Chapter 1

The pain was horrible. It shot through my whole body. Throbbing non-stop. Everything was blurred in my sight, slowly growing brighter. To be honest, I had never thought about death until that point. I never had a reason to ponder on it or fear it until now. I hadn't meant to be dying, does anyone, besides those suicidal people?
    It had all been a horrible accident. Sarah had been driving too fast in the wrong place at the wrong time. I had been thrown from the car, through the windshield, and into a tree. Sarah, as far as I knew, was still in the car, smashed somewhere in the pancake that was left. The ambulances hadn't arrived yet, though I knew someone had called them. I could hear the voices frantically by my side, asking me questions I couldn't answer.
    Then suddenly they all stopped, and it was dark. I was still alive, I thought, but the pain was receding quickly and I felt mute, deaf, and blind. It was strange, really. I was stuck in that state, of unknowing, coldness. Then pain surged again, this time different. It was a burning sensation spreading slowly up my arm and throughout my body. It was nothing like fire, it felt like being bit by a rattle snake or something deadly poisonous as the poison surged through your body.
    My eyes flew open, revealing blurs once more. I felt myself writhing in agony on the ground, low moans of pain escaping my lips. The voices around me had stopped, and I could only see one, single, dark silhouette blur against the moon in the night sky. The silhouette slowly stood and looked down at me, before darting off towards the woods.
    About the time he reached the woods, blue and red lights filled the sky and muted sirens blared all around me. More silhouettes appeared, these carrying lights and what I guessed was a gurney. A group of the silhouettes slowly lifted me onto the gurney, another silhouette placing a mask over my face before joining the others to lift me into the back of an ambulance.
    The last thing I saw was a man looking down at me, his eyes golden grey, desperately shouting at the men around him.

    I was cold. That's the first thing I felt when I woke up on the white sheets of the hospital bed. I remembered what had gotten me here, but I didn't focus on it, I didn't want to remember it. A nurse, with a tight fitting blue uniform, sat by a monitor which was hooked up to the multiple wires placed inside my right arm. She looked down at me, a sorrowful haze clouding her eyes. Gently, she touched my forehead and sighed before standing up and leaving the room.
    She returned shortly with a tall, stunning man in tow. His skin was tanned darkly, his eyes a golden grey which shocked me back into my last conscious moments of the night of the accident. The vision left my mind, leaving me griping the bed sheets and breathing heavily. He was something different. I knew it.
    The man sat swiftly beside my bed and tapped the monitors with a pencil before writing something down on a clipboard. "Hello, Riley. Do you remember what happened? Why you are here?" He asked softly, his voice flowing like silk.
    I nodded stiffly. "Yeah." My voice croaked with that rough sound people got from days of being mute or having a rough cough. "I was in a car wreck with Sarah. I think I Was thrown through the windshield. I don't know how long I was laying there on the ground, but it felt like an eternity.
    The man nodded and wrote quickly on his clipboard. "How do you feel right now?"
    "To be honest, a little odd." I paused, swallowing to try to calm the croak in my voice. "W-what happened? And where is Sarah?"
    "Like you said, you were in a car week and thrown through the windshield. You were slamming against a tree and you broke your back in multiple places as well as your arm." He paused, giving me time to look down and see my injuries which I had been oblivious to.
    My back was in a tight brace and my arm covered in thick, hard plaster. I yelped slightly, not from pain, but from shock. It had all happened so fast, and now I was waking up to it.
    "Luckily, no nerves were cut or pinched. You are perfectly mobile still, which is a huge miracle to say the least. As for Sarah..." He paused, swallowing awkwardly.
     I closed my eyes and threw my head back. "She's dead?" I croaked, voicing what I almost had always known to be true.
    His eyes darkened and he violently shook his head. "No, no. She is fine, but she is scarred. Riley, she lost her ability to walk in the accident. Her face was severed by the glass horribly, as well."
    I stopped breathing. How could I not? My best friend, who was very well on her way to a softball scholarship, couldn't even walk any more. She was paralyzed. "Oh." I murmured. I couldn't help thinking that, for her, she probably would have rather been killed in that wreck.
