Author's Note: IT'S THE FIRST CHAPTER OF MADELINE'S STORY! Okay, I was so totally sure I would never make such an off-base story, but I completely fell inlove with the Emmery family while working on Still Infatuated, and Madeline sort of became to me what Bella is to Stephenie. And don't think I did this just because I couldn't let my characters go. That WAS a large part of it. But I still felt like after Still Infatuated is finished, you might have a few questions. So this basically explains.

Yeah, Madeline might be a little bit like Bella, but I actually think Madeline is a lot like me in her habits and her actions, so on and et cetera. I'm also having problems with my dad, though nothing as severe as what you'll find in this! Most of the problems are taken care of, though it left scars along the path.. Not literal SCARS, but you get the point.

Kayso, in the next chapter I'll probaly give you actors and actresses to vision the characters as. I have NO idea who could possibly pull of Madeline for me, okay? Or Tristan for that matter.. Maddy has chocolate brown hair, green eyes, and pale skin, by the way! And for the record, when I say Raymond has coppery hair, ya know? First off, it's not the same color as Edward's. It's a little bit more.. blonde to it, okay? Reddish blonde, I guess.. But not exactly. And second off, YES, I'm changing his hair color from as it was explained in Still Infatuated. So sorry for that, dearies.

Let me make two things perfectly clear:

(One) You know that the Emmery family is a clan of vampires, and I know the Emmery family is a clan of vampires. But Madeline doesn't know that. And when I say this, I don't mean she eventually finds out in the middle of the story like Bella with Edward. Yes, she does find out! Of course she finds out! But she won't find out until near the end of my story, and I have good reasons for that. This causes Madeline great confusion as to the Emmery ways. Especially the way Tristan is so tentive to her and the way he sometimes tries to deny his love for her. She doesn't realize that she's doing it because a) he's afraid of how much he loves her, and b) he just wants to protect her from.. himself.

(Two) I'm sorry this chapter is sort of crap, it's like, 6056 words. That's twice the size as my normal chapers! me, the next chapters won't be so long. I was actually sort of afraid this chapter would be too short.. but, oh, how wrong was I! Later on- like maybe when certian things are revealed in Still Infatuated- I'll probaly add a prolouge to this. But for certian reasons, I can't do that right now. I really am sorry about that.

Warning: Compare Madeline & Tristan to Bella & Edward, and I will.. you don't want me to finish that sentence, trust me. Just don't do it, okay? I might refer to the Denali clan in this (very loosely), and I might even have them say something about the clan in Forks. Kk?

Disclaimer: ... I don't really need this, do I? MADELINE AND THE EMMERY FAMILY IS MINE!

You Are My Sunshine: Madeline's Story

THESE VIOLENT DELIGHTS HAVE VIOLENT ENDS. - Shakespeare, Romeo & Juliet

Chapter One

The steady pounding of the faint rain was slowly started to fall in sync with the beating of my heart. I wasn't bothered by the cold rain like my best friend was; the numbing feeling had taken over my body early in the morning, and stayed with me all through the day. I had faked a smile through the day when the girls asked what was wrong, and done the same when Zane and Jared had kept trying to loop their arms around my waist when I started to look pale. Paler.

But Elsie knew something had happened to me over the weekend as we walked in silence down the cold street, only accomponied by the rain and the howling wind. She looked at me with big, hazel eyes. I bit into my lip, aware that she was watching me. The only thing I could think of was what I had found out last night, what I had seen. My fake smile had faded with the sunlight that was earlier glimmering through the trees earlier this morning. Elsie knew this and analyzed this as we walked on the dark concrete.

"Maddy?" she whispered. I glanced up at her through green eyes, immediately flashing her a fake smile on habit. Her eyes burned a whole through me in that one second before the smile slipped. She frowned evenly at me. I kept walking despite the intense numbing in my legs and the fire burning in Elsie's eyes as she walked along side me. But before another five moments had passed, she grabbed me. I immediately stopped, too tired and confused to fight against the firm grip she had on me. I looked at her weakly.

"El," I choked out pleadingly. "Please don't."

