Innocence

I

I froze, feeling my blood run cold under my skin.

No, I thought. Is this another nightmare? But the knocking on the door shook me out of my thoughts. It sounded too real. But weren't all the dreams life like?

"Who on earth -" I heard my mother muttering. I gasped. She couldn't answer the door! What if it was the girl and she saw it wasn't me? She'd leave and I'd never see her again. I couldn't risk it. I had to be there.

I leapt off the ground from the spot where I was leaning against the wall, running out of my room, certain I was faster than a bullet. The chance of getting answers out of someone other than my dreams sounded good.

My mother gazed at me as I rocketed out of the hallway and towards the door, obviously confused at my eagerness. But there was something else in her dark brown eyes and it looked a lot like suspicion.

What on earth could she be suspecting me of? Making this all up? Faking my tears every night?

Or maybe she thought I knew the person knocking on the door this early in the morning. Chances were I probably didn't know them, and it was just some tourist who was lost and needed help. But I decided to cling to the hope I felt in my chest.

I reached out for the doorknob and held it for about five seconds.

What would I find? Who would I find? What answers would they be able to share with me? I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before I swung the door open. I opened my eyes nervously.

In front of me, was a young guy, who looked about my age, if not a year or so older.

"Are you Crystal?" he asked nervously, his hands in his pockets. Goosebumps covered his arms and I took a simple guess that he was cold. He was staring at me intently with such dark brown eyes, and I awkwardly took his appearance in.

He was taller than me, but not by much. He wore a grey beanie that was covering the natural colour of his hair. He wore dark-grey jeans, a plain white shirt with a black logo. I didn't recognize him from school or from any place around town.

But I flinched when he said my name. How did he know my name? I felt my mother's questioning gaze on me. She didn't know I was just as confused as her.

"Yes," I answered quietly, clinging to the doorframe and feeling my fingers tremble against the wood. "I'm Crystal. Who are you?"

Honestly, I was a little afraid of what he might say next.

"I'm Calum," he said, holding his hand out. "I thought you'd remember, but I guess not."

I stared at him. I'd never seen this guy before in my life, I was sure of it. He held his hand out and I couldn't move. I just stared at his hand for a few seconds, half expecting it to dissolve or blow up.

It wouldn't be the weirdest thing that's happened.

He realized I wasn't going to shake his hand so he lowered it to his side, looking a little disappointed. I wrapped my hands around myself to calm the things I kept thinking.

He's a murderer about to shoot you and mum! Run, he's going to kill you!

"How do you know my name?" I asked, shaking my head to dismiss the thoughts. "And what are you doing here so late?" Or so early.

Calum was eyeing something behind me and I saw my mother staring at him in confusion. He narrowed his eyes for a moment before shaking his head and turning back to me.

"I'm in the year above you at school," Calum started, sounding nervous. "Don't you remember, Crystal?"

His dark eyes met mine and I inwardly shivered.