Evangeline (Unedited)

15

C I N E M A T I C S

(Highly recommend reading with a thunderstorm ambience. Vibes are immaculate.)

My lips chattered in the dark as I listened to the rain tap against the cottage roof. The temperature was much different than what it was earlier, and I cursed myself that I wasn't prepared in advance. Tommy stopped in before I fell asleep to say goodnight, and warned me about how cold it got at night—especially since it was calling for rain.

I groaned and sat up, cocooning myself in the large comforter and yawning. I closed my eyes for a moment, and I think because I was so tired, I was able to fall asleep for a couple of minutes sitting straight up. I hopped off of the bed and rummaged through my mess of clothes until I found a pair of fuzzy socks. I hated sleeping in socks, but because I hated sleeping in pyjama pants and long sleeves even more, I chose to suck it up.

I had always been picky with stupid things like that. My dad was too, and I think that's where I got it from. Luckily for me, he would always come to my rescue when Mom or Elio would pick on me for it. We shared a lot of the same traits, most notably our meticulous preferences and our love for the outdoors. Bugs, dirt, plants, and everything in between. He taught me everything I know about plants. My memory of him has faded though, flickering in my mind like one of those old black-and-white films you see on tapes.

I sigh again when I notice the ache in my stomach. The sound of the rain made it worse, and I grumbled as I tossed the comforter on the bed, trying to walk as light on my feet as I could to the door.

My walk—or light jog— to the bathroom was extremely quick. I felt like I was in a horror movie with the way the only light I could see was either from my phone's very weak light or the flashing ones from the window down the hall. I let out a breath of relief as I shut the bathroom door behind me, a shudder taking over my body as I tried not to imagine what things could be lurking in the dark hallway.

I wasn't afraid of the dark, but being in a strange place while I had to pee, I was exhausted, I was freezing, and it was storming out was a recipe for me to feel terrified. I rubbed the goosebumps on my arms and washed my hands, giving myself a pep talk that nobody heard me flush so I didn't need to be embarrassed. I tried not to think about imminent death and monsters as I opened the door, preparing myself to sprint back, but instead let out a shriek of pure terror.

A very similar shriek left the perpetrator's mouth, too. My heart dropped out of my body.

"Oh my fucking god, you scared the shit out of me." An extremely bright light shines on my face, making me squint my eyes closed. "Sorry."

He covers his flashlight with his hand, making it orange instead of the harsh white. I'm able to make out Wilbur's messy bedhead, and the dark patches running up and down his arms like veins.

"I thought you were a serial killer."

"I could say the same." He chuckles, but I worry about waking people up. "Don't worry, this family could sleep through a nuclear war. They probably heard it and went back to sleep." He waved off my concerned glances.

I tried to believe him but had a hard time thinking anybody could sleep through the blood-curdling screams that left both of our mouths. If it were me, I would have locked myself in my bedroom thinking there was a murderer on the loose, but then again, I am me. I squeezed past him when he gave me space to do so and retreated to the bedroom. He mumbled a soft goodnight, followed by the door closing. I shut the bedroom door behind me too, unknowingly hesitating before running to the bed, catapulting myself at the comforter. I wrap it around myself again, smiling at the comforting warmth.