"Don't what?" she countered dryly. "Ask my best friend why she's falling apart?"

I shook my head, though it was a very weak gesture. "I'm not falling apart."

"Liar," Elsie murmured coldly. I sighed half-heartedly and looked at her with heavy eyes. Maybe the normal Madeline would've reeled back and given Elsie that soft, pretty-eyed look that made me so "gorgeous", whenever I was gorgeous at all. Or maybe the normal Madeline would've given her that playful push and little smirk.

I wasn't the normal Madeline. "Later, Elsie," I mumbled tiredly and brushed past her. Her big, steady eyes followed me as I walked up towards my faded white house, my head still spinning from loss of oxygen after last night. My stomach knotted; I felt light-headed.

My father was having an affair. My father, the preacher. How could he? He was going against everything he was supposed to stand for, everything I thought he believed in. But to add to that sense of unknowing, he was cheating on my mother. He was lying to her; breaking her sweet heart. And the more I thought of my mother finding out- discovering those pictures of my father and her-, the more sickened I felt at the remembering all the stuff I had been through with my family. With my father.

"Mom?" My voice was quiet and ready to break as I entered the house and dropped my bag.

Silence.

A sigh escaped my lips. Whether it was from relief or from tiredness, I couldn't tell. The idea of having to face my mother, or my father, was enough to make me let out a whimper. That's actually just what I did as I stumbled my way into the kitchen and weakly opened the cabnets. I pulled out a bowl and poured some milk into it. The swish of the milk gave me a headache. I threw the spoon into the sink before I had even gained the energy to get the cereal out. Who was I fooling? Certianly not myself the furious aching that was flushing throughout my entire body told me.

The stairway steps seemed to disappear and reappear under my feet as I hurried up the stairs. My feet caught on the steps around four times, and I came stumbling against the rug. Composing myself, I moved quickly and clumsily up the rest of the steps, then I practically threw myself into my bed. I quickly missed as I made my way towards the bed, only the upper half of my body hitting the mattress. I weakly pulled the rest of my body onto the mattress and closed my eyes.

Madeline.

My heavy eyes slowly fluttered open. I wondered if the calling of my name was just a trick of the wind, or a trick of my shock and horror. Either way, the calling sent a chill down my spine and I could feel my heart pulsing in my chest like it had never done before. It sounded like the razor voice of a male, cruel but beautiful as the after-wave of it singed through my body.

I slowly lifted myself up and looked out the large window in my room my bed stood beside. Through the light rain and the foggyness of the air, I could see the huge mansion that was painted a rusty grey with windows made of a stainglass like materiel. It was covered with beautiful trees, the gate around it engulfed with honey suckle and what I could only guess to be wisterias. Peach blossoms grew on the trees that surrounded on the house, emitting a breath-taking smell. The word mansion hardly served the reality of it justice.

The house had remained abondoned for as long as I could remember. That was, until a peculiar family moved in one afternoon that late summer, a few weeks before school started. A young psychiatrist- who supposedly couldn't have been over 30- lived there with his young wife and four adopted kids. Their kids were supposed to be my age, and although I myself had never seen them, I had heard them described as the essense of pure beauty. That thought my roll my eyes and giggle irritably. No, angels were the essense of pure beauty. And what angels would come to Cambria, California in the late days of summer?

I strained to remember their names. They hadn't started at our school yet, but their last name did start with an E. Some of the girls told me that they were supposed to be starting next week, but I wasn't sure if I had actually heard that or just imagined it. Right then, it hurt to remember things such as names and words people had said. Words were just words, broken no matter what. Certian pictures, however, were playing in my head like an old record.

Madeline.

The voice once again sounded like a trick of the wind, but something inside told me it was there. My heart? No. I was sure my heart had died out last night when I saw those pictures of my father and his mistress. But something told me that the voice was real, that there was someone in my room with. My feelings were started to fade out; I wasn't afraid. My pulse was still pounding faster with each time that "voice" said my name. That male voice. That beautiful, alluring male voice.

Madeline.

