Great cliff-hanger ending. I like this story a lot, but could you maybe give the characters a little more description?

What an exciting beginning! The action really draws me in. There were a few mistakes I noticed:

"she felt a sharp pressure against (her) side."

"She lacked time to awe"
"Awe" is a noun, not a verb.

"it was a wonder the beast was able to rise upon its (bony) legs"

"toppling several disorganized pictures and knickknacks that riddle(d) the surface."

"While the chill lining the air sharpened"
This is confusing. I would revise this.

All in all, good work. You had a few instances of confusing wording, but it wasn't a big deal. I'll be back to read more later!

Woh. This is a really heavy story.
One thing I would like is more physical descriptions. I found myself wondering what Ashleigh and Jonathan looked like. I actually imagined her with dark hair before she wiped "drenched blonde" from her forehead.
And what a way to begin a story! Really scary dreams and then freaky shadows on her lawn! A dead raven and a mysterious gem! Like I said, this is heavy. I'd like to know what happens later in this tale. There is so much content in this chapter.
Great writing too! I was constantly surprised a sixteen-year-old wrote this! I could easily find this quality writing in any bookstore.

This is a very promising beginning! I like the fantasy-ish feel to the story, which is pronounced but not too overexaggerated. Ashleigh's characterisation is also well-portrayed. There were one or two areas which sounded slightly confusing, but other than that it was brilliant. Keep up the good work!

I really like your story so far. You use so much detail I can picture everything your character is doing and feeling. Im addicted.