CHAPTER TWO

"Koji! Koji! Get up! Get up! Its 2:30! Do you plan on sleeping all afternoon! Come on sleepy head!" Koji woke to the sound of a little girls voice.
"Ah, what? Oh, Jamie..." Koji sat up rupping his eyes "When did you get hear?"
"About 10 hours ago!" Jamie said exagterating, "Hurry up! Come on I want you to push me on the tire swing!"
"Ohhhhh. Not now Jame! Just wait alittle...wait till I'm up..."
Jamie jumped up and down and tried to pull Koji out of bed, "But you are up! You're talking! Change from your Pj's and come on!"

Jamie was Koji's 8 year old little cousin. She was very energetic and was Koji's only cousin.

"Ah, for crying out loud! Why do we have to be woken up by a little girl so early in the morning..." Takuya said pulling the covers over his face.
"For your information it's 2:30! Its quite past the early morning! AND I'm not little! I'm 8!" Jamie marched over beside Takuya's sleeping bag, her brown pigtails bobbing up and down.
"And that would be 7 years younger than we are," Takuya laughed, he loved little kids.
"Humpf!" Jamie crossed her arms, then jumped up on Koji's bed and started bouncing on it.
"Oh for goodness sake! Can't Aunt Sally take you to the swing?" Koji mumbled.
"Nope. Mommy dropped me off earlier and your mom is babysitting me. My mom's gone to New York for this Christmas beak. She left this morning. Don't you remember?" Jamie stopped jumping.

Koji thought back and then remember that Jamie's mom, his mom's sister Sally, was at a buisness conference up till Christmas Eve. Jamie was staying at their house until she got back. Since the fact her dad left when she was three and wanted nothing to do with his daughters exsistence, they watched her when ever they needed to. What a way for him to spend his Christmas Break, being harassed by an 8 year old!

"Oh yeah...I remember now," Koji said as he flung the covers off himself and took some clothes into the bathroom to get changed.
"Yay! You're up!" Jamie said as she ran out of the room into the kitchen to Koji's mom, "They're up Auntie Mandy!"

When Koji opened the door of the bathroom when he was done Takuya was standing there with his clothes rolled in a ball under his arm,"I'm some what less than amused by that bouncing machine that woke us up. Since when was she was coming today?"
"Sorry, I forgot!" Koji giggled and Takuya slammed the bathroom door in Koji's face. He knew Takuya didn't mind Jamie.

With everything that had happened last night Koji's mind was blank except for the dream he had. As he stumbled out into the kitchen his mom gave him a curious look.
"You alright? You look sorta tired? Sleeping in until 2:30. What time were you guys up to last night?" Mandy asked her son as she washed the dishes.
"Oh, you know, all and any hours," Koji sat at the kitchen table and leaned back in the chair.
"Auntie Mandy, tell Koji to take me out to the tire swing!" Jamie said innocently.
"Koji, take your cousin out to the swing. But after you had Takuya have had breakfast. I have to run to the grocery for awhile store, ok? Watch Jamie till I get back," Mandy said as she dried her hands, grabbed her car keys, threw on her coat and went out the door.

Jamie ran over to the window and waved to her as she drove off, then she turned to the boys, "Kay, now hurry up and eat!"
Takuya walked into the kitchen, plopped down at the table and licked his lips, "OK! Whats for breakfast?"
Jamie crabbed a box of cearal and two bowls from the cupboard, "Fruit Loops!"
"Milk please." Takuya asked.
Jamie got the milk from the fridge and put it on the table. She watched the boys eat their ceral with her head rested on her hands on the table.
"Jame, why don't you go play with you barbies?" Koji looked up.
"Cause, they're boring. I played with them for 5 hours this morning waiting for YOU to get up," she rolled her eyes.
"Oh boy. This is gonna be a long Christmas Break..." Koji sighed.

