So you thought the worst was over ch 1

Amara wakes up gasping for air and tries to think strait. “Why do I keep having this dream? It’s always the same, the girl dying everything revolving around death, the sadness.” Amara reaches for her glass of water on her nightstand. She stops though thinking of the girl. This was the fourth time this week she had awoken in the middle of the night after the same dream.



Closing her eyes Amara tried to forget the dream, but she couldn’t. It was 3:00 am now. Still too early to get up, so Amara pulls her blanket up to her chin and tries to sleep. She knows however that sleep won’t come. As soon as she’s awake Amara can’t go back to sleep. For awhile she tosses and turns in her bed trying to get comfortable but finally gives up. “I might as well get up now I guess.” Amara throws back the cover and jumps out of bed.



“Burr, why is it always so cold in the morning.” Amara grumbles as she goes to her closet to get her clothes for the day. She pulls out a pair of old jeans and a comfortable t-shirt and puts them on. As she pulls up her pants something falls out of the pocket.



“Huh, what’s that?” Amara asks herself as she bends down to pick up the thing that had fallen. She picks it up and turns it over. It was a photo of a girl not too much younger than herself. Well maybe about four years difference. The girl was outside, waving to someone in the distance and holding a black book.



“Amara is that you? Are you awake?” whispered her mom through the closed door. Amara looks up from the picture and walks to her door and opens it.



“Uh, yeah I’m up why?” Amara asks as she opens the door wider. Her mother was crying. “Mom are you OK, what happened?”



“Yes I’m fine but your father and I just had a bad fight.” Her mother collapses on the floor crying. “I don’t know what I did wrong Amara, I really don’t know. He just started screaming at me while we were getting ready for bed.” She continued to sob; Amara sat down next to her mom and tried to console her.



“It’s OK mom, I’m sure that you didn’t do anything wrong maybe dad just had a bad day or something and it was just too much pressure on him.” Amara wiped her mom’s tears.



“Uh, yes maybe that’s it; he just had a bad day. That’s all just a bad stressful day.” Her mother got up then and tried to fix her messy hair. She wiped her eyes. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to upset you honey why don’t you get some more sleep.” Her mother said softly as if she were afraid that someone would hear her and yell.



“That’s OK mom just try and relax alright.” Amara said going back into her room and shutting the door behind her.



Four hours have passed now and Amara goes to stand out and wait for the bus. As she waits she hears her dad yelling from inside. “What, there still fighting! Why?” Amara considers running inside to check on the situation but just as she’s about to leave her bus comes around the corner.



“Crap!” Amara says still in-between going into the house or getting on the bus. The bus stops in front of her, now she has no choice but to get on the bus. Amara gets on the bus and goes to the back seat. She watches as her house becomes a small dot in the distance.



“I hope they won’t fight much longer.” Amara says to herself. She had not looking forward to the day ahead of her even before her parents had started fighting but now, she really wasn’t looking forward to it. Her parent’s fights had never been really bad but from the way her father had been acting lately she was a little worried.



“Uh, hi can I sit with you?” asked a boy. He looked nervous; he must have been the boy the whole school had been talking about. He was tall, correction really tall. He also had green eyes and brown hair that came past his ears. “Can I sit with you?” he asked again.



Amara realized she must have been paused for an awhile. “Oh sorry yeah, you can sit with me.” Amara says as she moves over so he can sit down.



“Thanks.” He says and sits down on the edge of the seat.



“You know I don’t bite you can sit closer.” Amara say sort of looking offended. I mean who does that? She thinks to herself who asks to sit with you and then sits as far away as possible in a seat that’s only three feet long.



“Sorry.” He says and pushes a in a little further. Another kid gets on and Amara yanks the boy further into the seat so that he doesn’t get stepped on or crushed it could go either way. “Ah, what the…” The boy looks and sees why Amara had yanked him in. His face evidently changes from shocked to a thankful expression.

“See told you I don’t Bite.” Amara looks at him then looks out the window.

