CHAPTER ONE
It was cold. Too cold. Lily shivered uncontrollably as she rubbed her arms together for warmth. Her breath came in short rasps and she felt as if her chest was closing up. She began to run. Why, she didn't know, all she knew was that it had something to do with the figure a block ahead of her. She looked down at her hands and saw she was clenching two wands in one hand.
'How did I get two?' she wondered. But there was no time to ponder it long, because she had to keep her concentration on catching up to the man. As she neared him, she began to see him more clearly. He was large and muscular but that was all she could tell because he had a long black cloak on with a hood masking his face. He turned around periodically to check if she was catching up to him but the shadow of the hood hid his face in the blackness of night.
Then, all of a sudden, everything was covered in a fog. A dull white swirled in and then Lily couldn't see anything else but the white. He must have cast a sort of spell, she realized, because she no longer could see him. He could have been a foot away, or ten miles away; it wouldn't have made a difference. But on she ran, too determined to give up now. She just knew he was nearby; she could almost sense it.
And then just as instantly as the white swirled in, it glided out. Lily was able to see again. This time they were on the same block and Lily was gaining ground on him. She felt the space between them shorten as she accelerated and closed in on him.
"Don't move," she heard herself shout towards him. She felt bizarre, as if her mind had detached from her body and she was watching this play out from above.
The man laughed throatily and shouted back "I don't think so. I'm going to get my wand back, and when I do I'll rip your body into shreds. I'll kill you unmercifully without a second thought."
Strangely, Lily felt no fear. All she felt was a strange, eerie calmness. A foot, half a foot, three inches, two, and then she was upon him. She was so close she could have ripped the black hood off his head. She reached out to grab him and tripped on his long cloak. For a second it felt as if time had stopped. And then she fell. She fell straight down slamming her knees and the palms of her hands into the pavement to protect her face, a reflex she had learnt from her training as an auror.
She felt no pain. In fact, she felt nothing except for the mind numbing cold. But she knew, in that one instant, she had ruined everything. He would kill her. She was dead meat. Lily felt her teeth chatter, as the fear began to seep in.
The man chuckled and grabbed his wand but Lily wouldn't budge. He tried to pull it out of her grasp but she pulled back just as hard. He cursed under his breath, but he didn't let go.
"Give it to me," He demanded angrily.
"I'd sooner die than do that," she snapped matching his fury, as she slowly stood up, leaning back to keep him from getting the wand. "I'm not giving up that easily,"
"Yeah, well, then you will die," He yelled, but he was wrong, for at that second Lily kicked him hard in the shin.
He doubled over in pain, muttering something, but Lily couldn't hear it. She was too far away.
'How am I gonna get out of this,' she wondered again. She looked around, narrowing her eyes. She spotted a small gray car parked on the block she was on and ran to it instantly, not even thinking that what she was about to do was a crime.
Covering her hand with her sleeve, she slammed into the front window. The glass shattered falling scattering in pieces inside the car. Lily pulled up the lock and jumped into the car. The alarm didn't even go off. She started up the car, slamming her foot onto the pedal, driving as fast as she could away from all of it, still holding the wands tightly in her left hand.
Slowly, she began to relax. Her breathing returned to normal and she slowed the car down to a normal pace. Lily placed the wands into the passenger seat carefully before concentrating on what she had to do.
"All right," she said aloud to herself "I have to alert Moody about the deatheater. He'll know what to do. I have the guy's wand, but he can probably get a new one,"
She pulled down the mirror and looked at herself. She wasn't even scratched from her first mission! Lily closed it, the upper corners of her mouth turning upwards into a small smile.
"I can't believe I'm doing this. My first mission," she murmured, picking up the wands again to get a closer look. His wand was a bit longer, and it looked like it was made from oak. She tried to bend it, but it stayed rigidly in its position. She noticed hers had a slight dent in the middle from the tug-of-war.
"That stupid ba-" but she never got to finish her sentence for at that moment she heard a loud bang. Turning around, she saw the Death Eater, sneering evilly sitting right next to her.
