Killer

One

Alyssa

"Happy birthday, dear Aaaallllyyy!!!!! Happy birthday to yoouuu!!" I hate it when people sing to me on my birthday. It's just always really awkward because I never know what I'm supposed to do. Do you sing along? Are you supposed to make eye contact with everyone individually or something? I just awkwardly stand there avoiding eye contact until they are done. Maybe I'm just weird.

I didn't notice that they had stopped singing to me until my mom nudged my shoulder, signalling that I should blow out the candles. I quickly complied, trying not to seem like I had totally spaced out. My cake was a chocolate cake covered in pink frosting and little white icing flowers. I grimaced as I looked at it. I didn't have the heart to tell my parents that I no longer liked the color pink so my last 10 cakes were always this vibrant shade of it. So was my room....and basically everything my parents had ever bought for me. Oh well.

Everyone slowly dispersed throughout the large dining room and even a few into the backyard leaving me standing here, alone with my thoughts. I can't believe that I'm 17! Junior year will start in less than a month, and I'm not even prepared. Sighing, I walked into the kitchen.

I grabbed a piece of cake and walked outside to join the others. Is it strange that I don't recognize half of the people here. My parents planned my party and they tended to invite everyone that I had ever met. So naturally the house was full of strangers.

I walked over to the swing set and sat down next to my best friend Dylan. I had known Dylan since third grade when I had moved here from Utah. It was a big change, going from small military town Roy to Blue Hills, Massachusetts. I had shyly walked into my new classroom in my little pink dress, terrified of what would happen.

Dylan had walked right up to me and introduced himself. We had become instant best friends and had stayed that way ever since. He was my only true friend and I liked it that way. There was no drama, no awkwardness, and no secrets. Dylan knows everything about me and I know everything about him. I have told him about every little petty crush, grudge, or misfortune in my life. If that isn't true friendship I don't know what is.

"Hey, Lyss. Happy Birthday," he told me, nudging my shoulder. I smiled, nudging him back.

"Thanks."

We sat in silence for about five minutes, just thinking and eating our cake. It wasn't an awkward silence but a peaceful one. You know that feeling that when you are just so close to someone that you you don't even need to speak when you are around them to be comfortable. It was that.

"I got you a present," I turned to him, slightly surprised. "I know that you told me not to but for some reason I felt like I really needed to get you something this year. We're getting older and older and I felt like you deserved something, even if it's not much." My lips were curved upward, my eyes threatening to water.

He pulled out a small square box and handed it to me. I slowly opened it and peered inside. I pulled out the blue bracelet with the words moon of my life on it. I gasped at the sight of it. It was gorgeous.

"Thanks for always being my unbiological sister Lyss, I don't know what I would have done without you all these years. I have the matching one," he held up his wrist, showing off the brown bracelet that had the words my sun and stars on it. "Kinda cheesy I know but I thou--"

I cut him off when I pulled him into a bone crushing hug. "Thank you, Dyl. I love it."

"I love you."

"I love you more, trust me."

We sat there for a while just hugging each other like this was the last time we would ever see each other again or something. My mom yelled at us to come inside, claiming that we were gonna catch a cold. We stood up to walk towards the house. I can't believe that I hadn't noticed that everyone else had left. We must have been sitting there longer than I thought.

Dylan was in front of me as we approached the house. I ran up behind him and jumped on his back, causing him to stumble slightly as he walked up the steps. He didn't drop me though.

---

It's around one in the morning when Dylan's mom finally calls him and tells him that he's gotta come home. So here I am walking him halfway to his house. He thinks I'm being ridiculous, walking him, but you never know. He could get kidnapped or something.

He watches me as I walk back toward my house. I wave at him, signalling that I'm fine. He and I both know that his mom is waiting to lecture him about being late. I could see him hesitate but then his front door opened and the tired face of his mother poked out. He took one more look in my direction, waved and then walked inside.

Enjoying the company of my own thoughts I wandered into Mrs. Jones lawn. Her flowers were beautiful and I wasn't in any hurry, my parents had already gone to bed.  I closed my eyes, and hummed the tune of Jet Black Heart by 5sos thinking about the year to come. I still don't totally believe it. I, Alyssa Reed, am actually 17. One more year and I'll be an adult. That's just crazy. I stared up at the sky, totally at peace. This was the best feeling in the world.

I should've known that it wouldn't last.

I heard footsteps walking towards my direction. I swear if this is Dylan coming back to give me a special birthday scare, I'm going to kill him. I open my eyes, fully intending to tell him off. "Dylan what did I say abo-" my voice got caught in my throat. Standing above me was a creepy looking guy holding something behind his back that I couldn't quite see but it looked like a weapon to me.

I jumped to my feet. "Who are you?"

"That's not important Alyssa. I came here to talk to you about something a lot more serious."

Alarms went off in my head as he said my name knowing that there was no possible way he was supposed to know that. I took off running in the direction of Dylan's house as fast as my legs would take me. I only got about 2 houses down when my lungs started burning. Wow, if I ever survive this I'm going to start working out. I should be able to get farther than this without feeling like my lungs were going to kill me before this guy ever got the chance. It's completely pathetic.

My sprint had slowed into a jog and I suddenly knew that I wasn't going to outrun the guy. I felt arms grabbing me. I screamed and felt a warm hand cover my mouth. I struggled and pulled, trying to get out of his hold. If I could just make it one more house I would be at Dyl's...

"I don't recommend trying that again."

I bit his hand while simultaneously kicking his knee and pulling forward with a new found strength. I started running again and had made it to Dylan's front lawn when someone tackled me. "This was harder than I expected it to be. You're a stubborn one aren't you?" he whispered in my ear.

I felt a sharp pain in my right arm. I looked at it realizing that he had injected me with something. The edges of my vision started darkening. I can't quite remember what I was running from or why I was so scared. I vaguely noticed that someone had picked me up and was taking me somewhere but it doesn't register as a threat in my mind as I slip into unconsciousness.
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Hope you liked the chapter. I'll be updating weekly if possible.

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Byee!

-Billie