"Bye mom! I'll be back by 6."

"Six?" Dan was just about to leave out the door when his mother walked out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a dish towel. "Why are you going to be late?"

"Ah... just going to get snacks with my friends after school..."

"Hm... okay. Be careful. Call if you want me to pick you up."

"Okay mom! See you later!"

Dan let out a sigh once he was outside the house relieved that his mother didn't catch on to his lie. He joined his friend Jada who was waiting for him on the curb. She was this dark skinned, brown haired girl with an unhealthy obsession with purple, as seen by the way her shirt, spectacles, shoes and bag were of that same colour.

"Did she buy it?" She asked bumping him with her shoulder.

"Well hello to you too! But yes she bought it. I'm free to come with yáll"

"Awesome!"

They reached school in record time and met up with the rest of their friends Matt and Becca.

"Dan! My man!" Matt called out trapping him in a friendly headlock making the beanie he had on fall to the ground.

"Hey Matt" Dan pushed his arm away and picked up his beanie. Although he looked and liked to act like a stereotypical jock, Matt was a good guy.

"So are you all ready? It's gonna be epic!"

"Sure sure. It's gonna be epic blah blah. Can we just please go to class now? We'll anyway be meeting after school today, and I really can't afford to miss Mr. Parker's lesson." That comment came from Becca who was rolling her eyes at their antics while struggling to contain her smile.

They all laughed and started to go their separate ways.

It was then did Dan feel someone staring at him. He whirled around to find himself making eye contact with Caleb from across the hall. Caleb was this loner type kid who never interacted with anyone. Dan didn't share any classes with him, but whenever he saw Caleb, the latter always seemed to be alone. There were students milling about around them but Dan couldn't break the gaze until someone appeared in his view asking a question. It took Dan a second to get his bearings but when he finally did and turned back to look, Caleb had disappeared.

~~~~~~

"So whose great idea was it to explore an abandoned building?"

They were standing outside an abandoned house on the outskirts of town.

"Well, it was your idea in the first place Becca." Jada raised an eyebrow at her. "But it's only been abandoned for 5 years, so really, it's not that old."

"I didn't show you a video because I actually wanted to find an abandoned building to explore. It's fine now anyway. Let's explore the garden. We don't have much time today."

Dan stood staring at the house while Matt and Becca left to explore the back yard and Jada went towards a swing in the corner of the garden. No one knew exactly why this house and the rest of the houses that used to be on this street were abandoned, or why this house was the only one that wasn't demolished. Some said it was due to an issue in the land. Others believed it was because of an old folk tale that implied that this street was once a graveyard. Whatever the reason, this abandoned house was now a prime spot for teenagers to explore. The stories that were told about the place were so far-fetched that nobody believed them. The only reason they lied to their parents about their whereabouts was because of the thick woods that lay close to this house, as no parent wanted their child to wander towards the forest when it begun to get dark.

Dan was brought out of his thoughts when Jada called his name, waving a hand in the air from where she sat on the swing. He gave a small huff and had just about reached her when he heard a sound. He strained to hear what it was.

Jada noticing his pause started, "Hey... what's-?"

"-shush..." Dan cut her off. The more he listened the more clear the sound became. It almost sounded like a... wail? Someone was crying loudly. Just as he turned towards the sound it cut off.

"Hey, what's the matter?" Jada's voice of concern reached his ears. She put a hand on his arm once again bringing him out of his head.

"Nothing!" His response was a little too quick, "Just thought I heard something. No big deal."

"...if you say so." She didn't sound convinced but didn't push him further, which he appreciated.

They spent the rest of the time talking about random topics until the other pair joined them and it was time to go home.

"So, same thing tomorrow?" Matt asked the group while walking back home. "If we stay for longer we can definitely cover the house."

They planned to stay until 8.00 pm the next day to explore the house and went their separate ways. Dan reached home and went through his normal routine until he collapsed face first on his bed, exhausted from the day's events. All the while he hadn't stopped thinking about the voice he heard in the garden.

~~~~~~

"God, I'm exhausted" Dan yawned as he walked with Matt to his next class. He kept waking up from dreams of which he couldn't recall details about.

