Chapter One: Four Years Later

"Alex! Alex!"
"Ashley? Where are you?" Alex ran threw a long hall way. The lights were flickering on and off. Where was he? How did he end up here? None of that matter. Ashley was calling for him. He had to find her.
"Alex save me!"
"Ashley! I'm coming! Hold on!"
"He's going to kill me Alex! Save me!
He? Who was he? Who was trying to kil his sister? Who ever he was he was not going to win this time.
"Ashley! Where are you?"
"NO! ALEX!"

Alex quickly sat up in his bed. He was breathing hard and his shirt was covered in sweat. How many times had he had such a dream. No matter though it was just another dream. Another thing he had to work through. The shrink would be thrilled with him and the idea that the dreams kept coming. Of course he could just tell him that nothing was wrong. The faster he got better the faster he could stop wasting time talking to that guy and instead continue with the search for his sister. It had been four years since the last time he saw her face, since she had been kid-napped, but he wasn't giving up. He had promised Ashley the best from him and that was what she was going to get.
Alex laid back down on his pillow and stared up at the ceiling. It was still dark outside but there was no way he would be going back to bed anytime soon. He flipped over to look at the time. It was a few minutes after three in the morning. Well it wasn't so bad to go ahead and start the day besides he had woken up much earlier then this before. It just meant more time he could invest in the search.
It was ironic to him that he had spent a year protecting his sister from being hunted and now he had spent the last four years of his life hunting her himself. There weren't many left from the orignal search party. Alot of people left after the first year, some even leaving after a few months. Slowly as time had gone by more and more people started leaving and giving up. Some days it seemed like it was only Alex, Toby, Bill, and Alex's friend Jim from highschool who were the only ones still into the search. Jim and Alex had been tight for years along with Ashley. The three made up their own group of musketeers. Doing everything together, from beach trips to just a hang out at home. Jim was the same age as Toby but Alex had always wished his sister would notice Jim. But of course she went out and found her own guy.
Toby and Jim had become friends during the search, both just as into the search as Alex was, for they both loved Ashley and would do anything for her. Alex had never really noticed Jim's feelings for Ashley until the search had started and he found Jim tucked away in the corner praying. How strange it was that Jim actually thought pray would do them any good when they had no leads at all. But Jim told Alex he was just praying that an angel would protect Ashley while they searched for her. He wouldn't be able to move on if any harm came to Ashley, even though it wouldn't have been his fault, he still cared deeply for her.
That's when Alex started to respect Jim and his faith. Sure he didn't want anything to do with it but he respected the guy because he was at least praying for his sister to be safe. He made sure to stay out of Jim and Toby's way when they started to talk about God and prayed. It was just weird for him and he didn't want to mess up their prayers with his doubt. Maybe that was how the two guys became friends? Was it really the fact they shared the same faith? Because to Alex he would be mad if some other guy was claiming they loved his girlfriend. Of course no one really mentioned Toby and Ashley's relationship. It just torn Toby up more and more realizing he might never see his girlfriend again. Guess Toby was starting to gain Alex's respect as well. A little. But he still didn't always like the guy.
As Alex laid in his bed, debating with himself to get up or not, he started to pick through the dream he had just had to see if there was anything he could pull from it. Of course there wasn't because the lights didn't stay on long enough for him to even stop and look around at where he was. For all he knew he could have been in the mansion's hall ways. They were somewhat similiar. Giving up on finding something from his dream, Alex rolled out of bed and headed to get ready for the day. Maybe they would find something today at the scene. There was a new girl coming in to examine the kitchen that had yet to be cleaned up just in case there might be something they had missed. A clue or message from Ashley stating where she had gone or who it was that took her. Either way Alex was ready for the day to start.