"Go to Hell," I choked out angrily to whoever- or whatever- was saying my name like they needed me. My voice was quiet and fading fast, but it still came out with no problem and just as much anger as I had leered in my throat for it to have.

And with the choking of my angry voice, I thought came the deep, beautiful laugh of the razor voice that had been saying my name all this time. The laugh was intoxicating. It surrounded me like speakers might have. It wasn't mocking me, it was reflecting on me. It cared about me. He cared about me, and he was the only one who did right now. I knew I needed him just as much as he sounded like he needed me.

But I still fell against my bed. My eyes grew heavy and thick with tears. The blurred vision of a tall and beautiful pale figure seemed to move in and out of my vision as I weakly blinked my eyes, but he was too blurred for me to tell who he was or what exactly he looked like. I just knew he was unearthly gorgeous. I just knew that I wanted- needed him here with me.

Slowly, my eyes closed, and as I fell into a sleep filled thick with pixie dust and denial, I felt his lips on my cheek as he kissed away my tears.

-

Voices filled my head then as I slowly came back and awoke from my slumber. They carried from downstairs and floated into my room, surrounding me and giving me a headache. I reluctantly opened my eyes. The turqoise painted walls of my room made me close my eyes again.

"Too bright," I mumbled.

"What is?" a new voice said from beside me. I quickly looked over my shoulder and saw my older brother, Riley, looking at me questionably. He had a curious look on his face as he watched me. He grinned while taking in my messy hair and smudged make-up.

"The walls," I replied tiredly.

He shrugged at me. "You were the one who wanted them that color, Maddy."

"Madeline," I whispered. "My name is Madeline."

My brother ignored me and rose to his feet, gathering the messy clothes on my floor. I scowled at him as he picked up two of my red bras. He just rolled his eyes in my direction, then dropped my bras into the hamper sitting beside the dresser in the corner. I watched him wearily, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. When I drew my hand back, I saw the mascara and eyeliner smudges on my fingers.

"Damn it." I sighed under my breath.

Riley grinned. "Language," he warned playfully.

I gave him a look and smirked. "This coming from a freshman in college?"

"I'm 19, I can curse," he said defensively. "You're only what, 15?"

"Haha, Riley, I'm 16." My voice was dry with fake humor.

He shrugged. "I know," he replied flatly.

I shook my head and sighed, deciding my brother was still hopeless and giving up. I sat up some more and looked around for my clock, but I found that it was out of my sight. Riley looked over at me, catching my confusion. He raised an eyebrow at me as if to ask what was wrong.

"What time is it?" I asked.

He continued with what he was doing and replied, "Half past five."

My heart thudded when the time came out of his mouth. My father got off work at five o'clock. That meant he was already home, and one of the voices I was harin from downstairs belonged to him. I listened closer, ignoring the loud noise of my brother trying to tidy up my room. I caught the second voice and realized it was my mother. She was laughing. Laughing at something my father had just said. My stomach twisted and bit into my tounge.

"Madeline?" Riley looked up and frowned. "Are you okay?"

I pursed my lips and nodded, but I never answered. I wasn't okay. I was in theory the farthest thing from okay, but I couldn't find my voice in order to tell my brother that. Even though my brother and father had never gotten along in the years before, I couldn't tell my brother that our father was having an affair. I couldn't tell anyone. Who would believe me, who would want to believe me? My father was the most admired man in this town. How was I supposed to tell anyone, even my brother or a complete stranger, that he was comitting adultry, something he had sworn on oath to obey.

Watching as Riley headed towards the door, I laughed quietly at my own denial. I didn't want to tell anyone that he was having an affair. If I told someone about it, that might make it real to me. And I didn't want it to be real.

"Come on," Riley said as he tugged on my sleeve, breaking my thoughts. I looked up at him with question in my eyes, but my brother just nodded towards the door and looked back at me. "Dinner's almost ready."

"Oh," was all I could manage as I crawled out of my bed. I tiredly and weakly followed him out the door and towards the staircase. I could feel my pulse and heartbeat throbbing in my head because of the fear and reluctancy I felt for facing my father. The throbbing made my entire body ache. It made it hard to walk as I followed my brother. But then he stopped suddenly and whirled around, grabbing me by my shoulders. He narrowed his eyes.

