Anna Scholtavette

CHAPTER 3 TREA
    "hey," she said softly. "um, do you need any help?"
    "no, no, i'm fine," i stuttered. the cuts on my arm were bleeding but i paid them little attention now. i glanced tensely at the guard who was, as i feared, glaring suspiciously in our direction.
    "go! go!," i urged her to keep walking and plunged through the prickly bushes in the same direction.
*            *            *
    i gingerly felt my shredded skin as deanara, the reporter, found some cream and gauze. when my arms were finally put back together, deanara and i sat down in the living room to talk.
    i started right in. "what were you doing there? are you a reporter? do you live around here? what do you know about that place and-?"
    "whoa! okay!" she interrupted. "i have a few questions myself. how about we go back and forth each asking one question at a time."
    i didn't like the slightly babyish way she talked to me but her idea wasn't bad. "okay," i conceded. "um, are you a reporter?"
    "well, sort-of. i just graduated from college."
    i nodded. "so-."
    "uh-uh!" she said playfully, "my turn. what were you doing in those bushes?"
    "i dunno. spying i guess. i, i dunno. its gaurded but, well, my family, see... my dad-." i felt flustered. how could i posibly explain everything to a total stranger? what if she was involved with my father? should i even have her in my house? she seemed harmless enough, but...
    "its okay," deanara said in an attempt to comfort me. "what about your father?"
    "i... was looking for him." i was beginning to feel wary. "so what were you doing there?"
    "i was following a lead..." she said.
    i stared at her. "and?"
    "it's kind-of a long story..." deanara trailed off into silence.
    i sighed. "let's make a deal. i'll tell you about everything that's happened to me if you tell me everything you know."
    deanara hesitated. "i dunno..."
    "you think i'm not taking a risk on this?" i blurted.
    she considered this and seemed to soften. "yeah, okay."
    "first you have to promise that we'll always be friends and never leave each other and will always be able to trust one another." i looked at deanara. she thought for a second then said, "i promise."
    i felt relieved and repeated "i promise, too." i could see that she understood and took it seriously.
    i took a deep breath then told her all about my family, my dad, and the mysterious building. she listened intently. it was almost wierd how interested she seemed. after i finished, she sat for a moment in shocked and thoughtful silence.


Continue to Chapter 4...