Live to Love, Love to Dream

==Summary==
A 10 year-old girl named Chrissa from Greensboro , North Carolina , loses the love of her life when a mistake occurs that will change the course of her life. Her pet dog K10 goes missing under unknown circumstances. Will she be able to find him and get him back home before time runs out? . . .
A/N: I don't plan to make this very long . . . 5 chapters at most.
==Chapter 1 - Live==
The rain pelted down relentlessly on Chrissa and Cody. K10 had been missing for 1 hour , 6 minutes , and about 12 seconds , according to Chrissa.
"What'll we do , Cody? He could be hurt , or hungery , or-"
"Re-laxe , sis , he can't of gotten too far" , he had to scream to be heard over the ear-splittingly loud thunder.
"But K10 has been missing for-"
"Come on , we need to get home , the rain is too heavy."
"Fine" , Chrissa angrily muttered. The duo marched to a little one-story brick home on a normally-peacefull-and-quiet neighborhood called Elm Rd. Cody knocked. The door opened a crack and a sweet voice said ,
"Please go to the kitchen door , kids , I just mopped."
"Yes , Mama" , the kids chimed together. Their mother had died 9 years ago , but having barely known her , they didn't miss her too much. Their grandparents had come to live with their son (the kid's dad) not too long afterwards.
A/N: If you are confused , I apologize , but read through that section once more , slowly , and I think you'll get it.
The two kids trooped to the kitchen door and went into the mudroom. They put their boots into the shoe box (a large plastic box) , and stepped into the kitchen. Mama was leaning over a pot of chili , stirring , and adding beans. Bop was attempting to fix a clock , and succeeding at it , too. Dad was helping Bop.
"We didn't find 'em , Dad" , explained Cody.
"Oh , for goodness' sakes , you two are soaked to the skin!" , Mama interjected , "Go shower and change. The chili's almost done-you can be ready for it in 15 minutes if you hurry." Chrissa thundered upstairs , matching rythm with the pounding thunder outside.
"Slower , Chrissa , don't bring down the house!" , Mama called.
"Yes , ma'am!" Chrissa slowed down and went into the bathroom. She showered , got dressed , and skipped downstairs. She plopped onto the couch and waited for dinner to be done. The rain increased. Chrissa looked out the window. She wondered where K10 was . . . Hmm , K10. Funny name , right? But she had named him that for a reason.
flashback
"Mama , I wanna name him K10 , not Rover."
"But Chrissa , Rover is a nice name for a dog. Why don't you want to name him that?"
"Because I think he is one step above all other canines. He's not a canine , 'he's a K10." 
So , K10 got his name , and he kept it for as long as Chrissa could remember. She smiled.
"Chrissa! Dinner's ready!" She would find him , she would. She had to.
A/N: I am sorry for the short chapter , I didn't know what else to write.
==Chapter 2 - Love==
Chrissa woke up with a start. She had heard a howl. Oh , right. That would be K10 , asking for his midnight snack. Would be K10. If he wheren't missing. Chrissa sighed. It had been her imagination. She rolled over and tried to get back to sleep , but she couldn't. Chrissa suddenly knew what she had to do. Jumping up , she grabbed a sheet of paper and a pencil and sat at her desk. She began writing.
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When she was done , she held up her work. Satisfying. She started to pack her backpack with the following:
Clothes , her notebook , a blanket , pencils.
Next , she got dressed in jeans , a tee , and a rain jacket. Then she tip-toed downstairs and packed the following:
Food (mainly bread and protien bars) and some milk in a canteen.
She opened the door and stepped outside with the backpack on her back. She had to find K10 , and she would find K10. She grabbed a couple coins off of the carport and headed towards her local Kinko. She settled under a jutting out canvas over the door to the store and hid herself behind a few flower pots.
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Morning came. Chrissa woke up slowly in response to the bright morning sun. She looked up at the door. The open sighn was facing her. She grabbed the sheet of paper she had written on the night before and stepped inside.
"Hello , and welcome to Kinko!" , a sweet teen-aged voice chimed.
"Hi! I was wondering if I could copy something I wrote out."
"Sure!" A girl stepped out from behind the counter. She had long black hair and looked slightly asian.
"My name is Leah. Nice to meet you!"
"I'm Chrissa. Nice to meet you , too!" , the two girls shook hands.
"So , my dog K10-"
"I'm sorry , K10? Like that highway in Kansas?"
