Chapter 1 State of emergency
An aura of smoke whisps around clinging to party goers clothes and hair that are attending Samuel's annual end of the summer bonfire in his parents yard.
Mia immediately starts coughing and waves a hand trying to swat smokey ashes away from her dark brown eyes that are tearing up.
Coughing, her body moves over toward a bowl of jungle juice and uses a ladle to scoop a portion in a red solo cup. "Cool fire huh?"Noah, her best friend admires next to her. "Ya if you don't end up coughing to death." Noah shakes her shoulders lightly to get his best friend to loosen up, a hard task. "Stop" she laughs and pushes back playfully. "Come enjoy it with me," he grabs her hand without giving her a chance to object.
They are soon seated a good distance away as the fire burns through yet another pallet. To get comfortable Mia rests her head on his shoulder. They chat for a few minutes but when there conversation dies down Noah tilts his chin back and downs his jungle juice in one motion hoping it will give courage to approach a topic that has been on his mind for months.
"Hey Mia..." he begins a little above a whisper reeling to have her full attention. "Hmm..." Eyes that remind him of espresso beans in his morning coffee slowly peak up at him behind waves of hair.
"We're going to be sophmores tomorrow and wouldn't it be easier to enter school together?"
"We always enter toget--" His hand takes both of hers cutting off her scentence.
"Shh. Let me finish. Together as a couple together..."
"Oh...Noah..." He stands up abruptly detecting her "we can't do this" tone. Having her hands in his grasp he pulls her toward him. His lips capture hers putting all of his cards out in the open wanting her to feel the passion that's emerged over years of getting to know her. From their shared laughs, to their days of sorrow and everything in between.
"Noah..." There's a frown on her lips when she pulls away. His eyes that were gleaming are now full of disappointment. "I understand." His voice is a whisper. His hands drop hers and he bites back words he wants to say but somehow knows they won't make a difference. If Mia isn't willing to give them a chance for what could be a once in a lifetime love there's nothing left for him to fight for.
He's an honest genuine boy, the kind that doesn't want her to visibly see the disappointment she gave him. Noah walks away with his heart in his throat.
Mia's right dominant foot takes a step forward but she doesn't want to throw herself in a relationship and if she follows him, that's it.
Her whole life would be planned out. Mia isn't ready for that...she can barely handle caring for her father who seems like he just gave up after her mother passed away two years ago. Those two years took a toll on her...being only fourteen years old she had to take the role of an adult. At sixteen years old now, Mia is probably more self sufficient than a college girl just moving out of their parents home.
Mia's legs give out, her body slumping as the weight of her thoughts push her deeper in depression. Selfishly a small part of her wishes her best friend kept his emotions for her locked up. "Why is this so hard? Why can't I throw caution to the wind and say yes to him? It's not like it would be news to anybody...if anything Noah's mom expects us to end up together. He's been the one constant in life since mom died..."
A loud bell in the distance causes Mia to fall out of the plastic chair she apparently fell asleep in. As the sound continues, her heart races. Only in emergencies an elder gentleman, Carl Dean, risks his life to set off the city's bell on the courthouse rooftop before taking shelter inside the building.
Her eyes dart to Samuel's livingroom window that has its curtains closed. Aware that in dangerous circumstances he won't be opening his home to her; Mia's fingers lodge in jeans pocket sesrching for a phone. "Fuck!" She swears realizing it's in Noah's dad's car. Not wanting to be a sitting duck the worried female races toward gravel road thankful for her choice of sneakers.
A pathway to Pine park enters the worn out girl's view. Her muscles are exerted and there are four blocks left until she's home. Making the wrong decision Mia sets foot on grass lit up under one of multiple lightposts enclosed in the park.
"Do you know how many warnings we sent? You realize none of us are patient and yet you just don't care do you?" A tall figure clad in a leather jacket who's face is hidden behind a navy blue bandana leans over a shorter looking teenage boy.
"I do care! I do! I'm sorry!"
"Aww Ronny he's sorry" A second male wearing a leather jacket and same colored bandana taunts.
"Fuck maybe they won't see me" Mia crouches low gradually hiding behind a dark painted bench.
"Maybe if you beg I'll take whatever cash in your wallet and collect the rest tomorrow."
"Please don't hurt me! Please!" The shorter male cries. His eyes frantically look around and for a second they see Mia. His mouth falls open in shock and doesn't realize his mistake.
"What the fuck is he looking at, Dan?" The tall one pulls out a switch blade keeping his attention solely on the begger.
"I'll go check it out" Dan nods toward Ronny and checks the perimeter. He almost doesn't see the girl but the moonlight hits her silver charm bracelet causing it to shine.
His fingers automatically hook around her left ankle and pull roughly. Nails dig into the dirt while kicking a foot wildly. "Let me go!" The brunette shrieks feeling dread sink in her stomach. "Ronny I think this bitch was watching us!" Dan smirks down at the squirming girl. He drops their shared black backpack off his shoulder and rummages for rope with his free hand. His foot steps not so kindly on her torso needing both hands to restrain her.
"I didn't see anything! I swear!" Mia cries out trying her best to get out of this messy situation.
"Ronny!"
"I'm busy here! Bring her over or figure it out for yourself!"
Watching his gaze slip from her for the slightest second, Mia rams her fist in the guy's side that's closest to her. His shocked expression and gasp of air has her jump to her feet, running. A single shot causes her body to freeze next to a yellow plastic children's slide where the bullet pierced into. "I missed on purpose. If you move, the next bullet will be in you." Ronny's gruff voice threatens. Not wanting to test him, Mia stands completely still.
"Atta girl. I'm going to have my partner here secure your hands now and then you're coming with us. I can assure you that neither of us will harm a hair on your head if you behave."
Rope binds the teenage girls hands tautly in front of her. A strand of rope connects to the binding giving her captors a makeshift lead to pull her after them.
