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"Angel, you're falling asleep again."

Angel blinked, her stormy gray eyes opening and closing several times, and then turned her head to gaze at the man walking next to her.

"I am walking. How can I possibly fall asleep?"

"I do not know how, but you certainly look as though you are succeeding," the man smiled. "Only one class left, and that's rehearsal. Can you stay awake enough for that?"

"I am only a servant in this play," Angel shrugged. "I could sleep for half of rehearsal if I needed to. You, however, have to stay awake."

"What do you do at night that makes you so tired during the day?" Jaden asked, his English accent calm and relaxed. "Party?"

"Of course not," Angel snorted as he opened the door to Julliard's theater. "I work the late shift. You get to go to bed early. That must be so nice."

"Hmm… I suppose."

"Ah, our main star and our lovely servant!" Mr. Gregory, the play director, exclaimed as Angel and Jaden walked towards the stage. "Our play is ever drawing closer, and there is so much to do yet! Jaden, up on the stage with you! We need your voice to broadcast through the whole theater! Angel, if you'll wait off stage, please."

Angel watched as Jaden walked up the stairs to the stage, studying his appearance. Jaden had the reputation of being Julliard's biggest nerd. And it wasn't because of anything intellectual, but because of his physical appearance. The young man wore glasses with such thick lenses; one could barely see the color of his eyes, a deep hazel, behind them. His hair was blonde, somewhat long and somewhat wavy, always giving it a tussled, 80's look. He was tall, but certainly not muscular, wearing outfits that did nothing to show off his body. He wore polo shirts and neatly pressed pants, and he always had a trim, professional appearance. Were it not for his glasses, his hairstyle, and his outfits, the women at Julliard claimed he could have been the most handsome man there. But Jaden never seemed to worry about appearance, and his charms came out in his singing, his acting, his mannerisms, and the friendly, polite, kind attitude that he so uniquely possessed. It was because of these character traits that Angel admired him, and she and Jaden had been close friends ever since they first met a year and a half ago.

Angel turned her eyes away from Jaden and just admired the practice theater. This was her place of solace, her place of pleasure, the place where she could forget about the severity of her work and just relax and have fun. Rehearsals began, and Angel watched happily as the scenes began to roll through. This was a fairly simple play, about a princess of great beauty and talent who was terribly selfish and prideful. While out on a hunting trip, she became lost from her father and his men and had to depend upon the help of an ugly, old peddler, who quickly fell in love with her. At the end of the story, after the princess had been humbled and softened, the peddler turned into a handsome, charming prince.

Jaden played the voice of the peddler, and the character, as well as the voice, of the prince. It had been determined unanimously that his accent was perfect for the parts, and he was certainly handsome enough, without his glasses and wild hairstyle, to be the prince. Angel's role was simple. She was the princess' servant, a girl with little book knowledge and the inability to read or write, but with a heart of pure gold who showed compassion on the peddler when he and the princess arrived back at the palace.

Angel watched as Rachel, the actress playing the princess, performed her roles. Rachel was perfect for the role, for she was as selfish and prideful in real life as the princess was in the story. It was no hidden knowledge that Rachel spent almost every night at a club or bar, drinking, flirting, and making a complete fool of herself. She was reckless and wild, and was, for the most part, very unkind to both Jaden and Angel. But she could act and she could sing, two assets valuable to her role.

When Angel was told to come on stage, she did so and acted with a flourish, enjoying herself immensely. Her favorite part of the play, by far, was when the peddler turned into the prince. Because then, Jaden would sweep Rachel into his arms and lead her in a marvelous waltz. Rachel was a horrific dancer, and during rehearsals, she flirted nonstop with Jaden, but he never returned the affection, to Angel's pride, and he took his dancing seriously, occasionally rebuking Rachel gently when she wasn't paying attention or following his lead.

Rehearsals concluded two hours later, and Angel bounded out of the theater, twirling and singing a line from the play. Jaden chuckled as he followed her out, enjoying her enthusiasm and attempts at poking fun at Rachel.

"Oh, this is going to be a marvelous play! I can't wait when we go on Broadway with it! Only a few days before Christmas!" Angel sang.

"I wish you were playing the princess," Jaden sighed, running his hand through his hair. "Rachel is a real pain in the rear. She makes fun of me during classes and gossips nonstop about me with everyone, but when she and I are finally on stage, she acts like I'm the most gorgeous creature to come along since Leonardo DiCaprio took the female population by storm in 'Titanic.'"

