• "I love you." he murmurs against my lips. It feels so natural as I say "I love you too." against his lips. "That's the only reason I stay here." he sighs as he pulls away, but holds my hand. "Really?" "Yes, you are the only person I have ever loved so greatly that I would give up eternity just to hear you say 'I love you.'" "It's the same for me as well, Vlad." "Then promise me, right here and now that no matter what happens, we will always be in love and we shall never forget for even one moment whom is our true love." He asks me to promise him a promise that I wish were to be so easily kept. "And yet you leave me so very often..." I let his hand go and step into the river, my jeans and shoes getting completely soaked through. "This is almost like the river I cried last month, only mine was higher and longer. I can't keep doing this, Vlad, I can't." I sob. "Rose, please..." he begs but I continue. "Did you know that the only thing that kept me from drowning myself was telling myself that you would be back the next day, even though I knew it wasnn't true?" When he didn't answer I said "I can't live like this... I want to be with you forever but I see that it is impossible."
    "No it isn't." he murmurs. "Then please enlighten me, Vladik. Please explain to me how we can ever be together without leading two seperate lives!" I find myself shouting. "There is a way... It's never happened but there is a legend that predicts what will happen and what can happen. You just need to trust me." "You have been saying that for a year now and yet you are constantly gone." "I know and I'm sorry. I need to take you to my realm in which we Dark Angels reside but the question is how to do it without disturbing your life now." I begin thinking that there may be a chance and suddenly an idea pops into my head. "Take me home right now." I state in a strong voice that says 'I know what I'm doing and I might be crazy for it but what the hell'
    Vladik looks at me with question in his eyes but obliges. He swings me on his back and we begin to soar over the terain that took us an hour to get through, now it takes us only minutes. He sets me on my balcony and jumps off, already knowing my plan without my having to tell him. Quickly I grab my school bag and begin to throw clothes and anything I could get my hands on. Once packed I smile to myself in satisfaction and run down the stairs with my bag on my shoulders. When I run past the kitchen my parents see me and shout "Mi hijita, where are you going?" "I'm running away!" I yell over my shoulder and see them jump up and begin to chase after me.
    Once far enough away from view Vlad picks me up, his black wings fully outstretched and glittering in the light of the sun. We stop at the river bank and I set my back pack there so my parents will think that I have drowned myself and my body was swept down river. I am out of breath and must lean on something for support and that something just so happened to be Vladik's body. "I am so sorry you felt as if you had to do this." he holds me close to him as he says that. I chuckle and reply "No worries, I've been wanting to do that for a very long time." "Why?" "You saw the way my mother treated me the first day you came back; it's pretty much the same every other day..."
    He holds me closer to him, resting his lips on top of my head. "I love you with all my heart." he whispers in my ear. I begin to sob uncontrolably into his chest. His hands smooth my hair ever so calmly as I sob. "I want to go." I murmur patheticlly in his arms. "Rose are sure you want to leave your family and friends to attempt to fulfill a legend that could be only that, a legend?" "What friends? What family? There's only you and I. It doesn't matter if that's all it is." I reply in a matter of fact tone.
    "Look my realm is dangerous, even taking you there could cause harm to you. I'm almost regreting telling you about the legend." "Vlad," I begin in my most seductive tone,"I already said I was running away. Whether you want to be or not, you're stuck with me." "And you think that I believe that to be a bad thing?" He smiles but then frowns. "You don't know what kind of creatures lurk in the realm and I don't know of all of them. You may come to your death..." His tone is so sorrowful. "Please don't do this to yourself, Love." I cup his cheek in my hand. He takes hold of my hand and kisses it gently. "I suppose I have no way to get out of this with someone as head strong as you." I shrug and say playfully "That would be a nice way of putting it... or you could just say something like 'I guess I have no choice with someone as crazy and stubborn as you.'" We both laugh but soon the mood turns serious again.
    "We should go soon. My parents are going to realize where I've gone and will be here shortly." I say quickly before Vladik can change his mind about taking me to his realm. "You're right. We should but I must warn you that I have never - how do you say - telaported anyone other than myself back to the realm of Dark Angels. Things could go wrong; you could lose your mind, you could forget who you are forever, you could leave part of yourself behind litterally... You could even die." He shakes me gently as you would do to someone who has gone insane. "I'm sure things could happen but I'm willing to risk everything. Don't worry about me, okay?" I know I'm being stern but I can't let him back out on me now. "Kinda hard to do when you love someone." "I know but you have to." "I don't have a choice, do I?" "Nope." I smile.
    "Fine but we don't wear normal clothes in my realm. Well, we do but we have to wear something else too." "Tell me. This is going to be my world for a while and I need to know." I say. "We wear robes." "Robes? Like bath robes or more like the kind of robes that they wear in Harry Potter?" I only make the mention of Harry Potter because that was the only other variation of a robe I know of and so does he. "More like Harry Potter but we wear normal clothes underneath instead of a uniform." "Oh, ok. Unfortuneately as you can see I don't own a robe." "We can pick a few up at the market when we get there." "Won't I need one before we go to you realm?" "No. It's not uncommon for a woman to go to the market without a robe when she feels she needs a new one. And no worries about normal clothes, they sell those at the market as well." "Okay. Just one more question." I state. "Shoot." "Won't the Dark Angels find out that I'm human?" "Our senses in a way stay the same when we become dark angels and if not they are dulled. Mine on the other hand were strengthened because of my job in the clan but I still cannot tell the difference between a human or a dark angel. The only way to tell is the world from which they came because in my realm our wings disappear completely.
    And one more thing, if anyone asks, your story is you were a runaway and had to go through the Choice of a Runaway becuase you were killed by a hoodlum who was drunk at the time and had a gun. You chose to become a Dark Angel, you can make up your reason but for the most part that's it. Now for your title. How does Rose, the Freedom Angel sound?" "Great. Is it time to go now?" I ask becoming anxious because I knew my parents were probably at the police station now and that wouldn't end good if they found me. "Almost. Now the clan you were asigned to is the White Water Clan. You're job is to convince those who are planning to run away not to do so. Got it?" "Got it. Can we go now. I have a feeling that if we don't I'll get found." I whisper.
    "Of coarse. I'm not sure if this will work but take my hand and trust me with everything you have." My heart is racing faster and harder than ever before and yet I still trust him with my life. "I do." I whisper. I lay my hand in his upturned palm with a racing heart and no knowlege of what will happen in next few seconds...