The Ones Who Take

Chapter 1- Clarissa

Chapter 1

Clarissa

My lungs burn in my chest as I run down the empty halls in my school. Something is chasing me, something big. Seeing a door, I dart into the janitors closet and make myself as small as possible. I make my breathing as quiet as I can. The big animal –er- I don't know, stopped running. It was silent except for the booming footsteps that could be heard from a mile away. Then-

CRACCK!

The janitor closet door tore off it's hinges, and was thrown aside. A large man, it seemed, was standing in the door way. He was huge! At least 7 feet tall (so he had to duck under the doorway), powerful legs, and muscular arms. He had a full head of hair, which was black. His hair was starting to gray at the edges. His shirt was ripped so I could see scars along with hair on his chest and stomach. Oddly, he was wearing a white button down shirt with a tie. Nice pants and dress shoes. The blank face he was wearing turned into a crooked smile. Other than that, he was a monster.

"Clarissa," he grumbled.

He comes toward me and I scream...

"CLARISSA, WAKE UP!" I hear my older brother, Leo, shout.

I pop up in my bed, noticing my heavy breathing, dry mouth, and a sheen of sweat on my forehead.

"What time is it?" I ask.

"6:45," he replies.

"WHAT?!" I yell, "why didn't you wake me up earlier, Leo?!"

I jump out of bed and quickly brush my teeth. Next, I try to tame the mess of orange curls on my head. I look at my dark green eyes, crooked nose, and winning smile. I didn't know I had freckles! Wait, what am I doing? I have to get ready for the first day of school! I put my hair into a braid, of sorts, and run into my room. My brother left, so I start to get changed. I slip into some light jean shorts, and a green tank top.

I sprint down the creaky stairs of my house, and see a plate of steaming pancakes waiting for me on the table. There is a note from my mom, Jen:

Have a great day at school Clarissa, and be careful! You never know what's out there. I love you! -Mom

I eat them as fast as I can, grab my backpack, yell to Leo goodbye, and run out the door. I immediately keep running as I see the last passenger get on the bus.

"Wait!" I shriek.

The bus keeps driving. I repeat my myself, and the bus stopped. I walk up to bus I, and step on to it. My bus driver is Ms. William. She has blonde straight hair, that is short. She always wears t-shirts. Today, she was wearing a purple one with capris kakis.

"Good morning!" Ms. William exclaims.

I nod, and head down the aisle looking for my best friend, Jeremy. I finally spot him at the back the bus. We don't have that many friends.

"Hey Jeremy!" I happily say.

He stays silent.

I sit down next to him, in aisle seat.

"You're welcome," he says, with a smirk.

"For what?" I question.

"For making Ms. William stop the bus."

"Oh, thanks!" I say.

"Uh-huh."

The rest of the bus ride, Jeremy and I talked about what we think 8th grade would be like.

"I hope we can get more friends," I say.

"But if we don't..?"

I look at him. He looks at me. I will never get tired of looking at his blue eyes. Jeremy has brown hair and tan skin. He is slim and has a little bit of muscle, probably because he is always active. Jeremy is on the schools soccer team. He is super shy, and so am I.