Chapter 1
“I win!”
“Are you serious? How are you so fast? I was sure I was going to win this time.” Jone whined, breathing heavily.
“What can I say? I guess I’m just really fast” I laughed. “Well, let’s hurry up or we’ll be late for work.”
Jone had been my best friend ever since I joined her family. Her family adopted me when I was 5 years old and they welcomed me with loving arms. It was new but it healed me in many ways to finally belong and have a family to lean on. All those days of waiting and looking at other children getting adopted were behind me but there was a tiny part of me that wanted to know who my parents were and where’d gone after leaving their daughter behind. Unexpectedly Jone helped me in my search for my parents but we never found anything. There were only so many resources we had and even when we’d gone back to adoption centers and agencies we’d found nothing on my parents except for the fact they’d ask to remain anonymous in their files. I guess they didn’t want anyone to find them…didn’t want me to find them. I left my search for my biological parents because even though I was curious I already had an awesome family with me that cared and loved me in a way my biological parents weren’t able to.
Our family had moved many places but we finally ended up in New York and after me and Jone turned 16 we started looking for part-time jobs to pay for college and landed a part-time job at a small cafe. We had friendly co-workers and decent pay which made working at that cafe much better especially when we had to come to work in winter misery.
The weather didn’t look more promising today than other days. Either way, we’d have to get the work done and probably leave early. A few more coworkers came in later and started their shifts.
“Amelia!” Frank, my co-worker, approached me. He was a bit older than most of the people who worked there but he was always cheerful regardless. “Can you come to the storage room for a second? I need to show you something.”
I went to the storage room to find Frank holding an engagement ring. “It’s for Emma. I’m planning to pop the question tonight.” Emma was Frank’s girlfriend who he met here in the cafe 2 years ago. He’d been waiting to propose for a long time since then.
“Congratulations Frank!” I cheered. “I’m so happy for you!”
“Thank you! I hope she likes it,” he said with a huge smile.
“It doesn’t look too good outside” Jone whispered, taking a glance at the window. She was right. The weather didn’t seem to be improving at all and it seemed more dangerous to step outside.
“You guys better go home now before it gets any worse,” he said. “I’ll come with you guys to the bus stop. I need to take it too.”
“It doesn’t seem safe to be outside now and it’s probably not a good idea to even be outside” Jone whispered.
“I know, but we can’t stay here.”
As we walked an uneasy feeling set into me. The sun had gone down and it was deadly to be out in this kind of cold. Most of the cell towers were down long back so there was no way to get in contact with our family either. Our best bet was to get to that bus stop quickly but the flickering lights amongst the streets weren’t helping either and that bus stop was 2 blocks away. It began to snow and build up the further they walked, eventually nearby buildings were not seen and the road ahead was tricky to spot as the snowy wind hit our faces so hard we had to close our eyes.
“It’s getting hard to see, We don’t even know if we are headed the right way! let’s find shelter somewhere until the storm calms down.” Jone cried
She was right and that’s what they agreed to do but the wind had begun to pick up so much that they weren’t able to see or move, there was only snow anywhere they looked. They still held on to each other in hopes of not losing each other. The next minute they spotted a car’s flashlights that was headed right for them, the driver probably didn’t see where he was going through the snow until he was close enough to see them standing on the road but he couldn’t stop the car anytime soon which led Frank to push both of them away from the car.
“Frank!!!” We screamed. It was too late. He got hit by the car which dropped him somewhere far away from us. This couldn’t be happening not when he had some much ahead of him and now I couldn’t even help him.
“Amelia!!” Jone screamed.
“Jone!!” I cried out.
I could see Jone’s faint figure laying there on the side of the road slowly getting up and walking towards me when I spotted someone else who was heading right for Jone from the side. “ Jone! Look out!” I rushed as the figure started running toward her. There were fewer lights lit up and I was only able to run to her faint figure under a few dying dimmed street lights but the figure managed to grab her before I was able to get her.
Who was this?! Why was this happening?!
Jone screamed and thrashed as the figure swung over their shoulder and started running. I tried running as fast as I could, screaming out and telling whoever was carrying her to leave her alone. The person kept running and it became harder to see this figure as the sharp winds of snow cut through my eyes.
I was so close. I couldn’t let this happen!
The next thing I knew I was run over and pushed to the ground by someone else. They had me pinned.I tried breaking free and crying loudly for help but it was no use. The next thing I knew I was able to smell a sweet scent making me dizzy and everything around me blurry. I was helpless and I wasn’t able to fight whatever they drugged me with. From a distance I could only hear Jone screaming for help and crying. Whoever was keeping me pinned slowly moved me and I turned my head to take a look at the shadowed figure leaning above my head.
“It’ll be okay, you’re in our hands now.” The shadow said. That was the last thing I heard.
Everything went blank after that.
