Prologue

In the beginning, all was pain and death. Then Providence descended from the great heavens to take pity upon the poor souls of this Earth. With the Lord came his contingent of angels. These followers assisted their superior in healing and teaching. The great, white angels fed the hungry and saved the unfortunate. A great period of peace and higher learning followed. However, all good things must come to an end.

A dark angel, Apollyon, questioned the Lord, "Why must we save these lowlifes? Have they not earned their horrific fate? They lie, and cheat, and betray. They consume with no sense of control. All in their path falls. 'Regret not' seems to be their saying. I see nothing worth saving."

"You dare question me, Apollyon? I who has lead you; I who has created all!" He asked, "I banish you and your followers, but only you shall I curse. You shall become the Angel of Death. All around you shall be pain and torture. You will ferry souls to heaven and to hell for eternity. Never shall you feel the warmth of my sun or the dew on my grass. Many centuries from now you will have a son of your own. He will follow in your footsteps on his eighteenth year; unless, He gives and receives true love. Go now, out of my sight."

With that, Apollyon's blonde hair turned black, his blue eyes changed to a lifeless charcoal grey, and his feathery, white wings turned black and leathery. "I shall enjoy this job you have given me. My son will follow me, too!" With that said, Apollyon and his followers left.

"Never shall a father and son be as different," vowed the Lord, "Maybe he will teach the betrayer to feel."

Chapter One

"Hey!" exclaimed Elizabeth as her battered, dog-eared copy of Jane Eyre fell to the ground. "What's your issue? Don't you have eyes?" The dark haired student outside her AP English Lit class merely grunted in reply. Ell took a closer look at her assailant. He was at least six feet tall and appeared to be more man than boy. His strong, square jaw and intelligent, flashing, black eyes half covered by unruly blonde hair made him look at least twenty years old; three years her senior. He was wearing all black. This human almost scared her, but Ell shook off her fear. She had promised herself long ago not to let fear rule her life. Still, He didn't seem like he planned to apologize any time soon, so she sighed and walked into room 113.

It was the first day of senior year, and, after a glance, Ell determined that she knew everyone in her fourth period AP English Lit class. Ell was not daunted by the advanced placement course. She was the top of her class and sure she would not meet any difficulties.

Suddenly, a cry erupted from the back table in the room. "Ellie!" screeched a short, voluptuous girl with curly, blonde hair. Nicky had been Ell's best friend since kindergarten when they were forced to sit next to each other. Only Nicky got away with calling her by that insufferable, child like name. Ell headed over to where Nicky had saved them seats. She found Nicky in her usual thong bearing jeans and low cut shirt.

"How do you get around the dress code? I forget my belt one day and I get caught!"

"A girl never reveals her secrets," said Nicky with a knowing glint in her grey blue eyes. "How's your day been?"

"Oh, fine. I only got run over once today during the stampede," Ell said with a half smile.

"Ouch, sorry. Oh, oh, oh! Have you seen the new kid? Cause I got to tell you, he is one tasty eye-candy."

"No and No."

"What? I only asked one question!"

"I was referring to the unasked, 'Will you go out with him?'" For months Nicky had been trying to hook Ell up with someone, anyone.

"Party pooper," Nicky muttered with a downcast face. When Ell saw her friend's sadness, she couldn't help but try to cheer her up.

"What does he look like?" Ell asked with a sigh. Immediately, her friend lit up, "He has blonde hair that hangs over his eyes, and a manly, square jaw. Oh! And those eyes! They're as black as night and freakin' dangerous looking. He has to be at least six feet tall."

"Oh God," murmured Ell. Then, in a more audible voice, "Is he wearing all black?"

"What? I don't know! Does it matter? He's still gorgeous."

"Sorry. Just trying to get an image. Didn't mean to-. Hey are you even listening to me?" Nicky was not listening, but instead staring, open-mouthed over Ell's shoulder like there was an angel behind her. She turned around and saw the one, the only, Mr. Unapologetic. The insanely-hot-mystery-boy and the I-like-to-run-girls-over-boy were one and the same.

He matched Nicky's description perfectly. Along with the scorching good looks, he wore a black cotton shirt, a leather (hopefully fake) jacket, dark denim jeans, and Doc. Martins.

Behind mystery boy was Mrs. Fields, the AP English teacher. "Class, this is Luke Williams. He's a transfer student from Austin, Texas. I'm sure that all of you will make his welcome here in Tennessee." Mrs. Fields said the last sentence with a glare, warning us that we would accept Luke or face her wrath, something no one wanted to be the recipient of. "Okay everyone, I arrange my classroom alphabetically. So, everyone stand up and come to the front of the room." Immediately the room broke into loud groans and complaints. Once again Mrs. Fields glared and everyone quickly restacked their books and scrambled to the front of the room.

Once the class was all gathered up front, Mrs. Fields began to organize. "In the front table, Nicole Abrams and Jonathan Andrews." Slowly and surely everyone was placed until only two people remained standing. "And finally, in the last table in the back left corner, Luke Williams and Elizabeth Wylkerson. Is there anybody who goes by a different name than what is on my roster?"

