Chapter One

I kept my eyes wide open, despite the rain hailing down on my face. I stood with my arms outstretched, relishing the touch of every droplet of water that landed on my skin. My eyes slowly drifted closed, and I allowed the rain to drown out the remnants of my tears. A gust of cool wind plowed into my face, whipping strands of atramental hair across my eyes. I tucked my hair back behind my ears after the breeze settled.        Registering a flicker of movement to my right, I turned about to see the familiar, solid form of Kane. He stood, unmoving, beside me. His gaze was fixed on something in the distance beyond my perception.

"Is it time?" I asked, my hazy, grey eyes searching his face for any change of emotion.

         Without looking away from the horizon, he reached out and took hold of my hand. He turned about to face me, his mermerizing brown eyes boring into mine. I raised my free hand and brushed a stray lock of obsidian hair from his face. I leaned in slowly on the balls of my feet, giving him time to react.          Pressing my mouth to his gently, tentatively, I waited for any sort of reaction. It wasn't the first time I had kissed him, but every time I was afraid he would reject my affection. Instead, Kane released my hand, placing his palms on my hips. Tugging me closer to him, he tilted his head to the side, effectively depening the kiss.           With obvious reluctance, he pulled away, drawing back to study my face. One more grasping my hand in his, he curved his lips into a smile. It was the kind of smile that made my stomach flip and tumble, and my pulse skip a beat or two. Some think I'm schizophrenic. Others think I suffer from severe depression. Both would make sense, considering the amout of trauma I've been through during my fifteen years.           Togther, Kane and I shifted to stare out at the horizon, watching the sun sink below the trees. We stood at the peak of a hill, surrounded by a field of waving, tall grass that eventually broke off into a vast expanse of trees. As we stood, hand in hand, staring out into the night, he answered me.

"It's time."

          As soon as the words left his mouth, the world around us lit up in a display of light that only we could see. All around us, above us and beside us, the air was filled with colour. The colours that exploded around us put the Northern and Southern lights to shame. As the lights began to fade, we could see the silhouettes of people forming.          The lights faded alltogether, and we were left again in the grey light of sundown. In front of us stood a girl my age, with tousled blonde hair that ran down almost to her elbows. She greeted us with an enthused grin, and strode forward towards us. I stepped away from Kane as the girl dragged me into a hug. I wrapped my arms around her in return, and pressed my face into her shoulder.           We stood that way for a long while, unmoving. Eventually, we parted, and stood back to look at eachother. I held out my arms on either side of me, and willed my weapon to appear. In my right palm formed my blade, as sharp and lethal as ever. I focused my mind on my blade, and a glimmering fire swallowed the sword.            I whisked the blade over my head in an arc to display it, flames snaking visciously around the weapon. Lowering the sword back to my side, I let my gaze linger on the etheral flames surrounding my blade for a moment longer before willing it away. The darting streaks of fire dissapeared instantly, as if someone had doused the sword with frigid water.           Pleased with my performance, I willed my blade away entirely. I focused my attention on the other girl, who smiled at me fondly. It certainly had been a while since we saw eachother last. She rolled her shoulderblades back to show off her own skill. A grin slowly crept over my face as I watched a pair of wings protrude from her back.          The wings were nearly see through, but for a faint blue sheen about them. The more I studied them, the more I was able to mentally depict them. They weren't like angel wings that I used to see in childrens' books growing up. They weren't layered, nor were they feathered. It was impossible to tell what they were made of.          She stretched out her wings for me, letting them catch the remaining light behind the trees. Kane glanced at me silently, measuring my reaction.

"Lysandra, you have no idea how much I've missed you," I laughed, tossing my head back.

          Her smile widened at that, and folded her pixie-like wings back into her back.

"I apologize for leaving you alone with Kane for so long. I know he can be a pain," She grinned. Lysandra fixed her brother with a playful smirk, and he couldn't help but laugh. Kane shook his head lightly, his laughter echoing between us.

"As you can see, I am not an official member of the fae," Lysandra informed us proudly.

"That's right. Be jealous," she winked mockingly at Kane, who had yet to become part of the seelie court. I elbowed Kane lightly in the ribs, snickering at Lysandra.

      "Looks like you've got some catching up to do," I teased him.

Kane unfolded his wings, which much more resembled the feathery angel wings I was shown drawings of at church. His wings were an ivory gray, symbolizing that he had not yet been accepted into the court. Officially, Kane and Lysandra were faeries. All faeries preferred to be called by the title of 'fae'. As for me? I go by the title, 'Aphosis Shifter'.           Aphosis Shifters retained the power to change form, as well as to call select weapons. My weapon was a blade named Leigwyn, and my shifted form was a wolf. I didn't shift much, because I loved fighting with Leigwyn. My blade had served me well through many battles. Leigwyn was the name of my little sister, who died when a fire was set to our village.          It took me quite a while to notice that the rain had come to a halt. I should have noticed that when I lit my blade. So much for being observant. I gripped Kane's hand, and he offered me an encouraging smile. Lysandra turned from us, and once more freed her wings. With an astounding grace, she left the ground, looming in the air above us. Kane let loose his own wings, and wrapped his arms around my waist.           Holding me tight to him, Kane lifted into the air beside his sister, the grey light dancing off his grey wings. We hovered in the air for a moment, floating still in the night air. I tilted my head back, letting all the feelings of ecstasy rush through my veins. It was the most amazing feeling, and I knew that if it hadn't been for my stupid mistake all those years ago, my little sister would be here to experience it with me.            Pressing my face into Kane's shoulder, I squeezed my eyes shut, trying not to think of that night. A whirl of images flashed through my head. My sister as she stood on the roof of our house, waving her arms frantically for help. Me as I reached out to her from above, to pull her from the flames that surrounded her. Then the terrible, sickening crack as the beams below her snapped. And my sister's face as she fell into the depths of the fire below her.

Author's Note

I don't think I'm going to be continuing this, as it really went on for too long. The plot is too complicated, and I'm not sure how to make it work. Just give me any ideas on what to write next, please. ^^