What You Don't See

Disbelief

Well, they can't rightly say I didn't warn them, can they?

I had told them over and over. But did they ever listen? Nope. Not once. Oh, it's just Addie, making up stories again. Why would we listen to her? And look at how that turned out for them.

Anyway, we should get into the story. That's what you came here for after all, isn't it? Yeah, let's get started. Get comfy, this is a long one.

It was a normal spring day. Birds were chirping outside, flowers were beginning to bloom, and the weather was finally warming. Everyone was in high spirits... everyone except me.

See, my town wasn't exactly normal. I was always noticing out-of-place things in the corner of my eye. During classes, I could see something peeking in through the corner of the window, but when I swung my head around, it was gone. Shadows wandering in the halls without people to cast them. Stuff like that.

The day was over. Most students were already out the door and on their buses, but I had hung back to talk with our science teacher about a project of mine.

"I'll give you just three more days," Mr. Williams warned. "That's it."

"Thank you, sir," I responded, smiling. I turned, shouldered by school bag, and headed out the door.

In the hall, I passed the janitor, mopping the floor.

"Hey, Jerry," I said, stopping to talk to him. We knew each other well, and he, unlike most adults in the school, was happy to let me call him by his first name.

"Addie! Nice to see you. Talking with Mr. Williams again?"

I blushed a little. I had been asking for more time on my project for quite a while. "Yeah."

Outside, the last students were getting on the buses. I knew that I wouldn't make it, for I saw the buses through a classroom window, and I would have to circle around the school to get to them. Much too far.

I sighed and said, "Looks like I'm taking a public bus home. With all of those... things."

The janitor sighed. "Here we go again."

"I'm telling you," I insisted. "Something's not right around here."

"Whatever you say," Jerry sighed, turning back to the mop.

"You're here more than anyone," I continued, ignoring his sarcasm. "Haven't you noticed anything... peculiar?"

"No, not really."

I frowned. "Whatever. See you around."

"Later." Jerry began to hum along to a tune playing on a small, portable radio he always listened to.

I rushed outside and hopped on a large, blue bus just before it left the stop. Luckily, it was a free one. I hadn't thought to bring much money before I left home this morning.

On the bus, I was forced to cling to a pole, smashed between many people. When the bus got to my stop, I had to squeeze my way out and barely got to the door in time.

Inside, I plopped my heavy book bag down and threw myself onto the couch. The cushions were so comforting, and, with my head sunk deep into a pillow, I drifted off.

When I awoke, I felt terrible and groggy. Sometimes naps did that to me.

I glanced at the grandfather clock resting in the hallway. 6:13 PM. I had slept through dinner.

Dragging myself into the section of the open-floor house that serves as a kitchen and dining room, I saw my father sitting at our granite counter, reading a newspaper.

Father glanced up when he saw me. "Finally decide to wake up, did you, Addie?" he teased.

My mother had left the family when I was about six, but we tried to stay away from that topic. My dad joked and teased with me, and he had long since caught up financial wise.

"Ha ha," I said sarcastically. My stomach rumbled. "What's for dinner?"

"Pizza's in the fridge," he answered.

I opened the refrigerator and my mouth watered at the sight. The cheese was thick, with countless layers, and sauce was thin, but still there. The crust was light and fluffy, and a perfect golden brown. I piled piece upon piece onto a large plate, sat across from my dad at the counter, and dug in.

Father sighed, pretending to be exasperated. "I never knew a twelve-year-old could eat as much as you do. You're gonna be sick if you eat all that."

"I'll deal with it," I assured him, nodding and shoveling more pizza in.

He shook his head and chuckled. "If you say so."

I shrugged and kept eating.

When I was finally finished, I took my plate over to the sink.

"Hey Dad?" I asked.

"Hm?" He still wasn't taking his eyes off of the newspaper.

"Have you been noticing... strange things around the town?"

He finally put down the paper and looked at me, his brow furrowed. "Like what?"

"Well..." I chose my words carefully. I didn't want to sound insane. "There are just little things around here that don't quite add up. Have you seen all of these houses going up for sale?" I had seen them, and people were leaving by the dozens.

"There are a lot of new houses being built in other, more preferable places."

I wasn't convinced. "What about the shops that are only open for a few days, then get closed again?" It had to be that the owners were disturbed by this weirdness, right?

"Fruits and crops aren't great around this time of year." Father sighed. He looked at me with concern. "Addie, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," I said. "Just curious."

"These kinds of things are nothing to be concerned about, you know."

"I know," I said, smiling warmly, pretending to drop the matter.

The rest of the afternoon and evening went by with nothing remarkable happening.

Around 10:30, I started upstairs for bed. I was snuggled down in my sheets, warm and comfortable, when, once again, I caught a glimpse of something. Outside the window, there was a dark shape. Bright, lantern-like eyes stared at me, unblinking. I was about to turn on the lamp on my bedside when I heard a voice.

"Don't. Stay in your bed," it whispered.

Now, I don't want to say that I heard voices in my head. That would make me sound completely insane. But... I heard the voice in my head.

I sat still, half sitting up, paralyzed with fear. The shape was gone, but I could still see where its eyes were, and I stared at that spot, terrified.

Now, here's where my story really gets interesting.

Slight cliffhanger, oh well. I hope you enjoyed this first chapter! If you find any mistakes, or something doesn't make sense and you think it should at this point, please leave a comment. The next chapter should be out soon.

~TrisJeanEverdeen