Lurking Shadows ( ON HOLD )

Lurking Shadows Ch.1

I stepped into my backyard and shut the white French door behind me. I stood there for a minute feeling the last of summer’s air on my face.

 My mom and I moved to Powey, San Diego about a week ago. I didn't really want to move. I didn't have many friends back in L.A. but I had lived there my entire life. Leaving L.A. was just hard. But my mom got offered a really good job here, so here we are in Portland starting fresh.

I walked over to the white hammock in our back yard and laid down. I stared up at the sky and started to look for shapes in the clouds. I was really tired and I decide to take a nap.

“Hey Hayley! Wake up!” I felt someone shake me.

“What...?” I said groggily.

“Sweetheart get up! It’s almost midnight what are you doing out here?” she looked really tired. Her brown hair was in a bun and she was still wearing her suit.

“I feel asleep out here,” I got up and stretched. “Mom, did you just get home?”

“YesI’m investigating this case and there were some errors. Long story short I had to stay over time.” she said as she started walking to the house.

“Mom I feel like I don’t even see you anymore. This is the longest conversation we've had since we moved here, and that was a week ago.” I really did miss her. I used to be with her every second of the day back in L.A.

“Sweetheart…” she stopped mid way to the house and turned around to face me, “I know it’s been hard, but I can’t just not go to work and stay here with you. You know I would if I could but I can’t. I’m sorry.” She pulled me in for a hug.

“Its okay...I understand. I just wish you didn’t have to work so much.” I whispered into her shoulder.

I stood there for a second not realizing my mom was crying.

“Mom?” I tried to pull and see if she was really crying, but I couldn’t. “Are you crying?” I asked her.

“No.” she still hadn’t pulled away but I could hear it in her voice.

“Mom I'm sorry I know how hard it’s been. With dad leaving and…well everything else.” I made a promise to myself that very moment. I promised I wouldn’t make things harder for my Mom. She has suffered through enough already.

My dad had cheated on my mom for 3 years, when she realized what he was doing we left him. I was 13 years old when he left him. He was always working and I never really got to see him. So I dont really miss him that much. He seemed like more of an uncle than a father. Then 3 months and 13 days ago, I’ve been counting. Both my sisters died in a car accident.

Vanessa and Valerie were identical twins.

I remember that night so clearly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~._.~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was sitting in my room and it was a Friday night. I was watching iCarly when I heard my mom shriek. Nessa and Val hadn’t gotten home and it was 3am in the morning. Mom and I had been waiting downstairs for them. We were both so worried.

Nessa and Val were complete opposites. Nessa was reserved and mature, and Val was loud, bossy, and jealous. Even though Val wasn’t as considerate as Nessa was, she still cared and loved us. They didn’t deserve to die.

I went down stairs and I saw two cops standing in the doorway. My mom was been picked up and carried to the couch by a man who seemed like a detective.

I rushed over to my mom and hugged her.

“Momare you okay? What happened?” I said as I clung to her tightly.

She didn’t say anything she just keep crying and crying.

“Miss come over here please.” I heard a man say as he tried to push me away.

I didn’t move. Mom was still crying and I didn’t want to leave her.

“Miss it’s about your sisters.” The man said gently.

“What?” I turned around and faced him.

I could tell by the look on his face that this wasn’t going to be good.

“Unfortunately, your sisters got in a car accident,” he paused waiting for my reaction but I just stood there numb. “They died on impact.”

When I heard those last four words I ran out the front door forgetting completely about my mom. I continued running without know where I was headed.

I could feel my muscles cramping but I didn’t care.

How could this be happening? How could they be dead? What were the last words I told them? I never even told them how much I loved them. Now I was never going to be able to do that.

They were gone now.

I ran past the coffee shop where I used to go with them every Sunday morning before church, past the park where we celebrated their 16th birthday.

These places were never going to be the same without Nessa and Val, nothing will ever be the same.

I was never going to see them again.

As I realized this my legs gave out and I collapsed on the floor. I couldn’t breathe. Partly because I was tired but also because I couldn’t grasped what had just happened. How could they be gone?

I felt my whole world slipping away. I saw people around me but I couldn’t understand what they were saying. Everything was blurred and muffled. The last thing I remember was everything going black.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~._.~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After that I day I changed and so did my mom, but it was the kind of thing that made us stronger.

“Mom,” I stroked her hair lightly, “we should go inside. I think a storm is heading this way.”

She looked up and finally realized how cold and windy it had gotten. That’s one good thing about Portland, the rain. I love the rain.

“Okay. I’m sorry.” She squeezed me even harder.

After we went inside the house mom went to up to her bedroom and fell asleep. I on the other hand didn’t get any sleep.

I woke up from a nightmare I was having. I couldn’t clearly remember everything but I remembered my sisters and they were telling me something, but what was it?

I decided to forget about it and just go back to sleep but I couldn’t.

I kept thinking about the dream. I was so scared and my sisters were telling me something…something like a warning.

I finally gave up trying to fall asleep and went downstairs. As I passed the kitchen I noticed it was 3:00am. Full house is probably on so I turned on the TV and turned to nick.

I was starting to fall asleep again when I heard this voice.

“He’s watching you…he’s watching you.” The voice whispered.

I closed my eyes and was very still. I didn’t even dare breathe. Was this a ghost or something? I didn’t believe in the paranormal but what else could explain this.

I could still hear the voice. I was so scared I was shaking.

I didn’t know what to do, maybe if I told them to go away they would. “Stop, go away.” I whispered, “Whoever you are go away.”

Then the voice stopped. My heart was still pounding and I was still shaking. I waited a few minutes, when I didn’t hear anything else I opened my eyes.

I froze, I wanted to scream but my throat was dry. I saw my dead sisters standing in front of me.