"Dude, did yesterday wear you out that much?"

"Nah. Just weird dreams." He absent mindedly replied to Matt while itching at a spot on his inner arm. It had been itching randomly for a few days.

Matt hummed at his response. "What did you tell you mom today by the way?"

"Told her we're watching a movie at your house and that we'll be late." He looked up to see a tabby kitten grooming itself in the middle of the hallway. "Hey Matt, Who do you reckon brought that cat to school?"

Matt looked up from his phone brows furrowed. "What cat?"

Dan turned back to the hallway to find that the cat had disappeared. 'Did I imagine it?'

Before he could contemplate more he was hit with a strange sense of déjà vu. He turned around and there was Caleb, staring right at him. This time Dan turned back around walking as fast as he could in the opposite direction. Away from Caleb and away from Matt who stared at him, startled by his sudden actions.

~~~~~~

Dan was trying his very best to avoid Matt and the others. He didn't have any excuse to give for his weird behaviour. Which led to him browsing through documents in what seemed to be a study while the rest of the group were lounging in the living room.

He scratched at the itch that had seemingly migrated to his bicep. His eyes caught on something on the table. It was a purple scrunchie. From the colour to the bow with white sparkles, it looked eerily similar to the one he gifted to Jada for her birthday. Dan was sure Jada hadn't been in this room before him. He was about to pick it up when a loud wail sounded through the room. He clutched at his head to stop the assault on his eardrums but it cut off just as soon as it started. Dan ran out of the room and into the living room, his heart beating at a rapid pace. One look at his face had the others standing up in concern. He stumbled into them, voice frantic as he ushered them out of the house. The others made no indication of having heard that awful sound.

"We're not coming here again. Ever." He said once they were outside staring at each of them, daring them to oppose him. The others shared a look but said nothing. He breathed a sigh of relief. But Dan could not be completely relaxed. He was certain now. He was being haunted.

~~~~~~

The next week passed without incident, if you could disregard the nightmares and the voices. His only solace was the tabby cat who followed him everywhere at school. During breaks he would play with the cat in the janitor's closet, the only time when the voices would stop bothering him. Dan appreciated his friends giving him space after the first few times he avoided them. He sighed, leaning his head on the wall behind him.

'Oh come on, do you think they stopped talking to you out of consideration? They simply got tired of your baggage.'

"Shut up." He muttered as he closed his eyes. The voices were becoming increasingly harder to ignore. Becoming more and more regular to the point where he couldn't distinguish them from his own thoughts.

He had to do something about this. He had to go back.

~~~~~~

Dan stood in front of the abandoned house clutching a backpack. It was a Saturday. His mom had gone to visit her sister after he told her that he would spend the day and have a sleepover at Matt's house. They've done it enough times now for his mom to believe him. He felt bad about lying to her, but he didn't want to be interrupted.

He took a deep breath and was about to push open the gate when he saw something in the corner of his eye. Something purple. His hands tightened on the straps.

"Jada." He tried to keep his voice level, "What are you doing here?" He knew she could hear him. 'See even your friends hide from you now.'

She came out from where she was hiding, wringing her hands.

"Look, before you say anything, I was just worried. I didn't want you to be alone."

Dan let out a sound of frustration, pinching the bridge of his nose.

'See not even your friends trust you. She definitely thinks you're useless'

"Okay. Okay, come on then." It almost soothed him to see the smile on her face. Almost.

~~~~~~

Dan was once again rifling through stuff in the study looking for anything that might explain while he might be haunted. The room was littered with various knick knacks which definitely were not there the last time they visited. The more tried to clean it up, the messier and more cluttered the place became. 'Useless, can't even clean a room properly.'

His frustration grew until he swiped his hand across the desk sending everything to the ground, no sound of it hitting the floor. The place was eerily silent. He could feel a bead of sweat roll down his neck. The sound of wind flowing past him was sudden, but no window or door was open. He had to get out of here. 'Run. Cause that's all you can do.'

He climbed up the stairs. He heard a scream coming from somewhere behind him. He ran through the hallway frantically searching for Jada. He had to find her and get out of here. He frantically called her name, finally finding her standing on the balcony holding on to the railing.

