Bare Trees

Prologue

Prologue

"Give me your money"

A voice behind me hissed.

"All your money and your watch!"

What? My watch was plastic gold! I trembled with the sharp blow of fear that had hit me when that deep voice hissed in my ear. This town was surely a noisy place but, why me? Why me this day, at this hour, at this minute?

My lips quivered, refusing to speak as I clenched my fists, my nuckles turning white...almost as pale as my colour drained face. My first instict was to run, to sprint like a cheetah. But I couldn't move a muscle. I didn't dare.

A pair of hands slithered into my pockets making a soft squeal escape my lips as tears burnt in my eyes. I felt those hands exploring my pockets, looking for notes, not the cents I had in every pocket. I wished I was in my old school. I wish I was back in California on a day before the holidays with Nick drumming his fingers on the table beside me and Cassandra, behind me, tossing paper aeroplanes, notes scrawled across them to every corner of the room. Everyone, secretly counting the seconds to the summer holidays.

I was wishing for this to be just a dream.

A crazy dream that felt so real.

Suddenly, I felt the thief behind me being roughly yanked back. Immediately, I screamed, stumbling to the side, into a large pile of rubbish in sacks. I just stayed there, still paralysed by fear, too weak to move.

I averted my eyes to the source of my release to find a boy, not much older than me, holding onto the collar of another boy, scolding him and throwing smacking harsh punches at his nose. I supposed the boy holding the collar to be my 'hero' and the boy with his collar being held to be my 'threatening villian'. Both had their backs turned.

Finally, I decided to stand up, the stench of rubbish stuck in my clothes. I pulled out my phone, speedily dialing the police. After the call, I finally walked over to them, still shivering and pale as I weakly stuttered "S-s-stop...L-let the police deal with it..."

The 'hero's head snapped to me. Man, was he breathtaking...

I studied his features for a milisecond...Okay...maybe a little longer than that.

He was quite tall but still well built. His hair was a dark brown pigment, messily sprawled over his head, a few strands falling in front of his face. Angular jaws, rosy red full lips...I can go on forever like a love struck girl. The problem was...I felt like a love struck girl.

Suddenly the police had arrived, their ear piercing sirens cutting off all other noise. It wasn't long before the thief was hand cuffed and backed into a car.

A few questions were asked before I felt someone pull me out of this mess.

"Get in the car. I'm driving you home."