Melora - A Christian Young Adult Fiction

Chapter 1 - Girl In Red Hoodie

Her spine tingled and goosebumps rose on her skin as the chill autumn wind brushed past her. Melora pulled the sleeves of her red hoodie down to her palms and wrapped her arms around herself in order to stay warm as she peered curiously over her right side, into the woods that stretched out from the roadside she stood. She wondered whether she could find something mysterious and magical in there; but she was forbidden from going—as did all of them.

Her two best friends, Leanora and Evelyn, stood by her on either side, taking in the scenery around them. They were on a leisure trip, conducted by the owners of the Twickenham—Children's Home—in California they were under care. And as everyone around them seemed to be enjoying their time, these three girls stood stiff by their picnic bus, hiding their anxiety.

On their way here, they discovered something strange.

They were being followed by a group of men in a black SUV that happened to be trailing behind their bus in every turn they took. And now finding that same SUV parked on the other side of the road, further behind their bus, sparked their suspiciousness.

At first, they decided to ignore it; but seeing two men out of the car, wearing black suits and leaning against it, glancing in their direction made it hard for them to let go easily. One of the men seemed to be in his early thirties while the other, a bald guy, seemed to be in his late; their eyes glued in their direction.

Melora felt an unsettling feeling in her stomach suddenly and gulped in dread as she noticed this. She tried to calculate the meaning behind this strange scene; a group of creepy men trailing behind their bus all the way and now stopped behind them—because they had stopped for a break—and looking nowhere but at them! Even when they had moved away from their previous standing position, to go ahead with Mr. Twickenham's permission, they could see the men's eyes on them.

"Guys, I think we should head back and inform the Twickenhams. We need to get out of here as soon as possible!" Leanora gushed in an alarmed tone. "They're literally stalking us!"

"But... for what exactly, do you suppose?" Melora murmured, bewildered. "I don't get it..." She expressed awkwardly, aware of being watched.

"They seem so rich," Evelyn added, clasping her hands together in front of her. "But why on earth are they looking at us? Us! Not attracted by our charms, definitely."

Melora withheld the urge to snort at her best friend and rolled her eyes. "Very funny, Eve,"

"Or... what if they're some bodyguards the Twickenhams had hired for the day?" Evelyn guessed.

Melora exchanged a glance with Leanora; they couldn't deny that; it could be true somehow. Melora slowly plucked up her courage to look back at the creepy men, to see if they could really be bodyguards as her friend had guessed. She craned her neck and looked back at them—only to find their eyes already planted in their direction; at her.

Her heart hustled.

The bald guy glared at her when he caught her eyes and that was enough for her breath to catch in her throat. She quickly turned away with a pounding heart. "Oh no, I don't suppose they are any sort of bodyguards at all." She informed her friends anxiously, "And, they're still looking at us. If I'm right, they're up to something."

"I suggest we inform Mr. Twickenham and confirm if they are bodyguards or not," Evelyn suggested, not ready to drop her guess yet.

"Right! I told you, didn't I?" Leanora said suddenly, stepping forth from her friends' side to stand in front of them, with a smirk teasing her lips, careful not to let her gaze travel to the creepy men. "Reading a fantasy... and walking through the woods... oh, isn't that going to be wonderful? I think we should ask their permission first!"