Chapter 1 - Part 3

The house was amazing. I was stood on the rocky road, with big black, metal Victorian style gates in front of me, connected to a light stone wall that seemed to go round the perimeter of the house and a bit of land round it. The house was grey and tall. Looking at it I would guess at least forty rooms, maybe more. The black roof tiles were slowly lifting off, and the window frames that obviously used to be white were peeling down to the bare wood. The house was old and obviously in need of care. I walked up the drive as the house stared down at me, watching my every move. I arrived at the steps to the decking and slowly placed my foot on the first step hoping it wouldn't fall through. As I walked up each step they all creaked, the sound was making my skin crawl. I crossed the old wooden decking, reaching my arm towards the huge dark brown, wooden double doors that sat in front of me. I took a deep breath and knocked. I heard nothing for about five minutes until suddenly, footsteps. The footsteps were demanding, fast and strong. I was intimidated and the door hadn't even opened.

I looked up at the door slowly as it opened, to see a man standing there. He quickly pulled me into the house before I could get a good look at him. I flew into the house and landed on both feet. "WOW!" I exclaimed as I looked around at the golden staircase and pristine white marble tiles. The chandelier was golden and hanging from the roof. I looked straight up at it and was gob smacked.

"Amazing isn't is?" The man said. I turned round to get a glimpse of him. He must of been six feet tall and stocky. He had dark brown hair, a strong jaw and scars on his face, not enough to make him look like a monster, his blue eyes completed his rugged 'pretty-boy' look. He was wearing black trousers, a black vest and had holster on his hip with his gun poking out the top. I wasn't intimidated though strangely.

I took a step away from him and answered "Yes it it." I didn't want to be impolite after all.

"I bet you're wondering where you are?" He asked, his voice was full of wisdom and power.

"Yes" I replied, I didn't have much to say to him and that made me a little embarrassed.

He turned so that his body was sideways on to me and started his speech. "When I was about twenty-five, my parents were hunted down and killed...".

I gasped.

He started to pace as he continued to speak. "Yes but that's not all. They were killed by a company for having 'abilities'. The kind I have, the kind you have." He put his hand on my shoulder as though he understood and for a second I completely trusted him.

I put my hand up to his hand and moved to face him, pulling my hand towards my own body as I did so. "How do you know I have an ability?" I asked, attempting to be intimidating.

"It's my ability" He laughed "I can locate and see others with abilities".

"Then why haven't you found everyone?" I questioned.

"Because my powers are weak." He said "The only reason I knew about you is because you were at my front door."

I looked at him, I didn't know whether to believe him, but after a few more questions I would surely know. "So who else lives here? How many people have you found? How did I get here? What do you expect from me?" with each question I was getting more and more cocky and eventually I knew if my face got slightly more smug I would blow up.

"Woah!" He shouted "One question at a time girl!". He took a step back and seemed to compose his thoughts before saying "My wife and son live here with me, also a nice young man called Everett. I have only found Everett and that was by chance also. I don't know how you got here and we expect nothing, you may leave if you want."

I was baffled if they hadn't brought me here who had and more importantly why had they? I had so many questions to answer it was unreal, but in the mean time here looks like a safe place to be. "So your married huh?" I said trying to make conversation.

"Yes." The man said as he started to walk into another room.

"What's your name by the way?" I asked, I thought it was rude for me to know all this and not even the guys name.

"Zeroun" He said without a flinch. He continues to walk so I just followed.

"And how do you afford a place like this?" I asked.

"Japanese Knot Weed" He said. He stopped and looked at me "The land is covered in it so they can't touch the place". He carried on walking straight after his sentence.

Chapter 1 - Part 2

He didn't respond. "Sir your being very rude!" I had raised my voice at him by now and he hadn't even flinched "I need you to leave!". I know I'm not very intimidating, a slim girl of five feet, seven inches, but the man didn't even move slightly. Suddenly I heard a bang coming from the stock cupboard behind to counter. "I haven't got time for this" I sighed and stomped off towards the back room. I looked back at the table I had just been at to find the man was no longer there. I was scared and started to walk faster. As I arrived at the door to the stock cupboard, I reached my left hand into the room and felt the wall for the light switch. I found the switch and quickly flicked it. Nothing happened. "I swear this place is falling apart." I mumbled as I walked into the room.

The stock cupboard was a cold room full of metal racks containing boxes. My shoes made a lot of noise against the cold marble floor and as I had no light in there I was using my hands to guide me. "Hello?!" I shouted as I proceeded to walk further into darkness "Is anybody there?".

Before I knew it there was another crash, this time in the diner. "Great!" I said as I slowly walked towards the door. My heart was racing and each foot I put forward I grew more and more nervous. I felt sick to my stomach as I poked my head round the door frame into the diner. Everything seemed fine so I quickly moved, ducking behind the counter. I spotted below the counter the baseball bat we keep for emergencies. I slowly picked it up and took a deep breath before standing up. "Hello?!" I shouted again before walking backwards over to the door.

I locked the door behind me and started to walk over to the other side of the coffee house. The seating arrangement of an 'L' shape now seemed like a stupid idea to me. I guess the builders never thought of an attack. "Is anyone here?!" as soon as I asked it I knew it was a stupid question. I slowly walked round with the baseball bat it a 'ready to swing' position.

