesn't even look like a teenager." I said. Kaylee's eyes grew wide with the realization. She gripped my hand. We couldn't run, there was a fence around the diner. He was coming to us. "Hello, Allie." Allie? Who was he talking to? "I think you have the wrong girls, sir." I said, deciding to be brave even though the fear inside me tempted me to be anything but. "No, I have the right one. You are Allie." He said as he stood a few feet away. "No, I'm Mari." I said cautiously, this guy was nuts! "No you aren't. That's just your mortal name. The name you were given at birth is Allie." He said. Mortal name?! So I'm not mortal now either? Everyone's crazy. "Look, guy, um, I seriously think you have the wrong girls." I said. He walked a foot closer, now there was only five feet between us. He sighed. "You are the right one, your very own hair is proof." He said, pointing at my long white hair. I touched my hair protectively. "What if I dyed it?" I asked. "I know you did not, I sense it." He said in a strange and eery way. "Okay, anyway, my friend and I will be leaving now." I gripped Kaylee's hand and walked past him, staring at him. "No, sadly, you won't. And you will never be able to leave the place I will send you." He grabbed something that resembled a gun out of his coat. I ran with Kaylee into an alley, he followed close behind. We hid behind a dumpster and boxes. "Come out come out wherever you may be." He said as he pointed the gun thing different places. Kaylee sneezed. My eyes widened in horror as he heard it, and then he came towards our direction. I grabbed her hand again and bolted down the alley, begging the streets to be full of people. But, they weren't, as always. I saw the local bar's sign and ran for it, there had to be alot of people there, maybe even a cop! Before we came close to it, Kaylee and I tripped, something had wrapped around our ankles. He had thrown something at us and it wrapped itself around our legs! My hands clawed at the rope, I didn't care about pain right now, I just kept clawing even though I scratched myself. The ropes loosened and we scrambled up and ran. He was right behind us. I decided to take a quick dive into another alley. But then at the end there was a brick wall! Kaylee and I pressed our backs against the wall. He came into the alley, and walked straight up to us. We're trapped. All my life for this? Why?! He grabbed Kaylee by her wrists, then turned her around so she faced me, and he held a blade against her throat. Tears were running down her cheeks, her eyes pleaded for me to help her. "What do you want?" I demanded. "You." He said. "What do you want with me?!" I screamed at him. "Hush!" He roared, inching the blade closer to her throat causing a small trickle of blood. "Stop! I'm sorry. What do you want me to do?" I asked. "Do as I say, or your pretty friend here dies. It would be such a waste of a beautiful life." He said. I looked into Kaylee's eyes. I had to. "Alright. I'll do whatever." I said. "I want you to die and be forever locked in a different world, never to be seen in this one again." He said. What did he mean by that? I was so confused. What other world? I put my brave face on. "I'll do it." I said as I stepped forward. Kaylee cried harder. Suddenly, I saw a dark shadow with orange hair come into the alley behind the man. It was Derek! "I can sense you. Stand next to Allie or Kaylee dies." Derek looked defeated as he walked towards me. "Okay, flame haired one, you have two choices. Go with Allie to death, or leave now and never say a word and be sworn to silence." He said. Derek looked at me with love, real love. "I choose to die with her." He said without even looking at the man. "Good. Then all is well. Everything is as they said it would be." The man said. I didn't have time to wonder about what he said. He let go of Kaylee and she ran, but before she got out of the alley the man sent a white whispering flame from his fingertips to Kaylee's head. She stopped for a moment, then just walked away as if she forgot what was going on. "I don't have much time left, we must do this now. Say a few words to each other, for this is the last time you'll be on this planet." He said. "Derek, what time is it?" I asked with tears in my eyes. He looked at his watch. He looked at me with tears in his own eyes. "Happy birthday, Princess Allie." He said with a small smile. Before I could ask why he called me Princess Allie, the guy aimed the gun thing at us and shot. I felt something weird punch a small hole into my stomach, I looked over and the same thing happened to Derek. A moment later I lay on the ground, with a pool of blood around me. My eyes closed slowly, and I felt a breath of air enter my lungs and instantly knew it was my last. I let it out slowly, not wanting to let go. Then I blacked out. I couldn't feel anything. The last thing I remember is having a floating feeling.

















########
"Do you think she shall arise soon, sir?" A female voice asked. "Yes, she shall. It's already been four hundred years, just over the normal time it takes." A male voice said in reply. I opened my eyes slowly, and I saw a whiter than normal white room. My mouth felt heavy and weird. My vision was too blurry. I slowly sat up. "Am I in heaven?" I asked. The male voice replied. "Nay, not yet I fear, Princess Allie. I hoped you would remember being in this world, but you do not. Most curious indeed." He said. "You are in Terhesgone, my lady. The world of your origin. I hope you like it, and would remember it. It's one of the most beautiful worlds, complete with the most beautiful terhes." She said. " Wha....what's a terne? " I asked, feeling groggy, still not being able to see. They bothed chuckled. "That's what all of us are, including you, my lady. Like on planet earth, they are called people. Here, they are terhes. Only we are more then they." The male said. "Where's D..De..Derek?" I managed to squeak out. "Derek? Oh, my lady, you mean King Derehne of the western kingdom." Said the female. "King..?" I said. I couldn't believe this. Derek...a king?! I mean, I could see him being a king. But this was just too much. I blanked out and fell asleep for a short time.














The End....for now.