Anisha and the Hooded Figure

A Day at the Park with a Friend

"Anisha, there's someone at the door that wants to see you; Get up. Don't keep him waiting." My mother says, leaving the door open, like always. I groan and comb my hair through my fingers. I get up and change into a plain, white t-shirt. Who's him? There's a boy at the door? I don't know any guy, other than my dad. What's a boy doing at my door?

I open the door and see a guy standing with dark, brown hair, a red plaid shirt, and ripped black jeans. He was tall, not to mention intimidating, too. Then again, the question is, what's a boy doing at my front door. I walk to the front door and dubiously twist the knob open.

"Hi.. um- I.. I just moved in to the neighborhood. I heard you were around the same age as me, so I was wondering if you'd like to hang out. Oh, and I'm uh- your next-door neighbor, too. Um.. would you like to go to the park with me? He said, fumbling around with his fingers. I understand he transferred here just recently, but going out to the park with me? That's a bit sudden. Then again, maybe his mother wanted him to get along with the kids in the neighborhood?

"Yeah, I'm free today. Which park are you talking about?" I said, dumbfounded. I was secretly looking forward to it. No one had asked to go out anywhere; ever since my friend, Aisha started getting involved in track.

"Oh yeah, it's just around the curve. We can go walk there together if you'd like." He said, kicking the grass next to the sidewalk. I nodded. We walked down the sidewalk in silence. We hadn't spoke a single word for 3 minutes.

"Well... where did you transfer from?" I said falteringly.

"Oh, um, homeschooled?" He said, picking at his curly, brown locks.

"Oh, uh, cool! Have you made any friends at Greenwood?" I said with a slightly high pitched voice. He shook his head. We both walked to the swing set, not knowing what to say. His face was as red as a plum, but I figured it was from the heat. I haven't talked to anyone other than Aisha for as long as I could remember. I wasn't very social, and neither does he from the looks of it.

"Let me guess; your mom forced you to bring me to the park? I said with a loud, raspy voice. I coughed softly, bringing forth my arm to my face.

" oh no, no, no....wait, yes?" He said, kicking the pebbles beneath the swing set. I figured and looked down at my old, white sneakers with dull eyes.

"Sorry, no. I offered to. I decided to get to know people in my neighborhood. A friend or two living by me wouldn't sound so bad, right?" He grinned, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"Oh?" I chuckled. He smiled, looking up to the sky. He looked intimidating at first, but he looks pretty charming when he smiles. He would probably get everyone's attention within a couple of days. He's fashionable, as well as good looking too. Not that it matters to me that much anyway. I was glad he wanted to be friends with someone like me. It was, well, comforting.

It was getting dark, and everyone in the park started to leave. I was amazed as to how long we were able to keep up a conversation. I didn't notice it before, but he looked a bit old for someone in eighth grade. His eyes were hazel and popped out in the moonlight. His hands grappled onto the chains of the swing set, with veins popping out onto his slender hands.

I didn't notice how late it was until the moon illuminated a soft, dull light onto the surrounding pine trees. He didn't seem to mind the silence. It felt nice to hang out with someone under a not-so-bright starry night. There was one thing that bothered me, though. A group of semi loud teenagers surfaced the park, near the other side of the playground, wearing dark leather jackets.

"It's getting pretty late. Wanna head out?" He said, getting off the swing set.

"Yeah, you're right, let's go-" I pause abruptly. The group of teenagers was heading towards us, rather fast. "Hey I think we should seriously head out, my mother might scold me-" I heard footsteps coming from behind me; "where do you think you're going," I flinched.

I turned around, finding a man, no, a boy. He looked like he went to Clear Falls High School, not so far from Greenwood. I recognized the uniform under his dark leather jacket. His eyes met with mine; I couldn't look away. His eyes pierced through my body. I couldn't move. His hand grabbed my shoulder, gripping it, restricting me from making a move.

"Hey, watch it." A hand reached for my shoulder, slapping the high schooler's hand from my shoulder. I turned around and saw the boy with brown curly locks stare at the high schooler, dead in the eyes. I forgot; I never asked for his name. I had to focus on another issue, unfortunately. I felt a nudge on my shoulder.

"Run; call the cops." He whispered, putting a hand between the high schooler and me. I ran as fast as I could until I could find a person. I spotted a young woman with long, blond hair and soft blue eyes.

"Excuse me, Mrs., can I please borrow your phone?" I looked at her with desperate, wide eyes. She nodded her head and unlocked her phone.

"Please, I'm sorry! I'll leave you guys alone! Just please, get off of me." I couldn't recognize the voice, but I realized it came from the park. I ran without thinking twice. If anything happens to him, I'd be the one to blame. I am so, so screwed.

I held my hands over my mouth, trying my best not to scream. Two of the boys from Clear Falls were passed out on a tree, blood dripping onto the floor. One other was trembling with the chains from the swing set wrapped around his neck. I backed away with my hands trembling. Do I help them? Do I go get help? Where's my neighbor? I heard someone yell behind me. It was him, my neighbor. If my neighbor wasn't here during the incident, then who was?