    "C-can I see her? Please?"
    The man hesitated and side glanced at the nurse. "I guess so, but you can't walk right now either. I'll have someone bring her in here right now. Just be careful. Both of you are still pretty frail, both physically and emotionally."
    I didn't answer, simply looked out the window on my right, which provided a view of the vast city of Houston, Texas. The opening of a door brought my gaze back to the doorway, where a nurse was weakling in an extremely depressed and scarred Sarah.
    "Oh my." It was all I could say. She looked horrible.
    "Hey, Riley." She breathed slowly, locking her green gaze on me. "I look pretty horrid don't I?"
     "We both do, Sarah." I countered, trying to give her a sense that she wasn't alone, but it truth she was. She was paralyzed, broken and scarred, I was only broken.
    "You know what I mean, Riley. This is horrible. I watched you fly out of the car. I saw your body snap against the tree. I thought you died. We both should have died."
    "But we didn't. We're alive. At least we have that." I replied, grinning slightly in an attempt to lighten the mood.
    "I knew it when I woke up. I knew my legs were gone. I knew because I felt like half a body, I couldn't even sense the presence of my legs. It was a horrible thing to wake up to. For me, it's like finding out part of me had died, which, in sense, it had."
    "Sarah." I whispered sadly. "Your still you. I know this leg thing kills you, but please cheer up. It could be so much worse. You could be dead. I could be dead."
    "We should be dead. But never mind that. Right before the ambulances arrived, I saw something. Something next to you. It looked human, but it didn't move like one. What was it?"
    I swallowed. So I hadn't imagined it, she had seen it too. "I don't know, maybe one of the people who found the accident."
    "I d-"
    The opening of a door behind her cut her off. The man from before slowly walked in, followed by a nurse. "Mrs. Conner needs to return to her room." He said curtly as the nurse wheeled Sarah away swiftly.
    The man took his seat again beside my bed and placed an ice cold hand on my forehead. Something like a spark of electricity passé through his touch and I flinched away slightly.
    The man noticed and quickly pulled away his hand. "Well, you should be alright. Is there anyone I should contact? No one came up in your records when we pulled them."
    I thought for a second bad lowered my gaze. "My aunt Gina. She's my guardian." I answer curtly, closing my eyes. "She's probably having a fit right now. I bet the wrecks made the news and she thinks I died in it. The sooner you contact her the better."
    "Very well, I will have someone pull her contact. But I do need a last name."
    "Mason."
    The doctor nodded and headed for the door, stopping to look back as he reached it. "Try to get some rest, it will be best for you."


    I slept on and off for nearly two weeks until Aunt Gina arrived on a Monday at promptly 8:30. She was wearing casual sweats, her blonde hair thrown up in a loose pony tail and her face barren of makeup besides a small amount of lip gloss. She had rushed into the room, waking me from a restless nap, screaming my name.
    "I'm here, Gina. I'm okay."
    "Praise the mighty God that you are, Riley. You could have died. Oh baby, you had me in fits. Why didn't they contact me sooner! I ought to file lawsuit for keeping your condition from me and not letting me see you for weeks! Oh baby girl, come here." Franticly, she had my face squished between her large chest and her hands, stroking my hair, as she spoke.
    I shoved off of her roughly and looked up at her. "I'm fine, honestly. My file didn't have a contact. I couldn't give it to them until I regained consciousness. But really, I am fine. Just a broken back and arm, nothing to go up in arms about."
    "Just a broken back? A broken back is the worst break! It could have paralyzed you or even killed you! The Sarah girl needs to be told off for speeding with my girl in the car!" She hissed, pacing in front of my bed, her hands placed sassily on her hips.
    "Gina. Sarah is paralyzed. She doesn't need to be told off. It was an accident. Calm down before you do something you will regret."
    The news about Sarah seemed to get through to her and she collapsed at the foot of my bed. "Oh Riley, she must be so upset and regretful. Lord bless her for letting her live as well. How is she dealing with it?"
