Where were they?

Where were they?

James scuffed the ground, trying to contain his frustration. It was now dusk, and the sun was just beginning to drift behind the mountain. James, if he was honest with himself, wasn't sure where he was. Yes, he was at a McDonald's, his friends and his meeting place, but the neighborhood that bordered the highway close to it looked very unfamiliar. It looked poor. The fence that separated the neighborhood from the highway was short and rotting; giant chunks of it were missing from all angles. The backs of the houses looked generally shoddy and uncared for.

James turned his back to the houses, still slightly mad at his friends' lateness. Usually, he was the late one.

The rest of the parking lot was empty.

Maybe they are here, he thought. And they are just messing with me.

That seemed much more likely than James being the first one here. There was a little gravel on the edge of the parking lot near the highway, and it crunched under James's feet when he walked. He walked across the desolate highway, staring straight at a particular part of the fence that had worn away completely, leaving a gap that most people couldn't get through. Not James. Years of sneaking out had made him very skilled…. and it also helped that he was very thin.

He had come to a street that had more depressingly, run down houses. James kept walking, his eyes darting around, looking for anything that might help him. It was getting harder to see, in the dim sunlight. Suddenly, something caught his eye. There, in front of him, was an alley, almost completely dark. James smiled to himself; this would be a perfect place for his friends to try to scare him. Confidence rising, James stepped down the alley, determined to prove to his friends, yet again, how much more cleverer he was than them. At the end of the alley was a dead end, but James turned left, and there stood a side alley. It dead-ended with a new-looking brick wall that looked completely out of place in such a run down neighborhood. He half expected his friends to jump out by now, but they didn't. Instead, as he walked farther down the side alley, he found them all lying against the new brick wall, in a heap. A very, disheveled, uncomfortable-looking heap. James stepped forward curiously, not comprehending what they were trying to do. They could not easily pop up from that jumbled mess. James got closer. Sonny's, James's genius and troublemaker best friend, face was the first one to come into view. His normally shaggy, sand colored hair was pushed back, and somehow, it looked paler. His eyes, always full of bliss and mischief, were closed, and now, only a ghost remained where the life once was in his face. James was past the point of utter confusion, but he knew something was very wrong here.

"Sonny?" James's voice echoed off the wall of the alley. He squatted to the ground, and looked more closely at Sonny's face. It was completely relaxed. No one, not even Sonny, could accomplish that.

Not without being unconscious, or dea –

James stopped the thought right there.

"Derek? Nick? Mason?" Their bodies were all under Sonny's and face first. None of them moved or made noise. "Guys?"

James felt a tiny prickling of fear creep in. They weren't responding, nor were they playing a joke on him, not anymore. He shook them, one by one; although it was harder once he got further down in the pile. They were rag dolls. James spoke some more, but nothing, absolutely nothing, was happening. James heart quicken in pace, and he had a sinking feeling. Something deep inside of him had sunk, like an anchor, to the bottom.

He placed his hand over Sonny's heart to confirm what he was sure of already and that's… when it happened.

Suddenly, the side alley dropped drastically in degrees, causing James to shiver. It was like all the energy had been sucked out of the air. Between James's hand and Sonny's chest, a dim light had begun to emit. James was awestruck. He felt a tingling sensation go through his fingers, and up his hand. The bad, sinking feeling had disappeared.

Then, the floodgates opened. The light magnified in intensity so rapidly that James had to close his eyes, but he could feel the light go to every brick. Minutes later, he opened his eyes, and the whole alley was illuminated.

A ragged breath made James jump slightly, and he quickly looked down at Sonny. His mischievous gray eyes stared back up at him. Slowly, Sonny's face spread into his famous easy smile, and sat up, which earned grunts from the guys below. James hauled Sonny to his feet, then looked around. The alley was brighter, if that was possible, and James knew why. The sun had finally set in the sky, and was not competing with the light. He sat down again, followed by Sonny, growing immensely tired by the second. But, something else was growing inside of him, too. Curiosity.

How did I just do that? Was it me.. or actually someone else. Wait.. why did I just need to do it to Sonny, and everyone else woke up?

"Jay?"

James was pulled out of his thoughts.

"Yeah?" he answered, surprised how worn out his voice sounded.

"Jay," Sonny started, using James's nickname. "What happened?" All I know is, we were waiting for you and now –."

"— We're here." A slightly higher voice finished. Mason had gotten up into a sitting position. His usually sharp, hazel eyes looked unfocused, and had a heavy haze over them. Mason helped Derek and Nick up, who also looked opaque and clouded-over, until they were all sitting in a circle. Everyone looked around until; finally, all eyes fell upon James.

