Once Upon A Secret Pact

prologue

a night to remember

28th of January. 2017. 

The bushes rustled at the side of the footpath and I jumped, clutching at my heart. The street was dark, illuminated by a handful of spaced lights. The houses were dark and surrounded by tall trees. I passed a park, the swings being swung by the wind. It was the perfect set for a horror movie.

How did I get to an isolated street in the 'dark' part of town? Well, my father had remembered at the last minute that he had a doctor's appointment, the one day he was supposed to pick me up from school. But that was okay because I could just go on the bus.

However, I had missed my usual bus. That wasn't even a problem. I just got on the next bus. Sure it took a little longer but it stopped on my street. The problem was that I fell asleep on that bus and was only awoken when the bus had reached its last stop for the night: here.

To add to all that, my phone was on critically low battery. Luckily, I was able to text my family, letting them know that I was alive and in that certain part of town so that they didn't freak out and call the police. I was also able to load a map and briefly look over it before my battery died. I had a slight idea where I was going. It was also reassuring to know that my dad was in the car, looking for me, at that moment.

I kept walking, ignoring the rustling bushes and hoping that my life didn't turn into a horror movie. As time passed, the night got crisper and the wind bit into my skin. I shivered and hugged myself. I had decided to wear a thin sweater and skinny jeans which were not helping to keep me warm at that moment. My mother had told me to wear a jacket and I probably should have.

Not that I would ever tell her that.

Suddenly, the bush rustled too loudly for me to ignore. I squeezed my eyes shut and groaned. Why did this have to happen to me? Why did I have to fall asleep?

'Is somebody there?' I was acting like one of the girls in horror movies that I always yelled at. There was a soft, muffled groan. My eyes widened. I crept closer to the bush. It was all the fault of my stupid conscience.

'Hello?' I called out again.

'Go away.' A deep voice drawled, slurring slightly. I looked around, unsure of what to do. This person could be a serial killer or rapist for all I knew. But they may be hurt or in trouble. Plus, a serial killer would not tell you to go away. Or they could be using reverse psychology...

Ignoring my brain and instincts, I went closer and pushed the short trees apart. A boy sat there, leaning against another tree. I let out a high pitch scream in surprise. Hearing my scream, he let out a deep shout of surprise.

I stood there, the trees came to their previous place, brushing my sides and my hands clutched against my chest. I didn't know why I screamed. What was I expecting? A tall, bulky man with a knife, waiting to slash me apart? Instead, I had found a boy that seemed to be around my age, sat on the ground with a beer bottle in his hand.

He looked up at me, his blue eyes wide. The skin around his eyes was red and his lips were bright pink from the cold.

"What are you doing?" He slurred.

"What are you doing here?" I question, my heart still pounding.

"Is it not obvious?" He took a swig from his bottle. I didn't know what to do.

"I mean... Why are you sitting here? Drinking?" He didn't look up at me. I crossed my arms, feeling extremely awkward and bewildered.

"Do I need a reason to be here?"