    "She's taking it hard, but so am I. I only talked to her once, but she is so upset."
    "Poor girl, poor poor girl." She said, hanging her head. "I better go. I'm starving and you need rest. I will be back up here in the morning to take you home, so rest up."
    I brightened up slightly. "I can leave?"
    "Yes, as long as you stay in a bed or wheelchair. Your back is nearly healed, just a few more days, and the doctor thought it best for you to come home, something about the healing process being faster."
    "Alright, goodnight, Gina." I whispered softly as she kissed my forehead gently before leaving the room in darkness.
   

    The following morning, Gina was at the hospital bright and early as she had promised. The doctor and nurses helped me get into a wheelchair after removing my hard back cast and replacing it with a brace. They also removed my arm cast, which made me feel free and light. They rolled me down the multiple halls until we reached the lobby.
    In the lobby, Aunt Gina stood, along it's Sarah's parents, every single one of my cousins and aunts, my grandparents, and a man I didn't recognize. Smiles lit their faces as I was rolled to a stop in front of them. Sarah's parents were the first to approach me. They kneeled beside me and each one took one of my hands.
    "Sarah is really sorry, Riley. She loves you dearly and never meant to get in that wreck. We are both so happy that y'all made it out alive. As soon as she is fully healed, you should come see her. She will need to flak to you." Sarah's mother said calmly, looking into my eyes deeply, her husband nodding the whole time.
    "I will ma'am, tell her to heal quickly." I answered with a slight smile.
    They both nodded and I thought I saw a tear in Mrs. Conner's eye, but she was already walking down the hallways to Sarah's room. After they left, the rest of the crowd swarmed me, all except the man, who kept drawing my attention. He seemed familiar, extremely.
    The voices around me were jumbled and I couldn't understand anything, which made me confused and tired. Aunt Gina finally got everyone to quiet down and motioned to the man, who slowly approached me.
    "Hi, Riley. I'm Sean. I, uh, well I am your one of your distant cousins, we've never met, I don't think." He said softly, reaching out his hand to touch my shoulder.
    When he contacted me, I was sucked back into the vision of the night of the wreck, when I saw the single silhouette running into the forest at an inhuman speed. When my normal sight returned, I was breathing heavily and Sean had stepped back, shocked. My family all looked at me the same way, but Gina was right by my side. "What's wrong, Riley?" She asked worriedly.
    "N-nothing, just a little cold, that's all."
    I was glad Gina wasn't all that bright, because she believed me and fetched me a blanket form one of her bags, draping it gently over me. "Alright, party, let's head out to eat. We are all starving." She said loudly, leading the way out while pushing me. Outside, she helped me into her large, black Hummer. I sat on the right side while Sean sat in the front seat, Mike, one of my cousins, sat in the middle seat next to me, Deaven, my cousin who I considered a sister, sat on the left side seat by Mike, and Gina drove.
    She lead the long parade of expensive cars to an Olive Garden, which to my surprise was empty. After parking, Deaven and Gina slowly helped me into my wheelchair, Mike holding open doors and helping with anything else we needed as we made our way to a table in a back room. "I booked the whole place for us, Ri, for you. It's time to celebrate for you getting out okay."
    I couldn't help but smile sheepishly as Mike parked my wheelchair at the head of the table, everyone looking down at me. Gina rested a hand gently on my shoulder and looked down at the many faces. "Thank heaven she is alright, let us celebrate, shall we?" She asked the crowd, who nodded in agreement, turning to talk to one another.
   Deaven turned to face me and rested her hand on mine, drawing my eyes to her small, young looking face. "What was it like? I Ned to know, now that your okay."
    "It was something you don't want to be in, Deaven. It was horrible, I could feel, no see my death coming on, but then it all stopped, something saved me but I don't know what." I told her, glad to have someone to confide in.
   "Maybe it was your will? You are stubborn."
   I shot her a playful look and tossed her a bedroll. "Oh hush and eat some bread." I retorted, laughing.
