CHAPTER ONE -- GLASS HEARTS:

When Hannah decided to go to school that day she didn't think that it would end with death. Hannah shivered beneath her several layers of shirts. It was the middle of winter, with a blanket of white snow covering the ground, and she was walking to school in it. Her car hadn't started and everyone she knew to help were busy. Instead of staying home like any normal teenager would, she decided to go. Sometimes though, being a school-loving nerd was a bad thing.

Hannah pulled her hood over her mess of auburn curls, and clasped her hands together. This warmed her up a little, but she still was wishing for the heater in her car. She had heard before that when it's cold outside old cars won't start, but she had never believed that it would happen to her. In normal circumstance she would have called her dad or even her older brother for help, except both of them were MIA.

Earlier that morning when she had woken up her father was already gone. Her father's name was Albert, but everyone, even people that didn't know him that well called him Abe. He's a very successful scientist that has over the years accumulated a vast fortune, although much to Hannah's dismay never believed in spending it. Hannah always called him stingy, but it was more that he wanted to save it for something important rather than spend it on cars and trinkets.

Hannah is a lot like her father, and has very closely followed him in the "nerd department." Her brother on the other hand was the extreme opposite. He barely passed high school, and currently spends his days at an old Frat House getting drunk and skipping classes. Although Craig is different they both love him anyway. He is like a golden retriever that even though it is as dumb as nails, its adorable and you can't help but love it.

Hannah smiled to herself despite the bad morning she was having. Sure, her family is dysfunctional, but they are really close. It were times like this that she wished that her mother hadn't died in a car crash when she was younger. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. Hannah never let herself get absorbed into sad thoughts, her mother wouldn't have wanted that for her.

Hannah turned at the corner, going from neighborhood suburbia to an evergreen thicket. Ice hung from every branch, making the trees look like beautifully intricate ice sculptures. Looking into the tree-filled park she was overwhelmed by it's beauty. It made her feel like a small child fascinated by an icy wonderland.

Her body yearned to go and play in the snow for just a moment. Her arms and legs twitched. "What the heck," she said "I'm already late anyway." The second she stepped on the black ice an old saying from first grade popped into her head:

"Look both ways before you cross the street."

Hannah had no time to react. A loud squeal pierced her eardrums. The noise leaving her deafened and momentarily stunned. She stumbled slightly in an attempt to get off of the road but it was too late, the dark SUV careened toward her. In what seemed like a millisecond the vehicle was in contact with her body. Pain erupted in her abdomen, it was sharp but widespread. The pain seemed to travel inside of her until it felt like she was being burned from the inside out. She almost screamed but was instantly stopped by a cool feeling that covered all of her skin. The pain was as if needles were being stabbed all over the outside of her body. She seared and throbbed, and with her last thought she recognized the pain. Glass.

Hannah's heart thumped roughly in her chest. The vibration resounded in her ears and all over her body, almost as if she wasn't used to it working. A shiver racked her body and she fell to the ground. When she opened her eyes it took them a minute to focus. What she saw confused her. The room she was in was white from ceiling to tile, clean and sterile. "A hospital?" she asked in a hoarse, quiet voice. The strain it took for those two words astounded her, and sent her into a fit of coughs.

Once she was able to regain her composure she attempted to stand up. Her feet were weak beneath her, and she fell forward. Her arms flailed to grab at anything to keep her balanced. Failing, she hit the floor. The tile was cool as she pressed her cheek against it for comfort. Where am I? What's going on?

Hannah's face burned, and she felt the tears building behind the surface. Just as the water was about to escape she gripped her fists. She wasn't going to cry. She promised her mom that she wouldn't get sad, even in the worst situations. Hannah gathered all of her strength and stood up. She took a large gulp of oxygen and began screaming. "IS ANYONE THERE?! PLEASE HELP ME?!"

Minutes passed by. Or seconds. Hannah couldn't tell, but the room stayed ominously quiet. Almost like it was holding it's breath for an owner that wasn't there, and wasn't coming back. Hannah began to grow restless. "Think," she said to herself. "Where do you go from here?" She surveyed the room around her. There was a huge, chair-less metal desk against the wall on the other side of the room. There was also a large tank hooked to the wall behind her. There were many cords and machines connected it. A life support system?

The pieces in her mind began to click. Since the car accident she had been in a coma and on a life support machine. If that were true though, then why was no one there to welcome her or tell her what was going on? Hannah stood up and walked over to the desk on the other side of the room. She ripped open drawers, only to find them empty. There was one drawer, however that was locked and needed a key to open. Her eyes lifted to the top of the desk, but there was only one thing; a picture. It was of a woman with long dark hair and a wide smile. She wasn't exactly beautiful, but she wasn't really ugly either.

Hannah took the picture out of the silver frame and flipped it over. She found what she was looking for; a date. The question had been forming in her head for a few minutes. How long had she been on life support? The writing on the picture was smeared and she couldn't make out the month, but the year had said 2020. That would mean she had been "asleep" for over ten years.

Hannah instantly felt more aware of her body. She looked down at herself. Her body didn't look a day over the seventeen your old one she had before, in fact she actually looked a little younger. That was mainly due to the fact that her body was very slender. It was difficult to see herself under the hospital gown she was wearing, but she could almost feel her ribs showing. The main difference, Hannah noted, was that her hair was much longer, and much curlier.

Her stomach grumbled, and she heaved a heavy sigh. At this point the only thing she knew was that she needed to get out of here. The door was somewhat difficult to spot due to the fact that the paint matched the rest of the room. On the door there was a piece of paper, and a key taped to it.

She read the letter aloud, "This is the key to the desk drawer. In it is the key to this door." Hannah ripped the key off of the door, and brought it to the desk. She shoved it into the key hole and twisted it clockwise. The old lock eased open, and she pulled the key out. The drawer came with it. Dust fluttered out into the air and up into her face. Hannah coughed into her hands for a few moments, then batted the dust particles

Hannah peered into the drawer and saw only an old journal with a fraying cover and yellow papers. She picked it up and looked under it. There wasn't another key anywhere in sight. So she turned it back over and then flipped to the first page. The writing was elegant and in silver pen. It said:

"Dear, Hannah

When you wake up, the world will be different.

A lot has changed.

You will find no one once you leave this building.

You can't go out at night, it's hard to explain at the moment, but I can't stress enough to get to a safe place by nightfall.

Be careful with your actions and hide your existence as much as possible.

I'm sure you'll be able to find a working vehicle.

There is a safe place in Kansas.

I hope that you can make it there.

Yours truly, Julia Ramirez."

Hannah stood with her mouth agape. She didn't know what to think or what to feel... How much could the world have changed? She really wanted to know what happened at night, but she didn't think about risking it in case it was as dangerous as this Julia woman made it seem. Who was Julia anyway? Why wasn't she here to greet Hannah? Why had she left a note? What happened to everyone in the world?

Hannah took a deep breath. "Remember, curiosity killed the cat." If she wanted to stay alive she had to be careful, and follow the instructions left for her....

This first chapter was written by Amanda, the next will be written by Sara. We hope you have enjoyed the first installment of our story! :D