Several students including Nicky raised their hands. As her classmates called out what they wanted to be called for the rest of the year, the teacher wrote their names down in her grading book. Ell raised her hand, "Mrs. Fields, I go by Ell not Elizabeth."

"Okay then. If that's it, I want each of you to fill out a questionnaire about the partner you have been placed next to. Most of the questions will have to do with what you did this summer. The two of you should take this opportunity to get to know each other, you will have to work together on several research papers together through out the year."

Ell looked down at the questionnaire then at Luke. She started with the first question, "Did you have a job over the summer?"

"Yes," he answered shortly. Ell raised her eyebrows. "What did you do?" she asked slowly as if talking to a young child. She was slightly annoyed that she got stuck with such an idiot for her partner. If not for the dumb alphabetical order, she would get to sit next to Nicky an they would be sure to ace all of the partner work.

"I'm a waiter at Perkins?" He responded in a tone that said, "Go away. You are beneath me and I am deigning myself to talk to you." His tone further annoyed Ell. After several minutes of awkward silence, Ell was fed up with this boy. "Look why don't you just answer one of the worksheets and I'll answer the other." Then I won't have to listen to your infuriating, annoying, sexy voice. Wait scratch that last one. I don't think Luke is sexy! Do I? All of these thoughts passed through her head as she methodically filled out the info sheet. She noticed that Luke wasn't filling out anything. Oh well. What can I do? Then she got a brilliant idea.

"Ok class. Lets calm back down. Now you will take turns coming up to the front of the room and presenting the information you gathered about your partner." When Ell looked at the paper that Luke was supposed to be filling out about his summer, she noticed that none of it was filled out. Instead it said, "None of your freaking business" across the top in large lettering. "We will go in reverse alphabetical order. Starting with Ell Wylkerson." With an evil grin, Ell walked to the front of the room. "You may begin Miss. Wylkerson."

"While Luke wasn't selling pot on street corners in downtown Memphis, he was hanging out with his gang 'lighting up' I believe he put it. He didn't have a summer job that is unless you count selling pot, but I don't. His only ambition in life is to become the biggest jackass possible." Ell smiled sweetly and then walked back to her seat. The class was speechless. Had the valedictorian of the senior class, Miss Goody-goody really just say all of that?

Immediately Luke stood up and began his spiel about Ell. "When Ell wasn't hooking up with half of the football team, she was at the mall spending her dad's money on more new clothes that she has probably already forgotten about. She also-" But Mrs. Fields had cut him off, "I will see both of you after class in the principal's office. We will not be reading any of the information sheets today. Please go to page three and begin to read."

Ell didn't hear anything after 'her dad'. Her father was gone. He had left them and he was never coming back. When Ell had said that Luke's ambition was to be a jackass, she should have just said that his ambition was to be like her father. That would have been ten times worse. This was shaping up to be the worst year ever.

--------------------

After what felt like hours, the bell finally rang. Ell let out a quiet sigh of irritation as she remembered that she still couldn't go home yet. She still had to go to the principal's office to receive her punishment. Ell packed up her messenger bag slowly, dreading the next 30 minutes of her life. She walked slowly from the Annex to the main building and into the Disciplinary Office to await the torture of Mrs. Fields' disapproving gaze.

A few moments went by before Ell was called into the office. Mr. Knight asked gently, "Now Ell, what explanation do you have for your unruly behavior? I have never heard of you acting this way. I am confused as to why you, the president of the Honor Society, would act out in this way?" Ell didn't have an answer for that question. What was she supposed to say? That he merely annoyed her so she decided to publicly humiliate him on his first day? If she said that they would most likely send her to see a shrink for her "anger management" issues. She shook her head and allowed it to drop a little lower, "I honestly don't know Mr. Knight. I just..." Ell faded out in the middle of the sentence. She hoped that it would be seen as a sign of remorse for her "unruly" behavior.

The principal sighed, "It's ok Ell, but know we have to get down to business and discuss your punishment. You will have to publically apologize to him along with serve two weeks of detention with Mr. Williams."

Ell sighed. She slowly nodded her head and walked out of the office.

Slowly she exited the jail-like building and made her way to her very own yellow 1947 Ford Coupe. She almost screamed in frustration as she attempted to open the lock. Her car had a mind of its own and would only deign itself to open the doors to her if she turned the key in the correct sequence. 'Left, left, right. As she jiggled the key this way and that way, Ell's patience finally ran out, "Why won't this stupid thing open already!"

Finally just as she was about to take her anger out on the car, it opened. "Thank God," she muttered. Then from behind her she heard a sexy voice say, "You don't really believe all that load of crap, do you?" Ell quickly turned and came face to face with Luke Williams. He was leaning against a black motorcycle She ripped open the door, "What do you want? Can you not leave me alone for more than five minutes at a time!"

"No."

"Oh, great we are back to the one syllable answers that you seem so fond of. Are you always an ass?" He smirked and had the nerve to reply, "No." Deciding that punching Luke would be a bad thing, Ell took a deep breath and climbed in the car.

Without responding, she drove away.

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