"Oh, you are much better than that," Angel smiled, twirling and then curtsying before him. "What have you been up to, Jay? I didn't see you this past weekend."

"Mm… Work and an optometrist appointment," Jaden shrugged. "Nothing new."

"And your eyes aren't getting any worse, right?"

"I wish I could agree to that."

"What do you mean?" Angel asked, all playfulness immediately gone.

"My eyesight is getting worse. I have been told that I will be legally blind by Christmas. And I don't mean blind where I can still see shadows. I mean completely blind."

"But why?" Angel asked quietly. "How is this happening?"

"The doctors seem to think it's Diabetes. I don't know, though," Jaden sighed. "I mean, that would explain my frequent dizzy and fainting spells, but still."

"Haven't you been checked for Diabetes yet?" Angel asked sadly.

"Look, you don't need to worry about it," Jaden smiled. "I have already accepted the fact that I'm going blind."

"But it's not fair!" Angel exclaimed. "Why you? What have you done to deserve it?"

"Hey, you want to stop by Starbucks for some coffee?" Jaden asked, uncomfortably changing the subject.

"I can't," Angel sighed. "Forrest is picking me up after dinner."

"Oh. Well, that is okay. I will just walk you home then, and then I have to go back to Starbucks for work," Jaden said easily. "No problem. And tell Forrest I said hello, would you? He's a nice guy."

"Does that bother you, that I am with him a lot?" Angel asked carefully.

"Why would it bother me? You are an attractive woman and he is a handsome guy with a Corvette," Jaden grinned. "It's no problem. You're a free spirit, allowed to do what you want, and Forrest is a reliable guy with a steady job who has every right to want to spend a lot of money on you. Have fun with him."

"After work, what are you going to do?" Angel asked as they turned a corner.

"What I always do. Go to the cathedral and spend some time with God."

Angel became silent then, and the rest of the walk proceeded quietly. Jaden stopped outside the building where Angel's studio was, and then waved good-bye as she went into the building and took an elevator up to the eighth floor, where her home was located. He then walked a few yards more and went into his apartment complex where he took the stairs all the way to the eleventh floor.

Once in her room, Angel changed out of her school clothes, into a pair of white pants and a white long-sleeved shirt. She then went to her freezer and pulled out a frozen pizza. She was deep in thought as she cooked it and then began to eat, her smoky gray eyes gazing out her immense studio windows as she did so, looking at the skyscrapers of New York. She half expected to see a silhouette standing atop one of the buildings, dark and menacing against the sinking sun. Naturally, there was nothing there, and Angel sighed.

These trips with Forrest were getting to be tiresome. She was weary of making a façade for Jaden to see, having him think she and Forrest were going out when actually, they were hunting down the greatest terrors of night. Well, not hunting, per say. Vampires could never be killed or caught, it seemed, but they could certainly be shunned away from their prey.

Angel was uneasy about tonight's mission. After that threat the night before, she wasn't looking forward to meeting up with the vampires again. She had been threatened before, but never in such proximity.

She shuddered now as she imagined that vampire's breath on her neck, and quickly, she put her hand into the collar of her white shirt and pulled out the gold chain with the tiny diamond on the end. The room around her immediately began to glow with light, shining brilliantly, completely hiding Angel in its rays. This was what kept the woman safe every night. This strange, brilliant illumination that had been a gift from her mother. Strangely, it had never glowed when her mother wore it, but as soon as Angel began to wear it, the unusual power manifested itself. Now, every time it was visible to others, it was brilliant and blinding, protecting Angel and giving her a safe, secure feeling.

Her mother had died years ago in a tragic car accident, wearing this very necklace. Angel's father, Tom, had given it to his daughter, explaining that her mother wanted her to keep it. And now it glowed like a fallen star, shedding its light in every dark place, sheltering Angel from the shadows.

Angel toyed with the charm, chewing thoughtfully on a piece of pizza. Strange, that such a tiny object should have so much incredible power. It was stranger still that it should only glow for Angel. It had never glowed for anyone before, nor did it glow now for anyone Angel happened to put it on. That troubled Angel, and she had researched magical necklaces and charms, but to no avail. Forrest believed that the power didn't come from the diamond, but from Angel. She had laughed when he told her that. How could a human being just glow? It was impossible! And yet, she did have somewhat of a shine about her face when the necklace wasn't visible or wasn't even on…

There was a knock on Angel's door, drawing her out of her reveries.

"Come on in, Forrest. It's unlocked," Angel spoke, standing up and moving to her kitchen.