Amara’s day went pretty much the same as it always did, math, science, social studies, Spanish etc. She always got bored during Spanish but today it was different because the class got to work with partners on a project that drove Amara nuts. You had to label everything in Spanish and that always took a long time because there were only so many dictionaries in the room. Another thing that was different was the fact that they had a new student. It was the boy from Amara’s bus.

The teacher made a gesture for the new boy to come up to the front of the class. “Class now listen we have a new student today so I want you all to make him feel welcome.” The teacher then repeated her self in Spanish and everyone sighed.

“Uh Senorita Cara can we go around the room and tell him our names?” Nancy asked. Amara slammed her head down on her desk of course Nancy would think of that. The whole class mumbled their dislike of Nancy’s idea. See if this were not Spanish class everyone one would have been more than willing to tell the new boy their names but Senorita Cara would no doubt make us tell something we liked to do and then say our names in Spanish.

“Oh, Nancy that’s such great idea!” Senorita Cara exclaimed. “But I want you all to say your names in Spanish and.”

“Yes, we know Miss Cara can we start already?” Asked Alex who looked annoyed and wanted to get back to his project.

“Si you can.” Miss Cara said. “OK so who wants to start?” Miss Cara started to look around the room for volunteers. Nancy’s hand shoots up but Miss Cara either ignored it or she didn’t see her hand. Amara sank down in her seat hoping that Miss Cara wouldn’t see her. No such luck. Their eyes locked, it was all over now. Now Amara would have to start.

“Amara Why don’t you start?” Miss Cara asks although it’s not a question it’s an order.

Amara stands up. “Hola, me llamo Amara Drennan. Me gusta mi gato Mina y mi perro Loca. Amara sits back in her chair and watches as the rest of the class tells the boy there name and something they like.

Finally everyone is done and now it’s the boys turn to tell everyone his name. “Uh, my name is. “He stops and corrects himself “Me llamo Justin y me gusta tu leer.”

The rest of the class goes back to what they were doing before and Amara is about to continue her own project when Miss Cara asks her to get up and come up to the front to talk with her.

“Would you please work with Justin for this project, there are no more people I can pair him with and you’re the only one with out a partner.”

“Yeh I can work with him.” Amara says because she knows that once again she has no choice in the matter. Besides that he didn’t seem so bad. “Come on I’ll show you what we have to do.” Amara says and walks back to her desk.

“Why did she make such a big deal out of me being here?” Justin asks.

“Don’t worry that’s just what she does, it’s her way of scaring new people away.” Justin looks at the teacher and makes a weird face. Amara can’t help but to laugh.

“Wow only the first day and you don’t like the Spanish teacher amazing usually it takes longer than that.” Amara says still laughing. “So how’s your first day going so far with the exception of this class?”

“It’s been OK; most of the people have been either really nice to me or really mean. I’m glad I have lunch next period. I might be able to escape the people and read for awhile.”

“You have lunch next period cool so do I do you want to sit with me? I don’t have anyone else sitting with me so it would still be quiet enough for you to read.”

“Sure I’ll sit with you besides that I need someone to show me where the cafeteria is.” Justin smiles at Amara. Amara decided that once she started talking with him a little more he was actually really funny and interesting.

“You’re not going to sit as far as humanly possible away from me at lunch right?” Amara asks jokingly. Justin turned a bright red and started to laugh probably realizing how funny it was to ask someone to sit down and then only take three inches of the seat.

Amara spent the rest of her day with Justin they talked and laughed and by the end of the day they had become good friends. Amara had forgotten all about her mom and dads fight and the strange photo that she had found. “Finally we get to go home!” Justin says happily he takes Amara hand and runs towards the exit of the school. When they both get on the bus they sit in the back seat.

Justin was still holding Amara’s hand. “Can I have my hand back please?” Amara asks.

“No.” Justin says and sits closer to Amara. Amara looks at Justin to see if he was joking but his face was serious.

“Uh, why are you still holding my hand? Can I have it back? Please!” Amara starts laughing because of the weird predicament she was in. She tries to tug her hand free but Justin holds it even more tightly and pulls Amara closer to him.”Come on Justin I need my hand back.” Amara says laughing harder now because she knows Justin was just playing. “Justin! I need my hand back. I can’t get off the bus until you give it back.”

