Secrets in the Shadows: Chapter Four

Haeley Gibbs

I was on the ground, my elbow bleeding. “I can’t let you fight off all my friends just because you like me!” I screamed at him. He wasn’t listening to a word I said. It was as if he was wearing earmuffs. “You don’t understand!” he responded, his anger rising like a volcano.

I tried to get up, but he kicked me down. This time, my head hit a sharp rock. Pain surrounded me, a pitch blackness clouding my vision. No, this was not how it ended! I had to make sure Katie got home safely! I fought the urge to close my eyes.

Suddenly, Michael was kneeling down beside me, smiling. He was overjoyed by the prospect of me being in pain. “You won’t feel a thing after this,” he muttered. Then, my vision went completely black as a pain went up my neck. There was no white light, but I didn’t dare wake up.

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Soon, I was being lifted. My skin slightly burned, but not too much. I could feel Michael’s rough hands holding me. What did he do to me? All I could do was lie limp in his arms. I didn’t hear anything. Suddenly, I was dropped. Scared, I shot my eyes open and looked around.

“Good morning, sunshine!” said a voice. My neck burned like fire! “What did you do?” I asked, fighting the pain in my whole body. He chuckled nervously. “I may or may not have bit you…” Shock swarmed my brain. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” He smiled worriedly.

That explained the pain! I quickly got up and looked at my surroundings. It was no longer night, so I had a better vision of things. It felt like there were bees in my head. I crouched, trying to shake them away before I collapsed. “I meant to kill you, so when it backfired, it also exerted the pain with it.” He rubbed his hand behind his neck.

I scowled under my breath. Once he turned around to look at a pretty blue flower patch, I ran towards the sound of a frog jumping to and fro. Frogs hung around water, so I thought it would be my best bet. Turned out, it was just a puddle of rainwater.

I glanced around fast. I wanted to be as far away as possible. My skin tingled, and I realized I was standing in a ray of sunlight. I was glowing! I nearly forgot I was forever immortal. The river could be anywhere. I looked where the sun shone the most.

“I hope that’s my exit!” I told myself excitedly. I ran as fast as I could, gasping for air, my legs burning. I ran so much in the past two days. Soon, I neared the grocery store near the town. Nobody was around.

I walked around to the side of the building. Cars were driving slowly, getting closer to the stop sign on the corner of the street. “So how’s life?” a voice asked from behind me. I jerked around to see Michael leaning against the wall.

“What do you want now?” I mumbled, sounding like a toddler. He laughed. “You act younger than you look.” he said as if he could read my mind. I crossed my arms with my most serious face. “Is that better?” I questioned, trying my best not to smirk.

I’d grown too close to this boy. It didn’t change the fact that I was pretty short compared to him. “It’s hard not to love you.” I said, turning around to face the bustling street. I could see his smile from behind. “So do you love me?” he asked.

My mind went back to the time I first met him. I didn’t know what to say. “Well, you’ve killed off most of my friends. If thinking of you as a psycho is a sign of love, then yes. Yes I do.” I responded, smiling and blushing. He grabbed my shoulder gently and turned my face towards his.

“Have you ever had a first kiss?” I shook my head, already knowing what his next move was. I pulled away. “I’m still mad at you.” I said, stepping back. A sliver of sun shone on my arm, almost healing my scabbed elbow.

His smile faded and turned into a frown. “I thought you trusted me now,” he muttered. I shook my head. “You killed my friends. If I could really predict the future, then I would say we should meet later on.” I explained. I could already tell this relationship wouldn’t end well.

“When I was in middle school, a boy broke my heart. I really loved him, but he had moved on. He had the same name as you.” I continued. That’s when it hit me. “Wait a minute! That’s you!” I yelped. I looked him in the eye. I wouldn’t make that same mistake again.