I awoke to my alarm clock ringing loudly, repeatedly, and annoyingly. It chirped at me to rise and face a brand new day. I groaned into my pillow while reaching over to turn it off. But instead I bumped it causing it to crash to the floor, still beeping. I had to lean over the bed to turn it off and stayed leaning over the bed not quite ready to give up the wonderful dream I had or the warm comfort of my bed.
The dream was beautiful. I was in a meadow filled with sunlight and green grass with a swing on the only tree that was there. It was a maple tree with leaves as golden as the sun even though the surroundings were clearly summer season. In the dream I didn’t care to notice. I walked up to the tree and the swing. I was in a light white dress that was as light as a nightgown. I sat down on the swing just rocking back and forth.
“Why hello, miss,” a voice said, the tone of it seemed shocked. It was beautiful; the voice. Like music given a personification. “Hello.” I chimed back, smiling a little, not caring to turn around to see who the stranger was. “I’ve never seen you before.” The musical voice said conversationally. The voice was a lower octave so it was more then likely male. He began to push me on the swing. “I’ve never been here before,” I continued on still content. “Really? I come here often,” was all he said as we fell into a rhythm.
Every time the swing lunged forward the tree would groan. It started a sort of beat between us that filled the silence. There wasn’t an awkward silence and I never got bored; in the dream there was only contentment. Just before I awoke I remember that I had swung so low at an angle that I saw his feet, then legs, chest and finally his neck. His feet were bare the contrast of his white skin against the dark green grass was brilliant in a way beautiful, he wore black faded jeans and his white t-shirt gave away the planes of his chest and abdominal muscles. Then I awoke when it was time to see his face.
Now, wasn’t the time to dwell on dreams. I finally urged myself up off the bed. The wood floor beneath my feet was freezing as opposed to the warm comfort of my blankets. I gasped in surprise.
My name is Andrea Rosemary. I lived with my aunt, uncle, and my three cousins. We live in a small house. I usually shared my room with my best friend and cousin-in-law, Kate. She was probably passed out on the couch with our history text book; we have a test today, next to her and her phone barely hanging in her hand. We live in Minot, North Dakota.
I attend Minot Central Campus because Kate and I are juniors. The reason I lived in Minot with my aunt and uncle was an agreement with my mom and step-dad while they moved to California. My mom moved a lot with her job and I was really settled in Minot because we’d lived there for four years before her job promoted her elsewhere.
I checked the clock. It was twenty minutes before I had to wake Kate. I shivered slightly when I opened my door. Kate and I had been running around the house like children the previous nights with a couple of friends and our best friend Stevie had opened the window in the hallway in front of my room. It was late springtime in North Dakota so the highest temperature was fifty degrees and that was during high noon.
I rushed to the bathroom, almost falling on my face by tangling my feet in a shirt that was on the floor.
I groaned when I saw my reflection in the bathroom mirror. My hair was curly, wavy and loved to sprawl in different directions while I slept. My hair was a dark brown with naturally blonde tinted hair on top and red tinted hair underneath. My eyes were the same colors in the sunlight but otherwise a deep brown. I guess my biological father was half Hidatsa Native American. That made me a fourth and it showed in my cheek bones. I hardly looked like my mom and more like the stranger who never wanted to meet me. I had a great family though and it didn’t bother me much because a lot of my friends had the same type of fathers. My body was slim but toned. Kate and I were both black belts in Tai-jutsu.
I quickly straightened my unruly hair. After that I put on light make-up. When I was satisfied with how I looked I brushed my teeth.
Finally, it was time to go wake up Kate. She was sprawled on the couch. Face buried in a pillow, the blanket sliding off and her feet sticking out. Her book and phone was exactly where I predicted them to be. Her phone buzzed slightly as she received a new text message.
