Run. Just Run.

Chapter 1

Bang!

James jumps up, startled, taking a second to realize that it was just a metal bucket that he'd knocked over while sitting on his front porch.

"James? Are you okay?" His mothers voice floats out from the kitchen window.

"Yeah I'm fine, mom! Just knocked something over!" James calls back.

Let me take a moment to introduce you to James. James was born 16 years ago to Paul and Susan Browning, who have since raised him living far out in the mountains of western North Carolina. His parents have tried their best to raise him as a respectful, honorable young man. James has grown up doing odd jobs around the house, and now he works off and on at some of the farms in the area, and sometimes in the winter at the local ski resorts. James is of average build, and has light brown hair and brownish eyes.

James looks up from sharpening his pocket knife and sees someone walking up the hill toward his family house. As the figure gets nearer, he can tell that it's not an adult, probably 15 or 16, then he sees the sun glint off long golden hair and an image rushes to his mind. Blonde hair. Bright blue eyes. A nose that's covered in freckles.

"Hey Ashley!" James calls out down the hill. "Come on up! My mom just made some lemonade!"

Ashley Jackson lives down the hill from the Brownings. She actually lives in a house with her Aunt Margaret. Her parents used to always be away on business trips, Geneva, Toronto, Melbourne, you name it. So, thinking it would be for the best,  her parents sent her to live with Aunt Margaret, and Ashley didn't mind, as she likes the mountains better than cities anyways. But then suddenly, about a year ago, a certain small-engine plane crashed and burned while flying over the Rocky Mountains. Mr and Mrs Jackson were on that plane. Investigators said it was engine failure of some sort. So since then, the Brownings have become like second parents to her.

"So how is your aunt doing?" Mrs Browning asks as she pours a cup of lemonade and sets it on the table.

"She's fine, Mrs Browning, tells me to send her regards, whatever that means. Thanks for the lemonade." And without taking another breath she turns to James. " Oh James! I found this beautiful place, it's absolutely breathtaking! It's a place where the water runs down the hillside, and the sunlight sparkles off of it, and there's flowers growing around it and it's absolutely perfect! I have to show you!"

"Okay, okay. I'll come see it with you. Just calm down." James says laughingly. "But the sun's going down already. Tomorrow. Show me tomorrow."

Ashely then quickly stands up, says she has to get home before it gets dark and walks out the front door. Before she shuts the door, she glances over her shoulder.

"Tomorrow then? You'll go?" She asks with a smile. "Promise?"

James nods back to her and she turns around and shuts the door. James walks over to the window and watches her as she walks back down the hill.

As James crawls into bed that night he thinks of the promise he made to Ashley. "Ugh." He mumbles to himself. "Why can't she just use words like amazing or wonderful or mysterious? Why does everything always have to be so perfect and pretty and dreamy? I guess that's just the way girls are." James says to himself as he pulls his blankets over him.

James suddenly opens his eyes. As his mind clears, he realizes it's not morning, but still the middle of the night. What had waken him up at a time like this? He searches his mind for a memory of what had woken him up.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

That's what it was! Tapping! James realizes the tapping is coming from his window. Outside his window! Now who on earth could be tapping on his window in the middle of the night?