Prologue

It's my 16th birthday, my parents and I were getting ready to go meet up with my mother's relatives to have a birthday dinner. "Emily, sweetheart? Are you ready yet?" I heard my mother call out, kind of destroying my room trying to look for the other shoes, tossing everything around the room looking for it.

"I'm almost ready!" I called out, "where is it? It's gotta be here somewhere." I told myself, turned around, thought it might be in my closet, stepping over some clothes needed to get to the closest. Kept hearing my mother calling out to me saying that I need to hurry up before everyone gets there. Opening my closest door, turning on the light, "Ah!" a smile appeared on my face, finally finding what I was looking for. I picked it up, a sigh came out, it wasn't the shoe that I was looking for. I toss the Nike Cortez Ultra Moiré over my head, hitting the wall with a banging sound.

I hear mother coming inside my room, "Emily Constance Cole-" she stopped, noticing my bedroom is a complete mess, "What on earth?" she become stocked and little upset turning to face me "Emily-"

"I know, I know… Ma, I can't find my other shoe?" I told her

"Ladies, what is taken so-" my father stopped standing behind my mother, my father's name Elijah Constantine Cole has shaggy brown hair, my father's Hazel eyes seem to change; sometimes they appear light green, sometimes they appear brown. My father is very tall, 6′ 4″ (193.04 cm) having a muscular build with broad shoulders and a muscular chest. He reminds me of Sam Winchester from my favorite TV show called Supernatural that he and I always watched together.

My mother Ruby Cole, her maiden last name Reeves, she's very beautiful and attractive, she has a light olive complexion. Her eyes are blue, but you can see a patch of brown in the top of her right eye, dark raven long hair that past her shoulder. My mother's height, 5'6"(168 cm), and she has a slim, slightly athletic physique. She kinda looks like Elena Gilbert from the vampire diaries.

I may have my mother's appearance, but I have my father's brown hair and hazel eyes. I'm 5'7" (170 cm) tall for my age, having my mother complexion. There is a problem when it comes to me, I was born with a birthmark on my left shoulder for as long as I can remember. My birthmark is shaped like a wolf, my father told me when we go out you must cover your birthmark around people, they think that is a tattoo. A lot of people notice and whisper to themselves, why would a parent let a child get a tattoo?

"Emily?" Both of my parents said

I was lost in my thoughts facing them "I'm sorry, It's just I was looking for my other shoe-" that when my father held up his hand with my missing shoe. The white flat shoes that match my Lace Dress Vintage Floral Sleeveless Hi-Lo Formal Party Dress Asymmetrical Cocktail Formal Swing Dress that is a white. "Where did you find it?" I asked my father, walking up to my parents. He handed me my missing shoe, putting it on. I was finally ready to turn around to grab my white coat, putting it on. "I'll clean my room after we get back." I said to them, grab my iPhone and purse, turn around to face them.

My mother sighed, "Alright, sweetheart." she said, "Come on, before your aunt calls us wondering where we are." giving my mother a slit nod, walking up to them. Ma went ahead of me and Da, was about to follow her when Da stopped me.

"Em, hold on, sweetheart." He said, I turned around to face him, "I wanted to give you something before we go." digging in his leather jacket pocket took out a small box that was in red wrapping paper. "It belongs in our family for a generation." hand it to me, I ripped the wrapping paper, opened the lid to see a silver wolf viking bracelet.

"Da-"

My father raised his hand, "I have one too." He showed me his bracelet. "Now you have one." He smiled at me "Happy Birthday Emily." I took the bracelet out of the box and put it on my left wrist.

"Thank you, dad." I replied to him

"You're welcome, sweetheart." Dad said, giving me a hug, "I love you."

I smile while I hug him, "I love you, too, dad." I said pulling away as Mom called us, turned around as I began to walk, dad soon followed. "Hey, da after we get home finishing up cleaning my room, want to watch Supernatural?" without looking at him, going down the steps of stairs.

"Sure." He said

After I got to the last step, I walked up to my mom who smiled at me touching my head, "You looked beautiful." She said as I smiled at her with a nod "Let's go." turns around opening the door, she walks out the door as I follow behind my ma and then my dad follows me and locks the door behind him.

We've made to a restaurant that is call Dakota's Steakhouse, it takes us about 25 mins to Dallas, Da parked the car turning it off. I was pretty excited that I got to see my family, getting out of the car and quietly closing the door, "Emily!" I heard my Aunt Susan calling out my name, started to run towards her, she held her arms wide open and went to give her a hug as she spun me around "Happy Birthday Em-Em." she said without letting me go. Susan put me down "Let me have a look at ya." she pulled away "Oh my look how beautiful you are." I smile at her as she notices the bracelet on my wrist, "That is beautiful." looking at it.

