#Shipped

Six: Goodbye, my Friend

-Jace-

The day ended quickly afterwards. Lena and Katrina had started doing some jumps from a high ledge onto the trampolines. Victoria was the winner of the pole whacking, and Jace noticed just how happy that made her.

I guess Victoria, was victorious... Jace had thought multiple times, but left it all unspoken. He knew he'd be teased if he said some stupid pun like that.

All in all, he found Simon's birthday party to be a success.

Afterwards, everyone went home and the group chat had exploded from everyone talking about how amazing it was.

Jace did his usual routine; going to bed at ten thirty-ish and waking up before sunrise. He woke up to the door opening late at night. Must be my parents, he figured. Jace was now used to his parents arriving home later in the night, often waking up to it.

This time was different.

Jace didn't hear the usual sound of his parents putting the keys away, the way they wiped their shoes on the welcome mat or even the annoying sound their jackets would make while unzipping. In addition, Jace noticed the difference in how they moved. This person seemed to be more swift on their feet, like they were sneaking around.

Shocked, Jace realized two things.

One: He put too much thought into how his parents sounded and acted this late at night.

Two: Whoever this was couldn't have been either one of his parents, or even his younger sister.

A tight knot formed in the pit of Jace's stomach. He wasn't sure whether he should get out of bed or not. Maybe it was his parents... Maybe one wasn't feeling well or had gotten sick. There were multiple possibilities.

The soft sound of a footstep just outside of his door shook him out of his thoughts. The hall remained pitch black, something his parents wouldn't have done. Surely they would've turned on the light.

Jace could barely make any images out, as everything was so dark. He could just barely make out the silhouette of a sneaker outside his bedroom door. His parents would have definitely taken off they're shoes by then. Fear gripped his stomach, harder than before.

If it had been Jace's parents, they wouldn't have loitered outside of his bedroom. His room was on the other side of the house; away from everyone else's. Nobody had any sort of need to be around his room, especially this late.

Slowly his door opened a few inches, and Jace could see a figure standing just outside. He wanted to move, but couldn't. Fear had his stomach in knots and he couldn't do anything to fix it, or anything to defend himself.

Jace stared wide eyed at the door as it cracked open more and more. The figure's shape became more clear. It was a taller person with broadened shoulders. It could've been either a girl or boy but that didn't matter right now. Right now, Jaces safety was the only thing he was thinking about.

Quickly after, another thought came into mind. One that made him panic even more. What about his sister? Was she ok? Jace hadn't heard a scream, which could either be a good sign or a bad one.

An idea came into his mind as he laid there, forgetting about the initial panic. If he were to pretend he was asleep then maybe he could save himself. He shut his eyes tightly.
Jace could hear the footsteps as the figure approached, each step being louder and louder. He could hear his heartbeat in his ears, while he laid there glued to the bed.