"Do you even feel like eating?"

No. "Yes," I lied feebly.

He frowned and sighed. "You aren't going to tell me what's wrong." It wasn't a quesion.

I looked down to avoid his eyes. "Riley, do you love me?"

"You're my sister," he replied after a long pause. I could feel the frown in his voice. "Of course I love you, Maddy."

"Then don't ask what's wrong," I replied weakly, finally looking up into his eyes. The pain and confusion in his eyes made the fear of seeing my father fade away for a second, replaced by the heartache I felt for keeping this secret from Riley, who had been more of a friend than a brother since before I had even started Junior High.

Riley turned around then before nodding at me, and he hurried down the stairs without another word. I took a deep, shaking breath and followed him down the stairs. He walked through the living room and up the two steps that led into the kitchen. I tiredly followed my brother and watched as he quickly kissed my mom- my sweet, innocent mom- on the cheek before walking into the dining room and taking a seat. Before I could greet my mom, my eyes fell on that lying bastard better known as my father. He was sitting very calmly at the table beside Riley, reading a newspaper. The quick and painful feeling in my heart strengthened as my hatred for him grew. My mom saw me and said my name, smiling at me. I flashed her a fake smile, hoping she would buy into it. And she did, giving me a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. I kissed her cheek and slowly walked towards the dining room, stumbling on my way.

"Careful there, Mad," my father said with a chuckle as he watched me stumble and quickly catch myself. He flashed me a smile as I walked towards me, avoiding eye contact with him. He tilted his head back and looked up at me, expecting the kiss on the forehead I normally gave him before dinner started. But as I glanced down at him, anger started to rip my heart open, and all I could do was look away and sit on the opposite sit across from Riley.

Riley noticed my out of nature gesture, as did my father, who squirmed uncomfortably in his chair and glanced uncertianly at me before going back to reading his paper. My brother leaned back in his chair and folded his arms against his chest, giving me a very questioning look. I looked away from his eyes. They were just as fatal as Elsie's were.

Before Riley could say anything to me, my mom arrived at the table, balancing our four plates in her arms. She handed Riley his plate, then handed me my plate. When she handed my father his plate, she leaned down to give him a kiss. He smiled lovingly up at her when they pulled apart. I quickly looked away and down at my plate, staring intently at Riley's plate as my mind drifted off. I felt like I was going to throw up. The intense feeling spreading through my body slowly permitted it to start shaking.

"Madeline?" my mom asked from beside me as she took her seat across from my father. I cautiously met her eyes. I could see Riley raise an eyebrow at me from the corner of my eye. My mom tilted her head. "Something wrong, sweetheart?"

"No," I managed to choke out. She smiled softly at me, obviously not all together convinced, and continued to cut a piece off of her steak. I looked down at the steak infront of me. While I poked at with my fork, I couldn't help but think about the growing resent I felt towards my father at that exact moment. I wanted to cry. I wanted to scream and rant at him for doing this to my mom. But I couldn't find the will power.

"Aren't you hungry, Mad?" my father asked just then, piercing through my thoughts. I abruptly looked up and met his eyes. My stomach knotted. I felt my heart rebelling against me.

I scowled. "Madeline," I said very clearly, my voice filled with venom.

"What?" my father burrowed his eyebrows and gave a look of utter confusion. I could see Riley looking at me curiously, and my mom looking at me in suprise, but I ignored both of their reactions and focused on my lying, cheating father that sat right beside me with fake innocence in his eyes.

"Madeline," I spat out. "My name is Madeline."

Irritation flashed in his blue-ish green eyes, accompanied with suprise. "I'm your father. Don't speak to me like that."

I faintly rolled my eyes at his poor fathering skills and looked back down at my steak. The anger and hatred growing inside me was raging, threatening to drive me straight over the edge. My body was softly shaking. I glanced quickly at my hands, only to find them shaking beside my plate. Averting my eyes from my family, I pulled my left arm into my lap and raised my right arm. My parents hated it when I bit my nails, but I didn't care as I raised my right thumb nail and nibbled on the brittle, jagged edge of it.