"Da gave it to me." I replied to her

My aunt was about to take it off when my da clear his throat "Hello, Susan." he said to her

"Elijah, it's good to see my brother-in-law." Susan said moving away from me giving my dad a hug then she turned to her sister who is my mother giving her a hug "Ruby." watching my mother smiling at her sister.

"Sweetheart, Uncle Erik and Granny are inside waiting at the table, we'll be inside shortly." Da said as I nodded at him to turn around, going inside the restaurant, leaving my parents and Aunt Susan to talk. The Host turned to me asking for my name and which party that I belong to. I'm giving her the information as she nods, telling me where the table is.

"Emily, Dear over here." I heard my Granny calling out as I walked towards the table that led into the back. Uncle Erik stood up, giving me a hug, telling me a happy birthday. Erik pulled away, letting my Granny give me a hug. "Happy Birthday, Emily." She said

"Thank you, Granny." I said to her

My Granny has long shoulder-length dark brown hair, dark brown eyes, 5'2" (157.5 cm), she's in her late 70s to early 80s. My granny reminds me of Sally Field, the actress. Few people mistake my granny for her. "That is a beautiful dress you have on." She said looking at it, I smiled at her, turned me around and wanted to be the back. "It looks beautiful on you, and I have something for you." she moves away, turns around to grab a happy birthday bag. Granny turned back to face me, "I know how much you love books, sometimes poetry." handed me the bag, put the bag on the table opening it to see Harry Potter Book Collection by J.K. Rowling and Throne of Glass series collection by Sarah J. Mass.

My eyes light up like fireworks, turn to my granny giving her a hug, "Thank you so much, I love them." I said to her as she giggled.

"You're welcome, my child." She said

When my parents and Aunt Susan came in, Granny gave my dad and mom a hug happily to see them, my ma looked around "Where dad, mother?" My ma asked her

My Granny has a disappointed look on her face, shaking her head, "Your father didn't want to come, he's too stubborn." She said, Grandfather never cared enough to come see me nor either on my birthdays or holidays as well, all because he never liked my father. I only saw him once in a while, just don't understand? "It's not going to ruin my granddaughter's birthday." turn to face me, I smile at her. "Let's have a nice birthday dinner with our birthday girl." Everyone clubbed me, took our seats, ordered our food and later on dessert. I have everyone here with me, couldn't be happier.

~~~~

My Birthday dinner went pretty great. I love the gifts that Granny, Uncle Erik and Aunt Susan have given me. I also got a text from my best friend Scott Sutherland telling me a happy birthday. Can't wait to read the books that Granny had given me, I touch the bracelet while I was looking out the window passing by cars on the highway of I-20 headed east on Lyndon B Johnson FWY, Da is driving on the driver side, ma is on the passenger side, and for me seating in the back of the car. "Did you have a great birthday, sweetheart?" Ma asked

"Yes, mom." I replied to her

"Have you heard anything from your friend Scott or Cindy?" Da asked while driving

"Just only Scott, nothing from Cindy." I told him, "Maybe she forgot about my birthday." Cindy Jones is a childhood best friend along with Scott growing up. Cindy's parents divorced when she was 7-years-old, hasn't seen her father in about nine years, her mother hasn't been home because she's been traveling as flight attendants of Dallas/Fort Worth international airport, Miss. Jones three flights per day, 10 to 24 hours, mostly leaves Cindy alone without anyone watching her. "To be honest she's just stopped hanging out with me and Scott recently." I told my parents, never told them that Cindy has been hanging out with Regina and her friends.

"I'm sorry to hear that sweetheart, friends will come and go in your life, people change." My mother said "I'm sure she's missed you and Scott." I looked out the window thinking what she said people changed, they wanted to be something more, instead of hanging out with the same people around them.

I felt a pain on my shoulder as I touched it, made the hiss sound as my dad looked in a mirror above the car, he took his eyes off the road. "Emily-"

"Elijah! LOOK OUT!" My mother y'all

The person who was driving the GT Mustang had lost control of the car hitting our car, my father lost control of the car, trying to hit the brakes, but the car turned to the side and started to flip over again and again. I heard my mother screaming, calling out my name, everything went black.

I heard fire trucks and ambulances siring, opening my eyes, noticing that I was hanging upside down, my eyes were blurred seeing my parents also hanging upside down as well, I smelled something outside like gasoline. I unbuckled my seatbelt hitting the roof of the car with a thump, as I crawled out of the broken window. I stood up, still couldn't see anything, just red and blue light flashing around me. I heard voices that couldn't make out what they were saying? I felt a wet liquid dripping down my face as I touched it, removing my hand while my eyes were still a blur to see a dark liquid that looked like blood.

"Hey Kid, get away from the car!" I heard a firefighter said, didn't even notice him coming up. "Kid?" I looked up at him "I need you to come with me, we're going to try and get your parents out of there." The smell from the gas line is getting stronger, as I turn to see that the gas is leaking. I heard one of the firefighters telling his leader that the car was going to explode. I turned around and wanted to save my parents. The car exploded as the firefighter held me close as we both fell backwards hitting the road ground. I looked up at the night sky, stars shining as I closed my eyes and everything turned black.

