You Killed Him

Who Is He?

Fifteen minutes into History class and I was already feeling drowsy. Mr Burke was going on and on about World War II but I wasn’t a tad bit interested in his lesson. As I looked around the class, I saw some of my classmates on their phones, scribbling on the tables and some starting to lay their head on the table about to join the others who are already drooling. My attention was transferred to the clock on the wall – tick tock tick tock. Before I knew it, I was counting the seconds in my head. 152… 153… 154…

“Kayla, are you okay?” asked Colin Holt, my best friend and neighbor since we were toddlers. “What? I’m in the middle of something.” I answered. Then, Colin gestured to the blackboard. Mr Burke was standing there, tapping a piece of chalk on the blackboard. “Kayla, this is the last time I’m going to repeat myself. What sparked the second world war?” he asked in a stern tone. Why did he have to choose me? He could’ve preyed on those who dosed off but he had to ask me and to top that, on the very day that I wasn’t paying any attention.

Just when I was about to apologize for not listening, the bell rang. “Saved by the bell huh, Kayla?” Colin joked as he packed his bag. A huge wave of relief swept through me as I raised my eyebrows and gave Mr Burke an apologetic look. As I felt a tap on my shoulder, I turned around to hear Colin say, “I have to hand in some extra assignments. Don’t walk alone, okay? Catch the bus home and I’ll meet you later.” “No problem.”

I hugged the pile of books in my arms tighter. “Only one more block to go”, I thought to myself. I didn’t use the bus like I said I would. I needed to walk, to clear my mind. With everything that was going on in my life, it often felt like it’s me against the world. I was lost in my train of thoughts until I felt droplets of water on my shoulders. I looked up to see dark clouds looming over the neighborhood. I immediately picked up my pace and started racing home.

I was drenched in rain as I stumbled through the front door of my house. After tossing my bag and books aside, I headed into my room to dry myself. Then, I heard the doorbell ring. It was Colin. When he saw my damp hair, he was puzzled. “Why didn’t you take the bus?” he asked. I shrugged and welcomed him in. As he plopped himself on the sofa, he asked if my dad was fine with him sleeping over again. “My dad hasn’t been home for over 5 months. Why would he bother? If anything, he should be relieved that you’re here with me instead of me being home alone 24/7.” I scoffed.

My dad was rarely home. He would be “away on a business trip” or having “some business to take care of” for months but he was never away for more than 2 months. It must have been a really important trip if he really needed to leave me home alone for almost 6 months.  Ever since he left, Colin had always been there for me. I didn’t know what I would do without him. I certainly had a lot to learn when it came to living independently.

Colin, on the other hand, had been independent practically his entire life. When both his parents died in an accident, he was forced into a foster family at the age of 3 but he never wanted to get close to them because he was afraid of losing them as well.

“Hey Kayla, I’ve ordered some pizza. There’s money on the table to pay the delivery man. He’s going to be here soon.” Colin shouted from the kitchen. As if on cue, there was a guy standing at the doorsteps with a pizza box in hand. “Hawaiian Tuna with extra cheese?” he asked. “That’s what I ordered”, I answered hastily. Colin and I cleaned up after dinner and I went to my room to get ready for bed. I needed to get sufficient sleep so I can make it through classes the next day. I was hoping I wouldn’t have nightmares again. The same nightmare of me being kidnapped every night was taking its toll on me. I didn’t want to admit it but I was afraid to fall asleep.

“No! Don’t hurt me. Please, just take anything you want. Leave me alone. No! Let me go. I did everything you’ve asked me to. Why are you still after me? Take your hands off of me.” I struggled to free myself from the tight grasps of my kidnapper. The man started laughing. “You’ll never get away from me. Just give up already. Your fate has been sealed. Your family brought this on you, Kayla Carson.”

I woke up, startled, as I was covered in sweat. I was in my room. There was no one else in there, no one trying to take me away. I checked my phone – 4.27a.m. I had to keep myself occupied until school starts because I didn’t want to think about that nightmare. I flipped my comforter to the edge of my bed and felt around for my lamp in my pitch black room. As I switched on the lamp, a bright ray of light shot out from the cone shaped lamp, casting shadows of my books and dolls on the wall. A shudder ran down my spine. “They’re just shadows, nothing else but harmless shadows,” I muttered, comforting myself. I figured turning on my laptop to check my social networks was better than waking Colin who was sleeping soundly downstairs. “Maybe some music would help me forget about what happened,” I thought. So, I plugged in my earphones and cranked the volume up on Ed Sheeran’s ‘Lego House’.

Colin and I were in school quite early. The school looked so desolated and creepy. I was never that early to school. “Why are we here so early? There’s no one else here except for the janitor. We could’ve slept in for another half an hour at least,” Colin grumbled. “Be early for a change?” I said. All I wanted to do was get out of my house to make sure I don’t fall asleep. Maybe I was more terrified of sleeping my way back into that horrifying nightmare.

The first class of the day was Mathematics. “Good morning, everyone. I have a special announcement today. There is a new friend joining us this very morning”, said Ms. Zumi while walking across the classroom. Behind her, a tall guy walked in slowly, looking around, as if he was evaluating everyone in the class. He had dark green eyes and wavy blonde hair that was neatly combed back. He was wearing a plain black t-shirt that outlined his masculine body which reminded me of my brother. As he walked to his seat, he caught me staring at him. I felt my cheeks red-hot as I blushed out of embarrassment. I started to feel uneasy. Who was this guy? What was he thinking - walking into my class, making me feel uncomfortable?

“Everyone, please welcome Nathan Sharpe.”