The door opened, and Forrest walked in, his deep brown eyes warm and friendly, every piece of his dark brown hair combed neatly into place.

"You ready for another adventure?" he asked, sitting down on one of Angel's leather couches.

"Not after last night. You heard that man threaten me," Angel spoke.

"And they have threatened you millions of times before, but they've never done anything about it," Forrest shrugged.

"This was different," Angel shuddered. "I believe his threat."

"But you came up with a brilliant plan."

"Scarcely," Angel sighed, pulling a white trench coat on over her outfit. "Meeting with the leader of the vampires was hardly a good idea."

"But the police will escort you. You'll be safe, and we might finally be able to come to terms with these guys," Forrest said cheerfully.

"How exactly am I even going to talk to the man?" Angel asked. "He always stays up on one of the roofs!"

"You must be nervous. You already came up with that reasoning, or did you forget?" Forrest said, getting off the couch. "We're going to corner the guys in one last attempt to capture them, remember? If that doesn't work out, you are going to intervene and talk to the leader you encountered last night, telling him you want to talk to his boss. It's as simple as that."

"Things with vampires are never that simple. You know that," Angel frowned, pulling on her boots. "Let's go. I want to get this over with."

Forrest opened the studio door for her, and both took the elevator down to the lobby and then out to his awaiting police car. Angel sighed tiredly as she got into the car, and then she gazed out the window at the dark sky as Forrest began to drive.

Her plan had been brilliant, but she knew there would be flaws. The best way to get rid of the vampires, Angel had concluded with the police, was to somehow either capture their leader, that cloaked figure on the roofs, or tell them off. She had thought it would be simple to talk to one of the vampires, convincing him to give his leader the message from her, but now that she wasn't all excited and in an adrenaline rush, she loathed the idea. Actually speak to one of the vampires, go up to one and ask to talk to him? She was a woman! Women were their main prey! And she was no exception, except for her extraordinary light!

"Do me a favor," Forrest spoke as he drove. "Just breathe. Don't even think about the plans for the vampires. For right now, we are going to try and corner them again, like we always do, and drive them out of New York. If that doesn't work, then we'll see what happens. Everyone down at the station agreed that your idea was clever."

"But it's suicide! They'd kill me before I could talk!" Angel exclaimed.

"They respect your light. Just one step at a time, Angel. You're getting in over yourself. Calm down."

"That's easy for you to say," Angel pouted. "You have a gun and a police force behind you. I do have weapons, yes, but I'm the only woman, and I really can't protect myself like you guys can."

"And we'll all be there for you," Forrest said quietly. "Here we are at the station. And I have a surprise for you."

"Any more surprises concerning vampires and I'm going to scream," Angel muttered as she got out of the car.

She and Forrest rounded the corner to the police station and then stopped. She let out a squeal when she saw Forrest's surprise. There, standing in front of the station, were ten horses, all tacked up and ready to ride.

"What is this?" Angel gasped.

"The police cars give us away every time we go after the bats," Forrest explained. "Horses are far more maneuverable and a bit quieter. The vampires are also, according to our technological knowledge, in Central Park right now. We can't take the police cars."

"But I have never been on a horse!" Angel declared.

"You'll be up behind me. You'll be perfectly fine. We're going to take Target," Forrest said, walking over to a large, powerful chestnut Thoroughbred. "He's fast, calm, and smooth as a wave on the sea."

"We're chasing down the vampires on horseback?" Angel asked worriedly. "Aren't they faster than horses?"

"Stop worrying, already!" Forrest laughed. "Look at this as an adventure! Go ahead and get your necklace out. We'll need that light."

Angel sighed and pulled the diamond out, letting it glow radiantly, hiding her facial features and lighting up the entire area. She watched as Forrest swung up onto Target and then held his hand out to her. She grabbed his offered hand and then gasped as he pulled her up onto Target's back with one smooth motion. She didn't quite land properly on the horse's back, but rather ended up in a kneeling position, right behind the saddle.

"All set?" Forrest asked, watching as the other police officers mounted their horses.
"No," Angel grunted, moving her legs so she was sitting properly. She wrapped her arms around Forrest's muscular stomach, holding him tightly and mumbling under her breath as she did so. "Forrest, I've always wanted to ride, but I didn't want to learn how in this situation."

"Trust the horse, trust your fellow workers, trust me, and trust your instincts," Forrest said calmly, gathering the reins in his hands. "I feel like tonight is going to start up a new and glorious adventure with the vampires."

"They're really smart, Forrest. After hundreds of years of dealing with humans, they probably already know what we're up to."