Justin gives an evil smile.”Oh but I was planning on bring you home with me. I wonder how my mom would react to that. Hmm maybe I better not.” Justin lets go of Amara’s hand.

“Thank you.” Amara says still sitting very close to Justin. They were both laughing now. The bus ride was always really long almost an hour long and usually that bored Amara but now she had someone to sit with so the ride seemed shorter and she was almost sad to see her house come into view.

Justin put his arms around her before she got off the bus and hugged her. She hugged him back. She felt something then something in her heart and when she looked him in the eyes she knew that he felt it too. She knew from that moment on they would always be more than just friends, even though they had not said anything to each other about it. Amara thought while she was getting off the buss how strange it was that she had just met Justin and yet she had more of a connection with him than anyone she had ever known.

When Amara went into her house she was only greeted by her cat. “Huh where are mom and dad?” There was no note or anything and her parents hadn’t mentioned leaving for tonight. Amara started to get worried neither of her parents would leave with out leaving a not or saying something. She opened her mom and dads bedroom door and looked in to see if they were just taking a nap. At first everything in the room seemed normal but as Amara walked further into the room she saw blood. The mirror that hung over there dresser was broken. A big piece of glass was missing from the mirror. Amara walked further into the room but her parents weren’t there.

“Mom!” Amara screamed “Dad!” Amara started to cry what if her parents had been killed. What if someone had taken her parents away? What should she do? Amara sank to the floor crying. That was when she saw the glint of metal out of the corner of her eye. Amara jumped up and ran out of her parent’s room. She had just narrowly escaped the knife that came slashing out at her. She could hear the person running after her. Amara ran for the front door flung it open and bolted through it. Amara didn’t know where she was going to go but she had to get out of there.

Amara ran as far as she could before she stopped the person that had been following her had stopped. She still felt uneasy though like someone was still coming for her but there was no one. “Hey Amara!” someone said from behind her. Amara turned quickly and hit the person hard. They fell down to the ground and yelped in pain. It was then that Amara realized that she had just punched Justin in the face.

“Oh my god Justin I’m so sorry.” Amara said tears still running down her cheeks. Amara bent down to try and help Justin up but instead she ended up lying on top of him and crying more. He didn’t say anything but put his arms around her and sat up a little more. He moved one of his hands to her head and kept the other on her back and pulled her closer to him.

“What happened?” Justin asked Amara didn’t answer though she just kept crying. Amara could not think strait at all and whenever she tried to all she could see was blood.”Amara, what happened” Still she couldn’t answer and couldn’t or stop crying. Finally Justin gave up and picked Amara up. Amara at this point had become hysterical. Justin started to walk in the direction of his house.

“Justin oh my, what happened to the girl?” Justin’s mom Clair asked. Clair got a wet towel and started to wipe Amara face with it. Justin walked over to where the couch was and gently placed Amara on it. Amara had fallen asleep already but she looked really pale and she had a fever. Clair finished wiping Amara’s face and went to get some medicine for her fever.

After settling Amara in and dealing with her fever Clair went into the kitchen. “Ok so what happened?” She asked as Justin walked into the kitchen. Justin paused and pulled a chair out from the table. He sat down and shook his head.

“I don’t know to tell you the truth. I had just gone outside for a walk and I saw Amara running up the road. At first I thought she was just practicing for track but then I saw her worried expression. I decided to see what was wrong and went to talk to her but she punched me, and then realized who I was and started to cry. After she started crying she wouldn’t stop long enough to tell me what was wrong. So I don’t have any idea what happened. Justin looked tired and worried. So Clair thought it would be best to leave the subject alone for now.

“OK, well I’m going to make dinner now. Doe’s your friend like lasagna?” Clair asked getting the things she needed to make the meal out.

