Is this guy nuts? Was the very first thought entering the girls mind. Blinking she shook her head laughing at him. "Oh thanks for the laugh old man. That was really funny. I needed a laugh to get over my pain." She bursted out again.
But the old mans eye's never wavered. Never gave away to amusement. Not once did he laugh, or snicker like it was an inside joke. No. He was dead serious. Very serious.
This is what scared the girl before him the most. He can't be serious. No. He must be a good actor. "P-Please tell me this is a joke. Or that I am crazy. Please. Mr. Fafento." Ashleigh begged fear nipping at the back of her mind.
"This is no laughing matter young one. This dark force is one not to be messed with. This is all true. Every word." He said his eye's narrowing. "You along with seven others are destined to save the world." He said his voice dark with worry and.... Determination?
"No I am just a thirteen year old. I have a whole life. My family is dead. I am not speical in any way!" Ashleigh exclaimed her eyes feining anger. He is just an old man he knows nothing! But still his eyes gave way to no laughter. It was angering Ashleigh beyond belief. "Ashleigh. You must believe me. Just because your family is dead doesn't give you an excuse to act like a brat!" He said now anger in his own eyes.
The two stared at each other. Anger in one shock in the other. "How dare you." She whispered shock and hurt clear on her features. "How dare you!" She said pulling out the IV Cords needled into her. She jumped out of the bed and marched up to Mr. F ignoring the pain in her leg. A part of her brain noticed she was still in her clothes she put on that morning. "You have no excuse to use my families death against me!"
She screamed knowing full well the hospital was to have heard them. It wasn't sound proof. So of course they could be heard. "My family was my world. You are asking for a death wish old man!" Anger seethed her cold voice as she was nose to nose with the man.
He just sat there and drew in a calm breath. "I'm usuing your families death against you? You the one acting like a kid who is rich beyond belief. I have done nothing wrong." He said his voice cold and calm. "Yes you have! You came in here claiming I was one of the chosen from a fairy tale told to kids when they are young! You have no right! I am normal! Average! Not special! Not a chosen one!" By this point tears where streaming out angrily she brushed them away.
The sound of a door slamming open barely caught her attention. She was focused on this accursed man infront of her. Hands grabbed at her arms pulling her away from the man infront of her. She just wanted to rip his throat out. Red covered her vision as she snarled and wrangled around in their grips. "Let me go!" She screamed her voice blood curdling.
The hands held her back as Mr. Fafento was escorted to leave Ashleigh's angry cries following him. She thrashed and seethed anger pushing her on. But she didn't get far. A needle injected into her arm. Looking over she started to feel a sense of calmness waking up inside her.
"You..... Monster..... Lying jerk..." Ashleigh spat as she felt her lids getting heavy and her eyes slowly closed and blackness came over her.
Hours later the young girl awoke to a dark room. She looked around for the man who accused her hora before the room appeared empty with only her in it. Animals called out through the forest warning calls or just random chatters.
Sighing Ashleigh lay her head back down on the soft white pillows that held up her head during sleep. Turning over she face the window watching the stars sparkle and shine as she allowed her mind to drift elsewhere.
Her thoughts returned to her helpless adventure into her burning home to save her family. Her efforts had done nothing but let her save some of her valuable items close to her and her family.
That's when a thought struck her. Where is her bag? Lifting her head up once more Ashleigh looked around the shadowed room for her bag.
She had it before she ran out of the burning house didn't she?
Searching the girl saw no sign of her bag. But she got it. She did! Blinking she slowly got up from her bed careful of her leg.
Wait.... If her leg was hurt then how did she not hurt it yelling at the old man? Looking down she was shocked and scared to see the bandage gone and no wounds revealed. Looking she notice her hand was fine as well.
Shaking her head trying to clear it the young girl continued her search. She looked under the bed. No bag.
Near the door and chairs. Still no bag! Ashleigh turned around hearing a tapping at her window. Slowly she walked over fear gripping her. Blinking she saw her bag neatly next to the window on the sill as if it had been there the whole time.
Slowly Ashleigh reached over to grab the bag but pulled back as it was ice cold. "What in the world?" Ashleigh looked up. How is it cold if the window was closed?
Reaching again she grabbed her Bag trying not to shiver from the cold chill it gave her.
But the girl froze as she heard something getting crushed in her bag. Slowly she walked over to the bed and sat down.
Opening the bag her eye brows knitted together as a piece of paper was among the girls belongings. Reaching in she pulled it out slowly an carefully as if someone would hear her.
Slowly she opened the note and read what it held.
'I will come for you and your animal spirit soon.'
"Animal spirit? What?" Shaking her head Ashleigh looked up to her widow out at the moon. "Mom... Why did you have to die?" She said tears silently slipping from her eyes.
Something moved in the corner of her eye making the girl turn. Her breathe caught in her throat as she looked into the deep forest. Two red eyes. Just like she had seen before. So she hasn't imagine it!
Jumping up she ran to the window. But the eyes disappeared. "What is wrong with my lives!" Ashleigh whispered crawling back into bed and slowly crying herself to sleep.
Two days later Ashleigh was slowly walking for the hospital entrance. The doctors wanted check her wounds the other day but where surprised to find them gone.
