Chapter 1

The Sun’s rays lit my face as I took the long route home.. I was only trying to avoid getting there before four o’clock so the fighting and rampages between my Mom and Father didn’t involve any deaths while I was there. Ashlie, my older sister enjoys listening to the birds outside her window, but when all the irruptions occur she simply screams and gets in her car to drive heaven knows where. The problem with my life is that all the people in it act like there isn’t one at all. They act like all of the horrible fights and shouts are just a part of a normal life, and I can bet an exceptional amount of money to say that my Mom, or my Father, don’t even notice that when they quarrel, the house is empty. That’s only because we are tired of hearing it. The imported European car my Mom spent an entire fortune on for my sister zoomed down the skinny wet lane and skidded onto the main road. That’s when I knew they were fighting again. I started to walk slower, but then decided to go ahead and run the rest of the way home and maybe if the fight wasn’t involving baseball bats or guns I would build up the courage to open the door and run up stairs.

“Mom! I’m home!” I could hear her screaming about something totally not important, it might have been taking out the trash, or getting me to Math triathlon practices on time, either way, I really didn’t care. “Go to your room Amelia.” She answered me sounding quite annoyed. The anger arose in through my stomach and was burning my throat, making me dizzy as I stomped into the kitchen where my parents were standing. “No,” I was screaming, “Me and Ashlie have had to put up with your shouting and arguments for the past three months, and I am through, do you ever notice that when you all fight the entire house is empty? Or do you not care? It has crushed my heart to have to listen to you two be unhappy at each other and honestly, I would rather you not live together than hear this twenty – four seven for the rest of my teenage life!” I turned around and sprinted out of the front door crying but not making any noise. Ashlie’s car was parked in the drive way, and she must have heard what I said because she was crying to, I opened the car door and grabbed her, and she hugged me back.

I woke up on this rainy Saturday afternoon feeling as if everything that took place the night before had been a dream, but when I turned over and Ashlie was laying there beside me in my bed with dried tear marks down her face I knew that it wasn’t. Ashlie and I had driven around the neighborhood almost twenty times until it was dark and we came back only to find nobody was home, but we paid no attention to that, we just went upstairs and slept in my bedroom hoping tomorrow everything would go back to what it was three months ago. The stairs creaked as my first two steps put too much pressure on them. I cursed under my breath and quickly, but softly tiptoed down to the landing. The hallway smelled like bacon and sausages as I crept into the living room. “Amelia!” I heard my Mom exclaim as her arms wrapped tightly around my shoulders. “I need to talk to you honey.” She said as she turned around. Her strawberry blonde locks were up into a messy bun, she never puts her hair up unless something serious is in course. She sat down on the couch and I sat there with her, her eyes were puffy and red from crying, and her forehead had creases in it. “Amelia.. I know that you are only 15 and Ashlie is 18, but me and your father are going away for a little while and-“I cut her off by asking, “How long and where?” She looked really upset about the situation, so decided to leave my questions at that. She went into full reporter mode and read off a list in her head. “Approximately 6 months, and where we are going is not for your knowing.” My mind was spinning with questions but I chose not to ask them.”Okay...” I answered not quite feeling the total morning drive yet. I took a plate and filled it until you couldn’t tell if there was a plate in the first place, the hot bacon slid down my throat with a combination of other things as my Mom was taking a phone call, but something about the atmosphere in the room was awfully nagging. Something was wrong, very wrong.

I heard my Mom gasp as I was doing the dishes in the kitchen. She was still on the phone, and I figured I would take the other telephone and make a conference call, only hoping that whoever she is talking to would provide me with some of the questions I had. I slowly turned the volume down on the phone and set it on the stove so I could put the rest of the spices in the cabinet. There was a piece of muddy paper in there so I grabbed it and threw it away in the washing room. I walked back into the kitchen and snatched the phone up into my hand and raced upstairs. Ashlie was sitting on the window seat obviously taking the wonderful time of peace into occasion. “Ashlie,” I started looking at her with a sad glare, “Mom is talking to someone and I feel we need to hear this one conversation out of all the others Mom has had.” Ashlie nodded her head and reached out for the phone with a shaky hand, and for an odd reason she looked like she just saw a ghost. She turned the volume up and pressed the speaker button and there was a low murmur of a man’s voice which sounded like Dad’s and Mom’s soft voice. “Dear, the children are going ballistic; you saw how Amelia acted the other day. I just can’t do this anymore; we have to go to the Nomad’s place in Africa to find that valve. Ashlie has no clue what is happening, and I think Amelia is catching on. They have to be rid of.” I looked at Ashlie and she looked at me horrified. Our own birth Mother wanted to be rid of us? Ashlie turned the phone off and took a bag off of the top shelf of my room. “Amelia put all of your clothes in here,” She pointed to the bag that now lay on the queen sized bed,” Mom has done this before.” I looked at her confused.” What?” I asked not quite getting what she meant. “I’ll tell you tonight when we leave.”
Chapter 2

