Chapter One

"Oh man, oh man, I'm so late." I muttered to myself as I hazardously switched traffic lanes. The clock read 10:03 and I still had a 10 minute drive. If I followed the traffic laws, which I usually didn't. A giant red pickup truck cut me off and i grumbled to myseld when i realized that it was my coworker, Liam, who is as loud and obnoxious as his truck. 
        When I finally pulled in the lot of the local bar and grill, i had to rush inside with my apron before any of my managers could see me running late. I breathed a sigh of relief when i saw Emalie standing next to the clock in counter. 
        "I got you, boo." She winked atme as she held up my punch card. "10:00 on the dot!" She giggled. "And table 31 has been sitting for a minute so you better get a move on." Emalie popped her gum and slapped my butt towards one of my tall bar tables. The boy sat, pretending to look at the menu but I could see his eyes wondering, taking in the small building. His hair was shoulder length and a dark blonde color. I usually associated long-boy-hair with dirtiness but it seemed to work with this boys dark jeans and tattered band t-shirt. His look gave off a 'loner, dont talke to me' vibe.
        "Hey there!" I smiled at him as i quickly fastened my name tag to the front of my flannel button up.
        "Sara," He said, reading the badge.
        "Yessir." I said,smiling even though the boy was giving me the creeps. He looked to be in his early 20's and besides his obnoxious grunge look he was pretty cute. But hey, so was Jeffry Daumer. "Sorry if youve been sittin long, I hit every red light on the way to work this morning." I was pulling my thick black hair into a loose pony tail when the boy reached out and grabbed a piece i had missed. He gave the strand a slight tug before i quickly grabbed it from him and tied it up with the rest. His fierce blue eyes were staring into mine and i couldnt tell if i wanted him to touch me again, or if i wanted to punch him in the gut.  "Do we know each other?" I asked him.
        His smile brightened. "Do i look familiar?" His eyebrows raised.
        "No," I mumbled. "You are just too comfortable touching me," i raised one eyebrow in what i hoped was a 'take-me-serious' look. He looked amused.
        The boy finally took his bright blue eyes from mine and placed them on the menu in front of him. After tellling me his order and giving me the menu, he picked the newspaper that was sitting on the chair to his left. 
        I tended to a few tables and was standing next to Emalie as she cleaned one of her booths. "So what do you think about taking a Karate class with me?" I asked her, picking up a dirty napkin and placing it on the plate. 
        "Yeah, cool," she muttered, clearly oblivious.
        "mhm, and after we sign up, we can go shave our heads!" I hollered after her as she walked into the kitchen with her pile of dirty dishes. She turned her head to roll her eyes at me and almost collided with Liam, who was walking out with table 31's food.
        "Watch it!" He snarled at Emalie, but before he could lay his beady eyes on me I had swiped the plate from his hands and was hauling to the the grunge, loner. 
        "Here ya go!" I said, placing it next to his fork.
        "Thank you," he smiled at me. "Dont shave your head."
        I laughed, despite myself. "You dont think bald is a good look for me?" I asked, leaning against the chair across from him. 
        He smiled and opened his mouth to reply when laughter erupted next to the front door. We both turned towards the noise but i had already known what we would see. Emalie was standing close to a 20 year old man, her hand touching his chest. He had dark eyes and dark hair, cut short in military fashion. His tight gray t-shirt showed every musle in his arm and chest.
        I turned to smile at him, but I'm sure it came out more as a grimmace. "That's not her boyfriend." I said before turning and walking towards Mike. 
        "Hey, babe," He said to me after shooing Emalie away. "Ive got to get back to the naval base. I'll let you know when i can come home again." He grabbed me around the waist and lifted me until my lips reached his before quickly leaving the restraunt. 
        I heard a sigh behind me. "I wish...." But Emalie trailed off and walked away quickly. I rolled my eyes at her back. 
        I made the rounds to my remaining tables before i noticed that table 31 was empty. The boys plate and a $100 bill was all that was left. 
        "What is that, an $85 tip?" Liam's voice was right behind my ear. "Sara, no blowies in the bathroom!" He laughed and bumped into me before walking into the kitchen. I shuddered and put the cash in my apron, sure that the boy meant to put down a $20.
        I pulled into the lot of my apartment and ran inside to my loving shih tzu baby, Max. 
        I didn't work that next day until the evening time so i was able to spend the morning at the dog park.
        "Sara, that guy has been here all day, waiting for you! Tell him about Mike! Mike will kick that guy's a*s." Emalie spoke at a mile a minute as soon as i walked into the restraunt.
        "Relax!" I laughed at her." he probably just wants his money back!" i told her, reminding her about the mega cash that he left at my table.