"You thought you got rid of me," he drawled his hand lounging lazily on the back of her chair "You were wrong. Now I'm going to get rid of you,"
Lily's breath shortened and she whimpered. Her face was drawn into tight lines of worry and a tear formed in her eye, but she brushed it away quickly. There was nowhere to go. She was trapped in there with him.
He slammed his hand into her side. Her hands flew protectively around her body and as they did the wands fell from her grasp. They hit the ground with a soft thud. She grabbed at them, but he reached it first. He held the wands in front of her tauntingly.
"I was only trying for one. Now I've got two,"
All of the sudden the answer was clear to Lily what she had to do. There was only one way out of this and that was by apparating. All she needed to do was to touch her wand to perform it. But she couldn't apparate! Lily must have been the worst apparator in the world. She couldn't remember how many times she had failed the test. But she had to try.
She closed her eyes and jabbed her hand at her wand. As her hands closed around the top, she immediately closed her eyes and began to apparate. When she heard a small pop, she opened her eyes expecting to be in Moody's office. But she was still in the car. She looked down and let out a terrified yell. From where her mid stomach to her feet should have been, it was all gone. Lily realized with a start, that she must have only sent half her body to the office.
"Oh my G-d !," she shouted "I cut my body in half!"
The man laughed aloud. His body rippled with laughter as he slapped his knees from amusement.
"She can't even apparate!" He laughed "What kind of auror can't apparate!"
Lily felt a tear roll down her face. Her eyes were open wide in fear and her body shook uncontrollably. She was going to die here and now. She would never get married and never have kids. Instead she would be killed by this stupid bastard.
She moved to open the lock but he swiftly locked it with a spell. He moved closer to her, his hot breath sending chills down her spine. The blood rushed to her head and again she felt as if her mind had segregated itself from her body. She saw him pick up his wand and point it to her. She heard the soft murmurs of a curse being spoken. And then.........
***********************************************************************
Does that qualify as a cliffhanger? Well, PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW! I WORKED HARD ON THIS!!!
*******************************************************************
It was cold. Too cold. Lily shivered uncontrollably as she rubbed her arms together for warmth. Her breath came in short rasps and she felt as if her chest was closing up. She began to run. Why, she didn't know, all she knew was that it had something to do with the figure a block ahead of her. She looked down at her hands and saw she was clenching two wands in one hand.
'How did I get two?' she wondered. But there was no time to ponder it long, because she had to keep her concentration on catching up to the man. As she neared him, she began to see him more clearly. He was large and muscular but that was all she could tell because he had a long black cloak on with a hood masking his face. He turned around periodically to check if she was catching up to him but the shadow of the hood hid his face in the blackness of night.
Then, all of a sudden, everything was covered in a fog. A dull white swirled in and then Lily couldn't see anything else but the white. He must have cast a sort of spell, she realized, because she no longer could see him. He could have been a foot away, or ten miles away; it wouldn't have made a difference. But on she ran, too determined to give up now. She just knew he was nearby; she could almost sense it.
And then just as instantly as the white swirled in, it glided out. Lily was able to see again. This time they were on the same block and Lily was gaining ground on him. She felt the space between them shorten as she accelerated and closed in on him.
"Don't move," she heard herself shout towards him. She felt bizarre, as if her mind had detached from her body and she was watching this play out from above.
The man laughed throatily and shouted back "I don't think so. I'm going to get my wand back, and when I do I'll rip your body into shreds. I'll kill you unmercifully without a second thought."
Strangely, Lily felt no fear. All she felt was a strange, eerie calmness. A foot, half a foot, three inches, two, and then she was upon him. She was so close she could have ripped the black hood off his head. She reached out to grab him and tripped on his long cloak. For a second it felt as if time had stopped. And then she fell. She fell straight down slamming her knees and the palms of her hands into the pavement to protect her face, a reflex she had learnt from her training as an auror.
She felt no pain. In fact, she felt nothing except for the mind numbing cold. But she knew, in that one instant, she had ruined everything. He would kill her. She was dead meat. Lily felt her teeth chatter, as the fear began to seep in.