I slept that entire day, and so did Ashlie. We both woke up at the sound of Dad’s car pulling into the drive way around eight o’clock. Three hours after he was supposed to get home. Ashlie sprang up out of bed and hurled her old combat boots at me. “Cram your feet into those, I have another pair.” I was tired of fighting and arguing so I did as I was told. The boots smelled of old dirt and must, but the combat boots and the camouflage clothes were never part of her girly life. With her long wavy red hair and her slim looks she would never had even considered buying these, and actually wearing them. I unfolded the pants and slid into them and put on the leather cutoff gloves. When I was done Ashlie was already standing there all geared up and ready for war.”What in the worl-“She put her hand over my mouth and whispered into my ear, “don’t say a word.”I nodded and she took her hands off my face, she pointed to the door and I looked at the crack below, our Father and Mother was standing there and Ashlie was trying to be quiet. “Honey I think they are asleep, it can wait until morning.” Neither of them said a word and they walked down the hall. Ashlie cracked the door open and looked out into the hallway, “Amelia go down the stairs and open the front door.”I looked at her like she was crazy; she wanted me to go towards the people that wanted to kill us? “Just go Amelia!” I winced at the harshness in her voice, and her expression was softer as she began to slowly explain the war plans.”You need to open the door and run, but quietly. We can’t use the car because Mom has the keys.” I began to tear up.” Ashlie.. I’m scared.” She rolled her eyes and pushed me towards the door.

I remembered the stairs creaked so I lifted my foot up over the first couple of them. And as I did I heard a voice behind me coming out of my kill bill parents’ room. “Sure Ann, I’ll go get the map out of the cabinet.” I gasped for only two reasons, first is that the map he was talking about was missed placed by me, in the washing room when I was cleaning the kitchen that morning. And second because he was coming down the stairs. I picked up my speed and hid across the hall from the landing. My father walked over towards the kitchen cabinet and became frustrated when he discovered the huge scrap of muddy paper was gone. I started to hyperventilate when he started to walk towards the washing room door, but he just shook his head and went upstairs. I scurried out from behind the cracked door and froze a foot away from the entrance to the house, what if we need the map later? The feeling was nagging at my brain and I decided to retrieve the map from the trash can, the paper felt dry and crusty as I shoved it into my combat bag and sprinted out the door slowly closing it behind me.

The tears I had been holding back were spilling out of my eyes like a dam had just been knocked down, the wind was whistling around my ears as I ran full speed down the skinny lane.
“Amelia!” I heard someone whisper.
“Oh!” I gasped as I tripped onto my knees.
“It’s me Amelia, c’mon! We need to get to the train station by ten o’clock!” I looked down at my watch and it was nine fifteen. Ashlie dragged my arm up and before I knew it I was sprinting once again, but this time we were headed towards the forest. The forest was dark and smelled of oak and pine, but the old sappy branches that were growing on the ground kept tripping me. I could see the lights of a car behind us, and it was Ashlie’s sports car! I heard the doors slam and footsteps running just as fast as us.





“Yes!” I heard Ashlie exclaim in excitement. And she stopped to sit down on a branch, “Hey guys, this is my little sister Amelia, Amelia, this is Zachary and Adam.” I took a step back trying to fill the empty cracks in my head, how did the car get to these two boys? The epiphany started to become clearer and clearer as I saw Ashlie stare into the tall lanky boy’s eyes like she was a blind man seeing the sun for the first time. “Hello Amelia." Zachary said. I looked at him without saying anything back, he had long dark brown hair with light blue eyes and he looked about 16 maybe even 15. I blushed when I realized the uncomfortable silence was being led on by me. I looked at my watch trying to look distracted.” Ashlie! Its 9:37!” I exclaimed snapping everyone out of the love guru session. “Oh!” she appalled acting as if she never knew anything was happening. Adam grabbed her hand and started to run towards the sports car, and then Zachary grabbed mine smiling as if he could see straight through me and recognize clumsiness. I grinned back as he started to sprint towards the car with me trailing behind him.