To Survive without the Guardians

Chapter 2: The Sighting

When Haven arrived home that day, she went into the kitchen to eat some crackers. Her nine-year-old sister, Micah, was sitting at the table chewing on a cheese stick. She had probably only been home for a few minutes yet.

Haven opened the pantry. "How was your day?"

"Good," her sister replied with her mouth full of food. She swallowed. "But I've decided that I don't like my teacher because she makes us do too much math."

Haven tried her best not to laugh at her. "Well, today I had a-" She paused for a second as she grabbed a few crackers, listening to the house. Fortunately, she heard her dad upstairs, far enough away that he wouldn't overhear her if she spoke softly. She lowered her voice.

"I got attacked by the shadow ghost people again this morning." Though talking about her "hallucinations" was sort of taboo in her house since her parents didn't want her sister thinking that she saw them, too (especially since their neighbor Beatrice was also crazy, although actually so), Haven felt like she had to talk about them with someone who would take her seriously. She wasn't actually sure if Micah believed her or not; Haven had never asked. But at least her sister wasn't constantly telling her that they didn't exist, and that was something. Even her friends had looks of "you're insane" in their eyes when she talked to them about the shadow ghost people, but Micah's stare was always blank whenever she spoke to her about the latest attack. She didn't judge Haven on the matter, and that was an upgrade from everyone else.

"Oh," was all Micah said, nodding, her straight long blond hair bobbing up and down, her full eyebrows, a family characteristic, raised slightly. "Are you gonna go out with your friends later?"

Haven nodded as she closed the pantry. "Yeah. We're going to Dairy Queen."

"Will you have a Nerf gun fight with me and my friends before you do that?" Micah asked.

Haven shrugged. "Sure." She didn't mind playing with them. They weren't so young that she had to drastically alter her speed to be an equal match for them, so it was enjoyable. What usually happened was that they all teamed up against her anyway, so it was a fun challenge.

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"Huzzah!" Micah shouted as she managed to hit Haven yet again, although she tripped over her own feet with a grunt immediately afterward. Haven retaliated by shooting her in the leg before she could stand back up, then proceeded to run away from the five other kids in the yard- four boys and one girl- as they tried to hit her. As she did so, she snatched a few bullets out of the grass but soon noticed a silver car pull into the driveway.

"Sorry guys, I have to go." She set her weapon and ammo down on the ground before hopping into the front seat of the car, a few kids taking a shot at her one last time as she did so.

"Hey Haven!" the car's owner, coincidentally named Allison Silver, exclaimed in greeting.

"Hello Allison." She eyed her friend's bisque hands on the wheel with jealousy. Really, Haven should have been over it already. She had had since freshman year to get over the fact that she couldn't drive because she "hallucinated," her being deemed a possible threat to pedestrians and others on the road.

Allison reached back and pulled up her hair tie holding her straight brown locks in a lengthy ponytail. She then backed out of the driveway and took them to Dairy Queen, which wasn't a very long trip. When they got there, their friends Lauryn Myers and Johnsie O'Sullivan, the shortest of the friend group, were already standing outside waiting for them. They soon went in and ordered a blizzard each, then sat down to wait.

"I have something hilarious to show you guys," Johnsie said with an excited look in her radioactively green eyes while setting her sketchbook on the table. Haven didn't doubt her for a second. Heck, just one look at her super-colorful clothing and nails was enough to know that she was the kind of person who could've stepped out of some odd dream instead of being born from two normal human beings. She even had royal purple streaks in the tight curls of her long brown hair, as if everything about her had to scream, "I am different from everyone else!" Or maybe it was some sort of way to let people know she existed so that the tall wouldn't back into her on accident.