PROLOGUE

I'm burning.

The cord is chafing my legs into a fiery mass so painful I'm surprised there's no smoke. I bite back the pain because I have no choice. The mass hysteria of the building is bulldozing my senses, raining down danger all around us. Adam is shouting to me from below, telling me to jump, promising he'll catch me. I'm too ashamed to admit I'm afraid of the fall.

I never have a chance to make my own decision. Soldiers are already pouring into what used to be my room, shouting and confused, probably shocked to find Warner in such a feeble position. It was really too easy to overpower him. It worries me.

It makes me think we did something wrong.

A few soldiers pop their heads out of the shattered window and I'm frantic to shimmy down the rope but they're already moving to unlatch the anchor. I prepare myself for the nauseating sensation of free fall only to realize they're not trying to drop me. They're trying to reel me back inside.

Warner must be telling them what to do.

He's telling them to pull me back in, back to him-and I'm afraid.

I'm afraid of what he's going to do to me if they succeed in their endeavor of reeling me back inside. But even more, I'm afraid of free falling down fifteen stories into Adam's waiting arms. The chances that I'd be able to fall that far without hurting myself are slim. The chances he'd be able to catch me? Slimmer.

I steel myself for what must be done. I would rather die falling into the arms of my lover than live the remainder of my life in Warner's.

I close my eyes. Let go, I tell myself, on the count of three.

1.

I tighten my eyes and relax my ever-tensing muscles, feel the tears threaten to spill out under my closed eye-lids.

2.

I can feel them pulling me higher and higher, back to the safety of the solid floor but also into the cruelty of Warner's all-seeing eye. I can't go back. Not if he can touch me. Not if he can touch me.

3.

I feel myself being pulled into the building just as my hands begin to release the rope. I feel myself begin to free fall, but only for a second. Oh, only one sweet, sweet second of victory.

Someone's bare hand has caught my wrist. I'm screaming bloody-murder. I'm dangling over the side of a fifteen-story building-held up from a gory doom by only the hand of my greatest nightmare. I dare not open my eyes, but I do dare to shout one word to my lover waiting a hundred feet below.

"Run."

And I hope he does.

But my eyes can't bring themselves to watch him.

Hi readers! I just wanted to let you know some basic things about this fic right here. First of all, I will post links to all the chapters on my tumblr, so if you need to find an alternative route to navigate your way to my story, I suggest you check there first. Otherwise, I encourage you to follow the story and leave questions, comments, criticism, favorites, whatever you want me to see! I am VERY OPEN to your constructive criticism (: and compliments :) Secondly, I want you to know that starting this Saturday, June 21st, 2014, I will be posting a new chapter every Saturday until the story is completed! Hopefully, you'll be able to wait a week between each chapter, but if there's a lot of demand I may post earlier. Wow, I think this paragraph is longer than the actual prologue, so I'm just gonna wrap it up. Thank you! And don't forget to follow, favorite, review, and come back on Saturdays for new chapters! :D