        "Hey there." I said to him. "I thought you'd be back for this." I put the money on the counter next to him. 
        He turned his piercing blue eyes one me, his smile at full force. "Thats for you." he told me, pushing the cash back towards me.
        "Fine," I said, you dont turn down free money. "So what have you been waiting for me for then?" The boy smiled but didn't answer. "What's your name?"
        "Tanner."
   After running back and forth to appease my customers, I noticed that Tanner was no longer in his seat at the bar and for some reason my feelings were a little hurt. Near the end of my shift I was cleaning my tab;es and getting ready to head home when Tanner reappeared. 
        "Surprise!" I exclaimed as i wiped the hair from my face. Leaning against the broom handle, I raised an eyebrow at him. "I hope you didn't come back for more crappy steak, the kitchen is closed now. The bar stays open until midnight, do you want a beer?"
        "Are you having one?" He asked me. I was so caught up in his eyes that i almost forgot how to speak.
        "No, uh, haha, I'm only 19." I smiled, a little embarrassed but Tanner still gave me a beautiful smile in return.
        "i dont turn 21 for another couple of months." He told me. 
        It was an awkward silence for a minute and i panicked. I had barely one friend and i didn't want to blow this opportunity. 
        "So what did you come back for, if not the s****y steak?" I asked quickly, trying to come up with anything.
        "For you, obviously." He told me. His brilliant blue gaze held mine for a minute before i couldnt hold it in any longer and broke out in a fit of laughter.
        "Good god, are you serious?" I couldnt breath for a moment. Who did this cheesy son of b***h think I was?
        Tanner's smile faltered and he seemed unsure. "Well, that usually works," He said sarcastically and his smile came back full force. 
        My breath caught as his wonderful beaming face got me off guard. "I bet it does." I said quietly. 
        Tanner smiled and sat down at the table that i was sweeping under. "I just dont have any friends around here. I just moved in recently."
        I smiled and sat in the seat across from him. "Ill be your friend." I told Tanner. "But not because I'm lonely, or anything. Because i mean, i have my dog. And...He loves me." I letmy breath rush out of me. Exasperated i ran my hand through my hair and looked up at Tanner to see what sort of crazy look he was giving me. But miraculously he was still smiling. He was amused by my terribly rambling and not freaked out at all. 
        "What's your dogs name?" He asked me. 
        I sighed with relief and felt my confidence come back. "His name is Max, a little Shih tzu." Tanner started telling me about his Boxer that he had left behind, with his family, when he moved here. Before i knew it, Tanner and I had been sitting and talking for over an hour. My manager yelling for us to leave is what made me break out of Tanner's mesmerizing gaze. 
        "I'll see you tomorrow," Tanner said as we walked through the parking lot to our cars.
        'I'm off tomorrow.I;m going to try and sleep until noon, and then probably binge watch some of the new episodes of Doctor Who."  I told him, in a way that meant i might be joking.
        "I watched one episode and i just couldnt get into it," He told me. "I think these manequin type things were trying to take over the city?" He laughed and i couldnt help but laugh with him.
        "God,no, Tanner, you absolutely need to watch more than just the first episode!" And then we were doing it again, talking about everything from television shows to our 2nd grade teacher. We were laughing and I had just forgotten what it was like to have an actual friend. 
        We were sitting on the bumper of his car when he asked me "So where are you from?"
        "Its a sad story," I mumbled, but i went on when he didnt say anything. I got the feeling that i could say anything to him and i couldnt decide how i felt about that. "I haven't told this story to anybody in this town, I told Mike that both my parents died, so he wouldnt try to talk to me about it. The truth is though that i've never had real parents. Or a real home, period. I'm a foster kid from central Alabama and once i turned 18, i hopped the nearest grey hound and road it north until i ran out of money. I ended up here, Middle-of-no-where, Pennsylvania." I shrugged, to let him know that my story was over.
        Tanner nodded, his blue eyes fixed on the practically empty main road. "I dont really know my parents." He laughed at himself. "More like they dont know me. They are never around, always," he paused and looked at me. I smiled in encouragement. He smiled back at me. "Working. Ive been in" he paused again, his face scrunched up as if he were searching for the right word. "boarding school. So when i graduated i went straight to work, same thing my parents do, and well.... sometimes...." Tanner stopped and looked at me, he face sad and a little confused. "Sometimes i dont think that its what i want with my life, that i want to actually live, and not follow in my family's footsteps." The rest of his words rushed out of his mouth, almost like he couldn't stop them. I smiled at him and instinctively reached my hand out to touch his shoulder. "I've never told anybody that before," he said, looking up at me through his dark lashes.
        "Why dont you just do something else then?" I asked him, kicking my legs back and forth  through the air.
        Tanner sighed, taking my hand in his. "I can't. Its a family legacy." His tone of voice sounded like he didn't want to talk about it anymore so i dropped it. His laughter startled me. "Why is it so easy to tell you all of my secrets?" He asked. I shrugged but laughed with him. "Why dont i hear any of yours?" 
        My heart thudded in my ears and i panicked for a second, I pulled my hand from his grasp and placed back in my lap. "Like what?" I asked him. I could hear my voice shaking.
        Tanner thought for a moment before speaking. "How did you end up with Meat Head, Mike?"
        I laughed, reliefed that he had asked such an easy question. "A couple months after i started working here, he was home from the base and he came to sit at one of my tables and i'm not sure how it happened but i told him that i had been living in my car, and he was a little drunk, but he told me to move in to his place. so i stayed the night with him that night and i thought for sure that next morning he would kick me out, but no. Ive been staying there ever since. And i know what you're thinking, he and Emalie were all over each other this morning, but honestly, i dont mind. He is home one weekend every 2 months so really, i dont even care."
        Tanner stared at me before he spoke. "You could do so much better." He told me, shaking his head.

