Sam is reading a book called Vampire Academy near the brisk open waters of the ocean that is about three miles from her home. She finds that she relates to the main character’s qualities frequently. Sam Catalina is 17 years old. She is 5 feet, 3 inches tall, has light brown eyes, a small stature and medium-brown wavy hair. She is introverted, smart, caring, and vulnerable. 

It is 4:37 in the afternoon on a Sunday in the fall. She has always loved days like this, with no talking, just the sound of the waves and the slight movement of the pages on her book as the breeze goes right through her. She can hear the waves calm as they move away from land and get loud again as they hit the edges of the sand. She can’t remember the last time she was this relaxed. As she is reading she gets distracted by laughter that is about a mile away. She wishes she was the only one on the beach. 

The air gets cooler as the penetrable gusts of wind blows through her sweatshirt giving her minor chills. She decides to head home since her reading has been unfocused for the last 10 minutes. As she is leaving she sees Mandy running to catch her. Mandy Sullivan is one of Sam’s good friends, but Sam is one of many of Mandy’s. She has always been popular but also very nice and does not let her popularity get to her. She is hanging out with a couple of guys who are on the football team at school. 

Mandy is yelling “Sam! Sam! hey where are you going?” Sam turns to face Mandy as she is now about 2 feet away and smiles. 

“Hey Mandy, I’m just going home. I’ve been here for a while now.” Says Sam. 

 “Well do you want to hang out with us for a bit?” Mandy asks eagerly.

Sam reply’s “No thanks, my dad told me to be home for dinner.” she feels bad for lying but feels better knowing it wasn’t a complete lie as she remembers her dad telling her that goulash would be ready at 5:30. 

“Ok. See you at school tomorrow!” Says Mandy. Sam smiles and nods as Mandy runs back to the jocks, who are now throwing a shabby worn out football in the air. 

 Sam thrusts her wedged front door open and sees her brother, sitting on the couch watching Teen Titans Go. 

“Hey Jason, where is dad?” Sam says dubiously. 

“Hey Sam, he’s in the kitchen.” as the television still entraps him.

Sam goes in the kitchen to find her dad boiling macaroni on the stove. 

“Hey dad.” says Sam nonchalantly.

“Hi pumpkin! How was the beach?” her dad reply’s enthusiastically. 

“It was fine.” says Sam. 

There is a silent pause and then Sam says, “So, the guy I was telling you about said he would pay for my train ticket to go and visit him!” 

Her dad looks at her with challenging eyes.

“I told you Sam, I am not allowing you to go to see an older boy who is out of state. It’s just not going to happen.” Says Jeff sternly. 

Ugh, it’s not fair. I wish mom was here, she would let me go!” says Sam. She runs to her room, slams the door and manically calls Alex.

“Hey I’ve been waiting for your call all day!” says Alex cheerfully. 

“I’m sorry, I can’t come to see you, my dad won’t let me.” Says Sam.  

“that’s okay, I mean it sucks but what can you do.” Alex says. 

“Its does.” Says Sam. 

“Well you could tell him that you are staying at a friend’s house this weekend and actually come visit me instead.” He says lightheartedly.

Sam reply’s, “That’s a great idea! I will just tell him I am staying at Mandy’s! you’re a genius.”

“I know.” Says Alex playfully.

Alex is from Boone, North Carolina. He visited the fair in Daytona Beach last summer with his friend, Tyler, and his generous family. That is where he met Sam. She noticed him because he kept looking at her from afar and after about 15 minutes of back and forth looks, he went up and introduced himself. Sam liked how much of a gentleman he was and his confidence.  He has shaggy dishwater blonde hair, gorgeous green eyes and wears his brown steel boots everywhere. He is adventurous, charming, an average-joe, witty and somewhat of a loner. His mother is usually with her boyfriend and spends minimal time at home and his Dad left when he was 2 years old. He has a best friend named Tyler Lockwood. He met Tyler through his job at Spring-Green lawn care. Alex plans to take classes next spring to become a pilot. 

A couple of days later Sam asks her Dad if she can stay at Mandy’s house on Saturday. He says that is fine. She calls Alex frantically, and tells him she will meet him at the Boone train station. She can’t wait to fill Mandy in on her plan so that Mandy knows what to say if her dad calls.

Wednesday morning, she is talking to Mandy and Ethan about her plan to visit Alex. Mandy is excited for her and agrees to go along with the plan. Ethan is very hesitant and does not like the idea of her going to North Carolina to meet this guy, mostly because he has always had feelings for her but is too shy to tell her. Ethan is a loyal, good-looking guy that she has been best friends with for three years. He is always wearing a zumies t-shirt, jeans, and converse sneakers. 

“I don’t think you should go.” says Ethan.

“Why? I will be back that night, so there is no chance of my dad finding out.” Says Sam. 

“Ok, well just be careful and call me if you need anything.” Ethan says agitatedly. 

“I will, don’t worry. It will be like I never left.”, Says Sam. 

 Saturday is here and Sam is so excited. She flies downstairs, almost missing the last step and darts for the door. Her dad tells her to give him a hug before she leaves and tells her to be home before they leave for church on Sunday. 

“No problem Dad, Bye! Love you!” yells Sam as she runs out the front door. 

She meets Alex at the train station. He looks the same as when she met him except maybe a little brighter this time. He gives her a hug and a cappuccino he picked up on the way and they walk through the park talking about their week. 

Alex says “We should go back to my house; this cappuccino will be great with the apple pie my mom made.”

“Sure, sounds good.” says Sam with a smile on her face. They step into his home as the floor creeks like a loud quacking duck. 

“Mother!”, yells Alex curiously. 

The house is as quiet as a mouse. 

“Oh, I guess she’s not here”, says Alex as he shrugs. “I’m going to go to the bathroom, be right back.”

Sam sits on the couch and turns the television on. The news features a missing woman named Anna Driscoll. She is 53 years old with long black curly hair and a slender wrinkly face. Sam gets up and goes down the bathroom hallway to see what is taking so long. She stops to look at the family photos on the wall until she stops and stares at one. It looks like the woman that was on the news. Perplexed, she looks even closer until she suddenly realizes that it is her. Alex comes up behind her abruptly, puts his hand on her mouth and a knife to her throat.

“Ready to meet mother?”, Alex says blatantly.