Escaped the Night

Escaped the Night © 2011 by Jennifer Blyth.

Starlight Creative Expressions Ltd.

All rights reserved.

This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

www.escapedthenight.com

Acknowledgements

Shanntal Elizabeth Blyth
, when you were little, stories became part of our daily life. The stories we made up will always stay close to my heart, but this one needed to be shared with others. You’re truly my source of inspiration. I love you very much. XO

Betty Blyth
, thank you for telling me I should write books. I’m very glad I decided to take your advice to heart. You helped me find my passion, my calling. I hope you enjoy; the seeds you planted have blossomed. I love you. XO

Dave Wright
, a very special thank you goes out to you for being such a great friend and reading my first draft chapter by chapter while I wrote it. You encouraged me to continue and kept me on track. This one is for you!

Michael De Jong
, a special thanks goes out to you for introducing me to the people who helped make this come true. I hope you enjoy the magic.

Carol Hoenig
, you are my mentor. You’ve taught me so much about writing as well as the industry. I appreciate the time you spent helping me and for your encouraging words that kept my dream alive.

Greg Percy
, thank you for putting a picture to my words. I hope everyone enjoys the book cover as much as I do. Art is a way of life; I hope you keep dreaming and never quit creating. Cheers!

***************************

Never stop chasing your dreams

***************************

~ Table of Contents ~

T
he Day

~ Chapter One ~

I felt t
he dark
silhouette
stalking
me
as I hid
under
the
twisting
shadows
cast from the
bare trees on the
crisp
night.
The eerie feeling returned; I knew his presence
because we had
met once before.
I held my breath in spurts so
that my exhaling vapors did not
give away my location.
My heart pounded in
my chest. I was terrified, yet
never r
an
, even though I knew he was after me. I took a quick breath,
but the smell of
metal and blood
took control and
lured me out
.
I
involuntarily
licked
my lips
, took
a step
forward
revealing
my
hiding place
. I wanted
a taste
. The dark figure
with
the
viscous
red eyes
came up close
,
reaching
his dr
ipping hands
out
. I wanted to yell
for help, but no sound came
from my lips
.
I never pulled away as h
is hands
moved
closer
.
Instead,
I accepted his offering by embracing his bloody hands.

I woke up
grossed out and
panicked.
Thankfully, I
found myself safe in the car surrounded by my
family. It was another horrible dream
and I wondered if
they
were ever going to stop.

Daylight was dimming as the sun began to set in the expansive, cloudless sky
. The day had been
sweltering
,
but not
so hot as to be
unbearable
. The
dropping temperature had already begun cooling the air
.
My family was
dropping me off
at Gina
ta’s house for
the night
.
Life for both of us had been hectic, so we hadn’t seen each other for almost a month and wanted to catch up
.

I consider
Ginata
the coolest girl I have ever known
as well as my best friend
.
She i
s t
wo
years older and we
met
a
couple
years
ago when she
babysat
for my younger sisters.
That night
,
the cute guy who lived down the road asked me out on a date.
I begged and pleaded with my parents to let me out of w
atching
my
sisters
for the evening
. They agreed
and call
ed
Ginata
, and I was relieved to find out that she was available.

My
so-called
date
went
quite
crapp
y
, not at all like I had expected
. We
ran
into some of his friends
,
and he decided to
devote
all of
his
attention to them,
mostly
the blonde who
persistently flashed her bright smile and
abundance of cleavage
his way
.
I sat alone, feeling ditched and ignored by
both
my date
and the group
,
so
I decided
it
would
b
e best that I
just go home
.
I got up to leave and never received
as
much as a word
or look
from him as he was far too busy w
ith his eyes and her chest.
She smirked as her fixed stare followed me out the door because she knew that my departure would help
her evening go exactly as
she
planned.

I
had
beat
en
my parents
back
that night,
so
Ginata and I hung out
. She comforted me as
I shared the details of my
terrible
date
and
vented about little Miss Blondie.
We talked for hours as I rambled about my crushed ego. Ginata comforted and
reassured
me that it was in fact his loss. Our close friendship began that awful night.
I
felt
as if
I
’d
found my missing piece, my kindred spirit
, and Gianta felt the same
.
Be
st friends till death
,
we
vowed.

My father t
urned down the music
in the car
.
I
noticed but paid little attention as
I had other things on my mind
. I
shoved
both
of
my sisters
,
trying
to get them back over to their side of the
car. They were eight and ten, but
for some reason
were glued to me.

“Hey,
move over
a bit
.
”
I said.

They
looked
a
t me with blank expressions and
simultaneously
squeezed ove
r
even
closer
.
Two against one
. I was no ma
tch for those
innocent faces
, blonde hair and blue eyes.
I wasn’t fair like my sisters. My hair was dark brown and my eyes green. I highlighted my hair blonde in order to not look so different from them. There was no winning the battle for more space so I
sat defeated and squished.

My father
was very protective of his
girls and
l
iked
keep
ing
me at arm
’
s length by
know
ing
what I was doing at all times.
H
e meant well
,
but it still annoyed me.
Unfortunately
,
he was about to pick the
wrong
point in
time to ask me anything
.

“
So… what
are you girls
doing
tonight
,
Shanntal?
Are her parents
going to be
home?
No one else is coming over, right?
”

“Girl stuff,” I shot back, showing my irritation from his questioning.

Ginata and I had been friends for a couple years. Why was he acting like this now? And seriously
—
why couldn’t they
all
just leave me alone when I was so edgy?

I am
18 years old, five
feet, six inches tall and
feisty like
a spitfire
.
Some people know me
as
a
bit of a rebel
. My heart
has
always been
in the right place, but I do
not
t
ake kindly to flack
and
certainly
have no
need
for my parents’ constant protection. I am
old enough to know the difference between
right and wrong
.