Running my hands through my hair, I let out a sigh and walked to her. But she took steps back right after each step I took towards her. "We need to talk." Scoffing, she nodded for a moment and glared at me laughing.

  "Talk? You're right! We need to talk," she muttered. I bit my lips and turned to her with a melancholy look in my eyes. Slowly, I marched to her and sighed.

"I just found out from Tricia. You should have told me-"

  "And then what? You'll become the best friend and let him go? It's obvious you like him too. You won't do that!" Looking away for a second, I couldn't believe what I was hearing from her. Was it obvious? Have I really fallen for him too?

  Grabbing her bag from her locker, she banged the door and forced a smile on her face. "How would you understand me? After all, you think the world revolves around you. Everyone likes you. It's difficult to mingle with the others because you're the center of attraction," Kate argued while dumping a pile of papers from her bag on to the table.

  Confusion lurked through my eyes as I traced her swift movements. Turning to the pile of papers on the table, I saw countless bank account withdrawals on the table. On each of them, the number gradually reduced to the lowest amount. As I sank my eyes deeper into the papers, I saw the last withdrawal at today

  "What are these?" Sighing, she raised one with her left hand and plastered it in the air for me to see everything perfectly.

"Those are yours right? I wonder how everyone's going to take this if they find out you're penniless. Do you know how much I try to fit in the crowd? Everything was alright until you came back. People started to notice me. No one bullied me for being poor, but everything ended after you came back!"

  Holding back my tears, I looked up into her eyes with a mixture of emotions. "You can't do that. I have nothing to do with you being bullied. We all took you as a good friend-"

  "-friend? It's true. I got other friends because I became your friend. But you never actually minded me after meeting Tricia and Jess. I'm just like a passing wind. How many times do you look for me in a week? Day? Do you even know my full name?"

  Lowering my eyes, I realized she was right. "Kate-"

  "It's Cooper. Kate Cooper. I only got noticed when you left. But as soon as you came back, Tricia and Jess do not interact with me much.

  You don't have to lie to me. I saw you kissing him at the school garden yesterday. You know I live quite close to the school."

  Swallowing a gulp in my throat, my head jerked up in desperation. With a heave of sigh, I pursed my lips. "I'm sorry. I didn't know-"

  "-you don't have to apologize. It's my fault for expecting so much from my first friend!" Throwing her bag over her shoulder, she turned around and started walking out through the main exit. Breathing heavily, I grabbed my bag and run after her.

  "Wait," I alluded while chasing after her. Standing at the exit of Beverly Hills, I wondered what had become of our friendship. Clinging to my chest from the run, I hung on to the wall throwing my eyes around. But I didn't find her no matter how much I searched the exit.

  I ran back inside to pack my books. I heard weird noises coming from the principal's office. Petrified from yesterday's encounter, I didn't bother to check. I quickly took my phone from the table and run out. I stopped by the main exit when a beep from my phone lurked through my ears.

Lowering my head, I unlocked the phone and saw a message from the manager of the City Mall. "You have a night shift. Miss this and lose your employment to someone."

  As I adjusted my boots with my left hand, I jumped down the stairs and looked around again for the last time. Sighing, I realized that she had left for good.

  With a sigh, I stepped down the stairs and walked to the bus station. I grabbed a seat under the bench and crossed my arms deep in thoughts. I couldn't help myself from remembering whatever she just said to me a few minutes back.

  From the honks of the approaching bus, those standing by me hurriedly surrounded the bus waiting for those exiting the bus to do so. After they stepped out, the boarders started climbing the bus. In no time, the last girl flipped her card on the barcode reader and took a seat at the far end before the bus took off.

  I bit my lip and took out my phone to check for any other message. Seeing a missed call from Nathan, I turned it off and gazed around for the next bus. After almost ten minutes, I saw another bus moving towards where I sat. Two girls were waiting with me at the station. When the bus stopped, I got up and dropped my phone in my bag before boarding the bus

  As I moved to sit down, I took a seat by the window and looked out while the bus took off. The night's cold breeze made me feel better after I rolled the glass backwards. For a few minutes, the bus drove until we got to the City Mall.

  I grabbed my bag from the seat and marched to the mall. The glass rolled as I stepped forward. Bowing to the counter, I saw that man from earlier. Immediately he saw me, he ignored my greeting and stepped out leaving the keys with me.

  I took a quick glimpse of the mall and smiled lightly seeing the sparking lights display on the streets. My eyes traced out as a customer walked in with a clink on the door.

