Chapter 1

“Can you try to not act so mean and heartless tonight?”  I tell my dear brother, Damien, as we wait on the front steps of our house for our ride.
“Only if you don’t act like a huge slut.”   He says with a huge smile.

Can’t you feel the love between us?  You’ll never find two siblings who love each other more than we do.  Well, unless you find some that are incestuous or something.  
See, the funny thing is, Damien is one of the nicest, most selfless people I’ve ever known.  And I’m one of the most ‘innocent’ sixteen year old girls you’ll find.  Which isn’t something I’m exactly thrilled about.  But what can I say?  Damien is practically always watching me, like a gigantic, overprotective tiger ready to pounce on the first guy who touches me.  I’m just glad he hasn’t decided that I need a chastity belt.

“Get ready to smile.  Here they come!”  Damien exclaims in a fake, enthusiastic tone.
“Yippee!”  Oh no, my sarcastic-ness has already started.
I look down at the dark blue satin dress I’m wearing, hoping that wearing a knee-length dress wasn’t a bad idea.  Maybe wearing my black four-inch heels was a bad idea too.  Crap.  Now I’m regretting wearing my hair down in curls.  Something feels wrong.

“I need to go back inside and change real quick.”  I say just as the limo door opens.
“Don’t be ridiculous.”  Damien whispers.  He plasters a smile on his face and nudges me towards the open door.

With hard work and determination, I manage to slide into the limo awkwardly but successfully.   Damien rushes in beside me, still with his I-would-rather-be-shoving-hot-lava-down-my-throat-than-be-here-but- I’m-here-so-I’m-going-to-pretend-like-everything-is-wonderful smile.

“Hi Edmond.  Hi Teresa.”  The words came out of my mouth automatically with a smile just as emotionless.   I immediately role down the window closest to me and float off to my own world while staring at the stars.
“Alright what’s going on Eddie?  We’re not really in the mood for jokes.”  Damien says flatly.
Damien’s words yank me back to reality.
Now that he mentions it, something is going on.  Teresa looks almost dead.  Her skin looks a bit green and bloated.  Edmond is beyond pale, almost ghost like.   
My attention is directed towards the bluebird  with red eyes sitting in the corner next to Teresa.  
“Damien…why is there a bird with spawn of  Satan eyes in here?”  He doesn’t answer.  He just stares at the bird, like he’s trying to burn holes into it.  
Shaking his head slowly but still keeping his eyes on the bird, he tells me “Desiree, get out. Right now.”
“What? Why?”  I ask stubbornly, not seeing why I needed to leave, even though I didn’t want to be there.  That really makes no sense.  Goodness I’m confusing.

Suddenly, a loud screeching sound comes from outside the limo.  The limo violently shakes side to side and the screeching gets louder.  Holy shit!  My hands reach up to cover my ears but I pull my hands back when I feel something wet on my ears.  I bring my hands in front of my eyes to see what it is.
“Blood!”  I scream.  Then my whole world goes silent, except for a slow and steady pounding.
Damien jerks his head in my direction and yells something but I can’t hear him.  He keeps pointing behind me and yelling.  His brown eyes look hurt, his dirty blond hair is a mess, his canine teeth look like they’re growing?  I’ve never seen him like this, like a wounded animal. Now he looks desperate and scared, he jumps on top of me and reaches towards the door, trying to open it.  I’m too shocked to help.  Smoke seeps into the limo and we both cough violently.  He almost reaches the handle when I see orange and red flames rushing towards us from the front of the limo.  Before I can say anything the entire limo becomes engulfed with flames then we’re both thrown through the roof.

I’m sent spinning through the air, at least thirty feet up.  Everything is moving too fast for me to see so I just brace myself for the landing that’s probably going to kill me.  My right arm hits a tree and sure enough, the rest of my body runs into various branches on the way down.  I hit a branch flat on my back and get flipped around only to hit solid ground with my face two seconds later.   

Everything is black.  I must be dead.  I should be dead.  Oh wait, I just have my eyes squeezed shut.
I open them to see that primarily my whole body is on fire.  Shouldn’t that like…hurt?  Wait….now it does.
“AAHHHH!!!”  I half yell and half scream.
I jump up and start freaking out.  I flail my arms, kick wildly, and then remember, STOP DROP and ROLL.  I do just that, while of course doing some hyperventilative screaming.  When the forest fire on my body is finally out, I look around to see that everything for miles is either on fire, burnt, or about to catch on fire.  Shiiiiit.