Love Finds You - Even If You're On the Run

Chapter 2

Knock knock.

Go away.

Knock knock. Knock knock. Knock knock.

 I rolled over, burying my head under the pillow.

BANG BANG BANG.

"I swear I'm going to murder who ever that is!" I tossed off my covers and stumbled to the door. My room was joined to the one next door via a small wooden door which someone was currently pounding on. I threw open the door and glared into the adjacent room.

A teenage girl stood in the threshold, fist poised to rap again on the door. "Ash--" The girl begun. It took my sleep fogged brain about thirty seconds to recognize the face of Vienna.

"Vienna, do you have any freaking idea what time it is?! Its three freaking thirty in the freaking morning. Some people are trying to freaking sleep for a freaking tourist day tomorrow!" I ranted, my voice slurred from untimely awakening.

"Ash. Turn on your tv now." Vienna's voice shook slightly.

I paused and let my tone softened at the voice of my best friend. "What do you want? I hope this is good. Did Grant finally dump Rachelzilla?"

"Turn on your tv now Ash." Vienna's voice was shaking even more now.

I frowned. Vi seemed... shaken. "Okay..." I agreed, ducking back into the room and scrambling for the remote. Where had I put it? After a few seconds I located the device, dug it out a mountain of papers and turned on the small tv by my bedside.

"Oh my God -- Oprah's in jail?!" My eyes went wide as she gazed at the story unfolding on E.

An exasperated sigh came from the Vienna. "No, stupid. The news channel."

I made a face and changed the channel.

"...last weeks extremely brutal robbery and murder of NASA's main office." The news informer was white as he spoke. "The murderer has been identified as sixteen-year-old Ashleigh Hyde."

I dropped the remote.

"The murderer allegedly had a accomplice: sixteen-year-old Vienna Vanchella. It is unknown why two teenage girls would commit such a brutal crime. Weighing in with her expert opinion, Doctor Roselyn Noble, child psychologist. Roselyn?"

Suddenly I became aware of a voice yelling my name. Numbly I  turned to Vienna. "W-what the hell?"

"Yeah, Ash. Apparently we're murderers." Vienna said quietly.

I felt as if someone had pulled the world out from under me and I was falling into a dark void. This had to be some kind of sick joke. Someone's cruel, sick, twisted idea of a joke.

I went ridged as I remembered when I had first heard about the robbery at NASA. It had been the most brutal crime of the decade. All one hundred and thirty three of the NASA employees working at NASA's main office had been shot brutally and killed. Not one surviver had been left alive. Certain "top secret" blueprints that the media was not allowed to disclose had been taken. Not a trace of the robbers had been found.

"What kind of crap is this?!" I hissed.

"That's what I said." Vienna replied. "I-I don't know how we ended up as the murderers. We're not murderers..." Vienna's eyes were troubled.

I stalked to the window and threw open the blinds. The beautiful city of Orlando, Florida sparkled with a multitude of lights. I pressed my head against the cool glass, my thoughts a whirl.

"This has to be some jacked-up joke. Where are the hidden cameras? Are we on some stupid "freak out show"?!" I glanced around her hotel room suspiciously. "Yeah, that'll be right. We finally get a cool summer vacation in Orlando and we end up on some show which scares us to freaking death." I laughed and sat on the edge of the bed. "Right, Vi?"

Vienna was not laughing. She looked at me with dark eyes. "Ash, I think this is real." The dirty blonde said slowly. "I think we're being framed for this."

My smile faded. "What makes you-?!"

Buzz buzz.

I blinked, glancing at the night stand, where my cell phone was vibrating.

Buzz buzz.

"Who the hell calls at three AM?" I wondered out loud.

Vienna paled. "P-pick it up."

I grabbed the phone, flipped it open and hit the speaker phone button. "Hello?"

Silence.

"My God is everyone playing freaking pranks on us tonight?!" I demanded, jabbing an accusing finger at the phone. "Yeah, lets just annoy them some more and call then hang up!"

"Police will be arriving at your hotel in five minutes." A male voice spoke from the phone. "They will surround your hotel, and take you into custody. You will be tried and killed unless you listen to me. Meet me at the Starbucks on the first floor of your hotel as soon as possible. Good luck. Click."

I stared at the phone. "I'm going to kill the frickin person behind these stupid pranks!"

Vienna had turned white. I snorted at my friend. "Don't tell me you believe that crap?"

"Ash," Vienna's voice trembled. "I can hear sirens."

The sound of blaring sirens could be heard faintly from the room.

"And look..." Vienna pointed to the window.

A multitude of blue and red lights had lit up the city. A cone of yellow light filtered through the window from a helicopter as it aimed it's flood light at the room.

"This is the police," A voice boomed. "Ashleigh Hyder and Vienna Vanchella, you are under arrest. The building has been surrounded."