"Happy 13th Birthday Adrian and Skye!" friends and family choused. Everyone was happy, including Adrian and I. Today was the day we became teengers.
Mom passed out cake and ice cream while Adrian and I exchanged gifts. I handed him a long rectangular shaped box wrapped in light blue wrapping paper and Adrian handed me a similar shaped box wrapped in bright yellow paper. I unwrapped my gift, opened the box, and saw a shiney bow. The bow had a tiny engravement. "To Skye, Love Adrian. Friends for Life" it read. Adrian unwrapped his gift, opened the box-like case and oulled out a sword. We both smiled and hugged each other.
Mom took a picture then starred at us forthe longest of time. She was probably remembering us when we were little and compairing then and now. Adrian was now shorter then me, but his tossled dark auburn hair hadn't changed one bit. His blue eyes always had the same shine of happiness. My hair got darker, now a dark chocolate brown and about at the middle of my back. My eyes changed from blue to green. No one knew why they did that, but Adrian always thought it was cool. Adrian and I both stayed thin and fit from all the running we've done since we could run.
Then Mom came over and huugged us both and kissed both our foreheads. Loud banging came from the front door. "Who could that be?" Mom asked herself. Silence fell in the room. My mother peeked out the peep hole. Her eyes widened. She turned, back against the door. "Skye. Adrian. Grab your weapons. Run hard. Run fast. Don't look back. Don't come back for anything. Go out the back door and run nto the forest. Stay until nightfall at least."
"OPEN UP!" shouted a husky male voice from the other side of the front door.
Mom ran over to us. "I love you both, but whatever you hear, don't comme back 'til nightfall."
"Mom, what's going on?" I wondered.
"It's the Crystal Dragons," Mom answered quickly. "No more questions! Go!"
The front door was kicked down and soldiers of the Crystal Dragons swarmed the living room.
"Run kids!" Mom exclaimed.
"Open fire!" shouted the husky voice.
Adrian grabbed his sword and I grabbed my bow and arrows. We ran down the hall trying to ignore the screams as best we could. We ran through the kitchen, out the back door and headed through the field to the forest. Another scream broke out through the gunshots, a scream I recognized: Mom.
I stopped. I felt paralyzed. I turned and headed towards my house. "Mom!" Tears began to form.
I tried to run but I didn't get anywhere, something caught my wrist. "Skye! We have to keep going!" It was Adrian.
"But Mom!" I cried through sobs.
"She told us to run," Adrian reminded me. "If you go back there Skye, you're going to get killed! We need to go hide in the forest." Adrian started pulling me along. "C'mon!"
I starred at my house through my tear filled eyes as Adrian continued pulling me along. I turned and continued to run through the forest.
* * *
"You think it's ok to go back now?" I asked Adrian as we crouched at the forests edge starring at my house.
"I don't hear anything," Adrian said. He extended his hand towards me. I grabbed it as we both tood. We walked to my house hand-in-hand.
We went through the back door, through the kitchen, down the hall and came to the living room. We peered inside ans saw an image I could never erase: friends and family layed massacred on furniture and on the floor. The I saw my mother laying on her stomach, blood stained her best party dress. I fell to my knees and began to sob. Adrian saw his parents, his father on his mother, most likely trying to protect her. Adrian trembled, and fell to his knees was well. everyone we knew was dead.
"I'm going to kill the Crystal Dragons!" Adrian muttered through clenched teeth.
I looked at him. "That's crazy, Adrian! You're only 13! You can't talke a whole army by yourself!"
"Then I'll create my own army, and train soldiers. Then one day, I'll get my revenge!"
I was scared. I had never seen Adrian this upset. "Adrian..."
He looked at me. The shine of happiness was gone. Adrian was never the same.
