The Chase:
Turn Away
Book 1
 

Dedicated To
Ms. Ellington, Mrs. Slagle, Ms. Walker
& Ms. Epperson

Prologue
Charlotte sat on the couch while reading the latest issue of White House Weekly. She was alone in her enormous home. Suddenly, the security alarm began to blare. She jumped up, but before she could reach the panic room, gas began to fill the house. In a matter of seconds, it was over.
???
Harper was used to the bodyguards and being able to buy whatever she wanted. After all, she was the former president's daughter. Her Uncle Jackson was walking beside her. He was a tall, thin man, with dark hair. He was headed to a conference, while Harper went to the mall. Harper was glad that her little brother, Liam, wasn't here. He always attracted stares and laughs.
???
James Montgomery wept as the caller continued. His wife was dead, and his home was destroyed. How would he tell his kids that their mother was dead? He knew that the government would go to measures unthinkable, to keep them from taking over. His brother was president, but somehow the government could control him.
???
Harper knew something was wrong when the security guards rushed her into the limousine, without speaking. She knew that her family had not been getting along with the government, but that had not been that serious. Right? 

1
Harper could not believe what she was hearing. She began to cry uncontrollably, which only made Liam cry too. How could her mother be dead? She had always thought a breakup was the worst thing that could happen to her, but now she knew that this was beyond anything she had ever imagined. She thought of all the things her mother had done for her. She would never feel the comfort of her mother squeezing her hand. Any time that she needed it, whether be something as important as her father's inauguration, or something as small as the frustration of an essay, her mother had always been there. Harper felt like time had stopped and the world was swirling around her
???
Liam did not understand. He never understood anything completely unless his mother simplified it for him, but he did not understand anything right now. He looked around the crowd in black suits and ties. He looked over at his sister who was sobbing uncontrollably. Something must be wrong, because his sister never cried.
The next few days were filled with planning funerals, new hideouts, and constant crying. At the funeral,the speaker began talking about God, which resulted in James fighting him off the stage. For a short period of time, the Montgomery’s life was filled with chaos and crying.
As it was summer, Harper and Liam did not have to attend their usual private school. After each day passed, Harper and Liam saw their father less and less. One Wednesday evening, Harper sat on the couch of their new home. She realized that she had not seen her father all day. She walked up the stairs, and knocked on his door. No answer. “Daddy?” she asked. No answer.  She opened the door, and screamed at what she saw.

2
The ambulance arrived with the police. He was unresponsive. Harper had never paid attention in health class, but that had to mean “that her father was” dead. In two weeks her entire world had been flipped upside down.
On the second day, their father’s friend came to arrange where they would be staying. Mr. Ace kept asking where they wanted to stay, but Harper knew that it wasn't her choice.  “I’m sorry to tell you this, but your only living relatives that will be safe for you to live with is your Uncle Hudson and Aunt Erica.” Harper immediately screamed.”We do not even know these people! What about Uncle Jackson?” she asked hopelessly.  “He is under special security lockdown” he replied. At least he is not dead, thought Harper.
Harper knew that they were not safe, otherwise they would not have been packed, and out of house by 7 o’clock the next morning. The drive was long, and Harper did not know where they were, or where they were going. Finally, Harper found a sign that read Dallas. She thought that was a city in Texas. She watched as the buildings passed. They seemed so small compared to the buildings in Washington D.C. She thought about her father. How could he have killed himself, and left them to stay with someone they did not even know. She knew he had been drinking, and once he started he would not stop. He never acted the same when he drank. It had to be her fault,  why had she never knew about her aunt and uncle. Maybe those were questions to be answered later.
The deeper they got into the city, the uglier the houses looked. Finally, they started to head out of the city, and into the countryside. They pulled into the driveway of a farmhouse, yet it did not look like the type she had seen on television. It was what most people would call fancy, but to Harper it looked like a barn.
There were pastures with horses on either sides of the house, and sign that hung above the door that read ‘As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord’’ Harper glared at the sign. How could people be so imaginative. The door was opened by a plump woman with an apron and flour on her hands. “Hudson, they are here!” she yelled in a southern accent. “Hurry, come in, come in,” she said in a sweet southern voice.
After providing them with peanut butter cookies, and milk, she returned with the man. He was, like the woman, plump and short. “Hello, you can call me Uncle Hudson.” he said in a hearty voice. Harper shook his hand carefully. He seemed like a fake. “Call me Aunt Erica” the woman added. Harper did not know what to say. How was she supposed to call people she just met, her Aunt and Uncle.
She was led to a room with pink walls. She hated pink. How was she supposed to live in a place where she knew only her half-there brother. Everything she had ever known was gone.

3
The next morning, Harper was given a bowl of oatmeal, and invited to come to church that evening. Where, just her luck, Uncle Hudson was the pastor. Great. Just Great. An atheist child living under the roof of a pastor.
She thought about it all day. She had many opportunities to do other things, but who would want to clean out horse manure. How could she be in this situation.
She decided that she would take her smartphone and earbuds to church that evening, and pretend to be listening to the nonsense that “Uncle” had to say. She had never been inside a church before, and was not very excited about it. They walked in to find two kids stop in their tracks to stare at Liam. Harper was very close to cursing them out. After sitting in the back row, she could still hear the faint sound of the the pastor speaking over her earbuds. One sentence came through:  “For God so loved the world, he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him, shall not perish, but have everlasting life.” How could all these people believe, and trust in this fake God.
After the church service, Harper was surprised, yet happy, to see Liam and the two boys playing together. The entire church gathered at the pastor's house to eat lunch. Harper tried to act cheerful but it seemed that she didn’t have the power. She could only manage a smile for a few seconds. Maybe life was not so bad here. She had people who did not know her very well, but still helped her feel comfortable any way she could of. Maybe she should listen at the next sermon.

“”John 3:16

5
After a few weeks, Harper began to get used to her new life. Her being in danger had been forgotten. Until one particular Sunday morning. In her haste to get ready  for church, she was not paying attention to what Uncle Hudson was trying to tell her. "You'll get used to all of this..." Uncle Hudson's voice was drowned out as Harper secretly slipped in her earbuds. He turned and walked out the door. Even though Harper still hated the pink walls, but this place was beginning to feel like something of a home. She walked down the stairs into the kitchen decorated with roosters. Aunt Erica was walking from the chicken houses with two woven baskets full of eggs. She walked in through the door and sat the baskets on the counter. She asked me how my day was going. She always tried to start a conversation with me, but I never wanted to talk to anyone. I couldn't help, but wonder if she were trying to take my mom's place so I just asked her.She quickly snapped NO!She said she was just trying to be there for me and that I shouldn't be so disrespectful and start being more grateful of them.This really made me mad was I just supposed to walk into someone's house that I never even met before and to add on to that I lost both of my parents in the matter of two weeks.I guess they expected me to walk into there house with a huge smile on face ready to pour out my feelings.After what she said I just ran up to my room and listened to my music and sobbed all day feeling bad for myself,I was also thinking of my parents.It was so tragic ,at least that’s what everyone said.I tried not to listen to the people who said this.I was never a disrespectful child ,but sometimes I just couldn’t deal with it.I mean someone could cut me some slack I just lost both of  my parents.

It was 8 a.m. I was in the shower I heard the telephone ring it really didn’t matter but being the person that I am I wondered who it was we never got phone calls.i turned off the shower to listen.In a way it sounded like my uncle was trying to hide something from me.I heard a stern voice that came from my uncle a I had only heard once when someone had used the lord's name in vain.I knew it was serious,although the phone call only lasted about 25 seconds.I later found out that this phone call would change my life.