The smell of burning memories seeps into my nose slowly.  The air grew denser, with every breath I took. Swaying of the palm trees was silent and the world seemed like it was crashing down on me.  Fire trucks and ambulances  come from the distance, but it was no use.  Everything was already destroyed. It was a bit chilly, even for a summer night in Florida. The moon and the stars were shining bright, illuminating the whole sky with its twinkling stars and full moon. The ashes of my parents, were scattered amongst the dampened grass. The house that I spent so long at, was engulfed in orange and red flames.  Flashing red lights soon showed up at my driveway with the big long yellow hoses splashing water on the black charred rubble, starting from the top were my room with all the posters and fancy knick knacks that dad would bring me back after he went on these huge trips. to the downstairs family room. Tearfully I tell the police what had happened.  They called my social worker to take me to a new foster home again  where I’m gonna get attached to a loving couple,again  just to get them killed.
“Jade, what happened?”
I hear a voice come behind me. I stare for a minute or two, and look at the worst demon in my life Dane, staring at me. His dark dark blue eyes seem like they are staring into my soul . Dane, the guy of any teenage girl's dream in their fantasy world of  supernatural and twilight. His mysterious look of a demon in disguise with all his black v neck t-shirts, and black leather trenchcoat, all topped with the black skinny jeans and hair. 
After a moment I talk to him.  “I don't know what happened.  I was upstairs. Then all of the sudden I heard screaming. Then I'm running  out here, and my parents are dead and my house is engulfed in flames.”
“Come on let's go Jade,” Dane speaks  frustratedly grabbing my wrist.
I remember my first mom,  not my birth mother, but the first one I had when I was a little girl. She would always slap my wrist, if I did something wrong. I learned how to behave from her.   She died when I was nine years old. I watched  her slowly, get swallowed by  a monster. At least in my 9 year old mind it was a monster. Now that I’m older, I can say it wasn't a monster,  but a bad habit of smoking.   
The sound of  ambulances and firetrucks are faded in the distance.  The red lights are dull and it's just Dane and me at the beach. We were where you can see the sparkling white sand twinkling in the moonlight and the ocean water glistening in the starlight. Dane looks at me with a serious expression and says, “Jade, I'm here to protect you, but I need you to work with me.” 
Angrily I reply “You know what Dane?  Maybe I don't want to be protected. These shadows can have me.  You wanna know why?  Because, I am tired of running away from every problem  just to cause another one,” I explain.
Dane looks up at me with a spark of concern in his eyes
   “I just need you to be safe,”
“Well stop just stop protecting me because my life is not your problem!” I say as I storm off  onto the other side of the beach, leaving him in the dust. Dane appears right by me and says    
“Really you are gonna try running  off?”  “listen Jade let me rephrase that I need to protect you because if I don't then that pile of ashes that is sitting over there is gonna be me and I don't know about you but I like myself this way so come on get your butt moving so I dont get mine fried he says nearly breaking my wrist!”  “Oh yeah one more thing You can't just run away. I  can appear right by you  I'm like a ghost. besides we do  have the same mind you know.  So I think I can know your thoughts pretty well and right now your anger and sadness is truly bringing me down!”
Dane says nearly making his eyes roll to the back of his head.
“Go away Dane,” I say as a tear slowly makes its way down my cheek onto my shirt.
Dane replies, “ I can't.  Sorry to say honey,  but I gotta take you to your next place. First we will stop for a quick visit to the council to report that you ruined yet another house.”
I reply “Dane listen here I didn't ask for this life I have I didn't ruin this house, I don't know what happened and I told you that so you can't just sit there and act like this whatever this is is all my fault because sorry to burst your bubble but  This is my life and I don't like you prancing around  telling me that  I brought this upon myself because I didn't!”   
Dane grabs my wrist and drags me through the sand onto grass,  towards a  giant mansion.
Viciously replies “listen princess i'm in charge of your well being I don't care if you don't like it but it is for your own good The councilmen are waiting for us and I don't wanna lose my job so let's just  go!” You know I don't like this mission anymore than you dislike me.” Let’s  just get through this thing without any nuisances and we will be all good,” Dane yells as he drags me by my wrist.  We get to the mansion,  follow a dark hallway, up a wooden spiral staircase,  to a room with three throne like chairs with the councilmen sitting comfortably. I look around and see three men all with different meanings The first councilman, on the left, is the nice one, always trying to look at the bright side of, well pretty much everything. The councilman on the right sits the angry one, He gets mad at everything it seems always looking at the negatives of the problem. Finally, the big macho councilman, with the booming voice, is sitting in between the other two He has actual human emotions sometimes I think.  This middle councilman is in charge of everything. His name is Seth. I have only met these guys once when my second mom and dad mysteriously disappeared one night, they went on a date night and never returned. That was the first time I saw Dane  to   
Dane gets up and says,  “she messed it up again the whole house in flames the guardians are dead.”
The main guy stares directly in my direction and calmly asks “Is this true Jade? Did you ruin yet another house and get more parents killed like the last five
I reply but can't find the right words to  say what has happened  “Yes I mean no I mean  it is complicated I- “Enough I don't want to hear  it did you, or did you not,” he interrupts me with so much angry force  that I swear  I could feel the temperature rise and hear thunder booming like fireworks  loudly. This reminds me of a conversation I had with my  fourth mother right before she died. I remember that I had just ditched school because I had a group of friends that had better stuff to do then sit in a school dying of boredom she got killed in a drunk driving accident I quickly make a run for it to the door and Dane grabs me by the shirt and forces me to sit on the chair. I'm Forced to look the council directly in their black eyes sitting in their big comfy chairs  Forced to tell them what they think is true.