"Why hello there Rose". A man said as he walked out from the back of the store. He was about thirty and looked formal. He was wearing a business suit and clean shoes. His brunette hair was tightly slicked back on his head and his eyes weren't visible to me as he was wearing sunglasses. It couldn't of been the man who was sat at the table earlier as this man was only about five foot ten and he must of been at least six, two.

"Who are you?" I said looking at him.

"A friend." He said putting his hand out. The more I looked at him the less intimidating he looked. His jaw was defined, but not chiselled and although he was muscular, there was something about him that made him seem a little laughable. He was a cliché.

"I don't think friends, sneak up on other friends" I said getting a tighter hold on the baseball bat. "Now get out!". I started to walk closer to him and round following him towards the door.

"You don't want to threaten me" he laughed as he reached in his pocket.

"And why's that?" I asked cockily.

He pulled a gun from his pocket and pointed it at me. "Because I think we could be great friends Rose and it would be a shame if something happened to you."

I was officially scared and dropped my baseball bat. My heart was racing and I felt so sick. "P-P-P" I couldn't get out a sentence "Please". I started to walk backwards with tears down my face. I thought the man was going to kill me there and then.

"What's that Rose?" the man asked. At this point he knew he had the upper hand "Don't shoot?". He walked up to me and grabbed my hair, pulling it back so that my head was looking upwards. "Don't kill me. I want to live" He said mocking me. He laughed and threw me to the floor. "You're truly pathetic" He said as she snarled at me. The look of disgust on his face made me feel lesser than him. "Do you know why I'm here?" he asked.

I just shook my head. At this point I wasn't crying, but I couldn't structure a sentence.

"Your neighbour ratted you out" He said. "Mrs Denkman".

I suddenly remembered. It must of been about a week ago. I was moving some heavy boxes out of my apartment and as I was walking backwards across the corridor I fell over the banister straight down to the bottom floor. I don't know how it happened, but I got up instantly and without a scratch on me. As I woke up Mrs Dankman was looking up at me. She was about eighty-five and from somewhere in East-Europe. It must of scared her bless her, but I had heard of this. Recently people had just been disappearing and now I think I knew why.

"Look you know you can just let me go" I pleaded "We never have to talk of this again".

"I'm afraid I can't do that." He said as he lifted the gun "And Rose..."

I gasped and closed my eyes, he was about to shoot I could feel it.

"... I'm not sorry". He pulled the trigger and my life flashed before my eyes. If he could keep that bullet inside me I was dead.

Minutes later I was still alive. I wouldn't open my eyes though. I was scared,trying to figure out what was going on. I knew I heard a gun shot and then a kind of whirling noise twice, like that you hear on a planes engines. I slowly opened my eyes to see that I was in front of the abandoned manor house on the outskirts of town.

Chapter 1 - Part 1

The year is 2034 and my name is Rose Sharpe, I'm currently trying to be a dancer in the big city. Well as big as it gets for the United Kingdom anyway, London. It's been my home since I was eighteen years old, and I have never looked back since. I guess you could say I am a city girl at heart, even though I was brought up in the countryside of Yorkshire. I'm now twenty-four and my dreams have got me all the way to working in this coffee shop, 'The Grind'. It pays the rent, lets just say that. I have been working here for three years ad have watched every girl come and go to live their dreams. I guess I'm just not cut out to be a dancer.

On a day like today, Tuesday the twenty-fifth of June, business isn't particularly booming, but this was no ordinary day. I was taking an order for a customer and as the light hit my tied back ginger hair, from the dust filled, brown framed windows, a man walked in. Normally I wouldn't notice certain customers and over the years had seen everyone, but I had never seen him before. I kept my eye on him, but made sure to do my job as normal. We weren't a busy coffee shop so to not notice someone was so unusual. One of our regulars Mr Johnson called me over. I leaned in and he said "I think he likes you". I followed his hand and he pointed at the man that I had previously noticed.

"Now Mr Johnson, don't make assumptions" I joked, I was frightened of the mysterious man, I just didn't want to let on that I was.

Mr Johnson took my hand and stuffed his usual tip in there. As he did he said "Well he would be mad not to, with your dazzling green eyes". The way Mr Johnson talked to me was flattering, but did make me giggle every time he complimented me, he was sixty-eight after all.

"Thank you, Mr Johnson" I said still giggling. Mr Johnson got up, walked past me and was straight out the door. "Have a nice day Mr Johnson!" I shouted after him. I leaned down to clean the tables that Mr Johnson was sat on and slowly noticed people leaving. It was a Tuesday which means I have to lock up by myself. This frightened me because the man that was scaring me was still here. He seemed to linger like a bad smell.

The hours past and it came time to lock up. "Excuse me sir!" I shouted from over the dark wooden counter, I didn't want to get too close because I was frightened of him. He remained in the corner with his black coat on done all the way up to the top, and a baseball cap. "Sir I have to lock up!" my voice grew more concerned with every word. I came from behind the counter and stomped towards him. "Sir?" I said as I placed my hands on the table he was sat at. "Is there anything I can help you with?".