Lucky's (Mis)Fortune (MXMXMXM)

Lucky's (Mis)Fortune: CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Someone was looking at me through the window, I knew that even if I was completely groggy and perhaps even half-asleep still. I sat up on the bed and squinted my eyes, making sure that they weren't deceiving me but after observing, I was certain, someone was there and they were looking directly at me. 

"Mom!" I scream shakily as I get out of bed.

I travel through the hallway of my childhood home, filled with family pictures and smiles. 

"Mom! Dad!" I exclaim this time as I go into their room.

I breathe heavily as I realize they're not in their room. I ran to my sister's room on the first floor, hoping to find her there but just like the room before, this one was also empty. 

I close the door, my back on the door, and sit down hugging my knees, biting my bottom lip to contain any sobs from come out. There was this immense amount of fear within me, in the pit of my stomach without even knowing why.

"They're dead..." I mutter under my breath, suddenly remembering the detail.

Why had I gone looking for them? They won't be able to answer me again. I knew that, at least part of me did. I was old enough to not be scared.

Someone starts banging on the door and I shut my eyes tightly. "Please go away, please go away," I murmur to myself repeatedly, hoping that my wishes would be heard.

It must've been at least two minutes later when the banging finally stopped and I hear steps retreating. I slowly open my eyes and then get up from the floor despite my shaky legs. I face the door and contemplate opening it for a second before pressing my ear to the door. There's no sound. I take a step back and stare at the door for another minute before finally reaching out for the handle. I slowly turn it and I step out of my sister's room. With cautious steps, I walk to the kitchen, not expecting to see someone's back.

My eyes widen in fear and I press my hands over my mouth to stop a shocked whimper from coming out.

I take a step back and then another, wincing when my bare feet step on a rock or something. I stop, my eyes still on the person with the black hoodie on. 

I take another step back but I freeze when the person begins to turn around.

I jolt awake at that moment, breathing heavily and looking around the secure room I am in, full of paranoia. 

It's just a dream.

A dream of a memory, a moment I had spent after my family had died and before I had to abandon that home in order to maintain myself. 

I always guessed that the person there that night had been the one to kill my family and they had come back to finish the job, to kill me. It didn't make sense, however, how they never came back after that night, how they didn't run after me as I made my way to the police station with bare feet.

I shake the thoughts out of my head and glance at the clock on my bedside table. It was 4:43 AM, way too early to be up. I try to listen in, to see if I could hear noise out of my room but even Ms. Angelica seems to not be awake yet which was an even clearer sign that it was not the time to be awake. 

I close my eyes and lay back down, placing my arm over my eyes, trying to forget the memory that my dreams had brought back. 

It's hard. 

I end up sitting up, my back against the headboard just like it had laid against my dead sister's door. I hug my knees just like that day and place my head between them. I don't cry this time despite the frustration of remembering that night and the terror it had brought. I couldn't sleep properly for days and days until I graduated high school and I had to sell my house to get an apartment close to the college and in order to buy myself food, my part-time job and the money my parents had left not being enough anymore.