Sometimes when everything is going perfectly okay, your world spins upside down. What you thought was real your whole life has turned out to be a lie. Cliche, I know; I thought so too. But from the moment I stepped out of my car on the 26th of October, my life became a chaotic mess of entrapping truths. And I had no choice but to believe them.738Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUlN6JpqwnB
"Yeah, I know, but still...okay, sure, I'll buy the soda. See you at the party!" My friend Lilly ended the conversation and shut the phone. She looked at me, her blue eyes and wicked smile giving away what she was about to say.738Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaarhdl6NGc
"The plans are coming along perfectly! This is going to be one heck of a senior Halloween party. And you're the one who said that it was too late to start inviting people," she added with a playful grin. 738Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhwjuxmgIyn
I laughed. "Alright, I give up. You know how obsessive I can get about time."738Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9OYi8oY8kK
"You and your punctuality..." Lily shakes her head. "Oh! I almost forgot! I really need some hair dye. I've been wanting your auburn hair for ages. You don't know how lucky you are, Kassidy! Meanwhile, I'm stuck with blonde..." Lily trailed off as she focused on avoiding running the red light.
Lily and I were planning a sort of mash-up between a celebration for becoming seniors and a Halloween party. I was, as usual, the planner, and Lily was the host. Also the one with the driver's license, which was why she was using my car and I wasn't driving it. We were on our way to the mall to get the last minute supplies.738Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCGs7gFIBu1
"Okay, wrote that down," I said, finally putting down the pencil I had been clutching for the past five minutes. "Is there anything else we're forgetting?"
Lily scrunched her face. "No, I don't think so."
As she made a left at the intersection, I began to feel cold. An eerie feeling rushed through my body. I shivered, and turned up the heater, hoping Lily wouldn't notice.
The piercing noise of my cellphone ringtone began to travel through my car. I leaned down to get it out of my purse, and then saw that it was my mom. Making a face, I pressed the decline button. I could talk to her later.
A few minutes later, the phone clamored its ringtone again.
"God, mom, can't you be patient?" I muttered to myself while fumbling with the phone to accept the call.
"Hello?" Silence. "Mom?" I heard the click of the call dropping and I rolled my eyes. 738Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBZ31ymW51U
What is the point of calling me if she isn't even going to talk? I thought to myself.
"Everything alright with your mom?" Lily asked.
"Yeah, I guess so. She just hung up on me."
"Well, that's good. We don't want you getting grounded right before the party, do we?" She joked.738Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy81iitDOwD
I tried to ignore the flash of annoyance that ran through me. I decided to focus my thoughts on our plans for the mall once we got there in a few minutes. But as soon as I looked up, I saw a flash of black in front of the car. I screamed, the cry echoing throughout the car. There was a huge shape, coming closer towards us and my head was pounding and I didn't even know how I knew what it was before it came right through the car window and disappeared. It was some kind of shadow.
The car lurched forward and we came to a stop.738Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEzUERcDGQd
"Why the heck were you screaming?"
"You didn't see it? I-" I took another breath and continued. "There was a- a dark thing and I think it was a shadow but I don't know how it could be and-" My voice faltered as Lily stared at me with a distorted expression on her face.738Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHm1H0dPjhW
I'm going crazy.738Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡugvcpfXK1w
"I think your sister is rubbing off on you...no offense, by the way." She said.738Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaHPfYHgkMR
I was about to yell at her but I couldn't think clearly and knew that I probably was going to blow everything over so I took deep, calming breaths, and let it slide, even though the anger was sizzling through me.
My sister, Ella, who was just a year younger than me, spent a lot of time in the hospital for psychotic treatment. No one knew exactly what went through her mind, but she talked a lot about the future and visions and, well, magic. She was perfectly find when she wasn't having one of her episodes, but it's scary to see your younger sister start rambling on in creepy voices talking about stuff that you wouldn't ever expect from a seventeen year old.
My phone buzzed again, but this time it was a text message. It was from Ella, and read "Goodbye :)"
It took me a few seconds to register what that text message said. But then my heart started pounding. Something was wrong. Yeah, Ella was...different, but why would she text me saying goodbye? 738Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCie5CZv7kW
Those calls from mom... I jerked my head up.738Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRgOi3OGzTE
"Lily, stop the car!"
"What, why? We're almost at the mall!"
"Lily, there's no time to explain, just stop the car and let me out!"
"What will I do with the car?"
I couldn't think straight. "Just-" I made gestures with my hands, bewildered, trying to talk to her because my vocal chords weren't working. "Keep the car for now, go to the mall, and drop it off at my house afterwards. I need to go home, I can walk from here."
"Really? I can use your car! Thanks Kassidy, you're the best!" I numbly nodded as she happily looked at me. Lily parked the car to the side of the road so I could get out.
I unbuckled my seatbelt, grabbed my purse and my phone, and opened the door. I stepped out.
Then I ran for my life.
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