“Kate Jones, wake up,” I whispered softly to her knowing full well my whispering wouldn’t wake her up. I needed to at least play fair as Kate would call it before I tested out her new ‘alarm clock’. This was a blow horn I had recently purchased yesterday. When I saw it I knew I just had too. My cousin was notoriously known for being able to sleep through anything, natural disasters included.
I shook the small can and started to cringe as I pressed my finger down on the small red button. Even I screamed when the horn sounded. Kate fell off the couch yelling and swearing. My uncle who had been watching me laughed out loud at Kate’s expression. We heard Kate’s little brothers yelling from their bedroom. Terry, my uncle’s name, gave us the look before he went to tell the boys they could still sleep. They got rides later on in the morning to school.
Kate glared up at me from the floor. I just waved and smiled innocently down at her. She stood up and started chasing me around the house meanwhile yelling promising threats and curses.
I ran into our room, hid the can carefully and then went back out to face her. She was in the bathroom straightening her hair. She glared accusingly at me until she burnt her ear. “Don’t think I won’t find it.” She muttered staring at the mirror. I laughed then went out to start my car.
It was a cheap car that had the appearance about it that it was going to fall apart any moment. I honestly had no idea what kind of car it was because of the state it was in when my uncle drove it up to us; my cousin and I. She laughed and helped me pay off our uncle’s friend who gave it to him with a low price. She always said it was my car because she was saving up for a sleek black Lamborghini. I loved the car nevertheless. It got us around giving us a bit more freedom.
Outside was cold without the sun in the sky but just off on the horizon. My nose and ears went red from the cold. I jumped into my car it wasn’t much warmer then outside had been. I started it then went to run into the house. A feeling stopped me.
The feeling was that of being watched. I felt my skin prickle on the back of my neck. As primitive instincts told me to hold still. My heart raced. I slowly turned to see who was there.
I jumped. It was a cat. Not unlike the ones Kate and my aunt had. I hadn’t seen it around the neighborhood. Kate, Stevie, and I had given names to the familiar tabby-cats and mutts. Some of the names were quite ridiculous. This cat though, I don’t know why but it bothered me. It had a gleam in its eye that was so human. It gave me an eerie feeling. The cat had purple eyes and orange fur. It cocked its head to the left, meowed, and then trotted away.
I inwardly chastised myself for getting worked up like that over a cat. I rolled my eyes turned to go back inside.
“Is it pajama day?” Kate asked me with sarcastic innocence. A half eaten piece of toast in her hand. I glanced down at myself, groaned, and then ran to my room to change. I opened Kate and mine shared closet. Pulled out my favorite red sweatshirt and adorable blue medium length blouse. In the dresser I pulled out some ripped, holed-filled jeans. For shoes I grabbed a pair of black heels.
Kate was in a brightly colorful band tee, a hole in her right knee jeans and cute black and blue skater shoes. Her hair was light brown with a tinge of blonde. She has piercing dark electric blue eyes which she lined lightly with black eyeliner, mascara and white eye shadow. She had a button nose and full lips. Her body was more muscular than mine.
Just before we left, Kate’s little brothers Jeremy and Ned came walking out. Ned was five and Jeremy was eight. Jeremy has bright blonde hair and blue eyes. Ned has dark hair and brown eyes. Ned’s hair was always askew and Jeremy’s eyes have an innocent gleam in hi s eyes. Kate gave them two zip-lock bags of cereal.
Terry asked us to take the boys to school and preschool because he had errands to run that day. We dropped the ever-chatting Ned off at preschool and Jeremy at Roosevelt Elementary. They both had run quickly from the car to their friends on the playground before Kate would tease them that she was going to tell their friends they slept with a nightlight. She and I laughed at their horrified expressions. Kate would never do that and their friends wouldn’t have cared either way.
We were almost to school when someone pulled out in front of us and I had to hit the brakes before we rear ended his car. “What a jerk!” Kate yelled making a rude gesture with her finger to the car that pulled out in front of us. He glanced over my way because he had stopped too. He had spiked bright red hair and gray mirrored aviator sunglasses. He waved us on, smiling conceitedly.
