The Old Flashlight

Chapter 1

Sitting in Literature, Jackie hears a knock at the door. Mr. Evans, the teacher, goes and opens the door to see a police officer. The officer asks for someone and he nods, turning around.

"Jackie Watson," he says, looking at her, "will you come here please?"

She nods, standing up and walking to the door.

"Follow me, miss Watson." the officer says. He walks her to the Principal's office, opening the door for her. Inside she sees her friend, Avery Challin. They both awkwardly wave at each other.

"Miss Watson-" the Principal says, being cut off. "Jackie. Just call me Jackie." she says. "Very well then. Jackie, it seems that you and your friend, Miss Challin, have allegedly found information about the most recent missing child case. The one of Mara Thomson. I have brought you both in here to ask you some questions." The principal gestures to Jackie to take a seat. Hesitantly, she obliges. "So, what exactly would you like to know?" Jackie asks, her heart pounding and palms sweating from anxiety. "I've heard that you...see things? True things?" the principal states. Sighing, Jackie nods. "When I think, I see things. It's almost like glimpses into the future of others' lives." Jackie says. "Okay, and what did you see for Miss Thomson?" the principal asks. "I saw her walking from the video store. She was walking with another person, but I've never met him before. I believe his name is George?" Jackie says, voice rising in question. "Ah, George Brackely. He's a good kid. What else do you remember?" the principal asks. "I remember she walked with George until he got home, then she walked home. She bent down to help a man with a broken arm because he dropped some money. When she rose back up, he shined a flashlight in her face, making her pass out. That's all I remember." Jackie says, feeling uncomfortable talking about a friend like this. It made her sad to think that her friend was gone.

"Miss Watson, is everything okay?" the principal asked. "Yes, I'm fine." she replied, looking in her lap. There were...rain drops? She was inside, so it couldn't possibly be raining. "Miss Watson, you're crying. If you ever need anything, the counselors are good listeners. They will help you." the principal stated. There were a few minutes of silence before Avery spoke. "Can we go back to our classes now? It's almost time for dismissal and I have a math test." she asked. "Yes, you may leave now, ladies. Thank you for your time." the principal says, motioning them out the door. Jackie and Avery both wave at each other and head their separate ways, waiting for the dismissal bell to ring. Sitting and staring into space, Jackie faintly hears the bell ring and gets up, heading out the door. Walking home from school, Jackie is in a daze. She was concerned for Mara, even wondering if she was alive anymore. The thought made her eyes well up with tears again. She looked down as she walked so the tears didn't roll down her face. Not looking, she bumped into someone.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't see where I was going." Jackie said, looking up. "That's fine. I wasn't looking either." George Brackely said. They both awkwardly smiled at each other and kept walking, until George turned back around and ran to her. "Have you heard anything about Mara? She's been missing now for 2 days. Everyone's losing it." he said. "No, unfortunately I haven't. The Man has been taking everyone recently. First, it was Elizabeth Jones, then it was Johnny Edwards, and there was about a week long grace period. Then Mike Hallon was gone, and now Mara. The newspapers have already confirmed that Elizabeth, Johnny, and Mike are all dead. I'm so scared for Mara." Jackie said. "Yeah. Me too." George said. "Stay safe and don't talk to men in black hoodies." George said, patting Jackie on the back. "Yeah, you too. Bye." Jackie said, walking to her house.

She started to cry again. The thought that Mara could already be dead was burned into her brain. She cried until it was hard to breathe and she had to stop walking to regain her breath. Once her house came into view, she collected herself and wiped her tears. She opened her door, seeing her grandfather passed out on the couch with a Budweiser in his hand. She sighed, walking over to him and taking the can out of his hand. It's empty, she thought. Walking to the kitchen to throw the can away, she saw 5 other cans. Great. He's drunk. God, I hope nobody pisses him off. She walks over to the portrait of her, her grandfather, and her grandmother. "I miss you, grammy." she said softly, looking at her grandmother in the photo, then down to her bottle of ashes. Sighing again, she walked into her room to do her homework.