One by One

2

After the bell rings, I pass in my test, still cringing at the last question. I mean, I know I should probably shake it off, but it just spooks me.

I need to keep my eye out for the other missing person. Today's the second Tuesday of the month, and I'm hoping I'll make it home alive.

Science was my last class of the day, so we can finally go home.

I hurry to my locker. Let's see.... one, two, three, to the right. Stop at 27. One to the left, stop at 12. To the right, stop at 1.

After repeating my locker combination in my head, my lock snaps open. I take off my lock and hold it in my left hand as I open my locker with my right.

As I put my science textbook away, a piece of paper falls out of my locker. I bend down to pick up the paper, my chestnut brown hair hiding my face.

I flip my hair back as I open up the paper.

I gasp at what I see.

8:18pm. Just wait, Anna.

Just wait.

My eyes almost pop out of my head as I read the note multiple times.

"Boo!" I shriek as I feel someone suddenly grip my shoulders.

"Orange!" I scream as I turn around to find my friend, Katrina Campbell, though everyone calls her Orange because of her obsession with the color orange. Orange has brown hair with blond highlights that falls to her shoulders in loose curls. Of course, she's wearing an orange skater dress with white wedge sneakers. Her makeup is beautiful, yet casual.

"Did you write this?" I ask her after we hug, holding up the mysterious note.

"Maybe." Orange laughs. Orange has always been the type to joke around and prank people.

"Well thanks, you scared me," I sarcastically thank my friend.

"No problem," Orange responds.

I playfully slap Orange in the arm. "Come on, we have to go home," I say as I slip on my denim jacket over my purple top. The jacket barely reaches my knee-length white skirt. My pink converse stomp on the tile floor as I struggle to get my loaded backpack out of my small locker.

Orange and I walk of the school, talking and laughing.

"What did you think of the science test?" I ask at we're halfway to my house.

"Well, it was okay. It wasn't easy and it wasn't hard. I think the hardest question was-" Orange starts.

"That's not what I mean. What I meant was what did you think of the last question? Y'know.... About the thing...." I trail off, making hand gestures to lead Orange on.

"Oh, yeah. The question about the Basement. I thought it was weird. It kind of freaked me out," Orange explains as she gets a better grip on her orange backpack.

"Well. That question made me determined. I want to find out about this rumor and hopefully put it to rest," I say.

"You can never grasp the truth unless you scratch the lie," Orange says. Wow, that was deep.

"Okay, who are you and what have you done with Katrina?" I ask.

Orange laughs. "I'm right here. And never call me Katrina." Orange pretends to threaten me with a water bottle.

"Help!! Stranger danger!!" I scream, pointing to Orange like a little kid. We both burst into laughter.

We finally end up at the driveway of my house. "Do you want to stay the night?" I ask Orange as I fumble in my jacket pocket for my keys.

"Sure. I got nowhere better to go,"
Orange replies.

I unlock the door and we head inside. My mother greets us in the living room.

"Hi, girls," my mother says.

"Hi," I say as I put down my backpack on the sofa.

"Hi, Mrs. Kades," Orange greets my mother.

"Mom, can Orange stay the night?" I ask. Yes, even my mom calls Katrina by her nickname.

"Sure. Orange, is it alright with your parents?" my mom asks as she walks into the kitchen.

"They're always fine with me spending the night here," Orange explains.

"Mom, we have to work on our homework...." I say as I grab my purple backpack and start to drag Orange upstairs.

We walk into my room and I close the door.

Orange and I sit on my pink bed and open up our backpacks. We start on our math homework.

"What did you get for number seventeen?" Orange asks.

"Um.... Eight hundred eighteen," I answer.

Orange writes down the answer. After realizing what I said, she drops her pencil, stunned.

"What?" I ask, laughing.

"Eight hundred eighteen," Orange says. "8:18pm."

I laugh. "Oh, shut up." Yes, I know I was questioning myself on why I was joking about this stuff, but I did it joke about people dying. I was joking about the Basement.

We continue to work on our homework, occasionally taking breaks.

~~~~~

I put down my pencil, exhausted.

"Done!" I yell. Orange laughs.

"About time," she says.

"It's late, we should go and eat dinner," I say.

Orange and I shuffle down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"Hey, Anna, look." My mom motions for me to come to the television.

What I see and hear surprises me.

"Breaking news:

Karry Maybell, a student at Newberry High School, has been reported missing tonight at around 8:18pm. If you see this girl, please contact police."

That's my high school. We've never had a student at our high school gone missing.

This isn't a game anymore.

This is reality.

It always has been.

I just hadn't realized it until now.