The man chuckled and grabbed his wand but Lily wouldn't budge. He tried to pull it out of her grasp but she pulled back just as hard. He cursed under his breath, but he didn't let go.
"Give it to me," He demanded angrily.
"I'd sooner die than do that," she snapped matching his fury, as she slowly stood up, leaning back to keep him from getting the wand. "I'm not giving up that easily,"
"Yeah, well, then you will die," He yelled, but he was wrong, for at that second Lily kicked him hard in the shin.
He doubled over in pain, muttering something, but Lily couldn't hear it. She was too far away.
'How am I gonna get out of this,' she wondered again. She looked around, narrowing her eyes. She spotted a small gray car parked on the block she was on and ran to it instantly, not even thinking that what she was about to do was a crime.
Covering her hand with her sleeve, she slammed into the front window. The glass shattered falling scattering in pieces inside the car. Lily pulled up the lock and jumped into the car. The alarm didn't even go off. She started up the car, slamming her foot onto the pedal, driving as fast as she could away from all of it, still holding the wands tightly in her left hand.
Slowly, she began to relax. Her breathing returned to normal and she slowed the car down to a normal pace. Lily placed the wands into the passenger seat carefully before concentrating on what she had to do.
"All right," she said aloud to herself "I have to alert Moody about the deatheater. He'll know what to do. I have the guy's wand, but he can probably get a new one,"
She pulled down the mirror and looked at herself. She wasn't even scratched from her first mission! Lily closed it, the upper corners of her mouth turning upwards into a small smile.
"I can't believe I'm doing this. My first mission," she murmured, picking up the wands again to get a closer look. His wand was a bit longer, and it looked like it was made from oak. She tried to bend it, but it stayed rigidly in its position. She noticed hers had a slight dent in the middle from the tug-of-war.
"That stupid ba-" but she never got to finish her sentence for at that moment she heard a loud bang. Turning around, she saw the Death Eater, sneering evilly sitting right next to her.
"You thought you got rid of me," he drawled his hand lounging lazily on the back of her chair "You were wrong. Now I'm going to get rid of you,"
Lily's breath shortened and she whimpered. Her face was drawn into tight lines of worry and a tear formed in her eye, but she brushed it away quickly. There was nowhere to go. She was trapped in there with him.
He slammed his hand into her side. Her hands flew protectively around her body and as they did the wands fell from her grasp. They hit the ground with a soft thud. She grabbed at them, but he reached it first. He held the wands in front of her tauntingly.
"I was only trying for one. Now I've got two,"
All of the sudden the answer was clear to Lily what she had to do. There was only one way out of this and that was by apparating. All she needed to do was to touch her wand to perform it. But she couldn't apparate! Lily must have been the worst apparator in the world. She couldn't remember how many times she had failed the test. But she had to try.
She closed her eyes and jabbed her hand at her wand. As her hands closed around the top, she immediately closed her eyes and began to apparate. When she heard a small pop, she opened her eyes expecting to be in Moody's office. But she was still in the car. She looked down and let out a terrified yell. From where her mid stomach to her feet should have been, it was all gone. Lily realized with a start, that she must have only sent half her body to the office.
"Oh my G-d !," she shouted "I cut my body in half!"
The man laughed aloud. His body rippled with laughter as he slapped his knees from amusement.
"She can't even apparate!" He laughed "What kind of auror can't apparate!"
Lily felt a tear roll down her face. Her eyes were open wide in fear and her body shook uncontrollably. She was going to die here and now. She would never get married and never have kids. Instead she would be killed by this stupid bastard.
She moved to open the lock but he swiftly locked it with a spell. He moved closer to her, his hot breath sending chills down her spine. The blood rushed to her head and again she felt as if her mind had segregated itself from her body. She saw him pick up his wand and point it to her. She heard the soft murmurs of a curse being spoken. And then.........
***********************************************************************
Does that qualify as a cliffhanger? Well, PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW! I WORKED HARD ON THIS!!!
*******************************************************************