"Sweetheart," my mom started in her sweet voice. She didn't need to continue, because I knew exactly what she was going to say. But she continued anyway. "Don't bite you nails like that. It's not good for your nails."

"And it's tacky," my father added matter-o-factly.

My eyes shot up to meet his. An weary feeling washed over my heart, but it only covered the sickness and the hate for a few seconds. "You're talking about being tacky?" I mumbled, almost involunterily. It came out before I could stop it, and after I had said it, I realized I didn't care if he yelled.

Of course, he didn't yell. But he was angry. Well, angrier.

"Madeline Rose," he said, the shock apparent in his irritation and anger. "What has gotten into?"

"Yes, what has gotten into you?" I heard Riley mumble across the table from me.

Very quickly, I let my eyes avert to look at his reaction. He was leaning in back in his chair with his eyebrows cocked at me, obviously a bit concerned as to where this sudden rebellion was all leading me. If he felt any pleasure in all of this rebellion, he was masking it. However, he couldn't mask the clear look of amusement. Whether it was for my outbursts or our father's reactions, I wasn't all together sure.

I ignored my fathers question. "How's work, Mom?" I mumbled as I sipped irritably at my tea.

She was obviously suprised in my choice of subject. She had a right to be, since I never did agree with some of her jobs. Normally she was a stay at home mom that tended to the house, but when summonmed, she was a member of the jury in Santa Barbara. Some of the cases she deliberated on upset me because of my views, but her judgements on the case normally pleased me enough.

"Oh, well, it's fine, darling," she said, her suprise slowly fading in her words. "We're doing a very interesting case right. Terribly tragic, but terribly interesting."

Terribly tragic?

"What's the case?" It was my father. I glanced at him when he spoke, pondering of if kids could divorce their parents like their parents could divorce each other. Such an interesting turn of events would that be, right?

My mom interrupted my thoughts. "It's such a sad case really. A young boy, no older than Riley, made the decision that he wanted to be a woman instead of a man. Transgender, it's called, I think. Well, he was living as a woman through his last few years at high school and was even dating young men. I suppose a group of young boys that had dated him- her- all found out."

Riley leaned forward and asked, "What happened?"

Sadness swept over my mother's normally happy, beautiful face. "The prosecution says they brutally beat her to death for several hours and then barried her out on the beach." She frowned. "It's such a sad and saddistic thought, isn't it? The corpse of a young person barried under the sand."

"What beach?" I dared to venture. My friend and I had gone to Avilla two weekends ago.

"It doesn't matter," my father broke in carelessly. His words added to raging fire that I had nearly forgotten about. I looked at him, but he was looking across the table at my mom- the woman he was lying to, being decieteful towards- with a smug expression on his face.

Riley looked at me. I looked at him. He winced, obviously aware this wasn't going to end well.

"And why not?" my mom asked before I could speak, more curious than angry.

My father moved up from his seat and took his plate with him, walking into the kitchen where he was still in our perfect view. He made his way to the sink and we all steadily watched as he sat down his drinking glass and his plate in the sink.

"Because it's what the young man deserved, what he should have expected. He was putting on some show for the world, doing things that he knew would upset the entire world. You say he didn't tell the people around him what he was- what he was doing?" -here my mother nodded her head- "Then I would say he deserved a punishment for his lying and for his deciet."

A punishment for lies and deciet.

I could feel my pulse quicken, my blood surge quicker throughout my body, the beating of my heart rage faster than it had ever done before. Perhaps it wasn't healthy, and perhaps I should've restrained myself. But I couldn't listen to my father preach to us- to me- like in one of his lessons. This wasn't a lesson, this wasn't imaginary. This was real. What he had done was.. real, and I had just realized it.

