The Healer of Aundara

Chapter 1

I just want to start off by saying hi. As this is my first ever book please don't mind my errors but please do point them out so I can correct them. Thanks and hofully you enjoy!

Copyright 2012 

Chapter dedicated to Nessie64 for making my awsome book cover :)

_____________________________________________________________________________

I'm running through trees that have an oddness about them that I just can't place. My heart is pounding and I can barely see anything with only the glow of the moon guiding my steps. I look behind me, its getting closer, I push myself even faster and then it starts calling my name....

"Jana, Jana!!"

"what..whosat?" I shook myself out of my stupor, and propped myself up on my elbow brushing the lingering grass out of my shoulder length mousy brown hair. " Come on Jana, don't tell me you've forgotten me already" whined Sam, my best friend of almost 10 years, "How could I forget someone as annoying as you Sam" I said with a laugh. "You were daydreaming again" she accused sitting down beside me leaning against the tree I was lounging under.

"nuh uh"

"yeah huh"

"Ok fine I was, but I've got a lot on my mind"I finally admitted.

"I know don't remind me" she pouted " I still don't get why you are leaving me here while you traipse off to Hawaii to have the time of your life, and I'm stuck in this hole of a town.""Aww you know I would take you if I could" I imitated her whine "but Josh would kick my butt if I took his second best waitress too, and its not like I'm gonna be gone that long, only a month" as I shake my head in exasperation.

"That's what you say now but you're probably gonna meet some hunky exotic guy, fall in love and never come back" she said throwing her hands up in the air, yes my friend is shall we say a little dramatic.

"Yeah right" I scoffed " as if I could ever leave my bestest friend in the whole wide world" I stated laughing and wrapped her in a big bear hug.

Sam and I have been best friends since the 10th grade when I first moved to Havenbridge, Or The Hole as it is commonly referred to by those who grew up here. It's really not such a bad place, sure there isn't much to do for entertainment but when you are working double shifts most days and your best friend working the other shifts, does it really matter. I took a moment to really look at Sam her ultra short blond hair with the pink tips, her hazel eyes that always seem mischievous, and her slim petite build that any fashion designer would LOVE to dress. I really am going to miss her, but I need to get away. I really don't want to bother her with the other reason I've been daydreaming so much lately, she has enough on her plate as it is, what with me leaving and all. But I haven't been sleeping well lately I've been having the weirdest dreams that I can't seem to remember when I wake up. I'm hoping this trip will help relax me and shake this odd feeling I've been having, Maybe I'm just stressed about turning 25 it is half way to 30 and I'm not anywhere close to the goals I have set for my life. This trip is a start to achieving at least one of those goals, travel somewhere I have to take a plane to get to.

"I'm still pretty pissed that you aren't even gonna be around for your birthday" Sam scowled at me " Real nice that you didn't even give me enough notice to plan a party before you left" she said with a quiver in her lip. " I know babe, I'm sorry but it was a last minute deal if I don't do it now then who knows when I'll ever have this opportunity again" great now I'm gonna cry too, damn it. "I do understand" she said with a sigh " but it still sucks, I can't believe you are only here for two more days and then poof your gone" "I know but I'll still call and we still have two days, and surprise, surprise we both have Friday off for the first time in forever. So we can have a sleep over just like the old days, ice cream, sappy movies, the works" I said with I smile. "Sounds good" she smiled back. I heard the familiar chime of the old clock, that thing is so old and rusty I can't believe it's still working. Three chimes.

" O crap I gotta get to work or Josh is gonna kill me"I said as I jumped up from under my tree "Hes pissed with me enough as it is for the short notice, talk to you after my shift" I spit the words out over my shoulder as I bolted out of the park. Sam waved laughing as I almost ran into a tree only ten steps away from the one we were under.

I got to work in five minutes flat, yes I was a little out of breath and still had to run upstairs to put on my uniform but I'm here. I managed to get to the stairs to my apartment to change into my uniform when I walked into a wall that wasn't supposed to be there. "Your late" scowled Josh angrily with his arms crossed in front of him. "I'm sorry I lost track of time" I replied with my eyes downcast. "That seems to happen a lot little missy" he said with a grumble.

I can't believe he still calls me little missy, yes Josh has been like a father to me and given me a job and an apartment above the restaurant shortly after I moved here, but I'm almost twenty five now. I do feel bad about making him scramble to find someone to replace me for the month I'm gone though. After all I came to this town a scared and alone 15 year old, having just lost my parents in a terrible car accident and sent to live with an aunt that mysteriously disappeared shortly before I arrived. I had received an inheritance, which the bank held in trust for me until my nineteenth birthday, So I had money to live on but if I wanted to go to college I had to get a job.

So after getting to my aunts house and only finding a note on her door saying she was traveling and would be back in a year and that there was a key at the neighbors house. I went and got the key and stayed in my aunts house for almost a week keeping mostly to myself, only going out for grocery's as school was still on Summer holidays, but it felt really odd in that big Victorian house all by myself so I decided to find a place of my own. I started exploring this new town that was now my own.

Most of the houses in town are similar to my aunts house, antique Victorian style houses, there is one movie theater and arcade for entertainment and a small mall for the basic necessities. I wandered almost all the way across town before I realized I was getting hungry so I popped into the next diner I saw, it turned out to be "Jolly Josh's Diner". From the outside it looked like a quaint little place but even better there was a help wanted sign in the window, I thought to myself that this must be fate, so I entered the diner with a jingle of the bell above the door and that's when I first saw Josh. He was in his mid-fifty's and almost six feet tall, yes he was a little overweight, but I don't think he could have pulled off the "Jolly Josh" bit if he was slender.

His hair was mostly gray but you could still tell that his hair used to be a dark brown when he was younger, chocolate brown eyes and the biggest smile, the kind that you can't help but smile back. "What can I get for you little missy?" he asked "I noticed your help wanted sign in the window and was wondering if the job was still available" I asked in a timid voice. "You looking for a job?" he asked raising an eyebrow, "Yes, if you think I'll do" I smiled. "It's just a waitressing position if your interested, but I'm sure you'll do fine" he said with his now familiar smile. "Great" I said "when do I start" so he filled me in on what the job entailed while grabbing me a burger and fries with a Coke, cause hey I was still hungry. As we were talking I found out that there were apartments above the restaurant and the rent was reasonable so I moved in that day and started work the very next day. It was looking like things were finally looking up for me. Josh took me under his wing and even helped me register for school that September.

He really was the best thing to happen to me, so I understand why he's a little disappointed that I am taking off for a month, I know his anger is just hiding the fact that he is going to miss me while I'm gone.

"Aww I love you too Josh" I said throwing my arms around him "I promise I'll send postcards and call every day" I said with I smile "Be sure you do little missy" he said in his gruffest voice, but I could see the corners of his mouth twitching up at the sides, we don't call him "Jolly Josh" for nothing, it's always been hard for him to stay mad at me long. "Hurry up and get changed we got customers waiting" he said and headed off to the grill to cook up the orders still waiting. My shift ended at nine and besides being run off my feet as usual it was a pretty normal shift, the only odd thing was when after locking up Josh came over and gave me a big hug and said "don't be late for your shift tomorrow" in a stern voice. It wasn't unusual for him to remind me about being on time because hey I am usually late or just in time. It was the tear in his eye as he was hugging me, Josh never crys, in the whole time I've known him he's always been happy, ok and sometimes stern, but I've never seen him sad. Feeling kind of bad that I've made him cry I promised him "I'll even be five minutes early". I then trudged upstairs, took a shower and promptly fell asleep.