“I’m not really sure, but she probably does.” Justin said getting up from the table and heading back out to the living room to check on Amara. Amara was still sleeping although she still looked upset and sad. Justin sat down next to Amara and took her hand in his. She felt cold now, almost as cold as death. Justin yelled at himself for thinking that. She wasn’t dead and she wasn’t that cold. Where did that strange and morbid thought come from anyway? Amara mumbled something in her sleep but Justin couldn’t make out what it was.

“Murder.” Amara whispered “Murder, someone there looking for me trying to find me so they can hurt me just like they did with the girl. Yes just like the girl, dead.”

Justin heard what Amara said and was deeply disturbed. What the hell was she dreaming about? Whatever it was, it wasn’t good. Amara’s grip on Justin’s hand tightened. “Don’t leave me here alone, I’m scared Justin.” Amara whispered.

“It’s Ok Amara I’m here.”

“Good.”

Amara didn’t understand where she was. It seemed like it was a dream a very bad dream. But this dream wasn’t like the ones she had, had before this one was Hell. No, not figuratively but literally. She was standing on a ledge over looking a town filled with nothing but demons and ghouls. They were tearing at peoples flesh and laughing as they screamed in pain.

“You my friend are in the wrong spot and you are here definitely at the wrong time.” A man said in a serous voice.

Amara turned around quickly and saw a man dressed in entirely black. He had long black hair that was pulled up into a messy ponytail and his eyes were also black. It looked like someone had dilated his eyes. “Uh, well thanks for stating the obvious I know that I’m not supposed to be here and I also know this is a horrible time to come. I mean the.” Amara looks down at the scene below and then continues. “Things down there are tearing apart people and laughing as there victims scream.”

The man now looked slightly amused. Most likely because Amara was now saying that there was no way that here day could get any worse and that she had no idea how she ended up in Hell but when and if she got out she would be a saint just so she would never have to come back.

“You done yet?” the man asked bending down slightly to pick up something that had come out of Amara’s pocket. Amara stopped talking just then and tried to snatch back the photo. The man held it above his head and looked at the picture closely. “What’s your name?”

“My name is Amara Drennan. Why do you want to know?”

“Hm, oh just because, well because I can that’s why. Here you can take this back.” The man handed the picture back to Amara. The man was really strange Amara wondered if he was dead or maybe a demon or a dark angel.

“Uh, excuse me.” Amara said hoping he wouldn’t all of a sudden behead her for asking a question. “But what are you?” The man smiled and laughed.

“What am I? Well I’m pretty sure but the last time I checked I was a vampire and before for you ask my name is Jeremy. Jeremy took Amara by the arm and started to drag her down into the horrible town. The ghouls tried to grab at Amara as they walked by but Jeremy gave them a look that sent them all scattering. Well that and he pointed a gun in their faces and threatened their pitiful lives. Amara had thought they were already dead, but she wasn’t about to question the person that was keeping her alive.

So you’re trying to figure out who the girl is in the photo right?” Jeremy asked still pulling Amara along through the broken roads and glass from the houses.

“Yes, I was but I didn’t know where to start.” Amara said as she jumped over a dead body in the road. Everything seemed to either dead, dying or suffering. Jeremy was quite for awhile but kept pulling Amara along. A person that had one arm completely missing came toward Amara and grabbed onto her with its other arm. It was saying something but Amara couldn’t understand it and when she tried to lean closer to hear what it was saying Jeremy whipped Amara around so that she was behind him and shot the man. The man staggered back and fell to the ground his eyes rolled back into his head and he didn’t move.

Jeremy turned back to Amara. Amara took a step back from Jeremy her eyes were dark now. “Why did you kill him he just wanted help!” Amara yelled angry with Jeremy. How could he just kill that poor person? What did the man do to deserve such a cold death? One of his arms was missing but still it wasn’t like that was fatal. That could have been fixed.

“Amara he was going to die anyway. All I did was put him out of his misery. Now come on we have to get moving.” Jeremy reached for Amara’s arm again but she jumped out of his reach. “Amara we have to get moving you can’t stay here any longer you need to get back to your world and before you can go back I have to show you something that’s going to help you later on. Now come on.”

