2 Chapter 1: Almost

The sun was glaring down onto her eyelids. Cloe forced herself to sit up.

Looking around in bewilderment as she completely forgot where she was.

Then she remembered.

She had found a clearing in the woods where she could still see the road.

Rubbing her neck as she felt sore from sleeping on the cold ground.

She checked her bag. It still had everything in it. Then it caught her attention. She had red bite marks on the length of both her arms.

"At least I didn't get robbed," she thought out loud chuckling to herself.

She got up, grabbing her pack. Having no idea where she was going she headed back to the road.

"I guess I'll follow this road and see where it leads..." she decided.

"Then again I could be walking for ages and not find anything" she sighed.

The night before she had run through the forest that was on the south side of their property.

She didn't want them tracking her on the lone road that leads from their property, so being reckless she had chosen the forest and in a stroke of luck, she had found a road.

Just when she was just about to give up from being hopelessly lost and tired, she had spotted the road and decided to camp near it.

She welcomed the warmth of the morning sun against her skin as it contrasted the moist forest air and the cold dewdrops on the leaves that brushed off on her as she walked along the road. This reminded her of the time when they had all gone camping one summer.

Things were so blissful back then when her father still had that glint in his eyes when he looked at "His girls". He would grab her tossing her into the air smiling up at her and he would twirl her mom until she was dizzy with laughter.

But after she died they never went camping anymore.

Cloe stopped looking down at her mud-spattered shoes. She felt the tears stinging her eyes but she refused to cry. She had never allowed herself to cry.

"Crying solves nothing" was what she had told herself when she got tired of her eyes looking like walnuts all the time.

She sighed "I'm 19...It's about time I left anyway. But he'll surely be looking for his runaway product... Because that's all I am to him."

I hope whomever 'bought' me rots in hell" she mused stepping out into the road, as she had noticed an abandoned campfire surrounded by tents in woods on the other side of the road. She began to cross the road to take a closer look. "Are they searching for me already?" the silence was broken by the screeching of car tires that ran out not far from where Cloe was standing turned just in time to see a red car speeding towards her.

Then there was nothing.

********

Light reflected off the dewdrops on the grass.

The air was crisp and her lungs welcomed it.

Laughter rang out across the field.

The pure musical laugh that she would remember anywhere.

She turned to see her mom blowing a dandelion toward her with the widest smile on her face.

Radiating happiness as the light cool morning breeze ruffled her yellow sundress.

Cloe ran toward her mom who greeted her with open arms.

She squeezed her inhaling her familiar scent of lavender and grass.

Light reflected off something in the distance.

Cloe followed it to see a man and a woman standing in the shadow of the trees at the edge of the field.

They were dazzling in silver but she couldn't see their faces.

She pulled out of her mother's hug.

Pointing she asked, "Who are those people?"

Her mom gestured for her to go to them.

"It's ok sweetie... Go with them" her mother whispered reassuringly.

*********

Cloe could tell where she was before her eyes opened. There was that weird smell that all hospitals had for some reason.

It violated her nostrils.

Her eyelids felt like they were glued shut.

Forcing them apart she squinted, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the room's brightness.

The weird dream was fresh in her mind.

She remembered the field, and the day her mom brought her there when she was six.

It was one of her favorite memories with her mom.

But she did not remember the people in silver.

She felt like her mom was trying to tell her something.

Then she spotted him.

He was standing at the window, his back turned toward her. "Excuse me..." she called out to him, her voice hoarse from the dryness of her throat.

The stranger turned.

She felt instant regret wishing she had just pretended to be asleep.

The stranger's presence was overwhelming.

He was dressed in all black.

"Who the heck are you?!" she blurted out.