  "Welcome to City Mall!" I exclaimed greeting the young man who walked in. He was my first customer after all. With a nod, he walked for a trolley and started shopping. I watched him diligently from the CCTV footage right by the counter. He stopped by me in no time and placed three packs of antibiotics.

  Passing it over the barcode reader, I turned to him with a customer service smile. "That'll be twenty bucks." He nodded and walked out after paying me.

  I dropped my hands beside me as no one entered for like two hours. Sighing, I remembered Kate's last words to me today. Everything was a mess now. I can't believe I'm now a suspect for murder too. I don't even know how my mother died and what secrets she hid from me.

  At this moment in my life, I wished she was here. My eyes sprang up when my phone beeped with a call. Seeing the unknown number, I was hesitant to pick. Lowering it slowly over my ear, I said. "Hello?" A snappy voice answered me as soon as I picked.

  "Come to the police station, Miss Morrison. We have a few questions under Amy Sparks death." I cut the call quickly and dumped my dead battery phone in my bag as the next shifter walked in. I gave her the keys and stepped out holding my tears.

As I stepped out with watery eyes, the lights went off and the raindrops began falling from the skies. With each passing minute I thought it would cool down but there was a heavy downpour.

  I sighed and stepped down slowly on the staircase before running home. A shiver run down my spine when cold air brushed off my body. I was still hoping to see Kate on the way since we were neighbors.

Just when I got to the bus stop, I heard a similar voice similar to that of Kate's. "Kate, are you there?" I asked, but received no answer.

  The winds got stronger almost carrying me backwards. I grabbed hold on a street light pole near the bus stop. I covered my face with my free hand to peep at what was going on. Suddenly, an adult figure stood in front of me.

I managed to yell, "Kate, is that you? We need to talk." The figure just stood there laughing in a mocking way. "It's not funny. We have to settle this."

But she still laughs. I found this quite amusing and confusing so I gauged closer. Looking back properly, I was surprised to see a man instead with red eyes similar to the one in my dreams. He had a broad built body and pointed teeth which sprouted out of his mouth wearing a black hoodie.

"Wait a minute....Kate doesn't look like this," I guessed trying to move backwards. But it was too late to make a move.

I hit something while moving back. Turning back with trembling eyes, I saw a young girl I remembered from my school. Her eyes were dull and her mouth oozed with blood. Moving back to that man, I cried. "What did you do to her?" I demanded while searching for a place to seek refuge.

  When I started running, he swiftly met me at the end and stood in front of me moving around me in circles with top speed giving me the creeps.

 Before giving me the chance to turn around, the man grabbed me by my arm and threw with intense strength towards the pole, causing the lights to go off. I fell hard in the floor before hitting my head on the pole.

 My head began to split and hurts so much from the hit. My eyes started to  blur and made me dizzy. "Who a-are y-you?" I stammered while raising my head slowly. My body though felt numb.

"Who are, you?" I managed to ask. But he held head all of a sudden to  admire my face. "Such a pretty face. Where are the items?" I turned my head away in disgust.

  "I don't know about any items! Leave me alone." With a sigh, he got up and signaled the girl to leave. "You humans are really annoying. That girl was so persistent before she died. What was her name, Amy Sparks, just like your mom too." I muttered in a low voice,"What did you do to my mom? Were you the one that killed her?!"

He shook his head with a chuckle. "We were good acquaintances. Never mind. That isn't the reason I came here for. I want the items!" he screamed wiping a trickle of blood from my cut arm.

 He licked it as his dilated eyes rolled, deepening into red. His carnissal teeth clenched out and made his true face show up. He yelled as if being stabbed while I laid on the floor, trembling with fear. Was that my end? I would be a feast for a vampire.

   My breathing rate increased drastically. I gathered my strength left to press the danger button in the device Max gave me.

 Just after activating it, a figure swiftly stood in front of the vampire aiming an arrow at him. When I opened my eyes slowly, I saw Max fighting with him fiercely as they chased each other on the streets.

  I heard both of them screaming at each other, disappearing and appearing in front of each other as if they knew how to protect themselves from each other's tactics.

Max tried to punch him with unimaginable force but he dodged, grabbing his arm. They did this continuously and hurt each other. But they never gave up. The assassin winced, "Max!"

The atmosphere became cloudy and congeal with their last attack, pushing them away from each other with immense force.

  I felt someone hands on my body raising me up. "Everything's alright," Max assured after running away from the streets within the shortest possible. Tapping his feet on the grass as fast as bolt, he escaped with me.  Was I imagining the impossible? I thought delusionally.

  Running in the rain, he moved with a sudden swiftness and stopped at the cottage.

       Comment 🌸Vote 🌸 Share