  I found my eyes wandering towards Sean as I sat, nibbling on a bred stick and sipping my water. He was, fascinating in a way I didn't know. Something about him drew my attention and I doubted I could let it go until I figured it out. His eyes flashed to my face and he smiled warmly, but I darted his look and, blushing, stared down at my empty plate.
    No one else seemed to notice, which I was beyond thankful for. I slowly lifted my gaze to my menu and pretended to read and ponder on the many dishes, even though I knew exactly what I would be ordering. A tall, slim woman with the name tag Peyton came to take our order. I was the first to order, a Five Cheese Ziti Pasta, followed by the rest of our large party.
    As the waiter left, a burning feeling surged in my right shoulder, slowly spreading to my neck, and I bit my tongue to stop from screaming. "Gina, do you have that pain killer?" I asked my aunt rigidly as I held my shoulder in place.
    Gina nodded and quickly produced three tablets which I quickly took. The medicine didn't kick in as fast as I would have liked it to, but eventually it numbed the pain and I was able to relax again. My mind was still raging, though. In the hospital, they hadn't said anything about my shoulder being injured, so what could that have been. A heart attack?
    My breath quickened as I thought of flopping on the floor during one of the deadly attacks. Calm down, Riley. I told myself, slowing my breath, you're probably just sore. You might have banged your shoulder in the wreck. I took that for an answer and graciously indulged into my ravioli which was now in front of me.
    The rest of the meal was eaten over loud talk and funny noises which I enjoyed greatly. It has been a long time since I heard so many familiar voices. Once the bill was paid, I bid everyone a farewell, most of them returned it with 'Get better soon!' or 'I'm so glad your okay.' The only person who didn't come near me was, surprise, Sean. He disappeared before our farewells started, no one seeming to notice.
    When everyone had left, Mike, Deavan, Gina and I piled into her hummer for the short drive home. When we pulled into her long driveway in front of the huge, beautiful home, Mike helped me out of the car and to my room, which had been moved to the guest bedroom downstairs until I could stand and walk on my own to manage stairs. The bedroom was a pea green colored room with matching sheets containing splashes of white. The bathroom was pure white and neatly arranged. It felt small and constricted in the bedroom, for I was used to basically an apartment upstairs. The half 2nd story had a large bedroom and bath, which was mine, that connected to a 'game room' like open space. It was fully equipped with a computer, IHome, flat screen TV, pull table, mini fridge, microwave, sink, cabinets, and four closest.
    Mike Left and sent Deaven in to help me out of my hospital gown and into some regular clothes before wheeling me through the house and to the kitchen where Gina was baking something marvelous smelling. "I've got red velvet cookies in the oven, Riley, your favorite. I know you can't do much for a while, but you are free to use the office computer or do anything else you would like. You're supposed to stay in your wheelchair until tomorrow. You still need your back brace, but we are supposed to get you up and running again. The doctor provided me a bottle of pain killers, so if you want those, know I have some. Is there anything I can get for you dear?"
    I shook my head, sending my loose blonde hair gently floating around my face. "Aunt Gina, honestly, I'm fine, you really shouldn't go through all this trouble, it's not needed. I appreciate it, though."
    Aunt Gina waved her hand dismissing my words. "It is necessary. Now why don't you go say hi to Crash, he missed you while I was gone."
    I hit my palm to my face. I hadn't forgotten completely about my Australian Shepherd when I had been in the hospital. Hurriedly, I rolled myself to the back door and opened it, whistling softly.
    His small, puppy form rounded a corner, his long blue merle coat flashing in the light. When he reached me, he launched himself into my lap and covered my face with licks. I sighed and rubbed just behind his ears, his favorite spot, and when he rolled onto his back, exposing his stomach to me, I rubbed that as well. He was content just laying on my lap as I rubbed his stomach for nearly twenty minutes before he jumped down and trotted to his water bowl, lapping a large portion of it up.
    I sighed and shut the door before rolling to the living room where I found Mike watching the History Channel. That was his favorite past time, and I couldn't really blame him, the shows were intriguing. With Crash resting silently with his eyes closed on my lap, I sat next to Mike and watched it Ancient Aliens with him. I recognized it from the Oliver skinned man with the wacky hair who reminded me of Albert Einstein.
