Behind the Black

Chapter 1

It's a quiet Thursday evening after volleyball practice. I love volleyball. I play at U of M for the Victors. We have long tournaments almost every Saturday. Our teams change every week and we've been victorious in many games. Last game, my friends , Ally, a girl with light blonde hair and blue eyes, and Eden, with brown hair and brown eyes, were on my team, and we won 1st in Gold. It was one of the best days of my life.

       Anyway, I'm driving home with Ally and her dad in his pickup truck. There is a little seat in the back facing the left side of the car, which I am sitting in.

As he drives along, we come across a house. Not just any ordinary house, but a burnt house. Oh my gosh! Ally's dad drives slower to take a better look at it. The top part of the foundation has been burned. The door in a fancy style was knocked over, the roof was gone, the windows are cracked, the rooms are trashed, and the walls are shredded. This house has been under construction for about two weeks. When it was finally done, someone envious and selfish enough to burn down the construction workers hard work.

        Right beside the house, detectives and television reporters were assembled examining the house and filming the scene. The detectives are wondering: Who or what caused such havoc and where are they.

      Ally's dad parked the truck in front of the house and we made our way toward the burnt building. "What happened," Ally asked a detective. "The house was burned and we are here to investigate, miss," he replied gentlemanly.

      I walked a little closer towards the house. I thought I saw something move. "What is it, Emma?" Ally asked timidly. "Did you see something in there?" I asked. "What are you talking about. There's nothing in that house," Ally answered.

      Snap! I turned to the building. Snap! What is that? Who is that? My curiosity tempts me to move closer, but terror tells me not to move another step. I see someone moving. All I could make out of the figure was a scarred face. "Did you hear that, Ally?" I asked her, still scared. I catch myself nibbling on my finger nail. "Emma, there's nothing there," she replied looking very confused. "Is there a problem sweeties?" the news lady asks me. "Yeah, did you by chance see anything in the house?" I asked the woman. "No, honey. You see, the house was searched this morning by the construction workers and found nothing. Is it just me that is hearing these sounds? Am I going crazy? I don't know. I just want to go home.

----------------------------------------------

Home. Finally. I start on my Math homework when I start thinking about the burnt house and the snapping noises I heard. What's wrong with me? I think I should text someone and explain what I witnessed tonight. I grab my phone from my volleyball bag and tap on the Messages app. Who should text? How about Ivy. I click on our conversation and type:

Me: Hi Ivy!
Ivy: Hey! What's up?
Me: So, I was driving home from volleyball and I saw a burnt house. Detectives and reporters were there to investigate. I thought I saw something in the house, but it was probably just my imagination. I also heard a snap too. Am I going crazy or something?
Ivy: No, you're not crazy. Did anyone else see what you saw?
Me: No, Ally thought I was crazy.
Ivy: We'll talk tomorrow. Okay?
Me: Alright. Sounds good. See you tomorrow!
Ivy: Bye!
Me: Bye!

----------------------------------------------

It's Friday morning. I quickly get out of bed, get dressed in my uniform, eat my breakfast, brush my teeth, and head out the door to go to school.

As soon as I arrive at school, I hurry through the door, through the cafeteria, and into the gym. I spot Lydia in the bleachers. She has dark, long, brown hair and dark brown eyes. Along with her is Ivy. She has short, dirty blonde hair and blue eyes. I also see Zoe and Heather talking to each other. I also see Grace, who has brown hair and brown eyes.

As I make my way toward them, Evelyn, my crazy friend with light blonde hair and blue eyes, comes running behind me and stops by my side. "What's up, Eve?" I ask her. "The sky," she replies, giggling and smiling. Classic Eve. We settle ourselves in the bleachers and I sit down next to Zoe. "Hi, Zoe!" I say loudly, since she has headphones on. "Hi, I'm yelling!" she yells back.

Just as we finish laughing, I spot Chris walking slowly in the doors. He has dirty blonde hair and blue eyes. He is really funny and has a great singing voice. "Hey, Chris," I say. "Hi, Emma," he groans. He's probably tired from his rehearsal last night. Poor Chris. He is participating in three shows right now. Plays are fun, but they can be very tiring. Trust me, I'm smart enough to be in at least one play a year.

The bell rings to alert us that it is 7:50. This is when we go to home room and get our morning books ready. When I wait for Grace, Ivy, Chris, and Heather to walk in the room, I think about what I'm going to tell them about last night. When they've entered, I take a deep breath, and tell them the whole story.

"What did the house look like?" Heather asked. "Oh, it was horrible. The windows were cracked, the door was knocked over, and the roof was gone," I replied. "Why did Ally think you were nuts?" asked Chris. "It was because I heard something that came from the house, and she didn't know what I was talking about," I answered. "Who else was there?" Grace asked. "Just the news lady, some private detectives, Ally and her dad, and me. That's all," I said. I looked across the classroom and saw Marcus, one of the "cool" kids, whispering to Adam and looking straight at me.

Soon, word got out about the house that was burned. People say that it's haunted, or something or someone lives inside the destruction. I don't like it when people spread rumors. Especially when they hurt other people. The bell rings, sending us to Religion class.

Authors Note:
The characters in this novel are real people but have different names. Comment who your favorite character is so far.

-@SchoolWarrior