Torment

Chapter 1

"Happy birthday to you, happy birhday to you. Happy birthday, happy birthday, happy birthday to you."

After my family sang the birthday song to me, I closed my eyes to make my wish and blew the candles out. My friends and family cheered as my mother gave me the knife to slice the cake. She kissed my left temple and guided my hand. Today is my seventeenth birthday and my mother is so excited that I get to celebrate with them.

I looked at my boyfriend across the room and winked at him. I pointed my hand to the backyard. I stood up and he followed me outside. Just as soon as he got out, I ran to the woods, he chased me and yelled, "I'm gonna get you. You know that Ericka," I just laughed and yelled back, "whatever you say," as I feel him catching up to me, I stumbled and fell on my stomach.

"Ericka!" He shouted and ran to my side. I laid down on the ground and he put himself on top of me, both arms lifting his weight.

"Cheeky girl, are you alright?" I giggled, "yeah," I looked at his sea blue eyes. Those beautiful eyes that's got me into a spell. I put my hands on his face, "I love you," he caressed my left hand and and took a deep breath. "I love you too," as he was trailing kisses on on my neck, I saw a tall figure, standing. I ignored it and closed my eyes hoping it was just an illusion. I opened my eyes again and looked at the exact place where I saw the figure. It was gone. My breath hitched as if something's about to happen. Something bad.

This alerted Jake, "what's wrong?" He looked at me in the eyes. "Nothing. Let's go inside?" He nodded his head, "sure." I kissed him before he stood up. He helped me get on my feet and went back inside the house.

As we came in though the door, my best friend Carrie Anne greeted us. 

"Where have you two been?" I just shrugged and giggled.

"Oh," she said like she knows where we were. My father called Jake, he looked at me. "Go," and smiled at my father. He smiled back, "I'll just borrow him for a second," then left with Jake. Now I'm left here to wonder if the figure I saw was really real.

I was deep in thought when Carrie Anne jumped in front of me. "What the hell?" She chuckled and streched out her hand to me with a small box on top of her palm. I took it, "what's this?" She just smiled and I opened the box.

"Oh my gosh!" I hugged her with all my might.

"It's so cute! Oh my gosh, thank you." It was a charm bracelet that I've been dreading for, every time we go to the mall.

"Hey, it's your birthday." She said with a huge grin on her face.

"Aww, I love you so much!" I hugged her again.

As I pulled away from her, I saw the figure that I saw outside, from the window in the kitchen. My body tensed and Carrie Anne saw it.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Her perfect blue gray eyes looked at me with sympathy. I glanced at the window again and stared at her, "were you outside earlier? When Jake and I went out?" She raised an eyebrow and shook her head 'no'.

"I wasn't, why?" I leaned in to whisper in her ear, "I saw someone, standing outside. I'm not sure if it's real but, I know it's trouble. I can feel it."

Before she could say a word my father went back to the kitchen with Jake. "Attention, relatives, friends of Ericka, everybody, we have an announcement to make." I focused my attention to my father. Jake walked to me as my father started to talk.

"As our sweet girl here celebrates her seventeenth birthday," my mother stood up to join my father, as he gives her a quick kiss on the lips the lights went out, then back again. We were all startled, "calm down everybody, the power company must be playing with the switches." My father joked and everybody let out a small laugh.

"As I was saying, Ericka here is getting herself a car," I gasped.

Everybody clapped their hands. I gasped and looked up at Jake, who now has a huge grin, on his face. I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and hugged him. "Jake, oh my gosh. I don't know what to say." He cupped my face with his soft hands.

"Don't thank me, I just picked out the best color. They, bought your car," he said turning his face to my mother and father who has their hands streched towards me. I went up to them and hugged them. "Thank you so much! I love you guys!"

I pulled away from the small group hug. "Here's your key."

My father handed my the key to my new car. "Oh my gosh! I love you guys so much!" I hugged them again. "Oh sweetie," my mother said with her familiar sweet, soothing voice. The lights went out again, and it stayed that way.