"Reese, take Emmy back to the house," Marcus orders.

"Akons in twenty seconds."

"What color is she?" I demand.

"Take her home. Now," Marcus orders Reese. He Blinks next to me and tries to pry me away from Sara's body.

"No. Leave me alone."

"Emmy, we can't fight them with you here, it's too dangerous. We have to go," Reese explains.

But I won't let go of her body. I clutch her close to me. Reese could have pulled me off, but he's afraid of pulling too hard and hurting me.

"Akons in fifteen."

Miku asks, "How many?"

"Too many."

"Rio, what is she feeling?" I rage at him. He finally replies.

"Nothing, she feels nothing."

I lean over her body. My hand strokes her face. She looks up at me. The girl who couldn't stop smiling, the girl who found love, lay broken on the ground.

I cry over her body. Wave upon wave of sadness envelops me. I talk to her. "I'm sorry I was late. I'm so sorry."

"Akons in ten seconds."

Jay calls out my name as if I can't hear Rio's countdown.

"Emmy...."

"I don't care."

Reese addresses Marcus, "I can't Blink more than two people."

"Akons in five seconds."

"Emmy, go," Marcus demands.

"I'm not leaving her," I yell back, never taking my eyes off of her.

I guess Marcus motioned to Jay because while I was holding Sara, a soft breeze blows by and the next thing I know, I'm in Reese's arms.

Before I can react, the alley blurs in front of me. Less than three seconds later, I am back at the house of the Guardians.

I jump down off of Reese's arms. "No, take me back. Right now."

"I can't do that."

"You're letting her die. She could be getting help right now."

"Rio said-"

"I don't care. Take me back."

"I'm sorry about your friend." He Blinks away.

"No. Reese, come back!" I beg to the spot here he stood a second ago. "Reese, come back," I cry and hurl the closest thing I can find where Reese once stood. "Reese!!!" I throw everything that isn't nailed down across the room.

I'm exhausted. My nose is running, my stomach is in painful knots. I don't care. I scream again but there is nothing left. My voice is gone. My throat is raw and there's nothing left to throw. I collapse against the wall. The waves claim me once again. I slide down the wall pitifully and onto the floor.

I say the words "I can't leave her" over and over again until they, like my promise to Sara, become meaningless.

I am watching a movie. It's a movie I don't want to see. A movie I have no interest in. I think it's real. I think it's my life. Angels are calling my name. They are asking me questions. I don't answer because it doesn't matter. Nothing does. They do things to me. They wrap a blanket around me. The Asian girl washes my face. She says that I will be okay. I don't answer. It doesn't matter. I want them to go away but I don't care enough to tell them. They can stay if they want. I'm not with them. I'm in a hole too dark for any light to shine through.

The movie goes on. Angels are guiding me somewhere-a church? There's a big picture of Sara. A woman in the movie I'm watching looks just like Sara's mom. She gets up on the podium. She talks and cries. Talks some more and cries again. She says something to me. The movie doesn't have sound. So her words don't reach me.

They move on to the next scene. It's a set that looks just like Sara's house. I find her room. I sit on her bed. Across from me, under the dresser, is a pink box with small engravings. I go over, grab it and sit on the floor. It has words on it I don't feel like making out. I open it up. There is a bunch of cards, pretty ones with flowers and words. The one on top has my name on it. It has pictures of balloons and cats. I open it. The cat purrs and says, "Happy birthday. You're perrrrrrrrfect the way you are."

Someone stabs me with something sharp. I cry out. The pain rips into my flesh. I cry out again. I can't breathe. Why am I being taken apart? Help me. Help me.

He comes in and finds me moaning on the floor. He kneels down besides me. I talk for the first time since the movie started. "It hurts." I beg him to make it stop. The angel holds me but can't help me. The agony wraps around my chest over and over again. It squeezes and tears savagely into my heart. I won't survive this.

I look down on the floor to watch the blood as it leaves my body. The floor is clean. Not a drop of blood anywhere. I don't understand.

I see the card I dropped on the floor when the pain first came. It all comes back to me. I was late to meet her. She called him to keep her company while she waited for me...she cried out for me to help her...I didn't...then...she...she... fell.

"Where is she?" I ask him. "She's gone," he says.

I was right. I won't survive this. I leave my body there on the floor with him. But I send the rest of me away. My mind, sprit, heart, and soul have been taken to a place so far away that they will never be found. A place so dark, even the light of angels won't shine through.

BOOK TWO: MARCUS.

"...I was mistaken about Eve in the beginning; It is better to live outside the Garden with her than inside, without her...."

-Mark Twain.

CHAPTER FIVE: THE FIRST GUARDIAN.

I'd like to kill the Sage. I'd like to rip him apart and throw the rest of him into the ocean. There are a number of reasons why I can't. First off, I'm the First Guardian, and the Sage is the only one who can be my guide.

He has been for every First Guardian since Julian. So it's probably not a good idea to p.i.s.s him off. He has been chosen by the council as the only human wise enough to share information with. Although he does not know where the Triplex is, he can help us find where to begin.

He gives both sides the clue and tells us what he feels we are to know. So he is not only wise but untouchable. Akons and Guardians are not permitted to harm him in anyway. And the city where the Triplex is hidden is where the Sage will be found. Another reason I can't kill him or even take a swing at him is that he's six years old.

