CHAPTER 1 Pgs. 1-5

Note to readers: The formatting doesn't play very nice.



As the car raced along the deserted stretch of highway, I could barely suppress the exhaustion that threatened to shut my eyes. I’d been on the run for over a week now and my body was beginning to shut down.
I looked to the dark woods that lined the highway to my right; the coast was clear. To my left, however, flashes of white and metallic black shined from between the thick trees. They were still keeping pace with the Malibu—with me. Not a good sign.
I sighed and reached for the stereo, turning the volume to the max and hoping the music would keep me awake. Katy Perry’s voice filled the lonely silence and I found myself smiling. At least I’d stolen a car with a good CD this time. The memory of the Barney tunes that played in the last still made me cringe.
I glanced at the silver Tinkerbell watch my mom had given me two Christmas’ ago and sighed. Not only was it at least two hours before sunrise but I missed my mom like crazy. I hoped deeply that she would understand why I’d left. Not that I even had a clue as to why. All I had was fear; fear of the vision, fear of the way my best friend, Adam, had looked at me like I was going crazy, fear of the beasts, fear of being alone, but most of all, fear that my mom would die, because of me…
I shook my head, stopping my poisonous thoughts before they could really get going. The last thing needed was images of my mom crying over me. Instead, I forced myself to think about the five o’clock news that had been on TV back at the diner. I was really making headlines.
An alert had been issued forty-eight hours after I had left my home in McKinney, Texas. My friends and family swore up and down that I would never have run away. I was the good girl. A little sarcastic and a lot straightforward but good. I was co-captain of the basketball team, at least an acquaintance with everybody, and I always saw the glass as being half full. Sometimes I’d struggle with my grades but I was smart. The only thing that could be considered a runaway warning sign would be my tendency to go it alone. But that was more due to the fact that I got…feelings about things. Pretty much, I got premonitions in the form of butterflies beating my stomach to hell when something…not so good was going to happen and well, that put people off. Put off everybody but my mom and Adam.
Anyway, this wasn’t the typical teen runaway case but it probably didn’t help that I had dropped my book bag and left the moment I’d had the vision. Now my picture was plastered all over TV though it was a wonder why. I mean, seventeen year olds go missing every day. What was so special about me? Not to mention, it was making the whole ‘running away’ thing a tad bit difficult. That’s why the itchy blonde wig was bugging the crap out of me. Though my face still looked the same, without my dark curls, I looked like a completely different girl. At least different enough that a stranger wouldn’t take a second look.
And that wasn’t all. The news anchor also told of a bizarre story that they were following in which someone was stealing vehicles and leaving previously stolen ones with empty tanks of gas in their place. They just hadn’t figured out that the grand theft auto was being done by me. It made me laugh. If I’d been home watching that story unfold, I’d have found it strange, too. But hey, after buying a couple of changes of clothes and the two wigs, I had limited funds and really did not want to waste what little I had on gas. Someday those people would be paid back, along with the others I had borrowed from. I was keeping a list.
Looking back down at my watch and seeing it was close to six, I craned my neck and scanned the tops of the trees. No light was visible yet but I knew it didn’t matter. Any time now the sun would rise and I would be safe until nightfall. I looked to the flashes of white, waiting for the precise moment when I could lower my guard. Hopefully it would also allow my stomach a break. It had been squirming since the day of the vision.
BANG!
I jumped as the roof caved in above me. My foot stomped the gas as white scales slithered into view from above. My heart began to pound as the orange eyes became focused on me. I was caught in its gaze. In the few seconds our eyes locked, I knew I was staring into the fiery pits of Hell. My body and mind were paralyzed with fear. No thoughts of how to evade this danger ever occurred. I’m going to die. Is this really the way it all ends? Alone? In a stolen car? My poor mom. Will she even know? God, please help me!
Vaguely, I was aware of the charred claw that was flying at the windshield. Panic seized my heart at the thought of that claw being wrapped around my throat. My panic was for nothing, however, as everything around me froze. The hum of the engine vanished and I could clearly see each snarled tree as movement ceased. Katy Perry disappeared, once again leaving me in silence.
A fiery light blazed all around me and the demon disappeared, leaving spots in my eyes, smoke clouding the glass, and an angry growl of disappointment resounding in my ears. The second hand on my Tink watch ticked loudly and signaled the return of time. Katy was back, louder than ever. My ear drums hurt with the sudden pressure of sound. I didn’t think I would ever get used to time freezing. I didn’t think my ears would either. I was grateful though. The freeze was like a warning. I had come to count on it after the first two times. When everything stopped, I knew those things were either somewhere near or about to go home.
“Too close, Chris. Way too close, girl,” I scolded myself. Having just nearly been caught by a creature for the first time, the leftover fear continued to pump furiously through my veins. So much for a good sleep. I just knew I would see those hate-filled eyes in my dreams.
