My End Is My Beginning

In the End, What Matters Doesn't

"Hey, guys, wait up!" a little girl yells running after her friends. A little boy turns around his short dark hair sticking to his small face covered in sweat and dust. He looks to the little blonde boy to his left and the red headed boy to his right and yells with confidence and impatience, "C'mon Cecillia! You've got to hurry; we're going to miss it!" I see the little girl stop in her tracks, her face paling and screaming for the boys to run, pointing to the monster behind them. As the three little boys turned, their faces paled too many shades of white with fear. The little girl I now know as me runs towards the boys to try and save them only to trip and fall into the dirt. As I look up from the ground, I look to see my friends gone, never to be seen for fifteen years. We were all seven at the time of their disappearances. Jack, Ryan, Jayden; their pictures from the first day of school were posted that night after they didn't make it home for dinner. Jayden with his thick, dark wispy hair and grey eyes. Ryan with his Medium length blonde hair and emerald, green eyes. And Jack with his short dark red hair and sky-blue eyes.

I woke up the next morning, never forgetting what had happened with a pounding headache and a new fight to find my friends and bring them home safely. As I remember my childhood friends, I go to my desk and spot a worn-down notebook with a leather cover. I open it to find sections on each of my friends and look over the history before they disappeared. As I look over the photo of all of us together at a picnic with our families in the national forest nearby. I realize that's where I must go.

"What was that thing?", I questioned as I was staring intently at the photo. Where did they go? I thought. I turn around to see my map of my missing friends, and possible sights as to where they might be.

"Where are you guys?" I whisper touching the photos of each of the boys. They disappear without any trace of struggle or even injury.

As I was in my state of focus, I didn't realize my mom had walked into my room "Cecilia, are you ok?" She questioned me with concern. I turn swiftly with surprise "yeah, I'm ok, just trying to figure this out" I say trying not to be suspicious. As I turn around, I see my mom opening the door, "Cecilia, they've been gone for 15 years why are you still looking, they would want you to live your life." She looked at me with tears in her eyes as if saying stop, you know they're dead, but I refused to believe that. "Mom, I know they would want me living my life b-", she looked at me with pity "but what Cecilia? You need to let them go; they're gone!" She yelled, as her face started to turn red with anger.

Soon I turned around and snatched my go-bag off the corner of my bed, and all the evidence I had stockpiled haphazardly swung it onto my shoulder. "I will find them", I turned around and stuck my finger against my mom's chest, "You won't stop me" I soon stormed off and out the door, only to be met by the front door, slamming it as I stormed out of the house. I swiftly walked to my car and set everything down in the passenger seat making sure everything was there.

As Ilooked up to start my car, I saw a tall figure standing behind a tree watchingme. I paused to see if the figure would move, and it did, I quickly snatched mypepper spray and pocketknife and shove the knife in my front pocket; I get outof my car slowly and make my way to the tree line. Making sure as to not tripon the jagged roots of trees and loose rocks falling away at my feet, I walkinto the forest, and I start to call out for that thing. "What thehell?" I question when I start to feel uneasy, as though someone waswatching me from deeper within the forest.