I slept well. No weird dreams. My alarm didn't go off. I didn't fall off my bed and break my neck and die.. And the night felt long. I was well rested.
It was a like a summer morning, the sun creeps into your room, and onto your bed and gives you warmth. The brightness cues you to open your eyes and enjoy the delicious feeling of yawning... Or something like that.
I woke up that Tuesday morning, feeling great. I opened my eyes slowly, due to the bright light. When my eyes adjusted, I absentmindedly scanned the room, and noticed someone was sitting across from my bed, on a chair.
I sat up quickly, and observed that he was the same stranger from last night. He looked cleaner, not dangerous at all... Just like those modern serial killers, right?
There was something else. He just sat there, quietly, and stared. I reached for my phone, and when I didn't find it, I looked back at him. I decided to try to calm myself. If he wanted to hurt me, he'd have done it while I was asleep.
"Who are you?", I finally found courage to ask.
He lifted his eyebrows and looked at me for a second, then turned his face away to look at the window. I couldn't understand it. I felt a bit annoyed, forgetting the little fact that he was a stranger in my room or might've been dumb.
" Hey. Who are you? What are you doing here?"
He inhaled, closed his eyes and opened them again before turning in my direction, with eyes on the floor.
"Keiron"
As he said this, his eyes moved up to meet mine. I was forced to look away, but I was happy that at least he could talk.
"What do you want? How do you know me?"
"I don't", his answer fired shots in my brain.
" What do you mean you don't... "
"I need your help", he cut me short.
My mouth was open and I hadn't realised it. I scoffed. He looked disappointed. Before I could blink, he got up and started to climb out the window. I was dazed.
" W... What do you think you're doing? ", I rushed to the window, but he had jumped through.
He didn't turn back. He just kept walking. I stood at that window for a half hour, thinking about what had happened, before I gave up.
I noticed the stone on the table. Everything was weird, and overwhelming, just like the hunger I felt. I remembered I didn't have dinner.
Just then, I heard a car pull up outside. I guess Vincent didn't get the Memo. I came down to see Vincent seated in the living room. .
" Good morning", I said, with a smile.
"What are you wearing?", he asked as he looked me up and down.
" They're called pajamas. I don't have school today. But I would kill for breakfast right now"
He looked away, and sighed.
"I'll just get ready...."
"Don't worry about it. Tell me what you want and I'll get it for you", he said as he got up.
" Uhmm.. It's alright, I'll just have a quick..."
"I don't have the time", he said. His face straight.
I stared at him for a while. Then I just went up to my room to get ready. By the time I'd come down, he was gone. So I waited for him. Of course I was mad.
Soon, I heard his car pull up in front of the house. Vincent came in carrying a full bag. He ignored me, went into the kitchen, and set the bag down on the kitchen table.
I got in his way. He did nothing but just look down at me.
" what's this about?", I asked
"Monica, move", he said with a straight face.
" No. If it's about yesterday, I apologized already."
"I won't ask a third time. Move"
"No, you're mad and I know it's my fault, what happened. But I...", I trailed off as he bent forward and put me over his shoulder.
He carried me to the living room and set me down on a chair, then walked out. It was unexpected. I couldn't say anything. My stomach felt weird too, like butterflies.
I got into the kitchen and grabbed something from the bag, tossing it in the fridge after. After breakfast, I realised my plan to sleep all day that day, was epic fail. I had to make a new one.
So, I decided to try Shirley.
*******************
I looked back and forth, from my phone to the stone on the table. I tried it on in my room, it didn't hurt like it did while we were in the woods.
Shirley didn't pick up so i was done. I wasn't going to keep calling. I thought about Keiron. Then I remembered Vincent from earlier. I felt myself shudder at the memory.
Just then I felt a wave of cold air. I looked toward the window, there was no sign of rain. So I turned around to see Keiron there. He looked like hell again. His shirt was barely a shirt, and he had no shoes on.
" How did you.. When did you..."
"I need your help", his voice was deep, thick.
His eyes, they had a glow to them. They looked familiar. They made me remember. I'd seen them before, but I wasn't sure when.
Next thing I knew he was in front of me, his hand around my neck in a tight grip. I tried to pull his hand away but he was too strong.
Then he picked the stone and put it against my forehead. My hands felt weak and they let go. The pain was blinding just like before. My mouth was open but I couldn't scream.
