Rescue
Me
Escape from Reality Series
#1
By
Sara Schoen
Publication Date: May 15, 2017
Genre: Romance
Mia Daniels is
running away.
She's leaving
her family, her job, and her life behind, all to get away from her past. With
no plan, she packed her suitcase and took off for a town where she thought
she'd be safe. She should have known she wouldn't be safe anywhere...
Gage Greystone
is running from his family name.
His family has
owned the town for generations, but he doesn't plan to take it over from his
father. He has a dream to save others; from the treacherous hiking trails or
from themselves. Maybe that's why he's so attracted to the newest resident of
Escape, Mia. She seems to be silently begging to be rescued. From what, he
doesn't know, but he'll do anything to rescue her.
But this rescue
may be impossible for the decorated emergency serviceman...
As I
traveled through the camping ground and the wellness camp, I could see what
Lottie meant by a slow start to summer. There was room for well over one
hundred and fifty hikers, and that didn’t include the trailers I’m sure drove
through occasionally, at the camp site. The wellness camp had about ten cabins
with what seemed like only one being used and a lot of open space.
I made a
point to travel through the wellness camp slowly so I could possibly find
Kelsey and see if she wanted her bike back, but I only saw a few girls who
looked to be about fifteen. They were lacing up their hiking boots while others
were preparing for a swim. A few waved at me as I passed, others seemed shy and
looked away from me. I tried not to be offended. To them I was an outsider,
someone they should stay away from. Just
like he had taught me to do. I
waved back regardless and continued my ride over Faith Bridge. I could see the
town crowning over the hill to my right, but the well-defined hiking trail to
my left beckoned me.
Lottie
can wait a little longer, I decided
with a smile. Turning my front tire toward the dirt path, I took off with the
girl’s excited laughter and shrieks from entering the cold-water echoing around
me. Their voices faded behind me as trees thickened around me, wrapping me in a
cool, shadowy blanket, shielding me from the sun, and silencing everything
around me until I was left with only my thoughts.
A few
months ago, leaving me to my thoughts would have been dangerous. Maybe even suicidal. In the past few years, I had gone
through more turmoil than I thought possible, and it seemed like the pain was
never-ending. No matter what I did, I couldn’t escape bad news.
I thought
I had found the one, the person I was meant to be with, the one who’s supposed
to be by my side for the rest of my life, but then it all fell apart. “It’s
over, Mia.” I had been trying
to fix a broken relationship; cheating, fighting, and abusive, manipulative
behavior. I should have known it couldn’t be fixed, but I didn’t want to give
up on him. I thought we loved each other, but it turns out that had been one
sided too. “Mia, stop. You’re embarrassing me and you’re embarrassing
yourself. It’s over, Mia. I don’t love you, I don’t think I ever did. You’re
someone I settled for, you’re nothing. It’s your fault this happened, not mine.
Now it’s time to move on. I have, and you should too.”
Trees
moved past me in a flash as I peddled faster, taking my memories with them. But
once those were gone, I was left with a harsh reality. The same ex who had told
me I wasn’t worth anything and would never amount to anything is chasing me to
ruin the life I had created without him. I shook my head as the path took a
turn. Stop thinking about it.
It’s over now. The small
flickers of sunlight through the leaves and the light at the end of the tunnel
of trees echoed my thoughts; a new life, one without him.
I broke
free of the trees and came out on a stunning overlook. The path settled against
the edge of one of the mountains, giving me a great view of Peak View, a small
town the bus had stopped in for a short time, and the surrounding landscape. It
reminded me a lot of Escape, but with more shopping, a high school, a military
base, and more homes. It’s
going to be packed in the upcoming months. Not that I could blame anyone for
wanting to visit. I had been here only a few days and I already loved the
little town. Even as I looked over the lush green landscape, I didn’t feel as
far from my family as I had when it came to Wes. For the first time, in a long
time, I genuinely felt at home. I didn’t feel the need to look over my
shoulder. This is the place
for me. This is where I can finally heal and move on. This is exactly what I’ve
been looking for.
Taking a
deep breath of the fresh mountain air, I realized I couldn’t wait to move on.
I’d dive in head first, even if it meant accepting another gift I didn’t
deserve from Lottie. If this
is what they do, then I should accept it. It’s time to move on. Whether he
wants me to or not. Turning
my bike around to head back to town, I took one last glance at the overlook.
The sun hanging over Peak View, the mountains keeping us concealed, and everything
in me was screaming for me to take a leap of faith. And that’s just
what I’ll do. I pushed away
from Mountain Side Height lookout and headed toward town, thanks to the helpful
signs on Morning Glory’s trail. I left feeling the best I had in years...I’d
return when my life turned to shit again. As it inevitably would.
Sara Schoen is a
Biology major at James Madison University who was born and raised in Northern
Virginia. She has been an adamant writer since she was young. She hopes to have
readers find solace in the worlds and characters she creates, and in some cases
provide a cautionary tale. Sara plans to continue writing and will explore
various genres in the future.
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