I reply, “Dane is right I got another pair of  parents killed and  lit my house on fire Because I physically would do that on purpose!” “Is that what you wanna here is it,  well sorry  to disappoint you sir, but I didn't do that so will you please leave me alone for goodness sake I just watched my fifth and favorite parents get burnt alive by something I don't know about and forced to sit here in front of you guys so you can  tell me that I messed up again on another life so sorry for being a little mad!” 
I stare into the main guys black  eyes sternly looking at the flames that seem like they appeared  in his eyes filled with so much anger all bottled up finally releasing.  I clench my fists trying to contain the anger that came across me but it didn't work I punch the main guy so hard in the face that I felt and heard the sound of his jaw breaking Dane acts and quickly pins me down and puts handcuffs on me! I grin with a sense of satisfaction that I had just accomplished a lifelong goal.  I get sat up back on the chair and  say!   “I mean  it I don't like you guys and I especially don't like the guy you assigned to me!” 
The councilmen  go silent and sit there blankly staring into what seems like outer space.
The one in the middle gets a handkerchief handed to him to wipe off the blood that I caused  and then places it on the table in front of him and finally says.
“You are staying here with us so we can watch you because the guardians don't seem to want anything to do with you. Dane objects
“um sir I live here I don't want to have her here with me I already see her enough and if you think that i'm gonna live in the same place as her you are wrong sir.”
The councilman replies “ well Dane get used to it, because this is quite possibly our last option and if you don't like it then I can strip you of your job and send you on your way!” Dane shuts up  and mumbles under his breath. Dane shows me around as we walk down multiple hallways with fancy pictures and stuff   on the wall. The mansion was the way you would imagine it with multiple rooms and multiple bathrooms. 
  The room assigned  to me seems like it was two big for me it has a queen sized bed with red sheets and blankets and the bed  is against  a wooden headboard  with a design of a rose with thorn covered vines carved in it. The walls are a  calming tan and red color and it has a fancy chandelier on the ceiling. Bigger than any  rooms I had ever had in my whole life. And my 5th parents owned a huge house surrounded by palm trees overlooking the beautiful water  and my room was complete with a bathroom and balcony. They got burnt alive in a house fire that i have no idea how it started. I thought that one was big but this one i'm looking at now is twice that size no balcony though.  Dane snaps me out of it and speaks
Ok Jade, I guess we are gonna have to go over some ground rules walk with me!”
I follow him up some wooden stairs and through a series of doors going from one room to another which in my opinion all look similar to each other all just as cool as the last. Danes voice drones on about the people who have been here and why they were here  and how much he wants me to stay out of his room.
We get back to my room and Dane finally leaves me alone. I lay down  on my soft sheets and think of  my house. I wonder what it looks like now  I imagine a big pile of blackened siding and my parents ashes still laying on the grass next to a pile of burnt furniture and rubbish.  I fall asleep. Im dreaming.
I’m running from something, but I can't quite tell what it is.   It’s an anonymous creature.  I'm in a desert and it's  hot.   I can feel the sweat dripping from my face drip by drip.  The sand on my bare feet are burning. The creature catches up to me slowly and bam! Then  I wake up to the sound of a loud noise.  I get up and run to the door.  My face is dampened with sweat. Dane appears, grabs my hand, and with enough concern to actually make me think he has feelings of sorts says “Jade,  I'm telling you as a friend, I strongly suggest you don't go outside.”
I reply “That sucks because i'm gonna go anyways. Pushing him out of my way ignoring his suggestion!
I run right  past him full speed to the door and sitting in a puddle of his own blood is one of the guards. I can feel the adrenaline of seeing what just happened running through every vein in my body making it feel like i'm about to explode.
“What happened?” that thought running through my mind like a puma running after its prey with its eyes on the innocent animal that soon becomes its victim   
Dane appears, and as though he was reading my mind which is exactly what happens tells me what I needed to know   “,they found you jade, the shadows they discovered where you were and they are coming to kill you” Dane says as he grabs my hand and attempts to drag me back inside away from everything. 
I pull my hand away “No, you know what Dane I'm not going to run anymore I’m tired of running away from all my problems!”
Dane replies “Jade, if you go out there, you will die don't do anything you are gonna regret at all please.
Could it be did Dane really just use please on me? Confusion runs through me. Why does  Dane  care  so much all of a sudden if I went out there and got killed He would not have to worry about me. He wouldn't have to worry about my well being anymore!   I mean I have known him forever and I never heard him say please in the whole 16 years of my existence so why  this why now to purgatory once and back and forth from hell twice and I never heard this demon say please!
I can feel Danes emotions I didn't know he had emotions.
Dane says
“Look I know we have had our differences but deep down I feel that you are my only reason for existence and if you were dead I would shrivel to nothing so please im begging you don't run  towards that thing!” At that moment I swear I could sense some sort of emotion there. I look at this demon! And say i'm sorry bye Dane.  I run  towards the shadows of all my existences wrapped up in one . Corrupted with the dark shadows of my birth mother's mistakes! I run not away but to. The beginning of my end. Slowly everything  fades the look of Danes face on his last attempt to convince me to stay the memories of my past turn into nothing. All my worries and fear disappear forever.