Forever

Chapter two - Lies

Amara wasn't truly aware of her surroundings. She knew she wasn't in her bed. She knew she wasn't at home. Amara could figure it out, if she were to just open her eyes. The only thing she could process was a consistent poking on her arm. It kept happening every two seconds. As much as Amara tried to ignore it, it wouldn't go away.

Suddenly she came to her senses. Jerking awake, she was met by blinding lights. As her eyes adjusted, she realised where she was. To her side, Chloe was holding a pencil next to her arm. Mrs Robinson was too engrossed in her emails to notice anything.
"This is the third time this week you've fallen asleep in class. You're so lucky you didn't get caught." Chloe said under her breath. It was so quiet that Amara nearly didn't hear it.
"I know, it's just my new neighbours. They love to party." Amara knew that wasn't entirely true. Yes, she had new neighbours. Yes they had a party on Sunday. But that wasn't what was keeping her from sleeping. It was her encounter at the carnival.

Every night for the past week, Amara kept replaying the conversation. She tried to shrug it off, it was obviously fake...but every so often her mind would wonder. Being wide awake at 4 am, replaying and questioning everything that was said, is mind wrecking.

"Yeah, well tell those neighbours to shut the fuck up! We've only got three months of school left and then we're outta here! Two more exams left, we've got this Amara... As long as you can remain awake long enough."
Amara nodded occasionally but honestly she didn't listen to any of that. She was busy in her thoughts again.

What if there is a ghost thing? Why me? Am I haunted? Have I done something wrong? Was there truly a boy called Andrew, who died by a car in the 1930s? What did he look like? I need an image. Actually what's stopping me from going back again? Getting some answers.

And that's when she was certain. After school, Amara would go tell her parents a lie and go back to the fortune teller. The fortune teller would tell her it was all fake and her life would be normal again.
***
Amara jumped awake again when the school bell echoed through the building.
"Again! I fell asleep again?!"
"Come on, let's walk home."
They packed up their things and headed home. Once they reached Amara's house, Chloe broke the silence and spoke.
"Hey, do you want to go to the shops, maybe get a latte or something?"
"Sorry, I'm going to the library."
Chloe nearly choked on her water. "The library! You've never read a book in your life, never mind spend your evening by yourself surrounded by dusty old books."
"I'm ... Turning over a new leaf. Maybe you should too."
Amara slammed the door in Chloe's face. She knew it was harsh but she couldn't let her know anything. The less she knew the better.

"Hey mum. I'm just going to the library. I need to return a science book."
"Ok sweetie. See you later."
Amara pulled on a grey hoodie hanging on the cupboard door and left.