Watching

2 - Safe and Sound?

Kylie

Erica and Bronwyn are walking ahead of me, chattering away, they're gossiping about Heather and speculating about our new Science teacher, Mr Edwards. Just going on and on.

"He's kinda hot for an old guy," Erica giggles.

"I don't think he's that old," I answer, not really trying to keep the harshness out of my voice.

"Old guys are experienced," Bronwyn chimes in.

"Maybe Heather could take him for a test drive and let us know," Erica giggles again. Why is she always giggling? Why am I even friends with them? Why am I getting so worked up? I'm usually good at ignoring most of their crap.

Ugh, finally...

We arrive in front of my house, and I say goodbye to my friends. They barely look back as they walk on, waving in my general direction. I roll my eyes.

Yes, thanks for making sure I'm safe inside before you rush off.

Unlocking my front door, I turn around before I go inside, taking a good look at my surroundings. The house is dark and quiet. This is not new; Dad regularly works late. I'm used to coming home and hanging out by myself until he gets home.

But things feel different tonight. My heart races and I don't want to go inside but I sure as hell do not want to stay on our front porch.

"Kylie? Are you alright, Love?" A voice suddenly asks at our fence.

Oh, crap! My damn heart! F...

I look up and see our nosy, but really sweet neighbour peeking over the fence. Pretty sure that I wet myself and gasping like a fish, I try to answer but the words are stuck in my throat and all I manage is a yelp.

"I just came back from the store and saw you just standing there, Dear. Is everything alright? Would you like me to go inside with you?"

As if an old lady is going to protect me in case of an intruder, I nod anyway.

"Give me a second and I will be right over."

Danica

Kylie is standing in front of the open door of her house, not moving at all like she's frozen in place. She turns around for a moment and stares right at me. Then she turns back towards her house but does not go in.

Is she scared? Does she feel the danger lurking unseen?

She suddenly does a strange little dance-hop and seems to be speaking to the bushes next to the fence separating her house from her neighbour's. After a few minutes a very short, elderly lady appears in the walkway. I was so focused on Kylie's body language that I didn't even notice the lady appearing from around the hedge.

They speak briefly and disappear into the darkness of the house.

Kylie

It was nice of Mrs Stanley to come inside with me, but then it seemed like she was never going to leave. I assured her that Dad would be home soon, but that didn't convince her, and I ended up listening to her entire life story... Again.

Then she complained about her son who lives with her and about a neighbour she had back in 1975 or something. Usually, I wouldn't mind the company, but I really just wanted to take a long, hot shower and go to bed.

She eventually left when Dad got home.

After the shower and getting into my favourite PJs, I practically fell into bed. I have not been sleeping well, but tonight I'll probably... hopefully, sleep like a log.

"Do logs even sleep?" I wonder as I drift off.

Danica

Kylie and her dad are both asleep. The house is mostly quiet aside from light snores coming from her dad's bedroom.

I move around quietly until I come across Kylie's massive, grey cat sitting in front of her bedroom door. I pause in front of the furry animal. She seems indifferent to my presence.

Don't mind me, Kitty. Just passing through.

The cat stares at me intently, yawns and resumes grooming her bushy tail. I love cats. They're weird.

I enter Kylie's room. There's a pinkish glow coming from her night light. Of course, it would be a pink unicorn. Kylie has always loved unicorns.

Standing next to her bed, I look at her sleeping frame. She is holding a small plushy in one hand. It's an old and tattered bunny. It's my bunny, the one I gave her...

I feel a strange tugging sensation. I'm not in her room anymore, I'm sitting next to her on a bench in the cemetery. We are about twelve years old and her eyes are red. She looks ill.

"I hate this. I feel so alone," she cries. I hug her tightly and give her the bunny that I carry in my pocket for luck. She grasps the bunny to her chest with one hand and with the other she attempts to wipe the tears from her face...

Suddenly, I'm back in the now, right here in her room.

What the hell was that?!

I try to back away from the bed, but feeling disorientated, I knock her alarm clock off the bedside table. I try to catch the damn thing, but it goes through my hands.

Shit. Well, that's just great.

How did I manage to knock it off in the first place?

The alarm clock falls on the carpet. It's a thick carpet, so maybe it didn't make enough noise to wake Kylie up. I quickly turn to leave.

"Who's there?"

I freeze. Maybe she's not completely awake and will fall asleep again.

"Sammy? Here Kitty..."

Yes, it was the cat. Blame the cat.

Kylie squints at me in the pink glow of her night light and shakes her head, trying to rid her brain of the cobwebs of sleep.

"Danica? Is that you? How...? I thought... aren't you...?" She's sitting half upright in her bed now. "But aren't you dead?"

"You can see me?!" we ask at the same time.

Sammy announces her entrance with a chirp, walks through me and jumps on the bed. Kylie's eyes go wide and she opens her mouth.

Please don't scream, I think.

"Kylie, I ..."

She has either fallen asleep again or the shock of seeing me caused her to faint.

Yeah, I should probably leave now instead of wondering which one it is.

I make my escape from her room and soon find myself outside her house.

What the hell just happened in there?