"What are we going to do?" Nick's voice was thick and slurred, like he had just gotten out of bed.

James sat there, actually thinking about it. He was in an unfamiliar neighborhood. He knew Mason and Nick knew their way around; after all, that was how they all got here in the first place. But, Nick and Mason were in no state to drive, or even give directions.

No, he wouldn't ask for his friends help. What they needed right now was rest. Hopefully whatever happened to them would wear off by morning. They needed some place to spend the night. James thought back to before he had entered the alley. There were a couple houses he would consider staying in, if they were empty, but one stood out among them. He quickly got up to his feet, surprisingly nimble for being this exhausted. All eyes traveled up with him. James reached out for Sonny's hand, and pulled him to his feet.

James was instantly glad that they were in a neighborhood with tight-knit houses. His friends really didn't look that good. They all walked slowly out of the alley, James leading. By now, the sky had turned an inky black. James hadn't noticed how dark it was before now. As they walked—or hobbled— along down the sidewalk, the air got noticeably warmer. Warmer than the alley had been. James replayed in his mind what happened minutes ago in the alley, desperate for a logical answer.

What happened back there?" That was his first question.

Then, like bullets, more popped in, making James forget where he was. What actually happened to his friends? Why did this have to happen to them – to him – right before they were going on vacation? It didn't make any sense….

Abruptly, all of James's thoughts scattered out of his mind like scared animals. Before them, stood a two story, old Victorian house, looking somewhat out of place in a neighborhood like this. With a pang in his heart, James realized it resembled his house; A much smaller, shabbier version, anyway. It looked unoccupied. There were no cars in the driveway, no porch light, no sign that anyone lived here. James beamed. This would be a perfect place. He walked closer, examining the door. It appeared locked, but James found no reason why it should, so he tried it. After all, this was an empty house.

To his surprise, the door remained quite still. James turned around, seeking help. Sonny was examining his nails, looking much more alert than any of the others. Derek and Nick were looking at the sky, in a very dumbfounded way. James could tell they were still out of it. Mason was staring off into space, but met James's eyes. He shrugged. James sighed, turning his back on them. What did he expect?

Suddenly, with a tiny "pop" the door pushed itself open. James would have found this odd, had he been more awake, but at that moment, a wave of pure exhaustion hit him like a ton of bricks. He fought it, barely, as he half-pushed his friends in the house, shutting the door quietly.

The house was surprisingly homey. It was a completely open floor. The kitchen, with its shiny counters and refrigerator, hugged tightly to the living room. There were lots of well-worn leather furniture, all facing oddly toward the big windows that covered the front of the house. James pushed his friends across the room, and up the wooden, creaky stairs. At the top of the stairs, he glanced around. There seemed to be at least three rooms. He hoped they were bedrooms….

"Where are we?" Mason said suddenly, making everyone jump a bit. It had all been very quiet until now.

James pointed at a room directly across from where they stood, ignoring Mason's question. James really didn't want to explain his way of thinking to him. The room had no door, just a frame, so he could faintly make out a bed, in the middle of the room.

"Take that room." James was surprised how demanding he sounded, but Mason didn't seem to care. He shrugged, and headed towards the room.

Nick and Derek shot him a look.

"Go where ever you want…." James waved his hand dismissively, but they seemed to take it seriously. They headed down the hallway, still looking around as if the place were made of Jell-O.

Sonny turned to him and saluted.

"Where do I go, Captain?"

James laughed, despite his waning energy. Sonny sounded so serious, and if someone didn't know him, they would probably think he was. James walked into the room that was built into the corner of the house. It was, by far, the closest, and he wondered why none of his friends had picked this room. It was, in fact, a bedroom. A bedroom with two beds. Sonny looked around, a slight smirk on his face, but, he rolled onto the first bed he saw, which was the closest to the door, and closed his eyes. He was out in seconds.

James, amused at the sight of Sonny, also rolled onto his bed, not bothering to undress, or even get under the covers. His head hit the pillow, and at the same instant, a light blinded his eyes. He quickly opened his eyes, and tilted his head a little, peering out the floor to ceiling window. A street lamp, at the opposite end of the cul-de-sac where the house sat, had found a perfect angle into the bedroom. James got up, sighing a bit, and went to the window. His hands closed around the curtains….

He stopped, letting his tired brain process what he was seeing. Below on the street, directly in the view of the window, stood two guys. They stared up at the window –at him – looking somewhat curious. They were both very dark skinned, and had closely shaved heads.