Amazed they kept her one more day to make sure they were completely gone. The tests showed they were. Now here Ashleigh was walking out into the half melted place he called home. Spring was already taking affect of the town and it brought a small smile to the young girls face.
She wasn't in the hospital clothes any more. But instead she was wearing long jeans that stopped where her feet began. A short sleeve shirt hat had a design of a heart on the middle.
Her old shoes having burned where replaced with a pair of white Nikes. Her old sweatshirt that was grey and had the words Love Love Rock on it covered her warmly. Looking around the young red headed girl picked her way back to town. Silence gripped the small town as she approached. Where was everybody? She thought ash she made her way to the market place which was almost always full but not a soul was to found. "What's going on here?" But Ashleigh knew she would get an answer soon.
"Why isn't it clear young one? They have all abandoned you." A deep scratchy voice said close behind the girl. Fear crushed her, heart pounding in her chest. Slowly she turned around and came face to face with the red eyes she had seen the past few nights now. The eye's belonged to a tall man who looked to around his mid twenty's. He had black hair that was cut short in an army like way. The mans clothes where black as well. Long pants that where covered by army boots. A thin jacket unzipped to show the black shirt underneath.
He had a twisted smill that you can only imagine dolls have stuck on his face making his eyes crinkle. This man before Ashleigh was like he came right out of a horror movie himself. "Wh-Who are you?" She stuttered trying to calm her shaking body. The man just gave her that twisted smile and responded. "Mark Cantor. Pleasure to meet you." He stuck out a long arm offering a hand.
When Ashleigh was reluctant to take it he pulled back. "It's quite rude to not shake hands you know?" He said with a slight smirk. A shiver ran down Ashleigh's spine. This man was pure darkness. She could tell. "W-Where is everybody? Why are you here?" She said trying to keep calm. If he tried anything she could flee into the woods which was a few feet behind her.
"Well. That's a bit much to ask? But I will answer them any how. This town was never really a town." He stated which caught the girl by surprise. He smiled at her reaction enjoy himself a bit. "What do you mean it was never really a town?" Ashleigh said shock lacing her words. "Well you see, my commander long ago created this town to keep the eight destined to stop from coming after him. He made sure that they where kept out of the secret. But it looks as they have found out. All rather too soon don't you think?" Ashleigh just froze at his words slowly taking a few steps back.
Mark just brushed it off as he continued his explanation. "As for why I am here, well my commander wouldn't like if you and your desitned friends actually stopped him. So... I am here to kill you." Ashleigh's eyes went wide as he said those finally six words. "Kill me?" She repeated shock again gripping her soon repalced by fear. Mark just nodded and as he did he slowly pulled out a long knife.
Its blade was made of a fine silver and it had words carved on it. Ashleigh could barely make it out but it read "To kill innocent blood". The handle was specialized for certain hands. Mainly Marks. That was all Ashleigh saw before she turned in the slowly melting snow and bolted into the half lit forest. Mark's laughter followed her with a loud message. "I will find you and I will kill you."
~~~
After hours of running Ashleigh finnaly came to a stop in an open fields full of herds of deer. The herd slowly grazed over to one distance while Ashleigh made her way to a rock in the middle. The forest stretched around the feild of heather torse grass making it easy to spot any thing living making a move towards Ashleigh.
Catching her breath the young girl lay her backpack down beside's the rock. The smooth flat rock gave warmth to Ashleigh's cold body. The forest had pleanty of snow still in it and tripping in it did not help. Looking around making sure no one could see her Ashleigh let the tears fall. So her friend wheren't really friends after all? They where just spies to watch her and eight others? What about the rest of the town? Did they help murder Ashleighs family? What did all this mean?
Slowly the sun began to droop down over the field casting a beautiful light of pink and orange. Ashleigh looked up at darkening sky and sighed. "Goodnight mother. I love you." She whispered ever so slowly and then curled up in a ball to try and sleep.
~~~
What felt like minutes later Ashleigh felt a hand grab her shoulder. Her thoughts raced in her head thinking it was Mark. Her body going on auto piolet she kicked out feeling a impact and hearing a thump. Slowly opening her eyes Ashleigh gasped to see Damon folded on the group groaning. "Oh Damon! I am sorry I thou-" Ashleigh cut her sentence short. Mark's words rushing back to her. "This town was never really a town." That had her stop cold. Damon was never really her friend. He was working for Mark's commander!
Slowly Ashleigh began to back up fear sparking in her eyes. Damon saw the fear and slowly got up his hands out. "Ashleigh? Are you ok?" He asked wary of his friends clear distress. All she did was shake her head shaking for fear of being caught.
"You aren't my friend. You just work for that Mark guy! You just pretened to be my friend! Like everyone else!" Clear confusion covered the boy infront of Ashleigh's eyes. "What? Mark spoke to you? He said the same thing to me as well!" Damon said loudly. But Ashleigh knew it was just a lie. Everything was a big huge lie. "No. Your just a traitor to me and everyone else!" Ashleigh hissed before turning to bolt.
Thats when she ran straight into the body of another. Could Mark have found her?