    I was completely into the show until Mike said something I didn't catch. "What?" I asked softly, seeing a smile from on his lips at my question.
    "I said, I've never seen you interested in ancient history before. Are you sure you didn't suffer brain damage in the crash?"
    My dog lifted his ears and barely opened his eyes when he heard his name, but seeing it wasn't directed at him he breathed heavily and returned to his sleep. I shrugged, still watching Crash. "I just wanted to check it out. There isn't much I can do anyways besides this, so I better get used to it for the time being."
    Mike gently reached out his hand and touched my arm, a serious gaze on his face. "Alright then, shall I give you the low down on this show?" When he finished speaking he broke into a howling laughter, and I couldn't help but join in due to his.... odd laugh.
    "Sure." I managed to answer through giggles.
    Mike opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by Gina calling me from the kitchen.
   "Riley, cookies are ready!" Gina called in her high pitched voice before dancing into the living room and presenting me a plate piled high with cookies. I took two from the middle of the stack, like I always did, and thanked her. She nodded in response and offered them to Mike, who took six, and only laughed when I stared at him, shaking my head.
    "Anyways," Mike cooed, stuffing a cookie into his mouth. "you've got this psycho guy who believes that aliens came here and set up the world for us. Every show sort of explains aspects at which they think aliens interfered with our world way back in the ancient times. This one is about the ancient buildings and what not."
    I nodded and nibbled on one of my cookies, my eyes locked on the large screen. I watched about ten minutes of the show before I got bored and wheeled into the study where Deaven was on the phone with someone. She told the person she had to go when she saw me and quickly hung up.
    "I didn't know you talked to people on the phone?" I voiced my curiosity. As far as I knew, Deavan wasn't much of a social person. She had always kept to herself, never really sharing anything or talking to anyone accept me.
    She bit the right side of her lower lip and put her hands on her lower back in an awkward position. "It was nothing, really. Just an old friend I was talking to." Her voice rang with almost a pleading tone for me to believe her.
    I dismissed it, because I knew she would hate me if I didn't, but I didn't forget it. I tucked it into the little memory storage box I had created in the back of my mind. "Oh, okay." I answered, my eyes floating around the study, Deavan still standing in her awkward stance. "Can I ask you, who was Sean? I've never seen her before."
    Deavan bit her lip even harder and wouldn't look at me in the eye. "He's a relative of Gina. A distant cousin or something like that. Gina said he's 18 and that he grew up in England, though he doesn't want people to know for whatever reason, so he covers his accent."
    I considered what she said and crossed my arms, leaning back as much as I could in the wheelchair, clearly not done yet. She stiffened and sat in a chair as well. "I suppose you want to know the whole story? Like why he is here?" She asked, sighing.
    I simply nodded and she began to speak. "Gina said he has fallen on some tough times, so she invited him to come down. She's provided him with her rental house down a few blocks and she is being beyond nice to him. He showed up the day of your wreck. He comes off a bit rude, but he really is interesting. Gina actually invited him over for dinner tonight, but he refused. Said he had plans or something. But that's all I know, so don't continue pressing me, because I've told you my whole knowledge."
   "Thank you, Deavan. Next time don't make it so hard on me." I answered winking to her and rolling out of the room with her close on my, well, wheels.
    "So that's all you wanted? You weren't interested in anything else? Like why he refused? Or what happened while you were gone?"
   I stopped rolling and looked back at her. "I thought that was all you knew about Sean?"
   "Well, it is, but usually you ask more questions."
   "What happened while I was gone?" I asked, hanging on her last question.
   She shuffled her feet awkwardly and looked down at me. "Well, you were out for nearly three days, and after you woke up, another week or so. It didn't happen then, but we found out then. You see, it's pretty neat actually, for me. Gina's not mad or anything, she's happy..."
    She trailed off in her thoughts and I snapped my finger in her face, drawing her attention back. "What are you talking about?"
    She smiled down at me and drew a heart over her stomach. "I'm pregnant."