I finally moved out of bed and got dressed for the very very long day ahead of me. I zombie walked down the stairs and outside. The sun was shining bright in my face when I walked out even though it was only 6 am. It reminded me of how much Ali loved being outside.
I looked at the list my dad so generously created for me and I collapsed with exhaustion. There was a year long worth of chores on that list. I couldn't even look at it. "Girl, if you don't get your butt off that ground. The cows won't milk themselves." My dad yelled through the window. "Well we could always trade milk for burgers!" I laughed. "I'm gonna pretend that I didn't hear that. Didn't Alice love the farm? She would always offer to help when we were out here working."
"Alright dad, I'm goin!" I yelled back at him. I slugged off to the barn where the horses were kept. "Good morning cows! Who wants to get milked? Can I get a moo moo?" You know that sound when you've just said a joke that you thought was haliarious but no one else laughed, yeah me too.
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Hour after hour I finally started to see progress on the list. I have a stategy to get everything done in one section before moving on to the next. Makes me actually feel like I've accomplished somethin. By the time I got almost through the list the sun was starting to go down.
I was exhausted, starving, and stinky. I hadn't eaten a single thing the whole damn day and my arms and legd felt like suitcases full of rocks. i was basically crawling when I got back into the house. The lights were off so the only lighting was from the faint glow of the last remaining sun rays.
I finally got the strength to stand up and go upstairs to my room. There was a note taped to my door, most likely from dad explaing why he wasn't here. I was to tired to be bothered to grabthe note let along read it.
I stripped in my room and went to take a bath. As the water ran I finally picked up the note and read it. "Buttercup, I have to leave because of work. There's a chance for me to get a promotion so I had to leave quickly. I'll be gone for a few days, but don't take this as a chance to go get yourself in trouble. I want you to finish every single task on that list. I will be checking when I get back! Love dad." Great.
Don't get me wrong, it's not like I don't like staying in the house, all by myself, miles away from any other civilians. Usually I would invite Ali over to keep me more than company but ya know. So instead I just got into the bath. I love baths, they're just so relaxing. Ali liked to get in with me when she stayed over. She used to laugh when I blushed.
After warm and toasty bath I put on my favorite pair of pajama pants and jumped into bed. My mom hated when I didn't wear a shirt. She always said it was unlady-like to have my elements hanging out and blah blah blah. I always tuned her out at that point. But luckily my dad doesn't give a shit, he tries his hardest to not come in my room anyway.
I grabbed my sketch book and switched on my tv. I switched over Netflix and turned on Legacies. I flipped open my sketch book and studied my latest drawing. I was in the middle of sketching Hope Michaelson aka Danielle Rose Russell, my all time favorite actress. A couple of hours passed and it was almost 1 am by the time I finally finished the sketch. I carefully tore it out of my sketchbook and put it into the frame I had prepared for it. I always framed all of my favorite sketches and hung them on my wall. Ali loved to admire them up close, like she could see me putting hours into them.
I went downstairs to grab some commander strips to hang the picture, when the lights shut off. "Hello? Dad is that you? I thought you were gonna be gone for a couple of days." I called out. I listened waiting for something to break the silence all around. When I heard nothing I tried the lights. Nothing. "You've got to be kidding me! This is what happens when you live in the freakin middle of nowhere!"
I grabbed a lantern from under the cabinate and went back up to my room. Tried the lights, nothing. I decided it would be wiser to check electricity box in the morning rather than right then and there. I moved my sketching tools off of my bed and got all wrapped up in my blankets.
Tick. Tick. Tick. I awoke to the sound of something hitting my window. I checked my clock, 3 am. I crawled out of bed and opened my window. I looked down and saw Ali waving and smiling at me from below. I rubbed my eyes making sure that I wan't hallucinating. But I wasn't, there she was standing right there. I took off out of my room and down the stairs. I ran out of the door not bothering to close it back. I ran around the side of the house where she was standing. I ran towards her so fast with my arms open but then she disappeared.
"Ali? Ali?! ALLLIIII?!?!?!?" I yelled out into the night. I looked up at my window in shock. "She was right here. How cou-" A sound interrupted my outloud thinking. I turned around slowly and looked behind me. I saw Ali again but this time she was being pulled away from me. She was wrapped in what looked like a cocoon.
She was reaching out to me screaming but the thing covered her mouth and silenced her screams. I sprinted towards her but dark smokey tentacals started to grab me. I stopped, all I could do was watch her be taken away from me. "Ryan!" Her scream snapped me back into action. I took off back to the house trying to think of a way to save her. I ran inside trying to find what ever I could to help but I couldn't see squat. "God damnit!" I yelled.
I sprinted up the stairs and into my room. I grabbed the lantern, and the lighter I kept hidden in my sock drawer, don't ask. I jumped down the stairs taking the four at a time. I got back outside and I couldn't see Ali anymore because of the large cloud of dark smoke surrounding her. "ALI!! CAN YOU HERE ME?" I yelled out to the cloud. I listened, waiting for anything a shout a scream, just anything. "Ryan, help." I heard faintly. But suddenly the cloud dispersed and she was gone.
"I'M GONNA FIND YOU ALI! I PROMISE!"