Before I could control my movements, I had shot up from my seat and was walking quickly towards him. I stopped beside him at the sink, and he looked back at me and raised his eyebrow. Turning to face me, his hands rested in his hip and he leaned against the counter with his other. I didn't have to turn around to know that Riley and our mother had risen from their seats and now stood at the entrance to the kitchen. Their concern, confusion, and amusement danced along my small frame, but I was only focusing on this harsh reality.

"Okay, Dad," I began, my voice full of bittersweet venom. "So let's say I'm a young woman in court, and I'm a witness, doctor, victim's friend, whatever. We'll say you're the the lawyer that's questioning me while I'm on the stand. Now let's say I was born a man but decided to become a woman. Would I be obligated to tell you that before the questioning began? Would it matter?"

His eyes grew wider, sheer confusement and suprise on his face, soon followed by glints of irritation. "M-Maddy, that.. would be completely irrelivant. In said situation, we aren't in an intimate relationship."

"Would you kill me if we were?" I challenged angrily, staring up into his blue-green eyes.

Silence surrounded us, shielding us from the outside word. My mom and Riley were clearly staring at me and my father in shock and bewilderment, holding their breathes as to what was going to happen. I had clearly stopped the movement of my breath. My father, however, had not. I could feel the movements of his body as he drew air in and out of his lungs while staring, terribly bewilderd, down at me.

"They're lying, Maddy," he slowly said. "Lying to everyone, to the world."

My heart beat inclined, going faster. "They're lying to themselves if they try to be who people think they are!"

"Lying is a sin! Those people-"

"You are no different from those people," I screamed, breaking the innocence of our house down. "You are a sinner, Dad! You're more than a liar; you're subject to adultry! You've been lying to uss, lying to everyone!" I was completely hysterical now with tears rushing down my face.

My mom gasped in horror and looked at my father, clear shock in her voice. "Patrick, what is she talking about?"

But he ignored her, staring intently at me with an unreadable look on his now pale face. His eyes were filled with something I couldn't make out, but they were heavy and fogged over with clear, pure evil.

"Madeline," Riley warnd in a low whisper.

I ignored him. "You are no man of God, you bastard," I hissed hatefully to my father.

But I could barely get the words out before I felt the harsh, piercing sting of his hand brushing against my cheek. The sound of my mom gasping was followed by the sound of her and Riley screaming out my name as I fell sideways and caught myself on my side. I slowly rolled over onto my backside, staring up in suprise and hatred at my father as I slowly reached up and touched my flaming cheek.

He had slapped me.

"Maddy-" my father suddenly gasped as though suddenly realizing what he had done. "I'm so sorry, princess!"

But he wasn't sorry. He could never be sorry, never sorry enough for me to ever forgive him for what he had done. He hadn't just lied to my mom; he hadn't just lied to me. My father had completely turned my world upside down, in so many ways that he might never understand. I didn't even understand it at that moment, but I still shot up.

I shot up, and I broke passed my father, running out of the kitchen and into the living room. Riley's footsteps shot out from behind me after he and my mom screamed out my name again. His footsteps were close behind me, but that didn't matter. I still ran down the two small steps and flew out the door.

The rain hit my skin, cold and wet, but it didn't faulter me. It was pouring down heavier than I had ever seen it, but I still ran. I ran as hard as I could, racing onto the street and turning sharply as I ran down it. Riley's steps were getting further as he ran to catch me. My legs were conncected with the bitterness of my heart, and my heart was telling them to run. Just run!

"MADELINE!" screamed Riley.

I didn't stop for him. I only looked back over my shoulder as I crossed to the opposite side of the street, nearing the corner. He was several yards behind me, a pitiful sight to look at with his clothes soaking wet and pressed against his body. I never stopped sprinting as I rounded the corner and he disappeared around the large black gate at the corner.

My breath was heavy as I raced down the next street, focusing only on what had just happened. I was running away, but I was completely at ease. The only feeling I felt was hatred, and possibly anger. I wasn't worried about where I was going. I knew exactly where I was going, as odd as that was.

Several minutes later, I stumbled onto the large, indented porch with jagged breathes. The door opened before I could ring the doorbell or even knock. I looked up and was immediately breathless all over again. They all came into my blurred vision very slowly, a picture of beautiful sin.