xxxxx

"Yay!" Jamie yelled into the brisk winter air as she ran over to the tree that had the tire swing dangling from it.
She jumped into it and yelled, "Push me Koji!"
Koji walked over to the tire swing and pushed his cousin higher and higher as he stared at the forest in the distance.
Takuya walked over behind him, "Sooooooo. I'm guessing where going to go investigate the forest later?"
"I don't know what it is. I feel something. A feeling that draws me deeper and deeper into the forest. I don't know what it is though? Just have to keep looking." Koji said as he pushed Jamie higher.
Jamie laughed and giggled and talked to herself not listening to Koji and Takuya.
"I have to go home soon. My mom is coming to get me at five o'clock. It's three now." Takuya said looking at his watch.
"Ask her if you can stay another night. I don't want to be stuck with Jamie all this time!" Koji pleaded.
"Ok, I will. Later though." Takuya agreed.

Just then a gold flash caught Koji's eye from deep in the forest. Scrap, Koji's golden retriever started barking from in the barn, where he slept most of the time. Koji felt the strong force he felt in his dream. He just HAD to go to find it. He bursted off back lane.
"Huh?" Jamie said dishearted.
"Hey, Koji where are you going?" Takuya yelled after him.
Koji stopped, "Jame wait there OK? We'll be back in a minute! Don't move! You can swing by yourself for a minute."
"Kay," Jamie nodded and started to swing again.

Koji continued racing down back lane, Takuya right behind him, "I can feel something weird Takuya! Just like my dream!"
"What? What are you talking about? What dream?" Takuya managed to mumble out.
Koji gasped for air, "Well...last night I had a weird dream about a girl in the middle of that frozen pond...and I was being drawn to her or something by this force."
"So that was the purpose of our little adventure at 5:30 this morning!" Takuya blurted out.

They broke into the forest at a breakneck speed. Koji's heart was beating faster and faster as they came closer and closer to what Koji was after. He could feel it, he was getting closer. He wanted it, he had a craving for it. He needed it. It was like an obessisive feeling. Although, he didn't know what he was looking for. Koji was drawn to the forzen pond again and they stopped. Stone silent. Only the sound of their heavy breathing was herd as Koji looked around and Takuya drew in huge breaths for air.

"The feeling is gone. Whatever I felt, is gone now. But it was here! It or what ever, was here! Gosh, this is a pain." Koji took in deep breaths.
"Oh man." Takuya whipped sweat off his forehead, "I'm really not in shape. Lets not do that again!"
Koji's heart settled down, "Yeah, well-"

Koji's heart almost stopped as he herd a firmilair shrieking scream!

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!" he could hear Jamie screaming in the distance at the top of her lungs.

They spung back around and headed towards the farm again. Koji's heart was now jumping with fear. He was scared to death. Was Jamie OK? All he could think was him getting back there and she was gone or hurt.

They flung out of the forest, up the back lane and out to the tire swing and house. And there was Jamie her face in her hands and Scrap barking like mad in circles around her. Koji dashed over to Jamie and picked her up. She buried her face on his shoulder and bauled.

"Some...Something tried to grab me! But...But Scrap came out and scared it away! He saw it! But...But I didn't! I...I turned around and nothing was there! As if...As if I was crazy and had imagined it all!" Jamie managed to say between sobs "But Scrap knows! He...He believes me! He saved my life!"
Koji and Takuya's eyes widdened.
"What did it feel like?" Koji asked calmly.
"Like a ghost or a spirit! Just like a cold drift taking you away!" Jamie cried.
"Did you hear anything?" Takuya asked, his eyes filled with curiousity and concern.
"Just the whistle of the wind..." Jamie calmed down.
Koji looked at Takuya, "She just got spooked because she was all alone and scared to be without us on the farm. It's common among lottle kids. Kind of like being afriad of the dark."
"Yeah. You're right...Or, something real weird could be going on..." Takuya said.

Storm clouds set in a few rain drops prickled down on their faces.

"It's starting to rain." Jamie said resting her head on Koji's shoulder, totally tuckered out.

Koji carried Jamie inside and Takuya opened the door for them. Jamie ran over to the couch and clicked on the TV. There was thunder in the distance.

Jamie shivered with fear, "I don't like thunder storms...They're scary."
Koji looked out their big bay window and out into the forest, "Yeah. It's OK Jame."