We made it into our saved desks in the back with zero point five seconds to spare. Kevin leaned towards us, “Thanks for not being late. I would’ve owed Josh ten dollars if you were late. Again.” Kate and I panted, “You’re welcome.”
Ms. Peck cleared her throat, “If you children in the back would be quiet, I can start class.” Our friend Jake who was sitting behind Kevin raised his hand. “So, you’re saying if we keep talking you won’t give us homework?” She glared, “No, I’m saying I’ll give you homework but shan’t explain it.” Jake leaned back, his arms behind his head. “Nice, everyone keep talking. Then grandma will stay quiet.” I began to hiss Jake’s name completely annoyed but I was interrupted by Ms. Peck’s reply. “Mr. Rodney, I am not your grandma. I pity the woman who has to claim such an imbecilic half-wit such as you.” She then faced the board and began teaching about the difference in famous authors’ point of views of Aristotle’s studies. The rest of us had a hard time not laughing at Jake’s indignant expression.
Next hour I had physical education with my two close friends, Hailey and Tasha. They were as close as sisters and earned the nickname of clones with the people who knew them best. Hailey was insanely beautiful. She had dyed deep brown-reddish hair with gorgeous blue-green eyes. She called herself skinny-fat. She never went anywhere without her eyeliner. She was also in all honors classes along with Tasha.
Tasha was very curvy, freckles, red-head and blue eyes. She was the most outgoing person you could ever meet. Tasha knew almost every movie and Hailey was her counterpart when it came to music.
We were changing into our shorts and baggy t-shirts that had the sleeves cut off. While Hailey was tying her tennis shoes she said, “Did you hear that some kids were transferring.” It was more of a statement then a question. “Where’d you hear that?” I asked putting my hair up. “We saw them leaving.” Tasha said. “First, it was four boys. They were so-” Hailey started then Tasha finished when she had to pick up a bobbing pin. “Gorgeous. Then we saw another boy a day after them. You should’ve seen his hair. It was hot. He was fine too.” I raised my right eyebrow trying not to laugh, “That’s weird. Those many transfers that close together. And did you only notice that they were good-looking?” I ended laughing.
We went out to the gymnasium. We had to start soccer the following day. Today we did only warm-ups and stretches. During the jogging we had to do for a warm-up, I ran past my friends. They always hated when they did that. They wanted me to stay at a slow jog with them so I could gossip with them. I couldn’t help it though, the few moments of running, searing lung pain, the endorphins racing under my skin was exhilarating. I loved running and had been tried to get convinced to join the track team numerous times.
French class was after gym. Again I had it with Hailey, Jessica, Tasha, Garrett but also Mariah, Stevie, Kate, and twenty other kids I wasn’t friends with. The French teacher had taken a sick day and the substitute didn’t understand any word in French except how to say yes. Then Hailey, Tasha, and I had calculus with seniors when they had algebra two or some other class.
Finally, there was lunch. I was enjoying a salad while everyone else had Kevin and Garrett run to McDonalds. Stevie who I mentioned earlier had dyed black hair, thick, square, stylish, framed glasses over greenish-blue eyes.
“When do you think those boys will transfer?” Hailey asked no one in particular. “What boys?” Kevin asked his appearance had people yelling gratitude thanks and sarcastic starving remarks. Tasha and Hailey retold their story again.
Josh laid his head on my shoulder and Kevin moved my other shoulder more towards him causing Josh to lose his balance off my shoulder. Stevie laughed. “Quit fighting over her,” Jessica snapped jokingly. I blushed deep red.
“Hurry up. I want to go have a smoke before class starts.” Jake complained attempting to set his feet on the table. Half the table rolled their eyes keeping the killing brain cells lectures in their heads. Jake didn’t have enough brain cells to worry about anyway. Even if he did, he had to want to quit first before we could convince him to.
