Blue

Chapter 5: Funny sketches

The remainder of Ellie's weekend went by pretty quick. After her breakdown Saturday morning, she slowly stood up and started to put away her groceries. She was disappointed to see that she had a few broken eggs because of the drop and that the ice cream she bought has completely melted. After her bag was empty and she got rid of the stuff she couldn't use anymore, she made a cup of tea and skipped breakfast again, even though it was already time for lunch. She's completely lost her appetite.

She spent the rest of her Saturday feeling paranoid and scared, sitting in the brightest corner of her apartment (though not the one in her bedroom, she isn't that stupid). Ellie went to bed early, daylight still present, bringing a big bottle of apple juice with her to keep her hydrated and refusing to close her curtains, as she was too scared to walk around her apartment when the night came. She fell asleep surprisingly fast and eventually spent the whole Sunday in her bed, safely hidden under the covers, an empty apple juice bottle thrown next to her bed, as she tried to do some research online on her phone on what she saw the day before. What she saw came pretty close to a shadow person: a paranormal ghost or entity-thing some people claim to have seen. It appears to be a common thing to see if someone has sleep paralysis. But these explanations give two problems in Ellie's mind. First, Ellie has never had sleep paralysis, thank goodness. And second, she saw the thing at broad daylight, while she was most definitely awake. With a slight headache Ellie fell asleep again.

*****

Ellie silently waits for the bus at the bus stop in front of her apartment. A new week of school has begun. Ellie yawns. Yesterday's research only resulted into giving her nightmares. She's exhausted. Raindrops softly fall on Ellie's head and coat. Ellie shudders, it's still very early and the sun hasn't risen yet, meaning she stands in the dark. The exact thing Ellie had been so afraid of the last few days. It was a starless night, her only light source is the very dim street lantern next to her. Ellie reaches in her coat pockets for her gloves (she didn't forget them this time). It's freezing outside and the rain makes it even colder. Ellie sees her own shaky breath condensate. Lights appear at the corner of the street. The bus, the source of the light, approaches her stop. Ellie quickly observes the bus. It's packed with students, but there's still one seat available at the front. The bus comes to a halt in front of Ellie and opens its doors. Ellie quickly steps inside, welcomed by the comfortable warmth. She takes a seat and puts her backpack on her lap. She zips the backpack open, brings out one of her favourite books and starts reading, trying to ignore the darkness outside.

It feels like Ellie had only read for like five minutes, but she's already at her stop, meaning an hour has passed. That's what interesting stories do, they make you forget time. Ellie closes her book after marking where she left off with a piece of paper and puts it in her backpack. She slings the pack around her shoulder and steps out of the bus. The outside cold hits Ellie in the face like a brick as she walks towards school, trying to hide her face in her scarf and coat to stay warm. Luckily for her it's a short walk. Ellie keeps her eyes on the ground, not wanting to see her surroundings. She enters the school and walks to the second floor, towards her classroom. There's no one there and the door's still locked. Ellie's always twenty minutes early. That's just because of the driving schedule of the bus. Either twenty minutes too early or ten minutes too late. And being late doesn't really get appreciated at school, as you will miss a lot of important information. Ellie sits down on the ground against the wall opposite of the classroom. She opens her backpack and grabs her book again, trying to finish the chapter she read in the bus. She doesn't like randomly stopping in a book, it's so hard to remember exactly where she actually left off. Either the right page has to end with the end of a sentence or the entire chapter has to end for Ellie to comfortably read.