"Jada, Jada we have to go! I- I can't-", 'Why are you being so useless, can't even form a sentence properly.' He clutched at his head, sinking to the ground. He barely saw her as she slowly knelt in front of him to not startle him, putting her hands on his shoulders, her touch grounding.

"Okay. Just breathe okay..." He held on to Jada as she whispered to him, slowly calming him down.

~~~~~~

Jada ended up taking Dan home. She sat him on the couch and handed him a glass of water. He could barely hear what she was saying over the ringing in his own head. She stepped out of the room to take a call. He felt something on his knee, he looked down to find the tabby cat from school looking up at him with bright eyes. He was petting her when the lights in the room went out. He sat unfazed as Jada cursed from the other room. She brought a lit candle and places it on the coffee table. He felt her hand on his shoulder but he was too entranced by the purring cat to be bothered. Strangely she didn't question him about it before leaving.

He felt a vibration in his pocket. It was a text from mom, saying she'd be home soon. He put the phone back and went to his patting, but the cat had disappeared. He stood up, looking around the room. 'Where did it go?'

He turned back around, and the cat was there on the coffee table, near the candle. 'Catch it. Don't let it go. Catch it.' The voiced seemed to whisper. He reached out but at the last moment it jumped and his hand hit the candle sending it crashing onto the carpet. He just stood there entranced by the flames flickering on the carpet. He stared even as the flames spread and grew. 'Touch it,' the voices goaded him, he reached a hand out but before that could happen he slipped on some loose paper falling on the ground. He struggled to his feet. The light was too bright. He stumbled backwards. A person was standing next to him. Caleb. 'How did he-?'

A flicker of doubt began to grow in his mind. There was no way Caleb could be here. His vision became foggy and he started to cough, inhaling smoke. He had to get out of there but the only thing he could see clearly was Caleb. When Caleb turned and left Dan followed until he was safely outside. He was coughing, sweating and was covered in ash and soot, and it felt as if he had stepped out of an inferno. He saw Jada running towards him and heard the sirens in the distance. Caleb was standing in front of him, looking down on where Dan had fallen onto the curb. They made eye contact.

"Who are you? Are you even real?"

Caleb gave no response, just a small flicker of a smile. He turned around and walked back towards the burning house.

~~~~~~

Dan woke up disoriented to the blurry faces of his mother and Jada over him. He struggled to sit up. His back hurt and his mouth tasted like ash.

"What happened?" His voice was weak as he tried to get his bearings. His memory came back to him in flashes. The abandoned house, the cat, the voices and Caleb.

"-in a fire Dan. But don't worry you're fine now." He heard his mom say. She was sitting next to him, one hand on his back and the other holding his tightly. Jada was standing next to him, brows furrowed in concern.

"Is Caleb okay? And- and the cat..." He trailed off. It hurt to think.

Mom and Jada exchanged a look. "Sweetie, Jada called me when she brought you home... I- There's no cat sweetie. And who's Caleb?" His mom's voice was gentle as she spoke. Her thumb was rubbing circles on the back of his hand in a soothing manner.

"Caleb?" 'Stop talking, do you want them to think that you're crazy?' The voices taunted him. "He's from school. He went back into the house."

"Dan, there's no one called Caleb in our school." Jada's voice was soft as well. They were talking to him like he was made of broken glass, which should've annoyed him, but he didn't care at this point.

"Sweetie... are you okay?"

'Lie to them! You don't want them to throw you in the loony bin do you?'

It took all his effort to ignore the voices in his head. "No mom, I- I don't think I am." His lips trembled and his sight became blurry again. "I think I need help."

His mom responded by pulling him into a hug. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, closing his eyes and let out a shuddering breath. He wasn't fine, but for now it was okay.

~~~~~~

Hey guys! Hope you enjoyed reading this story... I'm no expert (not even close to being one) on mental health, so I apologize for any mistake I made while writing this story. 

I wrote this for a competition, which is why the ending was rushed and as I had a word count to adhere to. ( I may at one point edit this, but I'm not sure about it)

That being said, constructive criticism is always appreciated so be sure to leave any that you have in the comments

<3