We have been here for a few days. The first thing we did when we got to Earth was go see him. The sound of the crowd ringing in the New Year filled the street as the six of us made our way to a little fish store off Ca.n.a.l Street.

The Akons should be waiting for us as soon as we come out of the Sage's home. The council had forbidden either side to strike until both sides had been to see the Sage. But make no mistake about it, the second we come out of the door, they will show no mercy.

I was prepared for anything the Sage had to tell me. I knew this fight would be very dangerous and lives would be lost. I didn't know exactly what would be said, but I was certain finding the Triplex and destroying the map inside it would be extremely difficult. Lucy had been trying for centuries, and she was getting better each time.

The Sage lived with an elderly couple who owned a fish shop. We all arrived in front of the door exactly at midnight. An old lady came and opened the door for us. She led the way to a small narrow waiting area with plastic chairs. She told us to wait there. Moments later, she came back out and showed us into a dimly lit room with "Jeopardy" playing on the TV. A little Indian boy sat at the table playing an intense game of army men.

The board in front of him had two groups of army figurines, one in black and one in white. I had never seen that kind of kid's army game. The pieces were extremely detailed and life-like. Both sides had an equal amount of men. Each man had wings. None of the angel-men stood in the same pose. Each had their own confrontational stance. The Sage studied both sides carefully.

"Welcome, Marcus," he said without taking eyes off the board. "Sage," I said, not quite sure what I should do next. I motioned to Meana and started to introduce her.

"This is the second guard-"

"-Ameana Rachael Jones," he finished.

Of course he knew her name. He knew we would be coming. He knew who we were and why we were here. He is the one human being on Earth who can decipher the complex pattern that the council has woven. He saw the "whys" and "whens" that we didn't.

"Who is Copernicus?" he said without taking his eyes off the board game. We looked at each other perplexed. Is this some kind of code? Were we supposed to answer him? Just then Reese tapped me on the shoulder and pointed to the screen. The Sage was answering a question from Alex Trebek. All of us turned to the TV screen and waited for the result. The contestant had said the same thing just after the Sage spoke.

"You were right. How often does that happen?" I asked.

"Often," he said simply. I got the feeling he was never wrong. The others seem to agree with me.

Rio whispered to me, "I don't see anything."

"You are looking for my wave?" the Sage asked.

"This is the first time I can not see the wave of someone who is alive. You are radiating nothing," Rio explained.

"I have learned to control my emotions. There is nothing to radiate, Rio."

We all looked at each other. Even though we knew he was bound to know all of us, it was still freaky to have him talk as if he had known us for years.

"I have known you for years," he said. We all looked at him in wonder.

"Yes, I can tell what all of you are thinking. It's a gift from the council for my centuries of service," said the Sage.

"Better than a gold watch, I guess," Jay said.

"Jayden, I have always enjoyed your humor. Since the day you died, you have been... the life of the party on the bridge." The Sage smiled. I didn't know he could make jokes. But then again, I had no idea he could read minds.

He looked at Miku and called her name. "Little one, you and your brother have suffered a great deal. I feared you would go the way of darkness. But, alas, you have chosen the path of light. That says a great deal about your heart."

"I would never Turn. I wouldn't hurt anyone without good cause," she said.

"Do you know who was the first Guardian to Turn?"

"No, we have heard fragments, but we do not know the whole story," I answered.

"His names was Unclis. It was the third cycle of the Triplex. He was a very powerful angel. His powers were speed like Jayden and control over elements, such as earth and water.

"Four months into the mission, he began having doubts as to which side he should be on. He had seen much hardship in his lifetime. And once on Earth as an angel, he began to think that humans were pitiful creatures who needed help and guidance. He thought humanity should get a fresh start.

"But in order to make that happen, he decided that the Triplex should go to Atourum so that the Earth would be burned and ravaged beyond repair. That way that could start again. Unclis didn't Turn overnight. He battled these internal questions for weeks. Finally, when he had a chance to destroy the Triplex and he didn't, he Turned.

"His soul became as black as the night sky. He could no longer get back into the light, or the bridge. He had switched sides. The First Guardian at the time did not notice Unclis' weird behavior because he was so busy looking for the Triplex. Had he done a better job, he would have seen the changes in Unclis before he Turned and switched sides."

"You must look out for your team, Marcus. The longer they are away from the light of Omnis, the easier it is to let doubt and bad influences corrupt their soul. It's up to you, Marcus, to apprise the situation and make sure that good is not only winning on Earth but in the hearts of your team."

"Of course. We are all faithful to the light. No one on my team will Turn."

He stood up and faced me. "Such a heavy burden, isn't it?"

"It's what has to be done," I said.

"Yes, that is very true. All the same, remember Lucy will try to Turn any one of you. She cannot force you to join her, but each encounter you have with evil leaves its scar. And some are more painful than others. Do not be easily swayed by darkness. It will call you. It will invite you in with the sweetest breath and promise that you will never want. You must resist."

He looks into each of our faces. "All of you must resist."

"Can you tell us if we are strong enough?" Miku asked.

"Can you tell me if you're strong enough?"

"Well, alright. Can you tell us who wins?" Reese asked. The Sage just looked at him blankly.

"I had to ask," Reese said sheepishly.

"I know, you can't help it," the Sage said.

"Where do we begin?" Ameana asked.

"So quick to start."

I looked at Meana. "Well, it is a matter of life and death, is it not?"