Never After

Chapter 1

I BENT down to tie my sneaker when I felt something sharp slash across my face. I reached up and held my hand over my cheek. I glared at the cat that was hissing at me. When I pulled my hand down blood was pooled in the palm of my hand. I sighed and stood up. I pulled out a pack of tissues from my bag. I folded it up and pressed it up to the cut.
"Might wanna check that out. Don't wanna get cat scratch fever," someone behind me said with a laugh. I spun around to face a smiling boy I've never seen before.
"Nah, I think I'm good," I said. "It just barely broke the skin."
"May I look at it?" he asked. I looked at him weirdly. "My dad's a doctor, I've picked up a few things."
I was going to say no but he had already took the tissue off. He gasped and stepped back. I jerked my head to him.
"I don't think your gonna die," he said laughing. I glared at him. He smiled,"See you around," he said walking away.
I went back home wondering about the boy the whole way. Then I realized something. My hand went to my face, it wasn't bleeding anymore. In fact I couldn't feel a scratch at all. I pulled my key out of my bag, unlocked the door, and went in. I stopped at the mirror in the hallway looking at my cheek. There was nothing there. I gaped at myself in the mirror.
"What the..." I gasped. The door flung open and my brother stormed in. He stopped and watched me looking at myself in the mirror. "Your not that pretty Gabby, even I can see that."
I spun around and slapped his arm. He just laughed and ran up the stairs.
"Hey Tyler where's....." Just then my little brother Drake ran in through the door fuming. "Nevermind." Drake is 13 and Tyler is 16 and I'm 15.
"What's wrong Drake?" I asked.
"Tyler locked me in the car!" he yelled. Then he ran up to his room.
I groaned as I walked up the stairs. I flung open the door to my room flopping onto my bed. I rubbed my cheek where the scratch was no longer. I bit my lip thinking about how that happened. I came up with three options.
I'm dreaming.
I imaged getting scratched.
The boy is magic.
None of them check out though. I've never had a dream this realistic. I'd have to be crazy to imagine all that. The last time I checked magic isn't real. So pretty much I'm crazy.
I buried my face in my pillow. Then the doorbell rang.
"You get it!" I screamed at Tyler.
"No you get it!" he yelled back.
"One of you freaking get it!" Drake groaned. I went down the stair Tyler behind me. Then I opened the door.
That boy stood on the porch. "You dropped this," he said holding up my wallet.
"Thank you," I said, "and umm wiI have to ask you something."
"Go ahead," he replied.
"Well first what's your name. I never got to ask."
"My names Derrick."
"Ok. Why is my face healed? What did you do?"
"Oh it did heal just nicely."
"What?"
"I need to get going."
"No, no, no. You are not leaving until you tell me what you did."
"I really have to go, goodbye Gabby."
I sighed. "Wait how do you know my name?" I cried as he walked down the sidewalk.There is something wrong with that boy, I thought
I went back to my room and stared at the ceiling. After about ten minutes the door opened.
"I'm home!" Mom yelled from downstairs.
"Hey Mom," I said.
"Hi Mom!" Drake yelled.
"Mom what's for supper?" Tyler asked.
Mom sighed very audibly from downstairs. "Chicken," she groaned.
I stared at the ceiling then looked at the clock. It was 5:10. Dad would be home any minute now.
After a while mom screamed, "Dinners ready!" I walked down the stairs as the boys raced past me. At the table my dad said grace then we ate in silence. My mom tried to start a conversation by asking dad how his day went. He didn't answer.
After supper the boys went back up the steps just as fast as they came down. I stayed behind and helped mom pick up the plates.
"It's Tyler's night," I sighed.
"No," said mom, "it's your dad's night. He hasn't helped me clean in forever."
"Well at least you have a daughter."
"I know," mom said as she pulled me into a hug.
After cleaning the dishes I left the kitchen. I was about to go into my room when something sparkling caught my eye. I turned my head to look at what it was. A silver necklace hung on the rail. I picked it up looking at it. It was a locket with my name engraved in it. The locket was broke though with one half of the heart missing. I took it into my room trying to remember all the gifts I've ever gotton, yet I couldn't remember ever getting a locket.
I laid it on my desk beside my wallet. Then I opened my wallet to see if the guy had stolen any money. It was all there, and I turned it upside down dumping out all it's contents. The dollars, a bunch of change, my library card, and the other half to a silver locket.
I held up the locket and the half a heart and put them together. I didn't know how I knew, but right then I knew it had something to do with Derrick.
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The next morning I woke up to bright sunlight streaming through my window, bird chirping, and my alarm clock. Friday. My favorite day of the week.
I got out of bed got dressed and ran out of the door in 20 minutes. I looked down and saw the silver locket bouncing around on its chain. I skidded to a stop. Now this would have been normal except that I didn't put it on this morning. I reached up to my neck unclasping it. I stared at it. I stuffed it into my backpack. I'm always really drowsy in the mornings. I could have put it on and forgot about it. I walked the rest of the way to school.
I walked into the parking lot about 10 minutes later. I went into the school and to my locker. My friend was already at hers beside me. "Hey Gabby!" she cried cheerily. "Nice necklace."
"Huh?" I asked looked down. Sure enough the locket was on my neck. "Ok," I said," this is going to sound crazy, but will you keep this."
"Uhh yeah sure," she replied. She took the locket from me and balled it up and placed it in her pocket. We walked to class and by the time we got to our seats I heard Summer gasp. She turned her pockets inside out but the was no necklace to be found. "It's back on you neck!" she exclaimed. She stared at the locked for a while. "How'd you do that?" she asked amazed.
"I didn't," I said, "watch." I took the necklace off my neck and broke it in half. Then I threw it in the trash can. She blinked. Her eyes grew really big. I knew it was back on my neck. The rest of the day I just let the locket stay, and soon enough the day was ending. Summer and I leaned up against our lockers staring at the locket in our hands.  I sighed until Summer cried out,"I have an idea." She unclasped my necklace and put it on her neck. We waited a minute and nothing happened. So I let her keep the necklace.
We split up each going out different doors to get home. I glanced down and saw the locket on my neck. I guess it hadn't worked after all. I walked down the path smiling at the cat that had scratched me yesterday. I kicked it into the woods. But then my smile dissaapeared. I turned to the woods there was something in there.
"Hello!" I called.
"Gabby?" the voice replied. I recognized the person as Derrick. Except something wasn't right he was shimmering. He then clamped his hands over my mouth. I tried to pull away but he put his arm behind my back immobilizing me. I looked down and I was shimmering too. Everything dimmed until the whole world seemed to disappear.