“No! I want to know where were going and why.”

“Listen kid if you keep standing here and don’t get moving the ghouls are going to come and tear you apart. So if you don’t mind could we get moving?” Jeremy looked like he was going to lose his patience pretty soon.

“No, I refuse to move until I know what’s going on and as for the ghouls coming and tearing me apart well let them try I do not intend to die today. Not after everything that’s happened. Jeremy started to twitch slightly and when he spoke his face was locked into a forced calm face.

“I don’t have the time for this so, MOVE NOW!” Jeremy said through gritted teeth. He was really mad now. But Amara decided things couldn’t possibly get worse so she did probably what a four year old would do if the wanted to be stubborn and sat on the ground. Jeremy’s face got red and Amara thought he would soon explode in rage.

“I told you as soon as you tell what’s going on I will move.”

“Fine I’m taking you to see the girl from the photo she has something to give you. She told me that if I ever saw you that I was to bring you to her. I have no idea why but she wants to see you. Then I’m sending you back to your own world before you get stuck here forever and I’m sure that I would go completely insane with you here all of the time so you need to leave. Ok, so can we get moving now?”

“Yep, we can go now.” Amara said bouncing up from the dirty road. Jeremy grabbed Amara’s again before she decided to be difficult again and started to walk down the road. They walked for what seemed like forever before Jeremy stopped in front of a house that looked a lot like Amara’s house. Amara was a little freaked out about how much this house looked like hers.

Jeremy and Amara bounded up the steps and into the house. When Amara looked at the inside she was almost positive that this was her house, except for the fact that everything here was bathed in blood, dirt, and a thick layer of dust. “Why is everything in this world covered in blood?” Amara said disgusted.

Jeremy gave Amara a look and then said simply. “It’s Hell what did you think was going to be here, Pansies and cute kitties and puppies. Duh!

Just then a girl came out of one of the rooms in the back of the house. She didn’t say anything but she came towards Amara and shoved a black book into her hands. Her eyes looked angry she looked tired and ready to strangle something. She leaned closer to Amara and whispered in her ear. “Make the traitor pay, make him pay for all of the trouble he has caused make him pay for my mothers death. I would more than gladly do this myself but alas there are rules that keep me from going up to the world above and killing his sorry ass. So please do it for me in the end you will need to kill him anyway because just like he did to my mother and I he will kill you. But this time it won’t only be you and your mother he will kill everyone that means anything to you. He’s already begun his process so hurry and stop him before he gets out of hand.” The girl then spun back around and headed back to the room she had come from.

“Wait! Who is killing everyone? Who do I have to stop?” Amara yelled at the girl but she was already gone. Jeremy who does she mean? Who am I looking for?

“That Amara is something you have to find out on your own. That and I don’t know and Nena can’t tell you who it is or she would be breaking the rules. Then she would never get her revenge because the ghouls would kill you and she doesn’t want that to happen. OK, I have to bring you back to your world now.

“Alright, let’s go.” Amara followed Jeremy back out into the horrible town. The whole trip was basically silent but Amara didn’t mind. She had a lot to think about. She was so deep into her thought that she didn’t notice Jeremy had stopped and she walked into him. “Are we here, is this where I get to go back to my world?” The thing they had stopped in front of looked like a giant tear in the fabric of time. You could see places from all over the world through the tear.

“Yes it is. All you have to do is go through that and you should go directly back to your own time and the place you left.”

“Wait a minute what do you mean I should go back, what happens if that thing drops my off in the dinosaur age. What then do I just live among the dinosaurs and hope to god that a T-Rex doesn’t eat me?”

“Yeah actually that’s about right, although I have never heard of it not working right. So like I said it should work.” Jeremy pushed Amara toward the tear. “Go on go through it.”

Amara looked back at Jeremy and hoped he was right, that this thing would work and not send her to places unknown. He smiled and waved for her to go through. So Amara took a step forward into the tear and just like that she was gone.

“Hmm, I hope that was the right tear in time.” Jeremy said as he headed back to the town laughing.