        I laughed in his face. "Better than free rent?" I asked him. "You dont damn know me!" I all but hollered. "Dont look down on me and judge me just because you can afford to be picky, alright? Shove off!" I jumped off of his bumper and shook off the sudden chill i felt from being without his body heat. "I should get home. To Max." I muttered, pulling my phone out to see that it was past 2 am.
        Tanner sighed but also stood up. "Sara, I'm sorry. I know I've only just met you, but i care for you already. And i just want to punch that guy in the gut." He told me.
        I couldnt help but laugh, "Mike would kick your a*s," I informed him. But Tanner only laughed and shook the hair from his eyes.
        "So i actually know some fighting moves, its a uh, course requirement at the boarding school i went to." He told me, walking me to my driver's side door. "So i was thikning that i could teach you some, if you wanted to hang out tomorrow. If you could give up some time from the Doctor," he added with a laugh.
        I bit my lip. I wanted to see him, but i needed to make sure that he knew that i wasn't looking for anything other than friendship. "I really do want to, but, i can't be anymore than a friend to you."
        Tanner smile seemed strained but he nodded and handed me his cell phone to type my number in. "You better not call me before noon!" i hollered at him as he slid into the drivers seat of his car. He held up his fingers in the 'scout's honor' salute before speeding off into the night. 

        Tanner lay in bed that night,staring at the contact info that Sara had typed into his phone. Sarah Malena. He smiled to himself. He was sure that  she was the one that he was supposed to find. He wanted her to be the one.

