CHAPTER 1
AMARA
Amara bolted upright in bed, covered in sweat and shaking. Haunted by the same nightmare. Always the same. Images of glowing eyes and dark creatures danced in her mind, teasing her with the promise of remembering, yet when she tried they slipped away and were gone.
She glanced at the old digital clock next to her bed. 3:46am glared back at her glowing red. Groaning, she swung her legs off the bed and hung her head. putting her head in her hands she struggled to calm her racing pulse and ragged breathing. Finally, regaining some semblance of calm, she rose and made her way to the small bathroom attached to her room. flipping on the dim yellow light, she made a face at her reflection in the small wall mounted mirror. Her long dark hair hung limp and stuck to the sweat still beaded on her temples and neck. Her blue eyes were dull and the bags beneath them weren't helping her look any better.
Figuring there was no way she was going to fall back asleep, she decided to just begin her day. She quickly stripped and jumped in the shower, hoping to wash away all reminders of her nightmare. After a quick rinse and washing the sweat out of her hair, Amara slipped into her favorite pair of jeans and threw on a plain black tank top. She was towel drying her hair while she walked into her tiny kitchen frying deciding on a couple eggs and toast for breakfast. She looked around her very modest apartment with contempt while chewing. She hated it. She hated this city. The only thing that stopped her from moving was her stubborn nature and being raised to never give up. She wouldn't leave until she found the answers she was looking for.
Amara had no memories of her early childhood. From what she had been told she walked into a fire station in some small backwater town when she was 8. She was dirty, naked, and unable to speak. Her sole possession was a dog tag on a chain with just her first name and date of birth stamped on it. There were no matching missing persons on file. No one knew where she came from. It was the town mystery. Conspiracy theories ranged from her being raised by wolves to being left by aliens. She was given a name and eventually issued a social security card. She bounced between fosters, some good, some bad, until finally being adopted at age 14.
Her parents were good, simple people. They helped her to learn. Grow. Fit in. Yet Amara always felt part of herself was missing. Much like the nightmare, everytime she felt she was close to remembering, it would just slip away and leave her frustrated. She moved back to that town when she turned 18. Chasing down every lead she could on her past. After a lot of crazy stories and even more dead ends she found something. 4 years later she finally caught a break.
After scouring old newspapers in a dusty storage room in the tiny public library, she discovered a small private plane had crashed about 20 miles away a week prior to her strange arrival. Surrounded by wilderness it took emergency crews a full 2 days to find the wreckage. between the damage in the crash and the local wildlife there was very little to find. It was determined there were no survivors. Yet, when reading the article, Amara felt a stirring deep in the back of her mind. Something about it felt... familiar.
It took a couple weeks of digging but she finally got her hands on a tail number. With it a name, Caleb Jackson. Although he died in the crash he might have family. A solid lead. So she left the deep woods and mountains of Western Montana for Sunny California. She could buy a house back home with the rent for the dingy, small apartment. It was disgusting. She had been here a week. She had to spend that time learning all she could about Caleb, and luckily for her, the wife and son he left behind. They had moved a few times but she was able to convince an old neighbor to give her their contact information. Today was the day she would go meet them.
Amara let out a shaky breath and clutched the dog tag that hung around her neck. Today she might finally get her answers. She grabbed her wallet and keys and walked out, ensuring she locked up behind her. She got in her old red Subaru and took a few calming breaths before starting it up and pulling into morning traffic. When she arrived she took a few extra minutes to calm her nerves and steady herself to face whatever might come next. it was time.
she got out and made her way up the walk to the small house. She rang the bell and waited, hearing movement in the house. The door cracked open and the woman's eyes went wide when they met Amara's. She seemed frozen in shock, recognition obvious on her face. she reached out a hand as if to touch Amara's face, but just as quickly snatched it back as if burned. the shock on her face quickly replaced by horror.
"Ma'am, Do you know know me?" Amara asked carefully. The woman whispered no quickly under her breath, almost to herself. Then to Amara, "No." Quickly slamming the door shut. Amara could still hear her repeating no inside, louder and louder until she was practically screaming. There were running steps and muffled conversation, then suddenly the door swung open once again. This time a man around her age was on the other side. The son. At six feet tall with chocolate brown eyes and shaggy dark hair he was rather handsome but what caught Amaras attention was his shocked gasp and his hand reaching up to grasp the dog tag he wore over his white shirt.
"Thomas, she cant stay here!" Mrs. Jackson grasped his arm. His eyes darted rapidly and suddenly locked onto something behind her.
"My mother is right, you can't be here. You have to leave." He looked at Amara pleadingly, as if asking her to understand.
"Please, my name is Amara Price, I am just looking for answers..." she begged "If you could just..."
"No. Now leave!" Mrs. Jackson cut her off.
"I am sorry, but you being here has already put us in danger, you must go." Thomas told her softly while shutting the door.
"Wait! Please! I just want to know who I am!" she frustratedly slammed her palms on the closed door as she heard the deadbolt slide home. She leaned her forehead against the door and whispered "Please" while trying to hold back tears. After a few moments, she pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket with her name and phone number on it. She placed it near the door, in case they changed their minds. as she turned toward her car she saw a dark figure standing across the busy street watching the house.
Shivers suddenly ran down her spine, causing goosebumps to erupt down her arms and her hair to stand on end. "Watch out for that one" a voice whispered in the back of her mind. Amara shook it off and walked to where she parked. As she merged into the traffic and drove away she peeked in her rear view mirror often. It wasn't the house the figure was watching... It was her.
Bright Sunshine with a few High Clouds
