Sooner Than Expected

Chapter 6 - Moving

Everything seemed so empty. My room only had the essentials: a bed, a desk, a chair and a cupboard. The rest was either down in the garage or in the carton boxes that were all around the house. I had spent the whole Tuesday afternoon putting everything in boxes, discovering things I thought I had lost. Behind my desk I found a little box where I held everything that had sentimental value to me. I thought I had left that box at some hotel while we were on vacations. And what's more, I found all the things I had taken from Justin's room. When we fighted it came in handy. But know I had given it to him, I didn't need them.

So, here I was, nine o'clock on a Tuesday night packing everything. My cupboard was practically empty, except for some clothes for the rest of the week; my desk had a few book, half of them from school and the rest was covered with boxes.

"Hailey, dinner's ready" Mum yelled

"Coming" I yelled back as I put a painting in the first box I saw

I run the stairs, hoping to beat Justin. It was a 'thing' we had had since we were little. Whichever got down first chose a film we were to watch every night. Well, as we grew older it wasn't about the film, which we totally forgot about, but about winning.

I smiled proudly as I walked into the kitchen, no Justin to be seen.

The kitchen was as any other room in this house. Empty. Boxes on the floor

I sat on a plastic chair we had changed for the wooden ones, which by this time would already be in the garage.

"How's it going?" Mum asked as she placed a plate of lasagna in front of me

"Fine, I have a few things left" I said, taking the first bite

"Do you think you'll have everything by tomorrow morning?"

"Sure thing mum"

She smiled happily "Where's your brother?"

"Uh" I looked for his thoughts

"Where is it? I left it here, I swear. It can't have moved, it doesn't have feet. I can't have lost it" Justin thoughts came rushing into my mind

"He's looking for his football. The one I got him last year for his birthday that was signed by his favorite player"

"Oh" Mum said, placing another plate of lasagna in front of Justin's seat and sitting down on hers

"Justin, hurry up down if you don't want to miss today's match" Dad yelled

"Be there in no time" He said

"If we have everything packed tomorrow we'll pick you up at school, so keep your mobile on" Mum said

"What did I miss?" Justin said breathless as he came rushing into the kitchen

"Do you have everything packed?" Mum repeated

"Yeah, I'm missing a few things. I'll finish it after the game. Why?"

"If we have everything packed tomorrow we'll pick you up at school"

"Oh, okay" He said as a piece of lasagna flew to his mouth

"Justin, manners on the table" Mum said sternly

"Sorry" He said with his mouth full "Uh, it's burning" He said as he gulped in a mouthful of water

I looked straight ahead, dad sitting in front of me, just like yesterday, and remembered last night's scene...

"We've made a decision" Mum said

Justin and I remained silence, waiting for mum to give us the news

All I could imagine was the worst case scenery. We were moving, not just to another town, but to another country, far away from here.

"We're moving" Mum said, slowly

Just as I was expecting. But it hurt anyway. That's what you get when you get your hopes up

"We're moving" Dad repeated "But just to another house, on another neighborhood"

Shock. That was what hit me. I couldn't make sense at all. We were moving, that was pretty clear, but we were moving to another house in another neighborhood. What was that about?

"After what Hail told me" Dad said, explaining it, as if he had heard my thoughts "I talk—"

"What did Hail tell you?" Justin cut him

"That on her dream, he was waiting for her in front of our home, which could only mean one thing, that he knows where we live" Dad explained Justin "So, since you were all so eager to stay here, we talked" Dad said, pointing at mum and himself "And decided that we could just move neighborhood. Since it is very possible that he can be waiting outside, we are going to take a long route to distract him. Your mum and I are taking care of that"

This was just amazing. I hadn't been expecting this. And Justin said not the get my hopes up. Huh. I just smiled a huge smile, so happy that I was. I was resisting the urge to jump up and down right there. These were the best news ever

I was still smiling from that memory when I walked into my room. I hadn't expected mum to even consider my idea. It must have been dad; mum wouldn't have given it a second thought, not even a first one.

I kept stuffing everything into boxes, until my room was completely empty. It was weird, in a way. It didn't look like my room.

I folded my clothes carefully and packed them in my suitcase. They were the last thing left. I took out the dress I had bought yesterday with Mel, it was beautiful. I put it into the plastic hanger mum had left me and carefully put it on the bed

Having packed everything I just sat down on the floor, wrapping my arms around my legs, taking in my last hours at this house. Sometimes I wished I was normal, that he wasn't following us. He was the reason we were moving. Why couldn't he leave us alone? What did he want from us? Sure, we were different, but that isn't a reason to keep following us, looking for an opportunity to get to us.

I shuddered when I remembered the last time I saw him. I was fourteen, we were living in Chicago, and he had found us. I was closing the door, for I was going to hang out with my friends, and suddenly I heard him

"I got you" He thought

I quickly turned around, fear running through my veins, freezing me in my place, unable to move.

I saw him walking slowly towards me, his leather jacket shining brightly against the white house behind him. The sound of his boots the only thing I could hear, telling me he was approaching me. I couldn't see his face, though. He was wearing a black hat—judging it was summer, the back of my mind was wondering if he was hot in that— that made a shadow over his face, making it impossible to see it

"So, it's been a while since we saw each other" He thought

He didn't sound very old, on his 21-22 judging by the sound of his voice and the way he walked

He turned his head as he heard something coming from behind me. Then I heard it, I had been so amused by him that I wasn't noticing anything besides him.

"We'll see each other again" He thought as he turned his back on me and walked towards the shadows. I followed him with my gaze until it was impossible to see him. I just stared to where I had last seen him like an idiot.

Then I heard the lock on the door turn and Justin opened the door

"Oh, hey Hailey, I thought you had already left"

I didn't answer him, still gawking at the same spot

"Hailey?" He said, waving a hand in front of my face

I snapped out of it and faced him "He just left" I whispered to Justin, shocked

"Who did?"

"Him" I said, turning to look at the same spot