Prologue

Claire never expected to fall in love, especially in the middle of a war. She never wanted to get involved directly in the beginning, but after what happened to her parents 10 years before, she knew she had to do something. And here she is now. She was trying to fix one of the ships, but then her eyes caught on something. Or someone, in fact.

Claire's mind went back to the night everything changed for the worse. The galaxy had been at war for 9 years, and her family secretly helped fund the secret rebellion that was starting to rise to combat the ruthless Crimson Empire. She, her parents, Emma and Michael, her sisters, Zia, Emily, and Katrina, and her little brother Jackson. They were all laughing at a story Claire's dad told when there was a loud bang at the door. Her parents told them to stay behind them. We knew what was happening. The Crimson Empire had found out what our parents were doing. The kids had one job, act like they didn't know anything, even if they would never see their parents again. The soldiers barged their way into the living room, and they grabbed our parents by the arms. 'Emma snd Michael Curtis, we have found evidence that you are secretly rebelling against the mighty Crimson Empire. Any rebellion is punishable by death.' the leader said, and he turned to us kids. Luckily, I knew this officer. He was known to be secretly kind to kids whose parents were about to be killed. But also because he was a spy, and a good one at that. 'These children...' then he pointed at me since I was the oldest. 'You! Take the rest of your siblings upstairs and pack your things. You're all coming with us, or else.' That was the signal. We were to get our secret backpacks and escape through the back window. I winked to let him know I received the message. I led everyone upstairs, we got our packs, climbed out the window, and ran into the forest. Emily and Jackson would stay with our Aunt Lilly while the rest of us would report to the rebellion leaders about the loss of our parents.

Claire shook off the memory. Her brother now carried passengers across the galaxy for a living, kept him safe for sure, while the rest of Claire's siblings fought along side Claire's side in the war. She decided to go introduce herself to the boy. But she didn't realize what would happen when she did.

The boy had short blond hair, blue eyes, and was downright cute. Claire felt a little light-headed, but she caught herself and she started the introductions. 'I'm Claire.' she said confidently, and he smiled. 'And I'm Johnny. Nice to meet you Claire.' She smiled back.

[Damn it, this boy's cute, and I can barely contain myself.]

But by the time she came back, he was gone. She was determined to bury her feelings for that boy, but could she really? Or would she have to admit to herself that a boy had finally caught her attention once again?