The Reckless And The Brave

Cell Phones Are A Static Symbol

A/N: Hi guys, so this is my first story that's not a fanfic. I tried my best to keep up with the plot. I think I did all right. Let me know if I'm way off, because I could be dead wrong and there was no plot from the start. Enjoy. ~Nova Coleman~

*Start of book 1*

Emily's POV

My phone rang in the middle of the night. I groaned, thinking it would be Tatum. It wasn't like she hadn't done that before. But when I answered, and unfamiliar man's voice spoke.

"Come to the park tomorrow at noon. You have my word, you won't be harmed." He hung up. I ran my fingers though my brown hair. It stopped just below my shoulders. Tatum on the other hand, needed a haircut. Her hair was so dead it looked like it was going to fall off.

I decided I would go to the park and check it out. Part of me thought I was being reckless and stupid, but most of me was extremely curious.

The next day, I made my way to the park. When I got there, I was shocked to see Tatum standing among a few other people. I stood beside her.

"You got the phone call too?" I said quietly.

"Clearly." She muttered. I rolled my eyes, and looked around. Standing with us was a boy who looked to be about my age, another boy who looked about ten, and man who looked like he was in his mid-fifties. At the front of the crowd, there was another man. He was dressed in a suit, looking very professional.

"Nice of you to show up." He said, unimpressed. "This is Asher," He gestured to the boy who looked my age. "Jake," He pointed to the kid. "And Alastair."

"Greetings." The man grinned, and gave me a little wave. He had tufts of red hair sticking up, and a Scottish accent.

"Hello." I said shyly.

"I'm assuming you already know Tatum." The man said. I nodded. "Now, on with what you're here for. This is going to sound completely, and utterly insane, but there's a prince who needs your help. He's been captured, and it's very important that you save him."

"You're right." Alastair grunted. "This is completely, and utterly insane. And what kind of person gives us a mission and doesn't tell us where-"

"Patience, Alastair." The man said calmly.

"That," Alastair pointed at him, with what I realized was a prosthetic arm. "Is something I have none of."

"I'll have a car take you as far as we can. Then you're on your own, I'm afraid."

"That's just great." Alastair mumbled. The man ignored him.

"I'll give you an hour to pack some things, and we'll meet back here." The man said. Jake skipped off, singing, "we're going on an adventure," over and over again. Alastair hobbled away, muttering various curse words to himself. Asher just walked away.

Tatum and I gave each other weird looks. "What is with him?" She whispered. I shrugged, and we walked away from the park.

I called her when I got home, and put her on speakerphone. "Are you going back?" I asked her.

"Of course I'm going back!" She cried.

"You're not at all worried that this guy might be a little crazy?"

"Oh, calm yourself. I'm sure if we get into any trouble, Alastair will have no problem getting out." She chuckled, and so did I. I grabbed a bunch of clothes and shoved them into a backpack. I packed more than one water bottle, knowing my best friend had issues staying hydrated by herself.

We all met back at the park, and saw a limo waiting for us. Jake leaped inside, super excited. Tatum and I looked at each other, shrugged, and followed him. Next came Asher, and then Alastair, still muttering to himself.

I sat beside Tatum in the back, while the boys took the other seats along the sides. We all sat in silence.

"I'm Alastair." He said suddenly. We all looked up, staring at him. "What?" He asked. "Someone had to say something. It was getting awkward."

"I'm Jake." He said. Why they were letting a ten year old boy come with us, I had no idea.

"I'm Tatum." She said shyly. Oh, so now she was shy?

"I'm Emily."

We all looked at Asher. "I'm Asher." He winked at me, and I turned to Tatum, who was trying to contain her laughter. I could feel her shaking next to me.

"He winked at you." She whispered.

"I know. I was there." I muttered.

"Hey, he's the first guy to hit on you since... when's the last time you had a boyfriend?" She asked smugly. I gave her a look. "Oh, right. Never."

"You're one to talk." I elbowed her, and she smacked my arm.

"Whoa, girlies." Alastair interrupted us. "There's no need to get feisty. We understand the cute boy winked at you."

Asher blushed, Tatum laughed so hard I thought she was going to pass out. Thank you, Alastair.

None of us spoke for a rest of the ride. When we got out, we were in the middle of nowhere. Before we could ask the driver anything, the car sped off.

We all stared at each other, thinking the same thing. Alastair was the one to say it. "What the hell are we supposed to do now?"

"We have to find the prince." Jake said, as if that were completely obvious. It was, but the question was, where were we supposed to start?

"It's getting late," Asher announced. "Let's make camp and talk about it in the morning."

We all nodded. I followed Tatum to wherever she was planning on camping. I nearly turned and walked away when I saw it was practically right beside Asher, but she grabbed my arm and yanked me back.

"Listen," she started. "If someone is going to force me to go camping, it might as well be with a cute boy."

I rolled my eyes, but laid down. I rested my head on her stomach, and she played with my hair. She hated having her hair played with, but I loved it. I closed my eyes, and soon enough, I was asleep.

A/N: So, that's the end of the first chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. Again, please criticize me. I need to hear this stuff. And Mynx, "Remember to always be yourself. Unless you suck." I'll see you on Tuesday.