The Takers

Chapter 8

My eyes fluttered open with a sense of excitement as I woke up in my bed the next morning, still feeling over the moon about the party. Chelsie outdid herself. It was the perfect night. After I had gotten home, I opened all my gifts. Most of the gifts were birthday cards and gift cards. Griffin got me a Starbucks gift card and some cool neon pink socks with bowling pins on them. The socks were so cute! Oliver got me a mug that said: The Great Gatsby. He remembered my favorite book from school. It was a sweet, thoughtful gift. I didn't mean to compare the two boys, but I couldn't help it. I liked Oliver for quite some time, but now I couldn't get Griffin out of my head. It was like we had this weird chemistry, and I could feel the tension when he was staring at me at the party.

I checked my phone to see that I had many missed calls from Chelsie and an urgent text message that said, 'Emergency! Meet me at my place!'

The feeling of happiness quickly left my body as worry took over. What could this be about? Was Chelsie okay? I hastily grabbed my car keys and headed out the door.

As I drove to Chelsie's house, I dialed her number and waited for her to pick up. "Is everything okay?" I asked as soon as she answered.

"No! I'm so freaked out. Are you on your way?"

"Yes, almost there."

"Good. It's better if you see it in person," Chelsie explained.

I arrived at Chelsie's house and she opened the door before I could even knock. Her face was pale, and her eyes were wide with fear.

"It's so crazy, Franks," Chelsie spoke as she headed upstairs. I followed her, my own worry growing with each step.

We made our way into her bedroom. Her hand trembled as she opened the door. There was a chilling message on her mirror that said: Stay away from Frankie or else you will pay with your life. The message was signed by Amalia.

"Is that blood?" I looked closer.

"I think so." Chelsie was shaking and biting her nails.

Each letter seemed to be smeared with blood.

"She is powerful," I continued to look in the mirror to see if Amalia would show, but she didn't.

I didn't know if this message was just an attempt to scare us or if Amalia could harm Chelsie. I didn't know what to think. I didn't realize Amalia was capable of this. There was a lot I didn't know, but I knew I needed to end this. To end her.

"What are we going to do?" Chelsie asked.

"We are not going to do anything. Did you not read the message? You can't be around me."

"Are you serious, Frankie? You can't do this all alone," Chelsie said. "What if you need help facing her?"

"I can do this. I'm going to use the necklace today."

There was a moment of silence between us.

"For now, I'm going to go home. I hate that I dragged you into this, and I don't want you to get hurt," I said.

"Ugh. This sucks so much. Be careful. And call me right after it happens."

"I will."

Chelsie gave me a small smile, or at least she tried to.

I left Chelsie's house with the weight of the situation heavy on my shoulders. After I got home, I noticed that my parents were all dressed up.

"Where did you go off to this morning?" my mom asked.

"Chelsie's."

"Remember to text me before leaving the house next time."

"Sorry, I forgot. Where are you guys headed to?"