"Well , I didn't know he was named after a highway , but yeah."
"Cute name! So let me guess , he's missing and you want to copy out lost signs , right?" Chrissa could only nod her head in amazment.
"Y-yeah , how did you know?" Leah laughed heartily.
"We get tons of people in here asking to copy lost signs" , she explained between laughs. Chrissa laughed too. She couldn't help it!
"How silly of me! So I wrote out what I wanted to say on this sheet of paper and" . . . . .
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"Thanks , Leah!"
"No problem , Chrissa , tell me when you find him!" Chrissa walked away from Kinko and started pinning up the lost signs.
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"K10! K10!" Having just pinned up 65 lost signs , Chrissa had moved on to calling for K10 an hour ago. Her throat was sore , and she was tired from the big day. She had called all the way to the other side of town and back. So far , no luck. Chrissa settled down next to a Publix not far from her neighborhood and snacked on a protien bar and some milk. She made a silent vow , she would not go home until she found K10. She cuddled up with the blanket she had and went to sleep. She loved K10 , and she (yawn) wouldn't rest until (yawn) she found him. (Yawn) of course (yawn) that was only an expression. . .
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She woke up to a slobbery tongue on her face. She opened one of her eyes. It met with a wet , pink tongue and the lower half of a black , shiny nose. Her other eye jerked open. She saw a cute beagle looking lazily up at her. She jumped up in complete surprise. It was K10! She hugged K10 so tight that she heard a cute puppy wheez for breath. She released him , then saw the collar. Chrissa followed the path of the leash up to a smiling man's hand. He had a fake tooth , and short-cropped hair that appeared spiky. Chrissa jumped in surprise , then tried to tug the leash away from him and make a run for it. Unluckily for Chrissa , his grip was like a handcuff al locked up. He grabbed Chrissa's arm and led her to a car. She screamed for help , but it was early in the morning , and no one was there. K10 flopped carelessly to the ground , not understanding the danger he was in. Chrissa got in the car according to the Spiky-dude's wishes , and buckled up , picking up K10 in the proccess. She held him with wide eyes , watching her neighborhood fly by , afraid to help her. The car stopped in front of an old house that the parents of the neighborhood joked was haunted. The Spiky-dude led her in the house and locked her and K10 wordlessly in a closet. Chrissa , being in complete shock , just sat and watched K10 closly. She wouldn't lose him again.
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Meanwhile , at Elm Rd. . . . 
Cody , Mama , Bop , and Dad were sitting on the couch; side by side , all with worried expressions plastered on their faces. They heard a knock.
"I'll get it!" , they chimed all at the same time; they needed something to do. There was a shuffle to reach the door among the boys , but ever-sensible Mama hung behind the bustling group. While they were arguing on who , excactly , would get the door , Mama stepped around them and answered the door herself.
"Hello!" , a teen-ager's voice said. In front of Mama stood a teen-ager with long black hair and asian eyes. She appeared suitable and polite. Mama smiled sweetly.
"May I help you?" -A crash was heard behind her- "Boys" , she looked over her shoulder , "be careful!" Mama turned back to the visitor.
"I apologize , they can be quiet the enthusiastic soldiers" , the girl nodded understandingly.
"My name is Leah , I believe your daughter came to Kinko; the place I work; just yesterday. I was wondering if she found her dog."
"She went to Kinko? I do not know of this; please tell me more."
"You didn't know? I do apologize! I had no idea! Anyway , she came in just as the store opened and said she had made lost signs for her dog. We copied several , and she left the store pinning up signs in the direction of Publix."
"I'll call the police , come in , you're an eyewitness." Leah stepped inside , and only then did the foolish boys realize their sillyness and epic failure. They all blushed and said hello to Leah. Cody quickly righted a chair that had been knocked over and smiled at her. Leah suppressed giggles and followed Mama to the nearest phone. Mama dialed 911.
