Chapter 1

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Here's Chapter 1!


Chapter 1
Eerily, the blue moonlight filtered through the thick, old and odd, wrenched cedar trees, some looking like twisted, contorted figures, casting creepy shadows. Huge, grotesque gashes slashed through the bark, revealing wood stained in red. Struggling stunted, gnarled saplings, around me, knots and holes forming horrifying faces, leering at me.
Branches creaked. A wolf howled. Screeching, an owl swooped a shrill, hair-raising, echoing sound. I screamed! I panicked. I ran and dead leaves crackled and lifeless tree limbs snapped
. I stumbled, as a tree root snatched at my foot. As I got up, I saw it. Inside one of those terrifying gashes, a hand mark printed in red, and the word Rache. Revenge!

     I woke up, panting, beads of sweat mingling with the tears running down my face.  I just stared at the ceiling, not really seeing it, trying to calm my racing heart.

My name is Scarlet Adams, and I’m fourteen years old. I have a secret, two, in fact.
My father knew or found out somebody’s horrible, terrible secret, and because of that, I’m the only one of my family who wasn’t murdered.

After it happened, I found myself alone, in the streets. So, I went to the foster care agency. They took me in and found some distant relatives of mine.  I’m currently living with Aunt Bianca and Uncle Donald, or Aunt Bi and Uncle Don, as they told me to call them.

However, I can tell that me living with them is a strain mostly because of the dream. It plagues me every night, ever since my family disappeared.
I know they were murdered, though.  I can feel it, in my heart.  Also, I could feel it!

People, mostly well-meaning busybodies and muddling police officers, who think they know what happened, said it would be impossible to ‘feel’ what had happened, but none of them have a twin.  My twin sister, Astrid was there.
We share everything; we have a connection that’s almost unnatural.  I think the person in my nightmare was her. That’s why I dream it every night.
There are a couple good things in my life currently. Jesus, obviously. Then my best friend Alyssa, and my friend, Wyatt. Alyssa is always ready to pray with me when I go through this ‘troubling time’. And Wyatt, he always ready to put in his two cents.
“Scarlet! It’s time for school, dear.” Called Aunt Bi.
If only she knew why night after night, I don’t sleep well. It doesn’t help that they’re not Christian.
“Coming!” I called.
Slipping on my clothes, I glanced at the clock, and rushed downstairs.

Since it happened over Christmas break, and the newspaper hadn’t been running, the news of the tragedy hadn’t spread, so I was dreading the questions of why Astrid isn’t with me, why my little brother, Owen, wasn’t starting high school this year.
“Hi!” called Alyssa, trying to be heard over the stampede of teenagers.
When she caught up to me, she took one look at my worried face, and asked,
“What’s wrong?”
“I am so nervous. I just know that I’m gonna be bombarded by hundreds of questions about my family.”
“Yes, you will be.” Assures Alyssa.
“You’re not helping!”
“I know.”
She cracked a smile, and that’s all it took to make me laugh. Lately, she’s the only one who can make me laugh.
After school, “Alyssa, do you want to come with me to go to my house, and look through Mommy and Daddy’s house?” I ask, and I realised I call Dad Daddy. It must be because of what happened. Turning,  I repeat the question for Wyatt’s benefit.
Wyatt had to go home, but he said he could come in half an hour. Alyssa could come right away, though.
After walking through the forest, I stood in front of the door, actually dreading to open it. I said a quick prayer and slid the key into the lock.



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Abigail