Halo-Born

Chapter 1

Hi. This is the second book I put up here. It isn't about vampires either. Yay for that. Well Thanks for reading. By the way, this cover was done by MissCheviousKay.

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Hope smiled as she stood up on the stage, the deafening applause making her shine. She looked like a star up there, beaming in the spotlight. She had everything to herself looking down on her audience. The dancer bowed again and again, soaking in the limelight while she still had it. In a moment or two it would be gone, but for now Hope could bask in the glow of her glory. It seemed like it would never end though. The audience would never stop clapping.

She was the best of the night. As they say, "I've saved the best for last". Truly, they did. No one was better than Hope. For years she practiced, awaiting the night where she could finally let everyone see her talent. Now here was her chance, and she went for it with all her heart and came out on top. Hope winked and danced off the stage with the people still cheering.

It wasn't until the MC came up that they stopped. Still it was due to the announcer bringing them to a hushed tone. The host laughed and grinned, holding the golden envelope in his hands. The winner. He kept on smiling, waiting for the crowd to die down. Then he spoke into his mic and clapped for the girl. "Yes," he cheered. "That was an excellent performance by Hope Marshall. Give her another round of applause folks."

He then went off the stage, giving people high fives as he walked out to the judges table. The eyes watched him converse with them before the judge on the left handed him the card. The MC slipped it into the envelope and started to walk to the stage.

In the distance, Hope was standing near the curtain, sticking a finger in her mouth and chewing on the tips of her fingernail. It was such a bad habit, but nervousness was taking over her. The announcer stood in the center of the stage, bringing up the rest of the dancers. Hope was amongst them, covered by overly dramatic costumes and self-centered athletes.

Her face was hidden behind them as if never existing, but she was there. She was the best, and everyone knew it. It was all too easy to see that she could never be beat. The amount of effort she put into this was far greater than those standing next to her. Her knees wobbled when the host took out the winner from the envelope.

First he announced, "Joseph Howard and Marc Barkley for third place."  

The two hip-hop dancers stepped up and took their medals. Another wave of applause came from the crowd. He waited for them to calm down as he pulled out the second place slip of paper. Slowly his hands started pull it out. Finally his lips parted and spoke, "For second place we have Brooklyn Paige."

Brooklyn went up, her long brown hair swishing side to side. The dainty smile was on her face as she shook his hand and took her medal. The applause went again, but was hushed quickly.

He stared at the answer and smiled his big white smile. "The overall winner is Hope Marshall."

I jumped up and screamed for her. Hope won! She won just like I told her she would. My sister's face went from pale and anxious to excited. She leaped up and shook him by the hand. He congratulated her and passed her the trophy along with the cash prize. She told me she didn't care about the prize she would receive if she won. She said that she just wanted to win to know how it felt to be on top.

All her life she was always on the bottom, but I could never tell why. She was the perfect child; someone they would want around. She had the perfect shape, smooth alabaster skin, and a beautiful face. Funny, charming, and smart. With these traits she could be on the "cool" side of this stereotypical crowd, yet she was on the bottom of the long list of human popularity. I could never guess why until she told me why. It was simply this: I don't want to.