Soon, we were outside. A few kids were puffing on nicotine wrapped paper or cigarettes while the rest of us stayed upwind from the smoke talking about music, school, or the latest couple. Jake tried to start a fight with Josh when Josh warned him of lung damage he was causing. I wrapped my arm in Kate’s, grabbed Stevie, Hailey, Tasha, and Josh. We went back inside before a fight broke out. Josh was close to betting put into Boy’s Ranch. He couldn’t afford another fight.
Fifth hour was my favorite class. It was a new class, mythology history with Mr. Brady.
He was a new teacher. Young and handsome, he was twenty-two with a surfer body; bleach blonde hair, his bangs hanging a little in his odd electric green eyes. He always tried to keep his bangs smoothed back but they always fell back into place above his eyes. He was better looking then most actors. He wore a button up shirt with a cardigan every now and then, occasionally a loose tie, and black or tan suit pants. His shoes were the standard boring teacher shoes, I called them. They were black, square, with cheap laces.
There were tables instead of desks. I sat at a table with Kate, Stevie, and Kevin. Josh, Jake, Devin and Garrett sat behind us.
“Class, I understand it’s Thursday but try to concentrate. Pay attention for the next forty-five minutes and then I’ll set you loose on your next unlucky teacher.” Mr. Brady smiled turning back to the Smart Board. “We were supposed to be starting Pagan folklore of the Dark Ages today but instead I’ve decided on a creative review. You, class, will be writing me a lengthy essay about a character more then likely a God or Goddess from any country or belief. I expect your choices to be on Monday. No one can write about the same one. There’re thousands of stories and beliefs out there I expect you’ll find one to your liking. They must be at least five pages long. One side counts as one page.” He did a smug smirk as a part of the class, mostly the guys behind us, groaned. “Now, don’t get too obnoxious I have to go make a quick call.” He walked out of the room, his suit jacket over his shoulder and a cell phone in his ear.
“He seemed anxious,” Kevin noted quietly beside me. Kevin was a goofball but had a deeper side that was more observant then half his friends. Almost everyone in the class had their cell phones out now. I was no exception. “I noticed that too,” I agreed. “What did you think was wrong?” Kate asked, she had seemed engrossed in a message but Kate had a way of surprising people when she commented on things that you didn’t even know she overheard. Before we could discuss the subject in depth Garrett threw a wad of paper at the back of Kevin’s head.
Mr. Brady never came back from his quick call. We were in seventh hour now. Sixth hour had been chemistry. It was just a review on acids and bases. Chemistry was my third favorite classes.
Art was the final period of the day. Art had made my second favorite class. I used to be in band with Stevie, Jessica, Tasha, Hailey and a half a dozen others. Now, I was in art class with Kate. Luckily we had managed to get a lot of classes together despite the odds against us.
Mrs. Flora, our teacher was still traveling aboard. She had taken a two week vacation with her husband to travel Europe and see fine art museums. She was an amazing teacher. Full of wit and life, most of the time she made lists of different projects we could do and we could choose something from there. Every now and then there was a test on a famous artist but she had such a zest for the subject that it made it fun at least for me. Kate tended to fall asleep.
This substitute had us use the time as a study hall. The majority of us were in Mr. Brady’s class, they had asked if they could go to the computer room to work on their subjects for their essays. I had stayed behind to finish a picture I was shading before Mrs. Flora had gone. The only other kid in the room was someone I’d never seen before.
It gave me an eerie, surreal feeling. I knew everyone’s name in all my classes. Yet, I’d never seen this kid before, in any of my classes.
He was in a too large black hoodie with his wide hood over his face. He also wore faded black jeans that were exposing his green and blue stripped boxers. There was a silver studded belt but it was styled not to hold up his pants but for décor. It was the way most of my guy friends wore their pants as well. His shoes were black and purple skater shoes. I caught a fast glimpse of his face when he was staring at me. He had full light pink lips, high strong cheek bones, a square but small jaw, and cocking piercing gray eyes.
