Chapter 1

Fittingly, the funeral was held on a rainy day. It seems that rain lends itself to such solemn occasions. The sound of the rain turns into a lament for the pain of the living, and the soaking rain provides a glimpse of the clammy chill of the grave.

Standing over the freshly dug grave, Michael Dane had no words, no thoughts, only feelings.

Feelings of rage. Feelings of pain. Feelings of love-- and an overwhelming thirst for revenge.

For thirty-eight years Michael's life had been-- interesting. From the day he was born, Michael had led a unique life.

Raised by his parents (Carson and Linda), he was brought up in a loving home with parents who adored him, but didn't smother him. They gave him the tools he would need to explore life, but gave no bias as to how those tools should be used.

Michael didn't realize the uniqueness of this situation until middle school, when those first relationships form, and you are let into other people's lives.

Michael was amazed at the indifference that most parents showed to their children, and more amazed at how few took the time to really know their children. He was further amazed at how truly unique his own situation was.

Michael had always been a solitary creature. Wiser than his years, he spent many a night counseling his uncle (seven years his senior) on the definitions of romance. He spent an equal amount of time with his uncles' love interests, explaining the complexities and meanings of men's seemingly odd behavior. Basically, he was guiding those around him as best he could, trying to help those that he loved.

Yet always, he was wondering where his destiny would take him.

Destiny, it was a word that haunted Michael his whole life, having an overriding feeling of destiny can lead to a wonderful life full of adventure and attainment, or it can lead to the life of a monster bending people 'till they break so you can attain your "destiny".

To have a destiny meant not having control, and control was something Michael had always had; be it control over his classmates, making sure that those he liked did well, or stayed out of trouble.

His parents he helped by keeping his true nature a secret.

He helped the stranger on the bus, by getting her to get off at the stop near the women's shelter, not the one near her home. Michael always knew the right thing to say at just the right time, to further his own needs, yes; but more often than not, he was helping another person find the missing choices that they were searching for.

Knowledge and Control, Destiny and Chaos. These were the things that kept Michael always questioning, questioning his place in the world, questioning what he was meant to do, questioning how he would ever find happiness.

As it turns out, happiness found him--twice.

The first time it was in ninth grade photography class. It started with a black Pony T-shirt.

Every Friday Anna would wear the black pony. Every Friday, Michael would be distracted by the tight fitting shirt, the luminous blue eyes and the beautiful blond hair.

Being shy but intelligent worked in Michael's favor. Anna was taken by his quiet demeanor, shy ways, and the thrill she got when their shoulders accidentally touched several times during every class.

On June 3rd 1983 they officially became Mike and Anna, sealing the deal with a date to see 'Return of the Jedi'.

That summer was one Michael would never forget. He would cherish it as one of the simplest times of his life. Anna was his friend, they had built up a trust that grew quickly and solidified their relationship. Both Michael and Anna were virgins, however this is where the similarities on sexuality ended.

Michael being ever the enquiring young man had spent the better part of the last 7 years reading and studying everything he could on the subject. From 'Penthouse' forum to 'The Joy of Sex', Michael was a true connoisseur at the ripe old age of 14 of all that was sexual. He had read the 'Kama Sutra', studied the very-- detailed views in 'Hustler', and had wondered about when he would have a chance to bring his considerable knowledge into practical use.

Anna was the answer to that question.

Raised in a loving but strict household Anna had no preconception about sex, either as a wondrous or an evil thing. This was because it was a subject both her parents did everything in their power to ignore.

This left Michael with a 'Tabula' to work with. Being who he was, he did not waste any space on the page.

In a period of three weeks Michael and Anna rounded the bases as it were, it was a whirlwind of passion, friendship and fun that got them to third base, at which time the whirlwind ended, the skies cleared and Michael and Anna decided that third base was a pretty good and safe place to be.

Truth be told it was Michael who stopped them at third base, having a pregnant girlfriend at 14 was not on his list of things desirable to experience. Anna was happy with his fingers and tongue, as he was with hers, the risks inherent with that slide into home base just did not balance with the gain.

So for the next 3 years Michael and Anna explored the first three bases to an extent that most would find overwhelming. 'The devil is in the details', and over those three years Michael learned the devils' ways well, much to Anna's delight and the envy of all of her friends.

Monogamy was, in Michael's opinion, the one true way to get the most out of a relationship, sexual and otherwise. A theme that would follow his relationships through out his life, was one of deep commitment, and of not letting people get close.

So throughout their sophomore and junior years Michael and Anna remained a stalwart figure of togetherness as their friends journeyed in and out of the relationships that mark most peoples teenage years.

Things changed the summer before their senior year.

Anna signed up for a 6-week exchange program in Colombia, a group of soon to be seniors would go down and stay with families who would send their children to live with them during the next school year.

Michael was not upset by this trip, Anna loved him. He was going to spend six weeks in Atlanta with his uncle. Everything was cool.

There were a few letters from Anna, she was having a good time. It was interesting living in another culture. Her Spanish was coming along well, and she was making some new friends.

Michael's summer passed quickly in Atlanta, with trips to Stone Mountain for the laser show and the scantily clad girls who always attended. He had late night walks talking about life, love and the future with his uncle, and lazy afternoons spent lounging in the pool. It was a good summer.

That changed on the evening in the high school parking lot when Anna stepped off the bus, the look in her eye told him something was wrong. The smirk on Derek Ray's face as he passed by Michael, gave him a feeling of dread. Dinner at Pizza Hut with Anna's parents was a strained affair, very polite but very odd.

The details came out in short bursts, walking around Anna's block, the humid Florida evening wrapping them in its sultry heat.

Anna had been very home sick when she got to Bogotá. Derek was staying with a family just next door and one thing lead to another.

Anna broke off at this point but Michael pressed her. 'The devil is in the details', after all.

There were nighttime visits with Anna and Derek rounding the bases, stopping at third-- just barely stopping, it seemed. There were talks of when they would get home, being together, dumping Michael. Then there was the last talk, the one where Anna told Derek she would never let him fuck her and Derek slapped Anna and called her a cock-tease.