All Chapters of The Saga Series: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Big Bear Lake, California is located in a lush green valley, surrounded by mountains and the towering pines, sparkling streams, wildlife, and hidden lakes of the San Bernardino National Forest. We’d just moved into a cute, two-story brick house along the south shore of Big Bear Lake. The beautiful and quaint little home was left to us by my grandmother, when she passed away. She’d spent her whole life in the house and had loved it. So my parents thought it would be fantastic to dump our city life, to move out to the smog-free middle of nowhere, where we could get lost in the peace and quiet tranquility. My parents loved the solitude here, because they were both writers. My father wrote mystery thrillers, while Mom penned romance novels. They hated the hustle, bustle and noise of the city and were sure the peaceful wilderness would help them concentrate. “It’ll be a fresh start for all of us,” my mother assured me, following a bad breakup with my boyfriend, “a very healthy e

I pointed in the direction of where I’d come from. “I saw a mountain lion!” My dad immediately pulled me into a tight hug, then stepped back and began inspecting me from head to toe. “Are you okay?” he asked, looking concerned. I sighed. “I’m fine, Dad. Max ran off, and I just—” “You weren’t supposed to go in the woods.” “What was I supposed to do? I had to find Max.” “You shouldn’t go out there alone. You could have hollered for me, and I would have gone with you.” “It would’ve only taken a minute to get me or Dad,” Mom added. “I didn’t know he was gonna go so deep into the woods, or I would have,” I explained. My dad’s brown gaze narrowed. “Are you sure it was a mountain lion you saw?” “Positive. I just took off running and—” “Taylor,” my father pushed, “if that was a bobcat or mountain lion, its natural instinct would be to chase you. Never run. Just yell, shout, and make yourself look bigger.” “Yeah, I know, but I panicked, I guess. Sti

“That’s them,” I heard a woman next to me say. “And neither one of them knows who they really are.” “Shh,” the man said. “They’re kept in the dark for a reason!” “Does it matter if they hear us? They’ll be dead before sunrise if Drake gets his way.” I wasn’t comfortable by the woman’s words. But obviously, they had mistaken us for somebody else. When the chatter and laughter resumed, much to my relief, I nudged Julie. “We should leave, I said. “I don’t feel comfortable here.” “Oh, don’t be a party-pooper,” Julie replied. “Look at all these hot college guys. Maybe I’ll even snag one.” “Really, Julie, I think it’s best we leave,” I pleaded. She put her hand on her hip and turned to face me, then actually stomped her foot like a spoiled toddler. “Seriously? You wanna go back to your boring house? Let’s just have a drink and chat a little. If you still want to leave then, we will.” I looked around uneasily and swallowed hard. “I already know I want

Jesse pulled me to the side. “Can you get her home?” he asked in a whisper. “This is so embarrassing, but her truck’s a stick shift, and I’ve got no idea how to drive one. I probably can’t drive any safer than she can right now.” “Lucky for you, I can,” he said. “But then how will you get back?” “I can walk.” “No, it’s way too far, Jesse.” “I’ll be fine.” He bit his lip looking down at Julie as if he was worried. “It’s best we sneak out of here.” I furrowed a brow asking, “Sneak out? Why?” “Did you see that guy she was dancing with?” “Yeah, I think she might have told me his name, but I forgot.” “It’s Jonathon. And he’s an absolute psycho. I’m afraid he might follow her home if he sees her leaving.” “Are you sure?” I asked, shaking my head in disbelief. “That’s insane!” “I heard him claim her, and I heard some of the other guys claiming you. They may look like average, drunken frat boys, but they’re beyond dangerous. Trust me Taylor,

BOOM! More glass shattered, like rock candy, spraying us with shards as the windshield was shot out. “We’ve gotta get outta here!” I called. “Some crazy person is shooting at us, and I’ve kinda got the feeling they aren’t gonna stop until we’re dead.” “No!” exclaimed Julie, paralyzed with fear. “I’m not leaving. If we step out of this truck, it’ll be like target practice for our trigger-happy stalker!” “If we stay in this truck, we’re as good as dead.” She met my gaze, her eyes wide with terror, clearly scared sober. “We can hide in the woods,” I begged, gripping her hands. “No way! Haven’t you ever seen a horror movie in your life? The hockey mask guy always chases the girls into the woods, and I don’t wanna be chopped up with a meat cleaver!” “That’s just the movies, Julie. I’ve been in those woods already,” I said, trying to reason with her. “It’s so dark and there are so many trees, shrubs and boulders. He’ll never find us.” “But what about Je