==Chapter 3-Love==
Chrissa had gotten a firm grip on her senses. She was thinking a mile a minute about how to get out. The small closet was dusty , and the man had taken her backpack. Otherwise , she would have eaten a protien bar. Defidently. Oh , what did Nancy Drew do in all her mystery books back home? Didn't she try to bam the door down? Chrissa tried it. Splinters flew around as she banged all her weight against it. She heard a crackling noise as one hinge gave away. The top hinge. Darn. With light shining down on her like a light bulb (A/N: Get it?) Chrissa took the leash off of K10 in a sudden brainstorm. She threw the leash upwards and it got stuck between the door and the ceiling. She tugged at it firmly. It was sturdy. Putting K10 under her arm , she climbed up the door. The leash stayed firm , but the door crashed outwards due to the way that Chrissa had placed her feet on the door. Like when you're climbing a mountain. Chrissa and K10 tumbled out of the closet and rolled across the floor. Chrissa took notes mentally. The room was empty , painted beige , and dusty. There was a door on either side of the room. One was the closet , the other must be the exit. Chrissa looked out of the window. A police car was making it's way up the street. She heard footsteps from the other room. It must be her captor! Franticly , she tried to find a good hiding place. Nothing. Not even a decent curtain to hide behind. Her eyes widened as the steps got louder . . . then a man burst into the room. K10 barked at him and took a defensive position in front of Chrissa. The man took a step back. He had a police uniform and brown short-cropped hair. Chrissa picked up K10 , watching the man. The man cracked a swift smile. He took out a walkie-talkie and spoke into it.
"Chief , I found them." A garbled reply emerged from the walkie-talkie the Chrissa couldn't make out.
"Roger" , the man replied to the walkie-talkie.
"Hey , Chrissa , right? Come on , we're securing the building. And I need to get you down to your family." Chrissa followed the man down the stairs. He led her to a door and they walked through it into the front yard. The first thing Chrissa saw was her parents.
"Mama! Dad! Bop! CODY , LEAH , WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU DOING??!?!?!?!?!?!" Chrissa screeched the part in caps because Cody and Leah were holding hands. Cody jerked his hand away and rubbed it on his shirt nervously. Mama squeezed Chrissa in a super-big hug. Bop and Dad joined in , too. Cody joined eventually.
"Sis , where have you been?" , Cody said.
"I'll tell you later" , she promised before beckoning to Leah. Leah smiled and joined the hug. They stayed like that until they heard shouts. A man was dragged by in handcuffs. He had a fake tooth and spiky hair. A police man was tugging him along. The police acknowledged her.
"You the one he kidnapped?" Chrissa nodded.
"Hmph , smart girl , that one" , the police said to Mama.
"Yes , she's my Chrissa; bound and determined to help her friends , even if it means getting herself into some tight spots" , Mama proudly replied.
"Mama , are you referring to the closet I was in? It was tight." that drew some laughs from everyone , excluding the Spiky-dude.
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Chrissa leaned back in her chair happily. The family had invited Leah over and set up a celebration party. There had been pumpkin pie , pineapple upside down cake , hamburgers , and hot dogs. Everybody followed her example and leaned back , happily sighing in turn. Leah smiled at Cody. Chrissa could tell they were holding hands under the table. Mama started taking away the empty dishes. Leah lept up to help her. Chrissa picked her dish up and helped. Bop and Dad went outside to take down the lost signs. When the dishes were clear , Chrissa took K10 up to her room with her. Chrissa took a simple , thin notebook from her bookcase and opened it. It was empty. She started writing in it.
The rain pelted down relentlessly on me and my older
brother. K10 had been missing for 1 hour ,
6 minutes , and about 12 seconds , according to my reasoning . . .
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"Taking down a simple , thin notebook from my bookcase , I opened it. I started writing in it. K10 licked my cheek. I smiled and continued. My life was how it had always been" , Chrissa shut the notebook. Dad , Bop , Cody , Mama , and Leah clapped enthusiasticaly. Chrissa bowed and smiled.
"Chrissa , I've seen your writing" , Leah said to Chrissa , "You should get published."
"I don know" , Chrissa blushed , "Is it really that good?"
"Sure it is , darling , this is real talent" , Mama said. Chrissa smiled.
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Chrissa stared down at the book in her hands. She had been published. Leah smiled. She had become a regular guest at the house on Elm Road. And you won't believe it , but she lived just a couple of houses away from them on Maple Street. So , that is how one of the worlds greatest authors came to be. A young ten-year-old and her dog , K10.
The End
A/N: So , whoopie! I finished it! I already have an idea for the next one I'm going to do. First off , Chrissa is a fictional , made up character. She is NOT a world-famous author , just so you know. Thanks for reading it!! -❤Ivy , Daughter of Apollo ( PiperMclean ) 15:24, March 28, 2011 (UTC)
Category:Stories
Category:Completed Stories/Poems
Category:Puppy Love
Category:PiperMclean