Saving Grace

Chapter 2

"Grace?"

My eyes slowly popped open and I twisted my head to look at the clock on my lavender wall. It read 3:00 P.M. I slept for eight hours? I used my palms to push me into a sitting position, swung my legs over the edge of my queen-sized bed and stood, stretching my still sleeping muscles. I glanced down my arms and they were still bare, no cuts. Absolutely none, which was strange since it should take up to two days for these types of things to heal. A soft knock at the door pulls my attention away from the rapid and growing concern that I have for my mental state-considering I'm probably going wacky since I deliberately sleepwalked to a cemetery, and find the scrapes to have magically vanished as soon as I got home. I walk over and twist the doorknob, open it, and find my tutor, Ms. Greene.

"Well thank goodness, I thought something terrible happened to you!" Ms. Greene spits out a relieved breath and pulls me in for a bone-crushing hug.

"What do you mean 'I thought something terrible happened'?" I asked stupidly.

"What do I mean?" Ms. Greene's tone rises in surprise. "Well, what I mean is that there are dirt and blood everywhere out in that kitchen of yours!" She finishes, flabbergasted. Did I mention that shes overly dramatic? She lets go of me and surveys my room, seeing multiple band posters, author posters, and favorite actor and actress posters. Seeing my end table with a large picture frame of my family, and past friends back in Washington. I would've kept in contact, but I lost my phone before we made the move to come to California. Once she's done looking around, she puts her steely eyes back on me.

"Ms. Greene, are you sure its-" I air quote "everywhere?" I ask, feeling the corners of my mouth perk up into a wide smile. She gives me a look that says, Give me an answer to my damn question, please!

"Just answer my question, Grace." She huffs, annoyed at my avoidance. I try to make up a quick excuse that won't put up any further suspicions.

"I decided to get up early this morning and go hike in the woods around back, and as I was walking back, later on, I found a muddy, bloody crow that I thought I could've helped. But It was dead by the time I tried." I finished with a remorseful look, knowing full well that was one of the lamest and stupidest excuses I have ever made, but still hoping she would buy into it.

"Well Jeez, Grace! You could have cleaned up the damn place!" She finally says, turning away and back down the hall muttering to herself, saying 'kids these days' and 'when are they going to learn'.

"Oh, and Grace!" she hollers from down the hall once again. "Your mom and dad wanted me to take you into town later tonight to get you a new phone."

"OK! Thank you, Ms. Greene!"I holler back.

"No problem!" She replies

I decided I should probably shower and get ready to go into town. I close my door and walk straight to my closet. I grab a white t-shirt, blue skinny jeans, and a matching pair of undergarments. I take a quick shower, dress and put my favorite sandals on since it was getting much warmer out as we were getting fully into summer. I blow dry my hair till it's half dry and half damp, and braided a french braid. Now all I need is some lipstick... I look around for my purse that holds the key for my finishing product. After about twenty minutes of searching in every nook and cranny of my room, I finally find it has fallen on the side of my bed. I reach for it and pull, sliding it out of the small crevasse, and dig in the pockets until I feel something smooth and round. I pull and found my cherry red lipstick. Yes! I rub a little on the top and bottom of my lips, look in the mirror, and call it good.

"Ms. Greene, I'm ready!" I say as I walk into the kitchen from the hall. I see her drinking a cup of back coffee, leaning against the marble and wood counter. She looks up and her eyebrows raise.

"Alright, let's go." She empties and sets her cup in the stainless steel sink and we head to Walmart.

***

I eventually chose the galaxy s5, seeing how it was one of the newer models and maybe the chances are raised for it last longer. I also decided that I would walk home so my skin can soak in the sun rays, maybe get some color instead of having pasty white skin all of the time. I could tell the sun was setting soon, the sky turning a pinkish-orange. Once I was done ogling at the sky, I made my way back to my house

***

The closer I got to my house, the darker it got. The sky was now a dark navy blue, the street lamps beginning to warm up to there nightly routine. As I looked forward, I suddenly got bad vibes, thinking I shouldn't have walked home. The streets that lead to the gravel road, looked more...spooky. well maybe not spooky, but definitely creepy.

I saw movement up ahead and slowed my steps. There came a figure walking from the left side of the road. He looked...well...weird to say the least. He had a shadowy type of body shape, almost cloudy, but all black. He had what looked like debris floating around him, like moths attracted to a flame. He stopped his movements, and I froze as well.

He slowly tilts his head up towards the dim street lamp and makes a click, click sound. At this point, I was freaking the fuck out, and wondering what to do, as this street had no neighboring houses attached. I began backing away slowly, but deliberately. My first footfall backwards causes this 'figure' to snap its head towards me. My eyes widen as I can now see its gangly features, it's pitch black eyes swallowing me whole, it's long arms and legs now moving slowly towards me, covering great length with little effort. I turn and run the opposite direction of the figure that's creeping up behind me.

"Help! Help somebody!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. I felt a cool, wet sensation grip my shoulder, I feel it's nails dig into my flesh with such intensity it feels like I'm burning. I scream as I'm picked up and thrown to the ground. I feel the hard asphalt lick my skin in searing pain as I skidded a good foot, feeling the asphalt rip a good twenty layers of my skin. I whimper in pain as my entire backside is flaming.

As I lay on this rough ground eyes closed and ears ringing, I hear loud vicious yells, gruesome sounds, and thumping against the ground. I then hear something. No, someone in the background of the ringing, saying something. I open my eyes, and I see another set of beautiful bright blue ones. He's saying things but I can't understand what he's speaking, can't hear what his parted mouth is trying to get my deaf ears to hear. At this moment, the man in the cemetery that I believed to be creepy, was my savior. His eyebrows are pulled downward, but not in anger or disgust, but genuine concern. He continues to speak to me but I only make out bits and pieces. "...Be ok...take care of... hear me..?"

He then whips his head upwards. His eyes widen and he stares forward. He starts speaking again, but not down at me. He's speaking to some else. "...You can't take... I won't let that..."

So tired... I grow sleepy as he drones on with a conversation that's taking place. I should be asking questions as to what happened and why he was here. But as my vision began to grow hazy, and my eyes began to shut, I realized I was losing myself. The last thing I feel is being cradled in someone's arms.