Don't Be Afraid

Chapter Four

EDITED!!!!! ;)

Chapter Four

The rest of the school day was almost over; it was just five minutes until the bell would ring. I slump in my chair not really paying attention to the Algebra 2 teacher. She was yapping on about imaginary numbers and useless stuff' like that. I was doing find daydreaming until I feel something hit my back. I ignore it; it’s probably someone giving me a written death threat.

“Psst!” I hear someone whisper-yell. Again I ignore it. I felt a forceful tap on my shoulder. I was really starting to get annoyed.

“Athena!” Someone whisper-yells again.

“WHAT!” I yell while whipping my head around. It was the infamous Emery, of course.

“Miss. Marx is there a problem?” The teacher asks. Everyone one in the class was staring at me, smirking of course with the occasional glare of some students.

“No, Mrs. Nole.” I say slumping in my chair staring at the fibers of my desk. She got back to talking about tonight’s homework; thank god she didn’t integrate me more.

“Athena!” He whispers.

“What do you want?” I say through clench teeth.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because I said so. Now if you would please stop pestering me so I could get back to pretending to listen to Mrs. Nole, I would be the happiest women alive.” I say fake smiling. I’ve known this kid for less than twenty-four hours and he was already starting to annoy me.

He frowns. “Can you please just let me ask you the question?” I sigh. “I’m not going to answer it.”

“Okay,” He says smiling a little. “So I was wondering if you wanted to go out on Saturday night?” He finished.

I was shocked that he asks me. This kid that I only known for a few hours is asking me out on a date.

“I’m sorry I have plans.” I lie. He frowns a little.

“With who?” He asks curiously. I roll me eyes. Nosey, much?

“Not you.” Was all I said. Then the bell rung I got out of my seat and ran out of the door but not before I was trampled by twenty kids first. I guess the expression saved by the bell really does apply to real life.

I was at my locker getting my book bag when I close my locker and Kyle was right behind it staring at me. I jump a little in surprise, while dropping my books in the process.

“Jesus Christ, Kyle! Why did you have to scary me like that?” I yell. He just smiles and laughs.

“I didn’t mean to scare you but you deserve it for ditching me at lunch. Why did you ditch me in the first place?” He says kind of pissed. Oops, that whole conversation Jesse and I had taken up the whole lunch period. Throughout the whole conversation, I did not once think about Kyle.

“Look, I’m sorry. I…uh…had to…go…uh…pee.” It sounds more like a question then an answer. Then I realize what I had said. Really Athena? The best excuse you could come up with was peeing?

“You took a whole half hour of lunch going pee?” He asks while raising up one eyebrow.

“Um, well I drunk a lot of fluids this morning and I was holding it in all last night.” I say. Kyle just rolls his eyes and mutters a ‘whatever’ than left. I mentally sigh in relief. That was probably one of the worst excuses I have ever came up with.

***

When I got home from school, I was really bored. Miles and Mom weren’t back yet because Miles had soccer practice until late. It was the perfect time to invite your friends over or your boyfriend to hang out, but unforchantly I had neither so I was stuck doing nothing. I thought about doing my homework for once, the thought made me laugh. I decided to destroy the sketch I made earlier today.

I walk over to the fire place and set it up. I get the drawing out of my backpack and take one last look at it. The picture itself was scary; the demons eyes were filled with hatred and pain. He had an evil smirk on his face. You could practically see the red aurora around him even though there was no color to the drawing, just the pencil I used it to draw it with. I thought back to what Emery said about the horns not being shaped right. How did he know? I might just of imagined him saying it, so I shrug it off.

I crumple the paper in a ball and throw it into the fire. For a second the fire got bigger and brighter and made a crackling noise. It startled me, that has never happened before. The fire instantly died out after that. That also never happened before.

I walk over to the fire place that was now spitting out smoke. I wave it out of my face and cough. A few minutes later the smoke clears up and now I have full view of the fireplace. “What the hell?” I scream. I look in there and fall back on my back and hit my head in while doing it.

My head hurts for a few second but I get back up making sure I hadn’t just imagined it. I look at again. The picture was totally unfazed, showing no signs of being burned. It was fully intacted.

I pick up the drawing, nothing was different. It looked like there was nothing done to it. The Demon’s smirk seemed to get wider and more sharp teeth were showing. I scan my eyes over it again but they stopped at one thing. In big, black, bold letters there stood out a message and it read: YOU CAN’T GET RID OF ME THAT EASILY. I cover my mouth in shock and pass out.

***

I woke up and my head was throbbing in pain. I get up off the floor and look at the time, I groan. It was eight; I’ve been out for five hours. I look down and see the picture, and then the events leading up to me passing out came back.

I step away from the picture hastily, wanting to get as far away from it as I can. It was I good thing Mom and Miles weren’t home yet.

I run into the kitchen and search though the drawers. I find a pair of tongs and run into the living run. I pick up the picture with the tongs and run up stairs into my room. I open the drawer in my desk, empty all its contents, put the picture in it, and close it. I get my black tape of the desk and mark an X on the drawer.

I get back up and sigh in relief, now that that’s over. Then I hear the front door opening along with the sound of two voices. Mom and Miles are home.

I go back down stairs get something to eat.

“Hey honey, how was school?” My mom asks.

“Um… it was fine. The same as usual.” Usual as in being called names and people telling me to go die. Mom looks at my face and gives me a worried glance.

“Athena, are you okay? You look like you seen a ghost.” Wow mom, very punny.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I grab some yogurt out of the fridge “I’m just going to head off to bed. Goodnight.” Then I run upstairs before she could say anything else.

***

I just needed sleep I tell myself. But that is definitely not going to happen. The nightmare would come and I would just wake up screaming.

I just couldn’t get the picture out of my head. Every time I close my eyes, I would see the demons ugly face. Every time it sent shivers down my spine. Every time why Emery said the horns were shaped wrong.