I got the remote out of my pocket long enough to press the red button. We stood there for a moment watching the ladder ascend back into the cylinder t...at concealed it. The motors were powerful and it took no more than a minute before the tree house was closed up. I held my arm out to Ashley. "Shall we go?"Ashley giggled and put her arm through mine. "Why kind sir," she said in a faux-southern accent. "I have always depended on the kindness of my lover." Just don't depend on the kindness of. I held her tight, and hoped that she would calm very soon. It seemed to take ages but in reality it was only about a minute or so before she was quiet except for the occasional sobs.It was then that I was able to turn to see where the killer was. I found him standing in the doorway, blocking our way out. He was looking towards the front door that hung precariously on its broken hinges.We slowly moved together to the black leather couch in the office where we sat side by side facing the killer.I. There's me, Andrea, I'm the youngest, thirteen, I'll be in the eighth grade next fall. Sharon just turned fourteen, she's in my grade at school, Brenda is fourteen, ditto. Then, Andy, he's fourteen, also in my grade, Luke is fifteen and will be a sophomore in high school and so will Luke.We had all been friends for so long that our parents were also friends and they basically let us all be together whenever and mostly wherever we wanted. One little detail that you need to know is that all us. Whether that was true or not she nevertheless appeared to thrive, much to the family’s amazement. She had been born and bred a city girl and none of the family thought she could settle down to country life. Cleo was the youngest of my grandparent’s brood of nine children, my father being the eldest. She was only seven years older than me and as children we had been more like cousins, or brother and older sister, than aunt and nephew. I remembered that she used to play games with me just as an.