A Dreamer Caught In The Crossfire

Jasmine Michaels~Prologue

Her pen moved almost rhythmically on the paper as she sketched for a few minutes. Looking up at the now orange and pink sky, she hastily gathered her things and started rushing back home.

It was not safe to walk in the forest alone- and she knew this. Everyone in Cedar Creek did. The woods were littered with entrances to ancient catacombs which, even though most were fenced, were incredibly easy to fall into. Especially in the dark. Grandma had warned her about those once. Many dangerous creatures came out at night too, their sounds audible from areas closest to the edge of the woodlands. Somewhere in the distance, Jasmine hears the loud howl of a wolf, making her gulp in fear.

"Okay, don't panic Jazz. Don't panic," she thought to herself and took a deep breath. "This is probably what you deserve for defying your mother, boy won't she be proud..."

Her mother was totally against the idea of her going past the house fence to do anything, even if it were just going for a walk. Jasmine knew she was hiding something from her. She just did not know what it was. She barely had enough time to find out before she had to hurry back home.

The loud roar of a bear interrupted her thoughts, causing the color to completely drain from her body.

Carrying snacks and candies in her sling bag probably was not the best idea.

Jasmine slowly turned around to see a large black bear looking back at her. She tried her best to remain calm but to no avail. The fear was eating at her slowly, just begging her to scream. This was the most scared she had ever been in her life; what with never really being outside and all. The bear roared again and Jasmine broke into a run. She jumped over rocks and ducked under trees with the large animal on her tail, her long brunnete hair flowing carelessly behind her. The cold air coursed through her lungs, drying her already parched throat, the sound of her quickening heart beat loud in her ears. The sun had almost completely set making it more difficult to look out for obstacles. A risky idea popped into Jasmine's head.

In one swift movement she opened her bag and tossed the food at the bear. The animal stopped chasing her to attend to the food and she slowed down to a brisk walk, her breathing still not back to normal. It was now incredibly dark and the moonlight was blocked out by the overhead tree canopies. Jasmine did not have time to relax as the severity of the situation hit her. She did not know the confusing forests of Cedar Creek at all and the pathway she usually used was far away by now.

Lost was an understatement.

She was beyond stranded.

"This cannot be happening. No, I can't be lost, I just can't! There's no way I can survive out here!" she muttered dreadfully, scenes from the multiple horror movies she had watched resurfaced from her memory.

Her short moment of distraction was enough for her to walk through some police tape and fall into a deep, dark hole. She made contact with a rock, knocking her out cold.

XXX

At first all she could see was darkness. She could hear the sound of two voices in the middle of a dispute. Looking over to where the voices where coming from, she saw a man and a woman, their backs to her. The woman was of medium height with raven black hair that ran past her back in a thick braid. She wore a simple but beautiful short dress and a pair of old leather sandals. The man was about two heads taller than her and was clutching a medium sized bag and a chest. The woman turned away for a moment, giving Jasmine enough time to study her features. It had to be her mother, a younger version maybe. Those ocean blue eyes and the tattoo on her shoulder could not possibly belong to anyone else. Jasmine took a few cautious steps forward to get a better view of the two. Her mother opened her mouth again to speak and this time Jasmine could hear her. She spoke in a soft voice, her eyes glistening with tears threatening to spill.

"I'm telling Alfred, if you walk out of that door, you walk away from your family, you walk away from your country."

Alfred. Alfred was the name of her father. The same father who her mother said died in an accident. Jasmine moved closer, her interest in the conversation increasing tenfold. Alfred, her father, sighed deeply and moved to cup her face in his hands but she flinched away from his touch. He took a step forward, the light from the overhead chandelier now illuminated his face. Jasmine did not fail to notice how his features were outstandingly similar to her own. His olive toned skin matched hers perfectly and his large brown eyes spoke so many emotions that it was almost painful to look directly into them. He spoke in a rushed tone, clearly on a tight schedule.

"Listen, Caroline, you must understand that I am only doing this for you and-"

"How is leaving your wife and infant child alone to go fight on the wrong side of an upcoming war benefiting me!" interrupted her mother, her fists clenched at her sides.

Alfred sighed again and looked at her pleadingly.

"Caroline please, do not make this any harder than it needs to be..." he said, the last words of the sentence falling into a mumble.

Jasmine watched as her mother straightened her posture and pointed a furious finger at him, her pale face turning red with rage.

"You walk out of that door, you are dead to me and you are dead to the child," she spat through grit teeth.

Alfred looked at her with a pained expression, his eyes begging her to reconsider.

"In that case, I am terribly sorry for leaving her without a father," he muttered just loud enough for Caroline to hear.

Jasmine watched as he picked up his luggage and turned away, heading for the door.

"Don't you dare leave us alone Alfred!" screamed Caroline who had now started crying.

He reached the door and muttered a few last goodbyes and left the house for good. When she heard the front door close, Jasmine's mother had a break down. She threw the nearest vase at the door before being reduced to a sobbing mess on the floor. The cry of a baby soon joined her in her sounds of misery. Jasmine finally got the courage to move forward and try comfort her, to touch her, anything to try help the brokenhearted woman but the moment she reached out her hand,the room froze in time. There was absolutely no movement but her own. Suddenly Jasmine felt like she was being dragged out of water by a multitude of hands, all of which tugging and pulling at her. The image of her mother's tears were the last thing she remembered seeing

XXX