I continued to drive a little longer as the sun crept over the tree tops, slowly banishing the dark from the earth. I glanced at my gas gauge. Crap. I’d have to steal another car when I got to the next town—if I got to the next town. There were still plenty of trees and they weren’t getting any thinner. Well, hell. I closed my eyes and said a quick prayer that I would at least make it to a gas station before opening my eyes and focusing back on the road to scan for a sign. Hopefully, there would be one telling me either where I was, or how far the next town was. Fortunately, I didn’t have to wait long.
Welcome to the town of Longview, Washington.
Relief rushed through me at the realization that I would be able to stop soon. Although, I had to shake my head at the so called “town”; nothing but trees so far. Nevertheless, I slowed my speed, just in case a store sprang out of nowhere.
That didn’t happen though. At first, I simply saw a couple of houses spaced a few miles apart. Gradually, the houses became small brick buildings and the road became more populated. When I finally hit the actual town, a few scattered gas stations lined the road which caused me to worry a bit. It was a lot easier stealing a car in a packed parking lot than at a meager gas station. Buying a tank of gas seemed inevitable. A couple of more minutes passed and I was about to hit the gas to try to make it to the next town when I came up on a red light. Slowing to a stop, I looked at my surroundings and spotted a huge gray and blue building. Wal-Mart! Yes!
I looked to the sky as I turned into the giant parking lot; no cameras pointed at the north forty. Good. I parked as perfectly as possible, switched to the red wig I had stashed, and grabbed an Armor-All wipe to clean off every bit of the car that was accessible to the human hand. I was pretty sure my mom had given the police the fingerprint kit she’d made me do as a child. I wasn’t sure if they would use them but I couldn’t be too safe. And I was almost a hundred percent sure the look-a-like ones would be following my fingerprint and scent trail. The look-a likes…they were scary. They looked like your average-Joes except for the slight, barely visible shimmer of heat that surrounded them. Plus, for some reason I would probably never know, they could be “active” during the day.
Happy with my cleanup, I grabbed the gigantic purse I used as a suitcase and walked to the area where most people parked, all the while scanning for a small car. I spotted a red Ford Escort and keeping my head averted, I made my way over to the driver’s side door. Once directly beside it, I stopped mid-step and began rummaging through my purse as if trying to find my keys while actually peering at the dashboard. You hit the jackpot, Chris. Full tank, no alarm, and get this - unlocked doors. Hell yeah. I got lucky for a change.
Just like I was the owner of the car, I opened the door and climbed into the driver’s seat. I subtly grabbed the hammer out of my bag before setting it on the seat. I fidgeted a second before furiously hitting the underside of the steering wheel. One good hit was all it took for the plastic to give, making a small hole. I grabbed the edges and pulled to make it wide enough to get both of my hands through. As soon as the three wires needed were visible, I took out my pocket knife and stripped the tips. Quickly twisting the red wires together, I touched the brown wire to their tips.
With a few sparks, the car stuttered and stopped. I tried again and got the same result. Letting go, I set my head back against the seat rest, eyes closed, and took long, calming breaths. My gut suddenly twisted, signaling something was wrong. Not another one. Opening my eyes, I found myself looking into the rearview mirror. Oh, shit. So much for luck.
A shiny, black police car had pulled up behind me; two male cops climbed out. As soon as their bodies hit the sun, the distortions from the gas caught my attention. Heat waves. My dread turned into heart-stopping fear. Look-a-likes.
“Let me see those.”
I turned, startled to find a gruff looking guy in the passenger seat. I hadn’t even heard the door. My surprise quickly turned to panic. I couldn’t let an innocent be hurt. Not because of me. “You need to get out,” I breathed.
“We don’t have time to argue,” he started, forcing me back and taking the wires. “Those are not your average cops.”
With that, the car started. Momentarily pushing shock to the side, I put the car into reverse, swerved around the squad car, and stopped in the aisle with a move worthy of The Fast and The Furious. The ‘cops’ jumped out of the way and I sped out of the parking lot, taking the first visible road.

Just Imagine The Back of a Book...

Fated for a life of sacrifice, a teenage girl must find a way to embrace her destiny.

Lost, scared, and hunted by a horde of creatures only the Faithful believe in, the usually sarcastic and humorous seventeen-year-old Christina Matthews’ life takes on new meaning when she finds herself stealing cars in order to reach a destination she isn’t even sure exists. Just when it seems she has hit a dead end, silent bad boy, Liam (aka McScruffy) swoops in to save the day with a helping hand and some very heavy information: Demons are after her and they definitely won’t play nice. But reaching Bane, a Demon combat training facility in Alaska, only leads Chris to an even more complicated discovery that she is half-Angel and as such, must promise her life to the protection of Mankind or else she will be left for dead. As if that wasn’t enough drama to keep her busy, Chris begins to feel as though her presence in Bane isn’t really as unimportant as Liam has made it seem and she has to figure out what her new instructors are really up to—the young lives of the other half-breeds hang in the balance. Soon, Chris realizes the line between good and evil is thinner than anyone believed.

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