Annabelle's locket

Chapter 28

**Hey guys sorry I haven't been

updating. I fully intend to now

that my exams are over!

I've started another romance called When the Waves Come Crashing. I'd appreciate if you'd check it out! Thanks soo much!

**Anyways a quick recap to let

u know what was going on....

**Noah and Anna are on the run from the night riders and have made stops along the way running into problems..Now they arrived at Noahs cottage in southern Florida.

The cottage was small, quaint, yet expensive looking. There were wood paneled walls that were a shaded middle blue and white window shudders. "I'm guessing you didn't design this." I doubted his sense of fashion. "Yes I really did." he replied looking at me with mock offense. "Wow Really?"

"No, are you kidding I hate that kind of stuff." He laughed and unlocked the door, entering into the front hallway. It was an ocean cottage, that was obvious. Coconut scented candles, beach Themed decor, and a cool salty breeze.

He showed me up to the second floor and to my own room. "Here you are." he left me to unpack. The walls were a pastel color of blue and I had a big bed and balcony. Dropping my bags on the bed, I walked to the balcony. Opening the glass sliding doors, I looked out at the tropical scenery. I had never been anywhere tropical, so seeing palm trees and white sand was foreign to me. I rested my hands on the balcony and let the warm orange sun illuminate off my face and give me a feeling of warmth. I closed my eyes and took in a breath of this new world. I felt two hands wrap around me and I smiled, knowing that the one thing that could make this better was Noah. We swayed back and forth, he hummed in a singsong melody. "You're done unpacking." I stated, turning to him and opening my eyes. He held me still now, staring at me. "Yeah, now we can finally relax." he placed his hand behind my neck, sending a tingling sensation from my neck down my spine. He started to kiss faster and I had to stop, sighing. "Whats wrong?" he looked at me with concern. "I desperately need a shower." I bit my lip. He smelled my shoulder and scrunched his nose. "Good idea!" he pinched his nose. I punched his arm and took off to the shower, not bothering to ask him where the bathroom was. I could hear him laughing.

I showered and changed into jean shorts and a black tank top. It was a good feeling to be in light clothes. Noah was in the kitchen, eating a peanut butter sandwich. "Looks like we need some groceries." I said, opening empty cupboards. He spun around on the bamboo stool to look at me. "Please! A man needs to have food." he held up his sandwich that flopped over. "Fine. I'll need some money." I laughed and he gave me one hundred dollars. I started his mustang and drove off into the bustling little town known as Monsoon. There were sidewalks everywhere and touristy gift shops, restaurants, and recreational buildings. There were local conveniences also. I stumbled upon a tiny food mart after driving in circles.

I picked out a good amount of food and loaded the bags into the car. It was before dark so I decided to stop by the beach and watch the surfing competition that was going on. I found a spot in the crowded parking lot and got out, looking around at all the people swarming around. I felt a bit lonely. I had Noah, but I didn't have friends. Sure, popularity is short lived in my opinion, I wanted only one person to laugh or mess around with. I took off my sandals as I reached the sand and carried them until I could see the suffers out in the water and judges yelling numbers and names. I sat down as many people were doing and enjoyed watching the sport. "Hey, you knew to this stuff?" I heard a voice and turned to see a guy shirtless, wet, and blonde haired. I laughed. "How did you know?" I asked, and he sat next to me, burying his tan toes into the sand. "Well for one, your as pale as a ghost and I've never seen you before." he grinned. "Yeah I'm staying at a cottage." I replied, and then two girls appeared, grabbing his arms. "It's your turn Zayne." they looked mad and I kept my eyes on the water. "I'll be out in a minute." they scampered off looking at me. "It's my wave next." he stretched his legs and cracked his knuckles. "Good luck." I nodded. "Thanks, what's your name?" he stood up. "Anna." "Cool. I'm Zayne. Maybe i'll see you around." he smiled and I waved. He was nice.

I stayed a few minutes later until everyone fled as darkness came and the event ended. I returned back and saw Noah had left for a hike and would be back later. I unpacked all of the groceries and went up to my room. Reading out on the balcony, Pride and Prejudice I bought from the mart. I read until my eyes were feeling heavy and trudged to my bed, getting under the covers and falling to sleep.

It was late morning when I woke up and noticed Noah was not home. He hadn't returned from his hike. I called his phone, but no answer. I didnt know what to do. I reread his note. "Went for a hike, be back in a couple hours." I read aloud, biting my lip, a habit when I felt nervous. I changed and got ready, ate some food, and went to the car. I decided I should scope the area out to see if there were any signs of him. After three hours, there were none. I was getting nervous. I arrived back at the cottage and he hadn't returned. Should I call the police? I was about to, when something caught my mind. The answering machine was blinking, and I hurried over to it, pressing the message button. "Anna it's Noah. I'm fine, don't worry about me and don't call the cops. I'll be back soon." he said and hung up. Something wasn't right. The tone of his voice wasn't right. It wasn't his normal outgoing tone, but more forced or tense. He had left the message twenty minutes ago and I tried calling back the number he had called from. It kept ringing and ringing and after a few minutes I gave up and hung the phone back in the jack.

What do do? I hurried out the door and decided to ask people around town. I started on sidewalks, holding a picture of his handsome face. A bunch of people said no and I was starting to lose hope. I went to the beach and asked around, people shaking their heads. I ran into Zayne, who was drinking a beer with a friend. "Have either of you seen him, his name is Noah Howard." I was starting to sound desperate. Zayne stood up and took the picture examining it. "I know Noah. He and I used to hang out when he came to Florida." Zayne gave me the picture. "Have you seen him? He went missing last night." I said. His friend shrugged and Zayne shook his head. "Oh, well thanks." I went off to the next group of people. "But, I can help you." Zayne spoke and I turned around. "Really? Thank you." I I said with exasperation. We scoped the beach and no one had seen him. "We can take my jeep and go out in the forests. He said he was hiking." Zayne said after I filled him in. "Good idea."

We were driving down the road in his yellow jeep, the hood rolled down. Despite the warm breeze and beautiful landscape, the only thing I was focused on was Noah. "We'll check out the high lands. That's were some dense trails are." Zayne said and I nodded. After a half hour of driving, we parked in a parking lot. I could see a clearing in the palm trees and knew that must be where the trail was. "We might find him here." Zayne sounded hopeful. The sound of cicadas, chirping birds, and rustling leaves filled the air. It was windy today.

After a while I started doubting we'd find him. "We should turn around." I signed. "No! The trail ends soon." he kept walking and I inhaled, following him. Ten minutes later we reached the end and there was a dead end. "Noah!" I yelled for the thousandth time. "Maybe he went off the trail." Zayne disappeared into the growth and I quickly followed. Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my head and a blur, seeing Zayne stand above me. "What?" I slurred and fell to the ground.

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