He stood up and started walking in my direction. Then Kate flounced into the room and plopped down next to me launching into a story of Devin flirting with her. The guy, who I was still watching, glided past me. He went to the substitute to ask to leave to the bathroom. My body stiffened as he walked past me again.
“Who was that guy?” I asked Kate, realizing to late that I interrupted her climax of the story. She stopped talking, giving me a funny look, then asked, “What guy, Andy?” I pursed my lips, “That guy, who just left. I’ve never seen him before,” I was wondering if I wasn’t the only one who never noticed him before. It only made me more baffled. “No, I have no idea who you’re talking about. What guy?” she repeated. Then an ingenious idea came to me. “I’ll show you him when he comes back.” “Oh, alright,” she said in a tone that made me question if she thought that I had imagined him to just ignore her story.
The entire class came back but the boy never did. Today was just full of questions.
At least school was finally done. An amazing new movie was coming out and my friends were buzzing about going. I agreed to meet with them after I stopped by Oak Park. I wanted some alone time to myself for a while.
“Alright, you loner; we won’t go to the movie until you’re there,” Stevie said. “I’ll save you a seat next to me,” Josh added blowing me a kiss while Kevin sat in his passenger seat glowering at him. Then he yelled at me before the door closed, “Nah, she wants to sit by me.” Kevin waggled his eyebrows at me flirtatiously. Josh about

slammed the door on his face. I rolled my eyes, if I had to choose a guy to go out with it’d probably be Kevin or Josh but I was hoping for something a bit more long-term. Kate told me to stop wanting a fairy tale.
“Yeah, okay, you’re going to save a seat for Hailey too.” Kevin told Josh, “Yeah, Josh you’re such a womanizer.” Josh scoffed an inaudible reply to him that I couldn’t hear before they started jokingly arguing. Josh shut the door as they drove away. The other guys in their backseat were throwing stuff around.
“Those little kids are going to crash yet.” Tasha motioned to the car. “Too right,” Hailey replied to her. “Katie, could you drive me to Oak Park. Just promise not to crash so you can pick me up as well.” I tossed Kate my car keys. “I’ve been driving longer then you, little girl.” She retorted. “Yeah, little girl,” Stevie said shoving my left shoulder. Hailey and Tasha said in unison, “we’re riding with!” Stevie wrapped her arms around Kate and mine shoulders, “can’t forget me.”


Eventually, they dropped me off at Oak Park. Kate left tire burns in the parking lot just to get an angry face text message from me. I laughed and shook my head when she texted me back with a big eyes text message.
I felt weird at first, watching them drive away and leaving me behind. It made me feel abandoned or embarrassed that I had wanted time to myself. Then the sun came out from behind a cloud and embraced my bare skin in the light warmth of the early spring sun. Unintentionally I inclined my head towards the light, like a sunflower. I loved the sun, my aunt always yelled when I opened the windows and the doors during anytime of the year. It would either increase the heating or the air conditioner bill. My friends just laughed and agreed with me most of the time.
I took out my iPod then begun to trod the worn asphalt tracks in the Park. I wound myself deep into the lonely roads of the Park, the trees were budding, the birds returning, I even saw a slight fox trot in front of me during one moment.
Smiling, I stayed mainly in the sunlight patches of the road. Every now and then I sat down on a bench just sitting there relaxing, enjoying my music. I was on one of those benches when I closed my eyes, rolled my head back, facing the sun rays again.
Then the hair on the back of my neck and arms as a twig broke in the trees. The sound came from a few coniferous bushes. I stood up then left at a slow walk. When I reached the first bend I broke off into a sprint. The crunching rocks underneath my feet were relaxing after a while and soon I slowed to a fast walk.