There was a knock on the door. Keiron looked over his shoulder, and back at me. As soon as the door opened, he was at the door in a flash. I fell to the floor.
I witnessed a struggle between Vincent and Keiron, before Keiron almost broke a hole in the floor with Vincent's body. They moved unusually fast. Soon, Keiron was out the door, and I thought Vincent was dead. That's when I passed out.
***********""*
_That night, I stood with Shirley, a cup of vodka in my hand._ _ Everyone else was either drunk and unconscious, making out, or playing drinking games._ _Shirley had to get away from the noise to take a call. So I just waited._
_From behind the tree, I felt someone grab my arm, and pull me around to the back.__It was Liam.__He put a hand over my mouth to stop me from screaming. When I was calm he let go._
_"What, you turning serial killer now?", I joked_
_"Shut up, you wouldn't make my list. I need your help"_
_"What dyou need?"_
_According to Liam, Mira had an 'accident'._ _Her monthly gift had come early and she called him?_ _Why not call your minions right?_ _Anyway, he called me so... We walked till the entrance to a small rock or cave._
_Mira was sitting on a small rock. She_ _wasn't thrilled to see me. She_ _also_ _didn't have any stain. She probably wanted Liam to offer her a ride. If she'd known he didn't come with his car..._
_"Can I have your phone?", asked Mira as she reached out._
_"Sure", I handed it to her._
_"Is there a problem?", asked Liam as Mira turned on the torch on my phone and walked toward the cave._
_"Uhm.. I think I dropped my.. Whoa!", Mira said just before she dropped my phone._
_"I'm sorry. But it's really dark and neither of us have our phones so, we have to go and come back for it", she said innocently, yet I felt the sinister aura about her._
_Lucky for me, Liam had this little key chain light. It was better than nothing. He decided to help me look. Mira got frustrated and started walking back to the bonfire._
_As I walked into the cave, I tripped and fell. I felt a dull pain on my elbow. I suspected a minor cut or bruise._
_"Hey are you okay?", Liam called out as he pointed his little light in my direction._
_I looked up, and saw a pair of glowing eyes looking back at me from inside the cave. There was no outline of a face or body. It was weird that the light from the eyes couldn't brighten the face._
_"Did you find it", Liam asked as he came up to me._
_His light was reflected by my screen. So I picked up my phone and turned the light on, pointing it into the cave. But there was nothing there._
_I saw a beautiful stone on the floor of the cave. As I admired it.. I felt eyes on me again. Pointing my torch in that direction again revealed nothing. So I grabbed the stone and tried to get up quickly._
_But Liam was just behind me and I ran into him and we both fell, there was a rip sound. I don't even know how that happened, but I'd destroyed his front zipper._
_We finally got back to the party after so many 'I'm sorrys', and 'it's alright, it was an accident'. Mira and her pets marched out to us, drawing attention.__Of course she noticed my rough hair, and his zipper quite fast._
_"Oh my God. Were you two..", Mira trailed off._
_"What?.. Were we what?", asked Liam oblivious to what she was implying, and obviously feeling very conscious about all the attention on him with his zipper._
_"What?", I could not believe her. " No no.. That is not... This is not what it looks like", I protested._
_"It IS...it's exactly what it looks like", she pressed._
_I got agitated. We didn't need to explain ourselves to her. But I was embarassed at the fact that she was doing that, in front of everyone._
_"I was busy trying to find my phone which.. You dropped, by the way. Or maybe that skipped your..", I was cut short._
_"Of course. Just as you were busy with all the other guys? Boy, you must be the busy bee huh", she teased._
_"What? He needed my help with..", but I was cut again._
_"I see you've been a really big help", she said, laying emphasis on Liam's zipper._
_" Wow, I guess Christmas is early for the guys, the helper bee is here to..'help'', she said finally with a light chuckle before she turned around and walked away._
_I was speechless. I received glares from many horny guys. That's when I turned around and I noticed Liam was gone._
_I had to walk away from the group. I felt dirty. I found Shirley and asked for a ride home which she was happy to give._
_I told her about what happened. We both thought 'helper bee' was a very unclever attempt at an insult. We were so wrong._
_At least I had the stone. It wasn't a jewel. But it was pretty, with markings on it. Shirley didn't think so, but for me, it was like finding treasure._