Secrets of Adeline (Book 2)

Chapter 1: Sleep

     I rolled over onto a bed of leaves. Regaining consciousness, I clumsily batted my eyes. I wore a loose t shirt, short pajama shorts, and bare feet. My brown hair contained bits of leaves and twigs. Where am I?

    Squinting into the sun, I realized where I was. I was in the woods. Tall trees surrounded me from every direction. How did I get here? Confused, I looked in every direction. "Hello?" I called out. Not knowing where to go, I decided to snake to my left.

    I entered a clearing. The grass soft beneath my feet, I twiddled my toes. My lungs filled with the fresh scent of peaceful meadow air. I hopped gracefully through the grass, almost forgetting I was lost. Light pastel flowers began to bloom. Birds chirps echoing in my ears.

    I now lay in the center of the vacant beautiful field, staring into the eyes of the fiery sun. Eventually little splotches clouded my vision, convincing me to look away from the orange vastness.

    Grey clouds took me by surprise, swallowing the sun whole as the clearing darkened. Thunder echoed in the distance. Gulping, I quickly regained my balance. Then out of the corner of my eye, lightning struck the grass, scorching the thin green blades. I jumped sideways in awe. A scream escaped my raspy throat. I was instinctively jerked backwards as another Lightning strike hit right in front of me, causing me to fall backwards and crash onto my spine. Heavy drops of rain suddenly descended, slapping at my bare skin. I breathed quickly, panicking uncontrollably. Again, a lightning strike caused me to dive sideways. They were coming from all directions now, surrounding me with no place to go. Flashes and bangs made my heart thump louder in my chest.

    Paris and Kat calmly stepped from behind a grove of trees, both wearing soft dresses. Their elegant strides made them draw closer, stopping just outside of the circle of lightning. Blades of grass began producing smoke. I coughed and wheezed, tears burning down my cheeks. "Go get help!" I choked at every word, my lips quivering. My hair was now drenched, my baggy shirt sticking to my skin. Pine needles poked at the palms of my feet, wincing with every step. Kat just smiled a wicked smile, Paris doing the same. "What are you doing? Run!" I screamed between breaths. More rain slapped at my arms, face and legs.

    Now Cody appeared with a wild spark in his eyes, carefully making his way next to Kat. Then came Todd and Ian, both laughing like wild hyenas. Jessica and Malory wearing grimaces also entered the clearing, followed by Beatrice and Jake. The thunder grew louder. "Don't be scared." Beatrice cackled. "It'll all be over soon." Jessica smiled evilly. I stepped back slowly, nearly walking into yet another flash of lightning. Spinning on my heels, I prepared to run. My eyes met with Todd, Jordan, Jasper and Alaina, all smiling wickedly. "What are you guys doing?" I ran my fingers through my hair with confusion. The lighting only intensified their facial features, bringing out the crazy sparks in their eyes more than ever. The rain fell harder, pelting me like mini bullets. I stumbled back, only to bump into a figure. Turning around, it was Jake. "Hi, Adeline. I love you." He sneered playfully. Falling back into the grass, I clumsily scrambled away from him. Now surrounding me was all of my friends, both from California and Wyoming. I shut my eyes, rocking back and forth. "Make it stop!" I screamed, my voice shaking.

     Jake stepped closer. "Don't come near me!" I coughed. All of the air seemed to escape my lungs as he crouched down next to me, his fingers tracing my cheeks. I winced with every swift movement of his hand. "Do you not believe me?" He whimpered. Without any of my control, my foot lashed out, striking him in the chest. It knocked him onto his back. "I said don't come near me!" My throat seemed to burn with every word. Pure adrenalin took over. He chuckled with ferocity.

    Pushing myself to my feet, I turned to a gap between the shrinking circle of familiar figures. Quickly, I sprinted to the trees, more thunder piercing my ears. I gasped with every step, pushing myself further and further into the woods. Thorns, bushes and branches slapped at my skin, tearing it effortlessly. Marks of blood traced my bare skin. My muscles now burning, I began running uphill, snaking between what felt like millions of trees. Clouds grew darker, causing me to squint into the enclosing fog. Rocks and leaves crunched under my damp feet, I was now running faster. I sped through the woods until eventually I reached the top of the hill. Jumping over falling branches, I began to descend it from the other side.

    My foot caught something, what felt like a log or stump. I fell flat on my chest, the wind being knocked out of me. I winced in pain as I realized my ankle was twisted. Crying out, I pushed myself behind a tree. I heard footsteps in the distance between every crack of thunder. Peering from behind the tree, my eyes met with another pair. Jake again. "You didn't think you could just walk away, did you?" He smiled, reaching for me. His hands covered my vision, everything went black. I kicked and thrashed and screamed. "Adeline! There you are!" I heard more of my friends voices bellow. "Adeline" they hummed.

    My eyes shot open. I sat up straight in bed, breathing heavily. Wiping sweat from my head, I glanced at the alarm clock. 4:30 in the morning. It was just a dream, I reminded myself. It was just another one of my now recent recurring night terrors. It isn't real. Slowing my breathes, I sighed with relief. Rubbing my under eye circles, I reached for the glass of water that sat on my nightstand. Gulping down every last drop, I crashed back onto my pillow. After staring at the ceiling fan, counting as it spun round and round, eventually I drifted into the nothingness we call sleep.