As Jake plunged towards the ground, he felt the wind overcome his battered body. The scenery blurred sickeningly around him. The cold sea air took his breath away; just like the insults *they* had thrown at him. Their words cut him to the core, leaving unseen wounds across his body. As jake plunged from the cliff he rejoiced in the feeling of control that filled his heart. He finally was free. He hit the ground. He was dead on impact.
  
The red and blue lights from Sgt.Hall's police cruiser lit up the trees gathered around the youth's body, like the trees themselves were mourning the loss of such a brilliant young life. The rocky ground under Sgt.Hall's feet shifted as he approached the body. He had seen the youth jump off the cliff and had been unable to stop it, to save the boy. Guilt welled in his heart at the thought. He had failed. Failed the mother and family of this youth. Worst of all , he had failed the youth himself. A quit scattering of rocks told him that his partner Annabelle had arrived.

"Poor thing." murmured Annabelle. Sgt. Hall stiffly nodded, trying to beat his emotions back into the box that he kept them in during his work.

   "Have you notified dispatch?" Grunted Sgt.Hall.
   
    "Yes." Replied Annabelle.

Shuddering, Sgt.Hall observed the scene before him. Jake McHay lay with his limbs spread eagled on the rocky ground. The most disturbing part of it wasn't the fact that this child was selfish enough to take his own life but that he did so with a smile on his face. Sgt.Hall could see that smile etched into the dead boy's face; an eerie contrast to the blood that covered half of his face.

   Jake had been a model student; one of the smartest and most determined students that Grace county had seen in years. Yet here this prodigy lay, cold and dead on the ground, his life snuffed out. His inner demons had become too strong, his burden too heavy. But the question was: what secrets were hiding in the youth's head? He tried not to notice the familiar bone structure, it would only hurt him more when he remembered who this child's mother was.

Jeffrey Hall was 20 when he met Melanie Lane Winchester. The months following Melanie's 19th birthday were amazing. He had made it into the National Guard and was leaving for Basic Training in a few short days. They spent every night together, enjoying the time they had together. Soon he left for Basic and he had contact with his Mel only once. She sent him a letter telling him she missed him very much and that she needed to talk to him face to face. Weeks sped by and Jeffrey poured every once of himself into his training, determined to get back to his Mel. His persistence paid off and he was soon walking up to Mel's front door. What greeted him was not what he expected. Melanie Winchester opened the door, with a baby boy in her arms.

   Zapped back to the present, Jeffrey Hall looked at the body of his first born son, the one he had failed to protect, and started to cry.