It couldn't have been a dream? Could it..?

The Night of? Before...?

     It was a bright sunny day out. My mother had just came home from work and I had asked her to pick up specific groceries. School started tomorrow and it was the first day of high school. You could say I had a fun summer. We went to the beach, I hung out with a few friends... although the best part of summer was the week I went to camp. I went to camp with one of my friends, Ruby. Although we were different genders, and pulled apart a lot at camp, we had a lot of times where we were together. Although, some of the best parts of camp are the bits where I wasn't with Ruby. The nights with my cabin where we would mess around, paintball, there were many portions of camp that I simply... wouldn't replace for a moment that Ruby was there. However, since I came back from camp, I had been hearing haunted, what feels like- cursed sounds in my ear. Nonstop ringing- constant bickering, constant beeping. That's what the groceries are for. I asked for earplugs and earbuds. Anything to drown out the beeping and the bickering and the ringing the night before the first day of high school. I approach my mom, quickly grabbing the earbuds and earplugs, sprinting upstairs and plugging the earbuds into my computer, blaring the heaviest rock music I could find in my playlist. As it blared through my headphones... I still heard a faint,

"beep... beep... beep"

     I grow frustrated, throwing the earbuds across the room. The beeping and the ringing blares through my ear now... louder than it's ever been. I pull and yank my long, brown, dirty and greasy hair as I bury my head in my hands. I haven't showered in a week. This noise has been driving me crazy. I've told people and they just think I'm insane. Even my mom doesn't believe me, she thinks I just want to get out of school. I try to put the earplugs in to see if it blocks it out... nothing. I still heard the ringing and the bickering, this time maybe even louder than before. I take them out and slam them on the table, knocking over the water bottle that was on the table. My mom calls me downstairs as I sprint down the wooden stairs.

"What is with all of the noise in your room?"

      She asks with a confused, but angered face.

"I'm rearranging. No biggie."

      "Alright... be careful."

"Will do."

      She shoos me off as I run back upstairs, peaking over the doorway to see the spilt water on the ground, spelling out 

"WE'RE COMING..."

    I take a few steps back before running downstairs, screaming. My greasy hair rushing behind me as my pale lips open, letting out a loud, ear piercing scream.

"Mom! MOM!"

     I shout as she looks over at me with a worried face. She quickly walks over to me as I lead her upstairs, showing her the water. Except... this time it's just a water puddle. No longer does the water spell out the terrifying and chilling words that it did earlier. 

     "Oh, Elias! It's just a water puddle. You couldn't even clean it up yourself? And clean your room too!"

     She makes her way downstairs as I try to stop her but she pulls out of my grasp. I turn back around and enter the bathroom to grab a towel. I walk back over to the water puddle, throwing the towel over it. The water absorbs into the towel. I yank the towel back off of the newly dry floor. I walk it back into the bathroom, putting it in the hamper in the corner of the bathroom. I walk downstairs to see my mother now making dinner.

"Don't... EVER scream about a water puddle again." 

     She giggles about it, but I know she means it. I nod my head as I sit at the dinner table. She serves a full plate of chicken, green beans, and mac n' cheese. I grab a fork and devour it.

"So... we don't say grace anymore? Got it."

     I look up at her with a green bean sticking out of my mouth. She laughs as she pokes her macaroni noodle. I slurp the green bean and take a bite of the chicken. Dinner continues silently.

"Excited for school?" 

      She asks, looking down at me. I gulp the food in my mouth and answer,

"Nervous. I've heard many things about High school and how tormenting it is from movies, book-"

     She interrupts me.

"You don't read, Elias. You'll be fine. It's High School, not prison."

     I shrug and finish my dinner plate, sprinting back upstairs and peeking past the doorway as I look and see the water once again spelling out words.

"TRY AGAIN?"

It spells out as I run to my computer, slipping. However the second I hit the ground, my waist pops up from a pillow as my bed lies beneath me. I hear my mom call out.

"Elias! C'mon! You're going to be late for camp!"