There wasn’t a reason to have panicked like that. It might’ve been a bird, fox, squirrel, goose, I attempted at convincing myself. It was just the horror movie I had watched recently with my friends and uncle that had me riled. Just then Kate texted me: ‘I’m leaving your car off in the parking lot where we dropped you off; going to meet you at the mall when you’re done with your nature walk.’ There was also a winking smile face.
I walked swiftly back to the parking lot she mentioned. I still had a lengthy walk back.
Finally, I took notice of something that had been bugging me. Like a nag that something was out of place. At first, I couldn’t figure out what it was. I took my remanding headphone out. It was easier to think in the quiet.
That’s what was wrong. I had mentioned earlier that the birds were returning and the fact that it was early spring. The park had been filled with noise earlier and now it was dead quiet. It was like the time I went camping with my family and a big storm was just a few hours away. The surrounding forest around us had become unearthly quiet. The way the park was now.
The prickly sensation returned to my skin as I picked up my pace. I got the distinct feeling of being watched. Then I heard footsteps. They were a ways behind me.
I mentally hit myself in the forehead. I wasn’t the only one in the park. That was idiotic of me to panic just because I wasn’t the only one in a city park on a rather warm day. I would slow down my pace and see who the stranger was just to make sure that I was being moronic.
When I slowed the footsteps pace increased behind me. I heard them, the feet tap, tap, tapping, on the thawing asphalt. Then I heard a stomping coming from in front of me. It echoed all around the bare trees. It sounded like an elephant had decided to rampage through the park. I went down into a defensive position. Then I thought better of just standing there waiting to see who put the Cinema tyrannosaurus’s stomping to shame.
I took off at yet another sprint when I came down to a fork in the road, it led away from the stomping. The loud crashing footsteps behind me caused me to instinctively whip my head around thus making me loose my balance and I went flying into the fall leaves of last year and the cold damp earth. Just my luck, I landed right inside a coniferous bush that was laced with melting snow and sap.
Damp dirt stuck to my winter coat and jeans. Wrinkled, fall leaves were wound in my hair. I was about to get up when the crashing footsteps that had got me into the mess came closer to me then it had been before. I covered my ears with my dirty gloved hands. It was painfully loud. I hunkered down into the bush and saw who or what could possibly make such a racket.
I had to blink several times and even pinch my freezing arm to check and see if what I saw was real. The pinch hurt; meaning yes I wasn’t insane. At first glance it looked like a rock slide. Then I saw it was just a giant, super muscular, gray abomination. It had a bare, muscular chest; honestly it looked like a body boulder gone superman. It wore a long tan tunic. Maybe, the fall had made me go unconscious. That seemed reasonable enough.
I heard lighter footsteps, long bare feet scraping against the asphalt. Perhaps, the footsteps I had heard earlier. A little green man thing came into my view. It had a long, pointed nose, matching ears, scrawny limbs, a gray robe that covered way more then the tunic on the gray person, and white wisps of hair on its head, in its ears. Instead of just going unconscious I may have gotten a concussion.
The boulder man spoke in a loud, cracking voice, it sounded like rocks hitting against each other, “Have you found ‘er?” The little green man answered in a quiet, whinny, wheezy voice “No, the boss is going to kill us! He’s tear you limb from limb and sick his hell hounds on me! How do you even know that she came here? This place reeks of humans. It could be the wrong one again!” He continued to speak faster and faster in a language I couldn’t understand. The boulder man shook him by his throat, “Calm down you ugly asparagus. I know it’s ‘er. The Cardinal even said so. He told me that she was just walking ‘round by herself wit’ out the plastic thing they use to talk to one ‘other.” Their grammar was astounding. Even Jeremy didn’t talk like that. Plastic thing; did he mean my cell phone?
I was feeling quite at unease by now. Not only did these things, people, whatever they were, look and sound like something out of some old fantasy novel but they were following a girl or woman. I was really worried for her. I was also a tidbit worried for myself that if they might find me they’d eat me.
