Chapter 2 - Chapter 1

        Chapter 1

                " Hurry up, Toren!" called Jessica, her voice ringing loud and clear across the playground.
                " Yeah! You don't want to get soaked, do you?" cried MiRee as a crack of thunder boomed, startling the teenagers.
                Toren was a normal fifteen-year-old girl in a normal world. No fantasy. No excitement. Only life that was so boring sometimes that it drove you into a massivly crazed state of mind. That's why she hated life most of the time. "Why can't I live in a fairytale?" she used to ask herself," Why can't I live the adventure?"
                " Toren!" called Jessica again. A light sprinkle came flowing down from the dim, gray sky as thunder anounced the storms arrival. Toren hurried over to where MiRee and Jessica huddled under a dogwood tree. "We gotta hurry home before it starts pouring."
                "Yeah," whispered Toren, brushing her dark brown hair from in front of her eyes.
                The three girls ran from under the green tree towards the thin dirt path that lead to their small culdasac. The dirt had turned to brown, leaf-infested mud though, so they had to run along the grassline so as not to get their feet muddy.
                Rain streaked down the girls cheeks as they ran, huffing, down the pathline.
                "Hurry," gasped MiRee pulling a tree limb out of the girls way.
                " We know!!" cried Toren, helping Jessica over a decomposing log.
                The girls ran for about an hour, over logs and hills, through thorn bushes and tall ferns, down past overflowing creaks and twisted trees until they had to stop and rest. They climbed up some browning vines and into a small niche under an overhanging rock.
                " We are in so much trouble," chattered the freezing Jessica.
                " I know," sighed Toren, leaning back against the side of a small boulder," My mom's gonna scream."

                *                                                       *                                                       *