Julie Andrewson was staring at a kitchen that hadn't been cleaned in four years. How could these people not think to bring in a forensic pathologist to a scene like this. There was so much she could find in all this but there would have been alot more if she was called right away. Whatever though. It had been four years but no one had walked into this kitchen expect Ashley Stephens brother, Alex, and Bill, the step-dad. Their foot prints and finger prints had been taken just in case they left any prints in the kitchen. So there wasn't anything to worry about. Except that it had been four years, and the odds that Ashley Stephens was still alive was looking slim.
Lord, Ashley sounds like such a sweet girl. How could something like this happen to some one so young? Please help me find something to give this family and their friends some hope.
"So where is this lady who suppose to be amazing?"
Suppose to be amazing? Apparently these people had no idea how to lead a search. Julie turned around and faced the man who had address her.
"Hi there, this lady you speak of would be me. I'm Julie Andrewson."
"Oh, hey, I'm Alex, Ashley's brother, and this is Toby and Jim, they're friends of Ashley and me."
Julie couldn't believe her eyes. Three guys all looking for one girl? Apparently this girl was more important than she thought. She looked over to Alex who seemed to blush a little once he realized who she was. A guy blushed talking to her? Well this was new.
"Hi. So tell me about your sister."
"What do you want to know?"
"Well, I already know the basic. Her name is Ashley Stephens. Sixteen years of age at the time of the attack. Now she would be twenty. Long dark hair. Fair skin. Blue eyes. Born in London, England. Her mother died about five years ago and she was living with her brother and step-father before she was attacked."
Alex, Toby, and Jim all looked at Julie as if she was crazy. Did they seriously think she would come to a fresh crime scene with no information at all? She had the basic background of the girl but she was missing the girl's character and reason for why someone would want to kill her. Had she done something? Been involved with a group that wasn't excatly friendly? She needed more details about the girl's life. Did she have a boyfriend? Were there any other people who would possibly be a target? Did the girl even keep a diary?
Alex was the first to speak up after the shock had run its course, "Wow. Well seems like you know everything you need to know about her."
"Not excatly, Alex, I need more information. What was your sister's character like?"
"Her character?"
"Yes, that will help me alot."
"Well, Ashley was just a normal teenager I guess. She was a nice person. Very respectful. But she had her moments. She was a strong person and stood up for what she believed in. She was a Christian thanks to my mother. I never did get into that stuff though. But I mean she was just Ashley. Guess she wasn't so normal really."
Thank you Lord, at least if this girl is not found alive the family can take comfort in the fact she is with You. Well except her brother, Alex. Why would he not be interested in You, Father? Maybe I can reach him. Lord give me the words to speak.
"Seems like your sister was something special."
"Yes, she was and still is," exclaimed Toby. Ironic. He hadn't spoken yet. Julie pulled out her notebook to jot down a few notes about Ashley. She then turned to talk to Toby.
"And who are you again?"
"I'm Toby, Ashley's boyfriend."
So the girl did have a boyfriend. Well at least he was standing in front of her instead of being back in London where she would of had to track him down as well. His name was going to have to go on a list of possible targets.
"Ah, so Ashley had a boyfriend. What can you tell me about her?"
"Well," Toby started to say but it looked as if he was having a hard time talking, "Ashley wasn't like most girls. She was a survier. I don't think I have ever met another girl who had gone through so much and was still filled with life."
Julie couldn't believe what she was hearing. This guy apparently cared deeply for this Ashley girl.
Lord, there will be so many tears shed if this girl is not found alive. I don't know if i'm ready for something like this. Help me, Father.
Julie wrote a few more notes down about Toby and Alex and then turned to the third guy. From what she had remembered Alex telling her this guy's name would be Jim.
"And what about you, Jim? What was your relationship like with Ashley?"
Jim stopped and thought about his answer first then turned to Julie to speak.
"Guess my relationship with Ashley was more like Alex's. She was like a little sister to me. A sweet girl. She wasn't involed with much. Mostly just liked to hang out with her friends and live life. She did like to write though."
Okay they were finally getting somewhere. So Ashley was a writer. She probably had a diary right?
"She was a writer? Did she have a diary of some sort?"
"Yeah," Alex started to say, "But how can that help us?"
"Well a diary is used to keep the thoughts and secrets of a girl. Her dreams and fears. Her diary could hold loads of information for us."
Did these guys really not think to check a place like a diary? For all they knew this girl could have stated the person who kid-napped her and where they were taking her in her diary and these guys were still sitting around the table clueless. Julie was going to have to teach these guys the art of hunting someone down before this was all over. But first thing first. She needed to see Ashley Stephen's diary.


"It's been three days, Jim!"
Alex was not happy about how the search had been going. This Julie woman was not getting them anywhere. All she did was sit at the table and read his sister's diary. It felt wrong at first to give it to her but he didn't have much of a choice did he? If Ashley had really given anything away, like Julie thought, in her diary then this man hunt would be ended soon, right? But no. It had been three days and all Julie had done was read and re-read Ashley's diary as if it was the next best seller.
"Calm down, Alex, Julie knows what she is doing."
"If I didn't know any better, Jim, I'd say you liked Julie."
Alex had noticed how Jim had been acting lately around Julie. Always wanting to help her in any way or seeing if she needed anything. Sometimes Jim was even flirting a little with Julie.
"Nah man, it's not like that. I'm just trying to make sure that Julie is doing everything she can to help us find Ashley. How could you even think something like that?"
"You're the one who is always around her."
The door swung open and Julie stepped through the door.
"Hey, Jim, can you help me for a minute with something?"
"Oh yeah sure Julie, on my way."
"Thanks."
She turned away from them and walked back through the door.
"Yeah, Jim, its nothing like that."
"Whatever man. Not like you called dibbs on her or anything."
"Fine. Get out of here. Go join your girlfriend. I need to think anyways."
Jim shook his head and walked after Julie to help her. After he left the room Alex started realizing that maybe Julie would be good for Jim. To be honest, Ashley would just go back with Toby after all this was over. Four years hadn't changed Toby's feelings. It wasn't likely that Ashley's feelings had changed either over four years. Four years. The years had never really settled in with Alex.
He still saw his sister as the sixteen year old. What was his sister like now? She was twenty years old, an adult. Sure she hadn't changed that much. After all she hadn't even finished school so she wouldn't act any different. Would she? He had never even sat down to think about how different his sister would be. She was probably anger with them because they hadn't found her yet. How would she even react the first time she saw him again?
Alex's thoughts were distracted by his dream he had had that last night. It was just like the rest of the dreams. He was running down some long, never ending hall way and could hear his sister scream for help. Her shrill screams were what had woken him up a little past midnight sweating again. And now her screams were haunting him through the day. He really needed to get out and just walk away from all the searching for a little bit. Maybe he should go by the small creek that ran through his step-dad's land. It was quiet there and peaceful. That's excatly what he needed.
Alex got up from where he had been sitting in the living room for over and hour and headed out the back door.