The first one I saw was the girl who had opened the door. She had long, dirty blonde hair that was styled in no certian way, and her eyes were a piercing dark gold, almost the color of thick honey. Her lips were slightly parted as she stood, gazing at me with her thumb hooked onto the side loop of her jeans. The white gleam of her perfectly what teeth was visible even though I could barely get a clear shot of her teeth. Slowly, my eyes rounded to the boy and girl standing behind her and closer to the left. The boy was completely gorgeous with tossled black hair and an eerie sort of amusement on his face as he looked at me through those dark gold eyes. The same dark gold eyes that the second girl had. Her eyes set off her dark brown hair, which was a shade or two darker than my chocolate hair. She was about my heighth, whereas the first girl was around 5'9. The second girl had a cheerful sort of essense about her, and the pure white of her sundress helped add to that, as well as the small sunflower she held in her hand as she stared at me. I thought I saw a smirk touch her lips, but only for a moment.

My eyes drifted to the far left, where an older woman and man, though still fairly young, stood. The woman had amazingly beautiful, shining black hair swept back into a dramatic ponytail. Her lips were painted a firey red, matching the red cocktail dress she wore. She reminded me of a movie star from the sheer '50s. Quite frankly, she was like Marilyn Monroe with black hair. The man standing close behind her- with his hand on her waist- was just as gorgeous as the boy to my right. He was older-looking, more mature, but still very young. His hair was a coppery color with a blonde tint to it. I had never seen a hair color like his hair was, and the beauty of just one man's hair suprised me. His jaw was squared and clenched as he watched me, the look on his face unreadable. He was deathly pale. All of them were.

Then I saw him. I allowed my eyes to flicker to the center of the walkway- straight ahead of me- and I saw the most beautiful demon in this world. He looked like an angel, but I knew he was a demon. His hair was a beautiful light brown color, a faded natural brown almost, and his eyes were the same dark gold, but even more beautiful than the others. The deathly pale of his skin didn't suprise me. But the delicious feeling I had to touch it did suprise me. He was fairly tall, maybe an inch or so taller than the other boy, and just as tall as the man. His face held a look that I couldn't destuingish from amusement, shock, and infatuation. The last one was the only thing I felt as I stared at him, feeling my heart completely stop in my chest as our eyes locked for several seconds. In the few seconds before our gaze dropped, I could see the pure amazement in the way he felt towards me. The second girl with the dark brown hair sent him a very shocked expression, but then a grin spread onto her lips. I watched this from the corner of my eyes. I was still staring at the most beautiful boy in this world, and I slowly realized he was more real to me than anything else had ever been.

Everything quickly went black then, and I felt my legs buckle beneath me. For several long moments I was caught in darkness and a world of none-conscious people. It was actually just as blank a world as it sounded.

"Hey, girl," came the sharp but velvet voice. "What's your name?"

I couldn't answer.

"Hey," the voice said louder. "Girl, wake up!"

"I'm sure she has a name," an even more alluring, second voice hissed from the opposite side of me.

Someone sighed irritably. "I was getting to that," replied the first voice. The voice added a name to what it had just said, but I was too lost in fake glamour and sickness that the name was a complete blurr to me at that moment.

"What's your name, dear?" asked a gentler, more motherly voice in a cool, breezy way.

The darkness slowly swept away as I felt a cold hand touch my cheek. My eyes slowly flutter opened, and once again, I stared up into the beautiful eyes of the gorgeous demon. He looked down at me, raising his eyebrow, possibly surpressing the urge to grin down at me. My wet hair clung to my neck, and I knew I was a pitiful image to be seen by such lovely people. That didn't matter right then, though.

Suddenly tears entered my eyes as I stared up at him, but then, I didn't know why. "Madeline," I whispered out faintly and hoarsely.

But then the darkness surrounded me again, all too quickly, and the demon- my demon- was gone.

Hello there,

The angel from my nightmare

The shadow in the background of the mourge

The unsuspecting victim of darkness in the valley