What Lurks In The Shadows

Missing Lylac

          I remember that night clearly, as if it were yesterday. The night Lylac went missing.

          It was back in June, at the end of Grade 11. We had been invited to a beginning of summer party, and I did not want to go. I had been to many high school parties before, and I would rather stay home and read than go dance in a crowded humid place with a bunch of sweaty people around.

          But Lylac begged and begged me, for hours on end, said I had to get out of the house and put myself out there more. But I knew that the real reason was that our parents said she could only go if she could convince me to go, thanks to what happened last time. She even threatened to burn my book, which led me to punch her in the face.

          Finally I agreed, just to get her to shut up. Since I was going, I figured I might as well look nice, so we spent the whole day picking out our outfits. I wore a black sleeveless top with a denim jacket overtop, and a white denim skirt.  Looking back on it, it wasn't that important.

          A few hours later, Lylac and I were dancing to Born This Way among other songs at the party, enjoying the night and having a good time. The party was better than I'd expected it to be. After a few songs, Lylac and I separated into the crowd of dancing people and friends. Hours passed, neither one of us thinking about the other.

"Where's Lylac?" I turned and saw Katy standing there, perfect as ever. She was one of Lylac's Barbie-Doll friends, one of the nicer ones, but still one of them.

"I thought she was with you!" I shouted, trying to be heard over the loud music banging in my ears.

"Nope, haven't seen her for hours." Katy shouted back. "Maybe we should ask Chloe. Come with?"

          I followed her through the massive crowd of dancing bodies. A few minutes later, we spotted Chloe over by the snack table, surrounded by a sheild of boys. We pushed through, and finally reached her.

"Have you seen Lylac?" I asked, starting to get worried.

"I saw her leave about an hour ago, with some boy. I didn't recognize him, don't think I've seen him before. Probably a nobody." Chloe responded.

"What did he look like?" I asked,  my voice starting to shake.

"I dunno. About average height, didn't get a good look at his face. He was wearing a black hoodie, and he seemed kind of tense,  like he was nervous about something. He had a terrible fashion sense. Who wears a hoodie to a party?" She giggled as she turned to the boy beside her and started flirting with him. I recognized him as Jay, Lylac's player boyfriend. Rolling my eyes, I turned to Katy.

"Let's go. We won't get anymore out of her." I said. As we walked away, Katy wandered off with her friends, saying that it was probably nothing, that she would show up in a few hours.

          I had just decided to take a drive around town to clear my head and think of where she might have gone, when I realized that she had taken keys. I stood there trying to think of what to do next, when I felt a large hand clamp down on my shoulder.

"Need a ride?" asked a deep male voice. Jay's voice. I look up at him for a second, not sure what to say, thinking about how awkward it would be, stuck in a car, alone with Lylac's boyfriend.  I heared myself say sure. As awkward as it would have been, I needed help to find Lylac, and to get home.

          We drove around town, looking everywhere, checking all her favourite spots, and hangouts. Eventually I had him drop me off at home, and I left to explain the night's events to my parents. I remember they had yelled at me and told me it was my fault. Then they called the police.

The next month was a blur of guilt and worry, when August brought us a bittersweet surprise. A single phone call from the police, telling us that they had found her body at the bottom of the local lake. Bitter(bitter being an understatement) because she was dead, and sweet because we knew what happened.