The little asparagus, I laughed inside my head, was nodding up and down really excitedly that it was shaking his whole body. “Yes! Right! The Cardinal was the one that found those do-gooders in Madrid and we managed to wound one then. But did you see her?” The boulder man was thinking and it seemed like it was hurting him a little. “I ‘eard ‘er and smelt ‘er. She was getting all panicky then I think she started running.”
My eyes widened as realization dawned on me. Why in the world were they following me? Unless some other girl just displayed the same reactions I did, on the same path, at the same time. Even as I thought it I knew how improbable it was. I wanted to groan aloud at how stupid I was being but I stopped breathing thinking that they’d even hear that. I silently prayed my phone wouldn’t ring at any moment.
The green man raised his long nose in the air. His wide nostrils were flaring as if he were smelling the air. “Hey! Do you smell that? I think she’s close. The smell is mingled with earth though. How I hate this horrible excuse for a dimension. If it was more like home then we’d been able to find them centuries ago before it was too late.” The boulder man glared at the small green man as if he were a nuisance he desperately wanted to loose.
“I think your nose is lying, again. Let’s split up and continue to search for her. It worked earlier. I ‘fuse to go back to boss again empty handed he’d be mighty mad. ‘Especially since the Cardinal told us where she was.”
The two mutations of nature ran off separate ways. I quit shallow breathing, feeling a little lightheaded and let out a long, deep, sigh. Seconds afterward I heard the bare feet scraping asphalt again. I had a deep urge to chuck a rock at the small green thing when it came back into view. His nose was in the air again walking ever closer to my hideout.
I slowly crawled backwards as quietly as possible but his long ears pricked up as I rustled the dirt. Long, green, longed yellow nailed, hands pushed aside the bushes. “There you are. Aren’t you a pretty thing? For shame.” His wheezy voice smelt like onions and whiskey. My eyes started watering from the acidic smell. “Don’t cry, I won’t hurt you; yet.” He wheezed a chortle. I stood up to my full height that only towered inches above him. So much for theatric drama. “I’m not crying. It’s just you desperately need mouthwash and fifteen pounds of mints; maybe sixteen.” His yellow watery eyes glowered at me. “Are you being smart to me?” He drew a long, curved knife out of his ragged robe. “I’m not being dumb with you.” I retorted before stopping myself. He raised his knife uttering insults I couldn’t understand. The least he could do was translate for me.
I began to think of my friends, my family. Abruptly I thought of my car. The one just a half mile away from where I stood. The cheap, stained seats. Starbucks when you’re late for school isn’t always the wisest choice. The worn steering wheel. Thinking about it I could almost feel it between my hands. I closed my eyes awaiting pain.
When the knife should’ve pierced my shoulder I realized I was sitting in my car. I let out a whoop of glee. I brought my hand back to the spot the blade should have pierced. Was it possible that I had fallen asleep in my car and had a weird nightmare?
My phone interrupted my reverie. I had a lot of text messages. Where I was hiding must have had no service. They were all wondering if I was going to go to the movie or not. I told them all I was on my way.
When I glanced up from my phone I saw two men coming from the bicycle path making a beeline for my car. One was short and really clammy. The other was unnaturally tall and held the smaller guy by the scruff of his collar. They stared into my car, the short guy started jumping up and down and pointing towards me. They started to sprint to my car.
Without a second thought I turned the key in the ignition and reversed as possible out of the parking lot. I was thankful there wasn’t any police around. I checked my rearview mirror when I got on the road; there was no one following me.

When I arrived at the mall, Kate was there waiting for me with Stevie, Hailey, and Tasha. “Hey there short person,” Kevin greeted me getting out of his car. He must have driven the girls too. “How long have you guys been here?” I asked my peripherals were still on the lookout for gray and green men things.
They exchanged a secret glance then started to laugh. “We just got here five minutes before you,” Hailey choked out. “Why are you laughing?” I asked