The Hunter Chronicles - The Beginning

Chapter 1

I opened my eyes slowly; I can't remember how long I've been asleep for, feels like only five minutes. I check my clock on my nightstand I see it was only half an hour. I haven't had a proper night's sleep in months. I'm having terrible dreams and I'm at the point where I'm scared to close my eyes I'm exhausted. I glanced at the clock and realize that Melissa will be on her way here. The doorbell rings and it takes me a second to register, the lack of sleep and fear is beginning to take a toll on me. I haven't told anyone about my dreams not even Melissa. Since moving to Brentwood at age thirteen we've become inseparable but it didn't feel right telling her about my freaky dreams that I can't even remember much of, I make my way downstairs in no particular hurry as the ringing increases.

When I open the door Melissa is her usually cheerful self, she grins, "We are going to be so late to the party." Before I can respond she rushes past me. "Come on in." I mumble looking at my friend taking the stairs two at a time. I close the front door, the house is big just downstairs there is a large kitchen, two dining areas, three lounges a cinema and indoor pool. I walk back upstairs there are eleven rooms, mine the one at the end of the hall. I could never understand why we had to have such a big house we never had anyone stay over and we are not a big family. I used to suspect that this big house was a way for my parents to avoid me easier. I can hear Melissa in my bathroom and I know I can take my own time getting ready for a party I'm not in the mood for.

I rub my blue eyes while I opened my closet, take out a pair of jeans and a blue halter neck top, I get dressed and put on my knee high boots I put on eyeliner and mascara and brush long black hair, I never did get around to cutting it so I just tie it up. I smooth my bed and fluff my purple pillows I like my room, purple and silver are my favorite colors. I especially love that one wall is only windows. I have no idea why Melissa just doesn't get ready at her own house it would save us both a lot of trouble.

"Hurry up!" I yell putting on my jacket.

"Since when are you in such a hurry?" She replies with a hint of sarcasm.

"I'm not I just hate it when you spend hours in front of the mirror." I reply thinking back to our school days, the older we got the more time Melissa would spend on her appearance. We grew up together and while Melissa would spend her free time chasing boys I would read books or watch movies. I'm inexperienced when it comes to the opposite sex.

"What are you daydreaming about?" Melissa asks suddenly from behind me. I jump I didn't even hear her come out of the bathroom.

"Nothing." I mumble re-trying my hair.

"Why do you do that?" She asks shaking her head. She is wearing a plain black dress that comes to her knees with red heels and lips to match. Her blonde hair flowing over her shoulders in big wavy curls, her green eyes filled with excitement.

"Do what?" I ask but I know what she is talking about.

"This tying-up-the-hair-thing." She replies pulling the elastic out and placing it on my makeup table then slyly smiles, "Not that Michael cares what you look like, but this way he will stare at you longer."

"He doesn't stare at me." I say feeling my cheeks redden.

Melissa laughs, "Dear sweet, Jess, he likes you."

"Not more than a friend besides he has a bunch of girls constantly around him."

"You are way better than all those wanna be's"

"He has never said anything besides it would be weird."

"Why?" Melissa frowns.

"Because he is your brother."

"So?"

"We practically grew up together, I never thought of him in that way until..." I reply stopping myself too late.

"Until what?" Melissa asks hooked and I know she won't let it go until I tell her.

"Since that camping trip we went on last year." I say not being able to read my friend.

"Oh yeah, that was a fun weekend." She smiles recalling a memory she recovers then says, "Spill sister I want to know everything. Did you at last get your first kiss?"

"Nothing happened." I say the whole thing back to that weekend, Melissa and her then boyfriend, Jeremy, wanted to spend the weekend together, the only way her parents would let her go was if Michael and I went along. Not that it would have stopped Melissa from doing whatever whenever she wanted but it left me alone with Michael most of the trip. He would gently put his hand on my back when wanted me to look at something or brush a strand of hair from my face when the wind blew, but to my disappointment nothing more happened.

"So nothing happened?" Melissa asks eyeing me suspiciously.

"Nothing happened?" I repeat.

"You were forced to spend two nights alone in the same tent as you well remember the other was completely occupied and my crazy brother didn't even touch you? Remind me to ask him if he's gay!"

"I doubt he is gay with all the attention he gets from girls." I say. I remember laying there wishing he would just roll over and put his arm over me, I had never found myself attracted to any boys or girls for that matter growing up, not until that weekend.

"Did you want something to happen?"

"I wouldn't even know what to do." I blush.

"Ah Jess, like I've told you before, you will know what to do when you want to do it." Melissa says putting her arm over my shoulders.

"This is weird." I admit and walk to the door. I am embarrassed by my lack of experience.

"I wish my parents were like yours, they always let you do whatever you want." Melissa says changing the subject from bad to worse as we walk down the stairs.

"I haven't seen or spoken to my parents in nearly two years; if it wasn't for the deposits in my bank account I would have thought they were dead. Besides, I'm pretty sure that they don't care enough about me to bother themselves with what I do." I answered sadly, my parents are a sensitive subject for me.

"Jess, I'm sure that is not true. Melissa replies unconvincingly.

"Are we going or what?" I ask. I had always gotten the feeling that my parents were scared of me but couldn't quite figure out why.

"Sure." She says catching my drift. Both of us come from wealthy families and sometimes people think that just because we have money we are stuck up and think we are above everyone else, the Anderson family is quite down to earth. I don't know too much about my own family it was always just my parents and me, we never had relatives stay over for as long as I can remember. They always shut me down every time I tried to find out so eventually I just stopped asking.

"I'm driving." I say. When I see the look on Melissa's face I quickly added, "I will drop you off at home when you've had enough or you can just sleep over. There is no way I'm letting you drive drunk."

"Yes mother." She replies rolling her eyes. I laugh but sometimes I do feel like her mother, I know how wild she can be. She usually jumps and never thinks. I locked the door and put the key under a small pot plant on the porch.