                "Toren!!" cried the girl's mother," Your soaking wet! Look at you, leaves in your hair, mud on your shirt, grass-stains on your brand-new jeans! What am I going to do with you?!"
                "I'm sorry," mummbled Toren, shifting her position, " I got home as fast as I could."
                "Well you should have gotten home faster! Now go wash up. We're having steak tonight and it's going to be ready soon, so hurry."
                Toren ran up to her room above the garage and grabbed some clothes and took off for the shower. Stripping her muddy shoes and soaked-through jeans, she climbed into the hot shower. Steamy liquid ran down her face and arms, rincing them of the forest debris. Porceline skin showed from under the dirt and brown hair cleansed itself in the water. Toren quickly finished her shower. Stepping out of the tub, she heard a crash from outside the door. Startled, she almost dashed out the door to find out what the problem was, but then remembered how Conner, her little brother, was jumping around beforehand and just brushed it off as him having fell on his face.
                " Haha!" chuckled Toren, pulling on her clothes," Serves him right."
                But..., thought Toren, combing out her hair, Why couldn't it have been something magical, like a unicorn bursting through the back door into the living room, or a giant walking back to his beanstalk, his footsteps like the thunder from the storm.
                " Ugh! I live the most boring of life ever!!"
                Swiftly wiping the steamed mirror so that she see her normal dull, blue eyes, Toren stepped out into the hall. She heard no clanging of pots or pans or any signal that dinner was being prepared. She didn't hear Dad's nascar race going on the television or Conner playing.
                Where is all the noise? wondered Toren, Oh! Didn't Mom mention that we'd be having grilled steak tonight? That means they're probably out on the deck...
                Laughing at her own foolish worries, Toren raced back up to her room. " I'll play Mom her favorite song on the piano so she'll forgive me and hopefully cool down." The song 'Greensleeves' resonated through the house, loud and clear. But, no mother came tromping up the stairs to listen to the aria, nothing came at all.
                Where is everyone? Surely they can here it outside, can't they?
                Toren turned up the music as loud as it would go and played the song three times over. Still, no one came.
                " Gosh darnnitt!!" cried the infuriated teen," Where is everyone?!"
                Annoyed, Toren stomped down the stairs into her parent's bedroom. Her parent's weren't there. She turned down the hallway and entered her brother's toy-covered room and then went onto the guest bedroom. Still no sign of her family.
                " Okay, now I'm freaked out," said Toren to her cat, Speckle, who lay basking in the evening sun. She called again and again for someone, anyone, but no one answered. Clenching her fists in intense excitment, Toren waltzed into the living room. And there, laying on the couch in a heap, was her mother badly bruised and cut. On the floor lay Conner.
                Bewildered, Toren ran to the phone and tried to dial '911', but her clumsy fingers fumbled with the buttons and dialed the wrong number. Trembling, she tried again, but did not suceed. Toren was numb with shock. Who would trapse into a house, beat-up its residents, and leave without taking anything. She finally dialed the correct number and held the phone up to her ear when something emerged from the shadows of the entertainment center.
                " I wouldn't do that if I were you," thundered a deep, dark voice. Turning to look at the figurine, Toren saw a abnormally tall man, his body totally built of muscle. Long blonde hair with burgandy-red streaks cascaded down his shoulders like waterfalls to stop at his lower back. The man wore a strange looking chestplate with ivory carvings intricately designed to make small balls of flame over a linen shirt and rough cotton-like pants. "What are you looking at?" asked the man, staring straight into Toren's eyes with his blood-red ones.
                Toren felt like she was going to be sick. Her head pounded and her body swayed in place. The man immediatly stepped forward, his leather boots soundless on the plush carpet, and grabbed Toren's arm and held her fast.
                " What is your name, girl?" boomed the seemingly unearthly voice.
                " T-Toren," whispered the frightened girl, startling herself. I think I'm going to faint.
                " Toren...Toren," uttered the man, testing out the name," It's a lovely name." He smiled at Toren and winked.
                Taking this small chance, Toren kicked the man hard and mercilessly in his shin. He let out the most blood-curdling wail and let go of his hold on Toren. Swiftly, the girl dropped the phone and raced out the back door behind her. She hurdled down the steps of the wooden deck and across the green yard, toward the forest path.
                I'm almost there! cried Toren's mind, I'm almost to the path.
                " Ahh!" yelped the girl falling, to her knees after tripping on some large object. But Toren's adrenaline and concience would not let her give up. She quickly got to her feet and began running again. She glanced back to see what she had tripped on. " Oh my gosh!!" screamed Toren, turning back and running to her unconsious father lying in the grass.
                " Dad!dad!" she cried, hot tears running down her cheeks.
                " Dad!dad!" mocked the mysterious man walking out of the house," Daddy's not gonna help you now!!"
                Toren turned and ran down the path into the trees. " Great idea!" he called," I love a good chase!"
                Leaves crunched under Toren's feet as she ran and branches swung to scrath her cheeks. Sweat poured down her temples and back just like the shivers caused by the evening air that were now consuming her. Toren was going as fast as she possibly could and even more. She took a chance and glanced behind her. She couldn't see the man, but could hear his frightening laughter. Thunder boomed in the distance along with the crackle of lightening. The clouds overhead had turned a dark gray and reflected no light in the setting sun.
                Toren's breath now came in labored heaves and her legs were slowing. Every second she got more tired. Every time her foot fell, her legs got heavier. Her eyes closed half-way, droopy with exaustion, but the adrenaline pumping inside her kept her worn out legs going.
                A small clearing lay ahead, actually more of a dust patch. Toren was now so worn, that she had to bend over and lean on her knees her knees to be able to breathe at least partly correct. The teenagerlooked up to check her surroundings, because she wasn't that familiar with the forest paths. For all she knew, she could have turned down a strange path in her hurry to get away from the scary man chasing her. Trees surrounded her on all sides except one, where a fork lay. One led down a hill onto a vastly log-covered dirt path tha looked like it hadn't been used in years, while the other path led straight out onto a well-worn path.
                Which one? Toren thought, Which one should I follow.
                Toren knew that the second path was the wiser choice, but in all of the scary books and movies she had read and seen, the dark, sinister like path was usually the right one to go down.
                I'll go down the first path, she thought, To trick the man. He'd expect me to go down the clear path and go that way while I got away on the evil looking path. Oh why did I have to get the messed up adventure in life?!
                Toren quickly collected herself and headed towards the first path, but before she could even take one step toward the path and safety, a twig snapped behind her. Oh no! It's all over!
                The frightened girl turned around slowly to see what was behind her, but nothing was there. Confused, Toren turned to go, when another stick snapped not two feet away from her, but nothing was there either. Suddenly, twigs were snapping all around her. Right in front of her and yet there was nothing to make them snap. Scared out of her witts, Toren screammed.
                " What are you hollerin' about?"
                Toren froze. The strange man from before was standing right behind her. Spinning around, Toren looked straight into the blood-red eyes of her stalker. Stunned, she couldn't move. Her heartbeat fluttered and quickened inside her chest.
                " You're a strange one," chuckled the man, picking Toren up by her upper arms. Toren tried kicking, but the man held her clear of his legs." Sorry," was all he said as he placed his coarse hand over Toren's mouth, a cloth drenched in a sleeping draught cupped in his palm. She only had to inhale one time before she slipped into the darkness of unconciousness.

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