Annabeth

Chapter eight

I tell Lance Annabeth's strange habits and the Veronica game and the books falling in my room. He tells me that he got an anonymous email from someone last year saying that if he doesn't break up with Val, she would have a horrible death. Whoever that was didn't keep their promise. Who would do something like that?

The past few days, the whole town has been grieving for Val and in that time Lance and I were thinking of plans.

I lay in bed not being able to sleep. Its been confusing these few weeks, with Annabeth, the strange occurences, and my poor dad still in the hospital.

Suddenly the door creaks open. I sit up in bed looking over. I glance at the clock reading 3:07.

There is nobody there.

I close the door and head back. I'm the only one in the house since my mother is taking the night shift at the hospital again.

Then a book falls off my shelf.

The lights flicker.

There is a tall shadow going across my room and I let out a big shriek.

I open the window next to me and call for Lance. He immedietly gets up. He looks tired with his hair all messed up. And the fact that he is shirtless makes it really hard to look away. That and the sick feeling I'm getting thinking about the horrible things happening in my room. He pulls on a shirt as I bang on the window. "Hurry up!"

Something pulls my leg.

I scream again.

Something is trying to get me out of bed.

It does it again. Something pulls at my leg dragging my across my rooom. I kick and scream but nothing is working. A loud thud comes from downstairs.

"Lance! Lance please hurry up!" I scream.

"Day! What's wrong?" He says as he pulls up through my window.

"Huh?" I say, as I look around and I'm back in bed, neatly tucked in. "No, no, no. Th-th-there was something in my room. The d-d-door creaked open, a loud noise came from downstairs, and someone pulled my leg and dragged me across my room." Now I'm crying. "Lance, there is someone in here with me."

"Are you sure? It could've been a dream."

"No! Lance. believe me!"

He hugs me and strokes my head, "Shhhh, it's okay."

"L-L-Lance, will you st-st-stay with me tonight?"

He stops stroking for a second. A slight hesitation, but I noticed it.

"Sure. Anything for you."

"Thank you." I sniffle.

~*~

We sit at our usual lunch table and Annabeth has taken Val's role as Queen Bee. Her and Ryan are the power couple of the school, while Amanda started dating someone new. "So, girls night at my place?" Annabeth suggested. I debate in my head whether its a good idea to go or not. If she decides to pull another one of her tricks, I better be there to stop her. I can't imagine what would happen if another one of my friends got hurt. We all nod."Would you want to sleep over?" Now she was pushing her limit. She is definetly planning something.

The lunch bell rings and we all file out of the cafeteria. I catch Lance and whisper, "I need to talk to you." I couldn't risk people at school seeing me talk to him; They would think now that Val is dead, that im trying to get her ex boyfriend.

He nods. Our usual meeting place is the janitors closet. Sometimes we meet before class, or after, rarely during class. Although, I did show him Annabeth's locker habits. He said he needed proof, and boy did he get it.

I watch from a distance as he walks into the closet. A coupld of minutes later, I follow him.

"What is it?" He asks.

"Annabeth, she has asked us to come over to her house for a sleepover. I'm afraid she'll try to do something again."

"Hey, look. We don't even know she was the one that killed Val."

"I know, but I can't help but feel like she is involved somehow."

"So, are you going?"

"Huh?"

"To the sleepover."

"Of course! I can't save myself while my other friends walk into her trap! If she really does do something, I'll try to stop her."

"But what if you can't?"

"I have to try."

"Stop being so melodramatic. you're acting as if this is a movie. It's not Day."

"I'm not being melodramatic. She did something when we played the Veronica game. She said it was just a game, that nothing would happen. Then Amanda gets hurt! Then out of nowhere she starts becoming so popular. She takes Amanda's ex boyfriend two days later he broke up with Amanda and everyone is just okay with it? Oh my God and now? She has taken over the school. She acts like Val, talks like Val, and the most scariest, nobody even mentions Val anymore. It's like everyone has comepletly forgotten about her!"

Lance gently rubs my arms," You know that's not true, they are just teying to move on. Move past her death. So should you."

"I thought you believed me! But you don't. You're just like the rest of them. All of you are blind! What about all the weird stuff that has been going on? None of that matters anymore?"

"It must be a coincidence. there is a logical explanation."

"Oh yeah Wise Guy? What might that be?"

He doesn't reply

"Thats what I thought!" I fume with anger. I storm out of the cliset not thinking straight with Lance following close behind.

Just then this girl named Laurel screams, "Day and The Freak were in the closet together!"

"What? No! Ita nothing like that!" I cry.

Everyone boos me.

Lance denies our relationship and when people ask him why were in the closet together he says someone locked them in.

Someone calls for Annabeth.

"Beth, what do you think Day is trying to do?"

Just then her eyes flash blue, she smiles wickedly revealing two sharp teeth and says "You don't deserve to be known as Val's friend."

That one line goes a long way.

After that everyone started shunning me. Even Lori and Amanda.

Even Lance.