Tears of Queens

6 - Leo

When I arrived home after dance, my little sister, Lily, ran up to me and jumped on my back.

"Lo!" she screeched in my ear. That was her nickname for me, ever since she was a baby and couldn't pronounce my name.

"Hey, Lil!" I laughed and ran towards the couch. I spun around, holding her legs, and then dumped her on the couch as she giggled.

"Leo? Is that you?" my mom asked, emerging from her bedroom, wiping homemade lipstick off her hands. "Oh, it is! Remember, Liam and Eunji are coming for dinner tomorrow. Now go shower, you stink."

"Yes, ma'am." I mocked a salute, and she playfully smacked me with her washcloth as I ran to my room, dance bag in hand.

"Lem's coming for dinner?" I heard Lily ask through the closed door. I chuckled to myself as I pulled off my t-shirt and stalked into the bathroom. I quickly bypassed the mirror and turned on the hot water.

After I was dressed, I pulled my phone out of my dance bag and saw that I had two messages; one from Wyatt and one from an unknown number. I opened the message from Wyatt and smiled upon seeing it. He wrote, "it was great meeting you today ! have a good night :)". I replied to him saying, "you too!" and then checked the other message, which said, "hey this is tala. thanks for the help today :)". We sent a few texts back and forth after I replied, but then said goodnight so she could go eat dinner.

"Leo! Come here, please!" I heard my mom yell from the kitchen. I tossed my phone onto my bed and went to go see what she wanted.

"Yeah?" I asked. She gestured to the garbage can. "Take out the trash please." I took the bag out of the can, grabbed my keys, put my shoes on and got in the elevator all the way down to the garage.

I always hated the garage. No matter where I lived, I always hated it. It was cold and gross and creepy and I hated it. This garage was no different. The giant metal door looked like it was made of chain links and the small windows had prison-like bars on them. Almost all the parking spots were filled, but that never made it feel any less creepy. In fact, it just made it worse. All those cars were great hiding spots for any intruders to break in and kidnap me.

I walked quickly to the garbage cans and disposed of the bag. Nothing yet. That's good. I walked back towards the door, but I stopped when I felt a chill run down my spine. Strange. It was a summer evening in Willow Creek. It shouldn't be this cold. Against all good judgment, I turned around. Bad idea.

I came face to face with a black, floating hooded figure that reminded me of a dementor from Harry Potter. I turned and ran, my hands frantically trying to find the right key for the interior garage door. I reached the door before I found the key, so I had to stop. I looked behind me to see the figure slowly approaching me. I looked back at the keys and finally found the key and shoved it into the keyhole. I turned the key, opened the door, ran inside, and slammed it shut. The figure stared at me through the window in the door. I pushed the elevator button, and waited impatiently for the doors to open. I looked back at the figure and, just before the doors opened, it opened what I would assume to be its eyes.

They were sunken and silver, illuminating its entire face. It had no nose or lips. Instead, its mouth was a giant gash on the bottom of its face, seemingly empty. Its eyes were large, with no eyelashes or eyebrows. In the center of the left eye was a symbol that looked like a heart turned on one of its sides, and in the right eye was an x.

It was then I finally got my wits about me and decided to leave. I stepped in the elevator and let the doors close before I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. I asked myself a very important question:

"What the hell was that?"