"But the chase is still on. Hold on. Here we go."

"Here you go," Jaden spoke, handing a cup of steaming coffee to a customer. "Have a good night, ma'am."

He sighed and then looked out the store windows, gazing at the busy street before him. Cars rushed back and forth, their owners eager to get home for the evening. It was already dark, the only light being that of the streetlights and car lights. Jaden leaned on one of the counters, his hazel eyes gazing out from behind his thick glasses, thinking about Angel. She was such a mystery to him. She seemed to care so much about him, but then she went off, gallivanting with Forrest. She never told Jaden what the two of them did, and he could only assume that it was because she didn't want to hurt him. Sure, he was her best friend, but she never seemed to want more than that. And Jaden wanted so much more.

Hooves sounded outside the store, and Jaden's eyes widened when he saw a horse trotting across the street, a girl clinging to the back of the horse's rider.

"What on earth is she doing on a horse?" Jaden asked, immediately recognizing Angel. "Good grief. He must be filthy rich!"

"He already owns a Corvette, doesn't he?" Jaden's co-worker, Amelia, asked.

"He does," Jaden sighed. "I'm finished with work, Amelia. I'll see you around."

"Sure. Have a good night, Jaden. And listen, you know," Amelia said slowly. "Maybe she's not really worth it."

"What do you mean?" Jaden frowned.

"All of your concentration, your every thought, your affection," Amelia shrugged. "She doesn't seem to appreciate it. I mean, she's always off with him. And you always seem upset about it."

"I can't have everything I want," Jaden said with a small smile. "If I can't win her over, then so be it. She's chosen Forrest, and he's really a cool guy. Excuse me."

Jaden signed off of work, grabbed his thick brown jacket, and then rushed out into the cold night air. His thoughts were a jumbled mess as he crossed several streets and finally arrived at his beloved St. Paul the Apostle Church. He tried to push thoughts of Angel aside as he walked into the church, but he couldn't. He squinted to see the front of the auditorium, a place full of golden decorations and a large, beautiful cross.

He wished Angel could be with him, could see the torment within him and comfort him. He longed for her with an intense longing, but she never seemed to notice. Her life was so full of Forrest and acting that she had little time to spend with him. When he had first met her, they had spent almost every hour of daylight together, but now, he was just a shadow in her life, drifting about, only there for if she needed him. He was determined to always be there for her. One of these days, he knew, she would come to him for help, she would truly need him, and he wouldn't be able to refuse her.

If only he could be more valiant like Forrest, more loving and sacrificing, but Jaden knew, deep down in his heart, that he was selfish and scornful, probably too evil for Angel to even care for. He couldn't give himself to her, for he was so concerned about self-preservation, what with his blindness and all, he'd barely be able to care for her.

"Thinking happy thoughts, are we?" Mr. Clayton, one of the ministers at the church, asked, coming to sit on a pew next to Jaden.

"Things have been difficult lately, sir," Jaden sighed, gazing up at the cross. "My vision is horrific now, and Angel hasn't been around much."

"It's hard to have a relationship with someone when you rarely see them," Mr. Clayton nodded. "Is she still spending all her time with Forrest?"

"A good portion of it," Jaden nodded. "I just can't light a candle next to that man. He's so powerful and…good."

"And you aren't good?"

"No. I'm entirely evil," Jaden said firmly.

"You?" Mr. Clayton asked, sitting back. "Son, we're all evil. That's why we have a Savior. Christ came for the evil, and I know you believe in Him and want to please Him."

"But what if you can't?" Jaden asked quietly. "What if you're so entirely lustful and wicked, that you can't get His forgiveness?"

"Jaden, He wants to forgive everyone. He knows we all stumble and fall," Mr. Clayton said, putting a hand on Jaden's shoulder. "And for what it's worth, I think you are a splendid, kind young man."

"Who looks like a dork and is nearly blind," Jaden snorted. "I can't win that girl's love, Mr. Clayton, no matter how hard I try."

"Then don't try!" Mr. Clayton smiled. "Let her come to you. Give her a break, Jaden. You're her best friend. She knows that, and she values you. You're the one that's always there for her if she needs you. Let her come to you in her time. She will. I know she cares about you."

"I wish I could believe that," Jaden sighed, standing up.

"Things will work out, Jaden. Believe me. You are a good young man. A woman would be a fool not to see that," Mr. Clayton smiled. "Keep your chin up, son."

Jaden nodded and then left the church, his hands folded behind his back, his head bowed in confusion and despair.