The one guy, the shorter, scrawnier one, tilted his head, and his eyes gleamed, but not with malice… more like… curiosity. The other, a taller, more muscular one, crossed his arms impatiently as if he was waiting for something. What do they want?

Something banged near the street lamp that had prevented James from going to sleep seconds ago. The boys' heads turned, along with their bodies, giving James just enough time to race downstairs, now wide awake.

Another bang outside brought James closer to the door, where he looked out the tiny window that sat just at eye level for him. The guys had moved away from the view of the window upstairs, and were now inspecting what looked like a trash bin. Another bang – the trash bin shook violently enough that the lid flew off.

James's heart sped up, but he fought to keep his breathing normal. Out of the trash bin, came another male. He stepped out, seeming to replace the very oxygen with his strange air. The scrawnier boy cowered in his presence as he hurriedly put the lid back on the trashcan. James couldn't resist anymore. He had to find out what these people were up to. Very slowly, he turned the handle, and crept out.

Praying that the door and him were hidden by the darkness, he closed the door gently, barely hearing the "click." James looked around, listening for the voices of the strange males. Suddenly, someone grabbed him. James was secretly hoping it wouldn't come to this, because he wasn't much of a fighter; avoiding conflicts by talking was more his style. Still, he fought, his heart leaping into his throat as two more pairs of hands grabbed him, trying to control him. James sent his fists flying, happy when it hit someone and one pair of hands fell away. He kicked, struggled, and hit, for what seemed like hours.

With a force stronger than humanly possible, James was knocked flat on his stomach. He lay there for a second, slightly dazed, and with airless lungs. Someone roughly pulled up his head by his hair, and stuck a rag in his mouth. An angry, pungent smell filled his mouth, and leaked up into his nose – Chloroform. His head felt light, and dull, and everything was turning blurry. He was getting very dizzy, and was suddenly happy he was still on the ground. James heard the people talking now, although no recognizable words reached his ears. His hearing was fading… and his skin was rapidly heating up.

Abruptly, it all stopped, the dizziness, the heat, and James slowly fell into the never-ending darkness.

Tabitha wondered back inside, not being able to stand the heat any longer. In the last week, the sun had turned on, and now was baking poor little Manhattan. Tabitha hated the heat, that's why she always hated summer in New York and stayed inside most of the time. It was strange to have such high temperatures though, even in the summer. A cool blast hit her softly, caressing her, beckoning her away from the hotness outside. She walked into the kitchen. Her father was still sitting on a stool, his computer sitting on the island in the middle of the room. His eyes barely glanced at her as she walked in, and he immediately started typing again. Tabitha sighed, and made her way upstairs, to her room. Her father had been like that, morning through night, for two weeks now. Ever since James had left. She walked up the stairs, feeling an odd tingling in the back of her memory. This was where it showed up. The light.

The events of that night replayed themselves very quickly in her mind. The light leading her to James's room, the note he left, her picture she was going to show him… him not being there…

A tear gently slid down her face, soon followed by others. She still didn't understand why he had left, leaving her and her father so sad and alone, and so soon after their mother had died. She wondered briefly if it was because of that… if that was James's weird way of expressing his sadness, especially since he acted like everything was okay, and didn't cry, not even at the funeral. Tabitha pulled out her cell phone suddenly. She had never used it much before, but now, she made it a habit of keeping it close to her, ever since James left, in case he decided to call.

There were a few text messages from her best friends, Scarlet and Chelsea, asking her what she was doing this summer, and where. Since she didn't have many friends, or plans, Tabitha guessed she would be here…. all summer. There were no text messages, or calls, from James. The first week, Tabitha hadn't been worried; she knew James would call her when he got a chance. Now, after two weeks, she was scared. James definitely would have had a chance by now. Something deep inside of her, told her this was wrong. Something had happened.

And just like that… Tabitha made the decision to go after James. She wanted to make sure he was okay. The decision was that simple, Tabitha wondered if she had been subconsciously thinking and planning ever since James left. She would leave tonight. With that in mind, Tabitha started to get jittery. Would her father be even more heartbroken? Would James be mad when she found him?

She grabbed her favorite backpack, the light pink one with white polka dots, and started packing. Little questions popped into her mind, fast and angry, until her head was swimming with questions, 'what ifs', and doubts. She tried so hard to push them away, but an outstanding question lingered.

How was she going to find James, and how was she going to get there?

There were voices. They were talking very fast, and James wasn't even sure they were talking English. Did angels even talk in English? Was he dead? In Heaven? He slowly opened his eyes. Darkness immediately attacked him, and so did the pain. Pain seemed to rack on all around and in his body. He couldn't feel pain if he were dead, could he?