I groaned as Max started crying in the living room. I rolled over and checked my phone and then groaned louder. It wasn't even 9:00. Max started howling and barking and then there was a loud crash of glass hitting the hardwood floor. "Max!" I yelled, scrambling out of bed and running towards the noise. When i ran into the living room i saw a tall, pale gray man standing in the middle of the living room, shards of glass around his bare feet. The sliding patio door was smashed and the man had my puppy by the scruff. He was staring at me. I didn't think before i threw myself and the strange creature and swiped his legs out from under him. Before he hit the ground he dropped Max and i grabbed the nearest, heaviest object. I swung the marble vase at the man's head until he stopped moving. 
        "Damn it!" I yelled. I had been running from these monsters, hoping that if I didn't use my magic that they wouldnt be able to find me here. It had worked for nearly two years. I ran into my closet and grabbed the bag that i kept packed in case something like this happened. I had Max and my bag and was running out to my car when it dawned on me. Tanner. He had to be working with the monsters, how else would they have found me? I was cursing myself. How could i have been so stupid? A strange boy shows up, claiming to be looking for me, how did i not realize it before?
        I squeeled out of the apartment parking lot and headed straight for the neighborhood that Tanner had told me he was renting a house in. Assuming that wasn't a lie of course. When i saw his car parked in front of a run down house i pulled right into the grass and jumped out of the car. "I'll be right back, Max," i hollered as i slammed my car door shut and ran to the front door. I didn't bother knocking. I quickly blew the lock out and burst throught the door. Tanner was standing in the small kitchen looking dumbfounded and sleep tousled. 
        "Sara-?" He said before i kicked his legs from under him and he fell on the floor.I pushed my knee into his back and held him to the ground.
        "What did you do?" I snarled at him. Before i could blink he had wrigled from my grasp, flipped my onto my back and held me down. 
        "What is the matter! I didn't do anything, Sara!" He was yelling at me but I threw a force of energy at him and he hit the wall. 
        "You told those monsters where i was, didn't you?" I stood in front of him and he struggled under the force of my magic, but it was futile.
        "Monsters? Sara, i didn't, I swear, I didn't tell anybody about you! But if they know where you are then we have to get out of here!"
        "I'm not going anywhere with you!" I yelled at him, pushing him harder against the wall.
        "Please, Sara,Please," Tanner gasped. "I can take you where the monsters cant find you. Please." 
        My gaze was stuck on Tanner's torn t-shirt that had exposed his collar bone. I pulled at the fabric until i saw the outline of a rose bud. I looked into his eyes, searching for answers and I couldnt explain what i saw there but it made me trust him. I released the force on him and he stumbled to the floor. I pulled up the back of my shirt and showed him the birthmark located on my hip. Tanner's breath exhaled in a rush and he grabbed my arm and led me outside to my car.
        Max didn't bat an eye when i tossed him and my bag to the backseat. Tanner pulled out of the neighborhood like a bat out of hell.
        "Sara," Tanner's voice was calm but his knuckles were white against the steering wheel. "Tell me about the monsters"
        I took a deep breath and ran my hands through my thick dark hair. "Oh, god, okay. When i was 16 this thing came after me. He had gray sking, like it was dead or something, and it couldn't talk but it had the strongest grip. I was skipping class in the girl's restroom when it burst through the door. It was barefoot and came straight at me. I don't know how i got away, i could suddenly fight, i had never been in a fight before but suddenly i could do things that i had never tried before and i got away from it and ran out into the hallway and it was gone. Nobody would believe me. They all thought that i was on drugs or something, they all thought that I was crazy. They moved me to a different foster home, but whenever I,.... they would just find me but they aren't very smart so i was always able to get away. And that's why I moved so far away as soon as i could. I thought they wouldnt be able to find me here but-"
        Tanner interupted me, "Tell me the truth, Sara!" He yelled at me. "All of the truth! Tell me about your magic!"
        "What about your truth!" I screamed at him. "You know what is happening to me, dont you!" My whole body was shaking and i had used the last of my energy to yell at Tanner. I felt drained and ready to pass out. Max cried from the backseat and jumped into my lap.I felt like a small child when Tanner reached into the backseat and pulled the small throw blanket, that i kept back there, around my shoulders.
        "I'm sorry, Sara, please, just tell me everything. I promise i'll tell you everything, please, just trust me and talk to me." Tanner sounded so calm and i couldn't focus on anything other than his voice.
        I felt a tear run down my face. Defeated, I told him everything.
        "Before the monster found me the first time, i had been having an argument with one of the other foster kids in the house. He started picking on one of the other girls and i just lost it. I yelled at him and suddenly the remote flew across the room and into the back of his head. I was in the bathroom, trying to recreate what ever had happened when the monster showed up. After that every time i tried to use my magic, a monster would appear and i would have to leave again, quickly. I would make up some crazy story about one of the foster parents being mean to me and they would ship me out of there real quick." I layed my head against the cool glass. "I dont know anything else." I whispered. "I swear." I couldnt keep my eyes open any longer and i fell into a dark nothingness and it felt wonderful. 

Author's Note

please be honest in your reviews.