WONDER

5

Salem

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"Shawn!"
I called, but he was gone.
I turned to look behind me, but nothing.
Something caught my attention moments later off in the distance.
A black dot existent, finally something other than the color of white, but that's what scared me.
I cautiously turned to face the object, but it only moved further away.
I squinted my eyes and started to trek forward, but of course I was unmoving.
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"Salem?"
I heard Noah ask, I slowly opened my eyes and sat up to see him staring down at me.
"Why do you keep saying Shawn?"
He asked out of nowhere, I quickly glanced over to face the clock.
Crap I'm late, I thought.
I swung my legs over the bed and hurried for my closet.
"Why are you up so early?"
Noah asked from behind me, as I rummaged through my clothes I glanced over to see him.
"School."
I told him shortly, he laughed from behind me.
"Salem, silly goose it's Saturday!"
He told me with a giggle, I froze and turned around to face him.
"What?"
I asked confused, he smiled his cute smile and began to trot for my door.
"Mom's making pancakes!"
He called happily over his shoulder as he disappeared out into the hallway.
That's when everything changed, I wasn't in my room anymore.
Screaming.
All I could hear was screaming, not just any kind of screaming.
High pitched, love struck teenage girl screaming, and there were thousands upon thousands of them.
"You've got this Shawn!"
I heard someone say, I was guessing it was Andrew, or maybe Geoff, the name had popped up into my brain.
"Nervous?"
Another asked, a name didn't come to mind.
"A little."
Shawn spoke quietly, it was strange not seeing his face, I had always seen things through his eyes.
Suddenly an acoustic guitar was slung over his shoulders, his hand strummed the strings a few times.
"It's just about time!"
Someone called, Zubin, from somewhere off behind him.
Shawn's head glanced towards what was apparently the stage entrance. My own hands began to shake as I watched his, both our hearts pounded as one.
    "Show time!"
Andrew called, he was then shuffled towards the stage entrance, both our nerves heightened to the max.
"You've got this."
I said out loud, I wanted to convince Shawn he was okay, nerves were just a hurdle.
Shawn shook his head as if trying to clear it, and I knew he was smiling.
  The lights dimmed and he walked out onto the stage, the screaming only grew louder by the second.
   Slowly he approached the mic and I watched as his eyes traveled over the massive crowd of people, I instantly knew it as Madison Square Garden.
    He began strumming the guitar, and even though I didn't know how to play, I found that my hand was moving to the chords he was playing for the song.
There's Nothing Holding Me Back.
"I wanna follow where she goes-"
He began, his angel like voice taking me out of the world, my room a complete thing of the past.
  Something unexpected happened, everything went black.
All I could remember was the sound of my head smacking the hardwood floor beneath me, and the thousands of screams of horror that floated around.