Worlds Apart

Prologue

My heart raced, my adrenaline pumping as I tore off in the opposite direction. Deafening rustling noises in the bush made me strain to hear myself think.
Hands trembling, I hurried on, my eyes stinging with tears as I made a sharp left turn. I had to lose that thing - whatever 'it' was. A famished bear, a verminous snake?
Don't think - just keep running. Whatever you do, don't stop for anything, I told myself, pumping my legs even harder.
Suddenly, I halted to a stop, stopping dead in my tracks.
Great, I've already broken my promise to myself, I thought.
A shiver was sent down my back, and I felt myself being glued to place, as if my legs had stopped working. Desperately, I kicked, and jumped, doing any kind of motion with my legs. Nothing. I was trapped - just what he wanted. I clenched my jaw, and curled my hand into a fist.
"IM NOT AFRAID OF YOU! SHOW YOURSELF YOU COWARD!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, and a scream tore from my throat as he stood before me.
"Jason? What are you doing here?" At once, the realization hit me, and I realized in sudden dread that he was the one responsible for everything that has happened to me. The necklace he gave me, his feigned supporting smile - his words of affirmation, it all meant nothing. How could he do this to me? Did those things mean honestly absolutely NOTHING to him? Us? Were we never an 'us' after all? How could he do this to me?
"Jason?" I whimpered, my heart sinking as tears overflowed in my eyes. A single tear slipped down my cheek, and it felt like everything was going wrong and nothing would ever be fixed.