Chapter 3

“Jaaaames,” a soft voice called out, it’s voice soothing and peaceful.

          “Raaaaaaven. Maaaaaaaaax. Jeeeeeeese .  Wake up James.”

          “Where’s Jesse? And Raven? And Max?” James said struggling to open his eyelids. But he gave up.

          After a while the voice answered, “There not important. You’ve got me now.”

          James was puzzled, “Where are they?”

          “……..”

          “WHERE ARE THEY?!!!! WHERE AM I?!! WHAT’S GOING ON HERE?!!!!!!”

          “There’s nothing to fear. I will protect you,” The female voice said again.

          James squirmed then gasped in horror.

          “Am I dead?” He responded meekly.

          “Put your worries aside dear boy. Instead, think of happy times.”

          James couldn’t think straight, his mind was filled with confusion.

          “You aren’t following my orders,” The voice said strictly, “I’ll have to think of happy times for you.”

          Then James was able to open his eyelids. He found himself under soft sheets. A peaceful breeze was blowing from the open window, and carried the sweet aroma of berry pie. James sat up and walked to the source of the sent  . His feet sank deeply into the carpet. James looked around. All he could see was a window and a bed. He headed out the door to find a hallway.  

          He walked down the narrow hallway, glancing at the paintings hanging on the friendly wall. One was of a girl, with blue hair and blue eyes. She was wearing a formal uniform and displaying a set of badges. There were 8.

          Wow, James thought, It would be pretty cool to have 8 badges.  

          He looked at the other paintings. James realized they were portraits. The girl with the blue hair really did exist. Then, James looked close at the painting of the girl.

          Strange. That girl reminds me of some one. But who?  

          Following the path of the hallway, James found himself in a spacious living room. It had heavily padded couches, coffee tables, a big screen TV, and a large stereo.

          “Maybe that whole Raven Max thing was a dream,” James thought out loud.

          “But why was it so real? And where am I?” Admiring the solitude, and since James loved the way his voice seemed to echo, he yelled it.

          “WHERE AM I?!!”  No one answered. Pleased with him self, he continued. A door opened to a formal dinning room. An opening to the kitchen was seen.

          “Pie!!” James remembered. Sure enough, a pie was laying there, ready to be eaten. He ran over and dived in, forgetting his manners. The flavor was sweet, with a tart edge. After he finished, he reached into the  refrigerator.  His eyes widened as he scanned over all the things to eat and drink. There were berry smoothies, turkey, fried rice, pizza, soda, fruits, and other foods. James squealed with delight. But he wasn’t very hungry after the pie.

          Suddenly, he remembered the strange voice. James swallowed hard. Now he knew where he was. A dream world.

          “What’s going on here?” James ran over to the living room, and to a window with sunlight streaming out of it. He tried with all his force to open the window, but in vain. His fists pounded against the hard, yet seemingly fragile, glass.

          “I WANT TO LEAVE!!! LET ME OUT!! I WANT TO GO HOME!!” James ran through the house, looking for some exit. But all the doors and windows were tightly sealed. On the verge of insanity, James grabbed a chair from the dinning room and hurled it at the window. The chair was shattered into pieces of wood. The window didn’t have a single scratch.

          “LET ME OUT!!!” He cried, louder still. James felt stranded. Would he stay there in the mysterious house forever? Frightened by the thought, James hurled himself at the window. And in a jolt of pain, James passed out.

                       Little did he know, he was not alone.    

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          So, what do you think so far? Do you care whet happens next? Tell me what you think.