~~~~

BEEP

BEEP

BEEP

I hear a beeping monitor, and hearing voices in the background. I only hear small voices coming outside the room. I opened my eyes slowly seeing a ceiling that is white, closing my eyes a few times and wanting to have my eyes sight back. I heard the door open as I turned my head to see my Aunt coming in, she was crying. "Emily?" She said with a sob, coming up towards the bed, giving me a hug "I'm so sorry, sweetie." Held me close to her, I looked around the room wondering where my parent's?

"Where mom and dad?" I asked her

She pulled away, tears were coming down her cheek "I'm sorry Emily, they didn't make it." Aunt Susan said "They both died in the explosion." Started sobbing again, I looked down and didn't know what else to say as I felt my eyes getting all watery. Gripping the blanket tightly, a sob came out. I began to scream that both of my parents were gone, they were gone too soon. "Everything is going to be alright, I promise you." My aunt said

The doctor's came in and had a talk with me along with my aunt. They told me that the person who lost control of the car was an 18-year-old girl, who had taken her boyfriend's car without his permission, and she was also drunk as well. The girl was underage of drinking, the police came in as well and wanted to ask a few questions. I didn't want to answer any more questions, my aunt noticed that I wasn't up for it. My head was hurting, my aunt told the police that there are enough questions that I need some rest. The room is quiet, my aunt was just watching TV, granny wanted to come visit me, but she had to make funeral arrangements. "What's going to happen to me now?" I ask my aunt without even looking at her, just staring at my hands.

My Aunt turned off the TV, put the remote down to face me "Emily, before you were born, your parents had asked me and Erik to be your godparents so that we can take care of you." She said "We're going to get through this, we're going to help you." I just nodded at her, didn't ask anything else to her as I lay down and wanted to get some rest.

That day, I was discharged from the hospital on the same day it was my parent's funeral. Everyone who knew my parents was there, the only people that weren't there were my dad's side of the family. I've never known them, dad never talked about them, they were never around since I was born. Everyone was hugging my granny and my aunt, and I just stood in the corner of the room. My grandfather kept giving me the glare, and didn't say a word to anyone who had tried to talk to him. He kept watching me, I just have my head down thinking he blames me for my mother's death. Grandfather couldn't take it anymore, pushed someone to the side as the person falling on the floor as he came up to me, slapped everyone in the room and got quiet. As I looked down on the floor I felt the pain on my cheek. "It should have been you and your pathetic father." My grandfather said Uncle Erik and Erik's brother had pulled my grandfather away from me. He started to scream at me, harsh words were coming out of his mouth. It should have been me and not my mother, everyone was shocked, they kicked him out.

My grandmother began to cry again, coming up to me giving me a hug tightly. My Aunt Susan stepped out, and it seemed that she was upset and had a talk with her father (my grandfather). Everyone kept hearing the conversation between my Aunt and Grandfather, she didn't want to talk to him ever again, wanted him to stay away from me and no longer being a part of our lives, she was going to help granny to get a divorce. My grandfather had mistreated my father for the past 16 years, he blamed me for my mother's death. Wondering if he's right that it should have been me, but if my mother had survived. She would have been alone, and been lost without me and dad. My mother had so much love for my father, my Aunt came back, coming up to Granny and I, hugging us in her arms. I just want to bury my parent's, want them to have peace and lay to rest.

I watched my parent's casket go into the ground, my Uncle handed me a flower as I had taken it from him, and turned to my parent's casket and walked towards the hold where the casket was close to the ground. I tossed the flower into their grave. I'm going to miss them, no matter where they are, I know that they're watching me.