I bolt up awake, my body drenched in sweat and shaking. "Hey, easy, Jasper, it was just a nightmare." I turn and see my father sitting beside me, half of his body burned to a crisp.
I scream and move back. "Jasper! Jasper!"
My eyes snap open and look around myself hurriedly, I'm in a car, Derek's car. "Hey, relax, Jazz, relax. Just breathe." I look over timidly and sigh in relief to find only my cousin sitting in the driver's seat, his emerald eyes staring at me with obvious concern. "Are you okay?"
"Just... Just a bad dream." He nods.
"We're almost there."
"Great." I lean my head back and sigh, my body finally relaxing and letting the tension go. We're almost to Beacon Hill... wonderful.
My name's Jasper Hale. I used to live in Beacon Hills, California, the smallest town ever, but then my entire family got burned alive in the basement of my aunt's house, so my cousins and I moved away. If it was up to me I wouldn't be moving back here, but Laura, my oldest cousin, is missing and I can't just ignore that. Laura and Derek are all I have left besides my comatose father. Family's important and I honestly can't lose anymore. I have no idea why she came back here, but it's not important. What is, is finding her.
"Did you call her again?" I ask.
"I left her seven voicemails. She's no answering." Derek tells me, causing me to squeeze my eyes shut.
"She should be answering."
"Hey, don't worry yourself. I'm sure she's fine." My cousin assures me, but my gut is telling me something very bad has happened to her and my gut is never wrong.
"I..." I let out a shaky breathe. "I can't keep losing people, Derek."
"I know, Jazz, I know." Derek squeezes my shoulder, trying to give me some comfort, but there's not much of me to comfort. Most of myself were burned in that fire. I'm nothing, but an empty shell, just living like a zombie. "Jasper, we'll find her."
"And then what, Derek? We keep running from town to town, not letting anyone in because the hunters could be right behind us? I'm tired of running, Derek. I'm... I'm tired of living."
"Hey! Don't do that, Jasper! Don't clock out on me, okay! We-we need to stick together, keep fighting." I look over at him with my eyes buried in tears.
"Why?" Derek swallows back his emotion and looks at me.
"Because our parents wouldn't want us to give up and I can't do this without you." Derek comes across as big and tough and scary to everyone, but me. Derek and I have always been close. He's six years older than me, but we're the closest thing we have to friends. He's the only one who understands my pain and misery. It's horrible to say, but it's the truth. The only reason we made it this far is because we are always there to keep the other strong and fighting.
I sigh and close my eyes, the tears slipping free. "I know you're scared, Jasper and I know you're hurting, but as much as that sucks, we can't give up. We have to keep going. If not for our own sake then for the sake of each other and our family. They died so that we could live... we have to keep going." I nod.
"I know." I whisper, turning and staring out at the woods that past us. "How much longer?"
"You don't remember Beacon Hills much do you?" I shrug.
"I blocked most of it out... Had to." He frowns.
"This is our road." I look over to see a dirt road leading into the woods. Derek turns and takes a right onto the road. It's bumpy but welcoming for me. I don't know why, but I feel like I'm coming home after a long time away, which, I guess, in a sense, I am.
I feel the breath leave me as he drives up in front of a house. Our house. It looks pretty beaten up, half of it burned away from the fire, but still... it's welcoming. I open the car door and get to my feet. Staring out at the house.
"I know it looks horrible, but-
"I remember what it used to look like." I whisper. "It used to be beautiful. Like a mansion or a castle." Derek smiles as he looks at it.
"Yeah... it used to be." I hear dogs barking in the woods, causing me to turn and look out at the dark woods. It's probably at least ten o'clock right now and there are no properties that I know of nearby. Why would a dog be barking?
"Derek?" I look at my cousin, worry filling my eyes. Derek doesn't look at me, he walks towards the barking, causing me to follow close behind him.
We walk and hide behind the darkness that the trees provide. Before us is a bunch of cops with dogs, out looking for something. "Derek? What are they looking for?"
"I... I don't know." Yes he does. I know too. They're looking for Laura. They have to be. She goes missing and suddenly cops are raiding the woods.
"It's Laura, isn't it?" Derek doesn't answer me, but he's pale, as pale as a ghost. "Derek!"
"Shut up, Jasper, they'll hear us." Derek hisses.
"Answer me, Derek. Is it Laura?"
"I... We can't know for sure. Not until..."
"Not until they find the body."
"Jasper-
"I knew something was wrong Derek, I could feel it... She's dead."
"Jasper, we don't know that for sure." Tears fill my eyes as I look at him.
"What's the other opinion?" He doesn't answer me because there is no other opinion. Laura's gone.