I slipped on a sweatshirt so my mom wouldn't flip out and unlocked the front door as quietly as I could. I waved bye to my friends and stepped inside our small little apartment. My mom had fallen asleep on the couch with the TV on. I pulled a blanket over her and clicked the TV off. I peeked into my little brother's room, and I found him awake staring at his ceiling.
"Hey, what's wrong?" I whisper.
He shakes his head. "What's not wrong?"
I sit down on the edge of his bed.
"I just can't sop thinking about Dad. As every day passes I can't help but feel like I'm losing the memory of what he looks like, or the goofy way he smiles, or even what he was like, and it's only been a week. What about in 3 years? Will I remember him at all?"
"You're pretty smart kid for an 8-year old," I say. "In three years, we may not remember what he looks like, but he'll always be right here." I poke him right where his heart would be.
He giggles. "That's so cheesy."
His smile fades again. "I just miss him."
"I know bud, I do too," I say.
I tiptoe into my room and quietly close the door. I lie down and try to go to sleep, but my thoughts keep going back to the boy in the club. The more I think about it, the more I convince myself that it had just been my imagination. I flip my phone open and text in a group chat with Sophie, Alec, and Jake:
Me: Hey, sry bout wht happened @ the club. U guys r right, I was just tired and have a lot going on.
Alec: Don't worry bout it, we understand.
Sophie: Yea, & if you need anything, we r here for u.
Jake: Same here.
Me: Thx guys.
I put my phone down and turned off the light. I slowly drifted off to sleep.
I had a nightmare that night, just like every other night. The sky was the color of a fire truck with no sunlight in sight. A boy about my age with black hair approached me. I couldn't move. My feet were glued to the ground. The black haired boy had cold eyes, and a sword in his hand. He kept eye contact the whole time as he ran me clean through with his sword. I gasped, as if I wasn't expecting it, even though I had the same dream every night. I fell backwards, but I never hit the ground. I kept falling into the never-ending darkness below me. I woke up in a cold sweat. I sat up quickly, bumping my head into something.
"Ow!" yelled a male voice as my eyes adjusted to the dark.
I could make out a silhouette rubbing his forehead. I let out a scream. He slapped a hand over my mouth, bringing his face inches from mine.
"You're going to wake your mom up. I'm not a serial killer or a rapist or anything. Now, if I take my hand away, you have to promise not to scream, deal?" he said.
I nodded slowly. He slowly took his hand away.
"Oh my God! Did you lick my hand?" he asked disgusted.
"Well, you were watching me sleep and I don't even know who you are," I replied defensively.
"Think again," he said flipping on the light.
It was the boy from the club.
"You really shouldn't leave your window unlocked," he continued.
"No, you're not real," I whispered.
"I think that you do think I'm real, you just don't want to believe it," he says.
"Just stop talking, get out," I say.
"I have so much to tell you," he says ignoring me.
"Get out!" I scream rising out of bed, a pen in my hand that I grabbed off my nightstand, as if that could do some damage.
He looks me up and down with one eyebrow raised. I'm suddenly aware that I'm standing barefoot in merely a thin t-shirt and my pajama shorts, but I don't care. It doesn't matter, because he's not real.
"There's no time to explain, but I need you to come with me," he says calmly.
"You're not real," I say again, my voice cracking.
Ignoring the pen in my hand, he comes closer until our faces are inches apart.
"They're coming for you, and I'm the only one who can protect you," he replies.
Who's they?
I grab my phone.
"You have 30 seconds to get out before I call the cops," I say, even if he isn't real.
He hesitates before climbing back out of my window and onto the fire escape.
"Just remember, the police aren't on your side," he says before closing the window.
This time, I lock it, but I can't go back to sleep.
YOU ARE READING
When the Stars Align
Ficção AdolescenteNova has the pretty normal life of a teenager until she meets the boy of her dreams. That's when everything changes. Is she really who she thinks she is? Can she keep herself from getting killed while finding out what she is and find love along the...
