Over The Edge: Chapter 1

Night has just fallen over the already dark and gloomy forest. The only sounds that can be heard are the scurrying the small animals and the chirping of crickets. They sky is clear, but it is filled with the light of the moon and that of hundreds of seemingly tiny stars. The autumn air is dry and brisk, and dead brown leaves cover the forest floor. Suddenly, two loud flashes of light shatter the veil of silence. One red and one white. A dark figure emerges and quickly darts between the trees as three taller figures run after it. Twigs snap and leaves crunch under their feet as they weave their way through the forest. As they move into a clearing, there is a glint of white from the backs of the three figures. Angels. At the edge of the clearing, the land drops off to overlook a large lake. The small figure stops abruptly when it reaches the cliff. The creature spins around to face the angels, and its hood falls onto its small shoulders. The figure is a small woman with long, jet black hair, pale skin, and beady red eyes. A demon. The angels catch up to the demon and quickly surround her as she hesitantly backs toward the edge of the cliff. One of the angels steps forward. "What have they done to you, Nessa? You were so beautiful," he says tenderly. Nessa replies angrily, "Don't call me that, Michael! That's not who I am!" Before Michael can reply, another angel steps forward. "Just give us the child, Nessa," he says as he gestures to the small bundle in the demon's arms. Nessa stops backing up as she reaches the edge of the cliff. Suddenly, she launches herself backwards into the air and falls into the dark lake below. Michael rushes forward and pulls a large white bow out of a thin bag on his back. Out of the same bag, he pulls an arrow that shines with pure golden light. "Forgive me..." he says quietly as he puts the arrow in place, draws it back, and releases, sending it straight into the water after the demon. There is a bright flash as streams of white light shoot out of the dark water. The angels unfurl their enormous wings and dive off the cliff, pulling up just before they hit the water. They skim the surface of the water, gliding in circles around the spot where Nessa had sunk into the lake. After a couple minutes of seeing nothing but still water, Michael speaks to the angels. "It doesn't look like the child survived. Our job here is done." He signals to the others with a wave of his hand and the three of them disappear in a flash of blinding white light. Nearby, a small bundle floats up along the rocky shore. A tall figure dressed in a long, dark cloak gently removes the bundle from the water and pulls back a piece of cloth to reveal a small child inside. The young girl is shivering from being in the cold water but is relatively unscathed except for a fairly small cut on her right temple. She has jet black hair and gray eyes with a hint of red around the irises. Her skin is slightly pale, and she is small, even for her young age. Wrapped in another cloth, inside the bundle, lies a fine gold necklace that is woven through a brilliant silver ring. The ring is made of pure silver and has small sapphires embedded in it around its entire face. The figure gently strokes the child's hair as it whispers, "Shhhhh...," for she has just begun to cry. Once the child settles down, the figure covers the young girl's face again, holds the bundle close and slowly walks into the forest. The two of them fade into the shadows.