"The feeling of warmth and shakiness and emptiness fluttering all at the same time. It was so... odd."
Grace Knightwood never liked to follow rules.
Especially when one of her best friends has just gone missing and the sheriff has forbidden her and...
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The storm outside Mike's house was wild.
There was thunder and thick rain and honestly, it seemed like it would never stop. The group crowded around the small girl, who was sitting on the sofa in Mike's basement. Mike had given her his jacket, despite it being slightly too big for her.
"Is there a number we can call for your parents?"Mike questioned.
"Where's your hair? Do you have cancer?" Dustin asked, prompting Grace to give him a 'shut up' look.
"Did you run away?" Lucas inquired. Grace was worried for the girl. She looked so innocent. "Are you alright? Are you in trouble with someone? God, you must be freezing!"
Lucas noticed a smeared red patch on her vibrant yellow t-shirt. "Is that blood?" He went to point at it only for Grace to smack it away, "stop it!" Mike backed her up, "yeah Lucas stop it, you're freaking her out!"
"She's freaking me out!" The boy exclaimed, trying to reason with his friends. "I bet she's deaf!" Dustin suggested, he clapped to test out his theory, which was proven false by her jumping at the clapping noise. "Not deaf."
"Alright, that's enough! Alright? Like Grace said, she's probably just scared and cold." Mike interjected, he went to get spare clothes from a laundry basket seeing as the small girl's ones were soaking wet. The thunder in the background seemed to be really scaring the girl who jumped and shut her eyes when it crackled. Lucas and Dustin's eyes were glued to the mysterious stranger, who had appeared in the forest while Grace was watching Mike retrieve the clean items of clothing. She turned away as soon as he started coming back and he handed the girl a jumper and some trousers.
"Here, these are clean," she dried her face with them slightly and got up, starting to remove her top. Suddenly the others stopped her from stripping in front of them, "no, no, no!" they chorused. Dustin went into a full on 'oh my god' panic. Grace prevented her from pulling the top up, so she got the memo. Mike moved beside Grace and pointed to the door on the other side of the room, "see over there? That's the bathroom. Privacy. Get it?" The poor girl looked slightly embarrassed as she grabbed her fresh clothes and went towards the door.
She entered into the bathroom, to which Grace went to shut the door to protect her modesty. Just as it was about to fully close the girl stopped it from shutting any further.
"You don't want it closed?" Grace asked. "No." Surprised by the girl finally uttering a word she jokingly replied, "so you aren't mute? That's nice to find out. Well, why don't we leave the door slightly opened, I'll be right outside if you need me. Is that alright?"
"Yes."
Tabby got scared of going to the bathroom alone at night and seeing as Grace's room was closest to the upstairs one, she always asked Grace to come with her. Her sister was always reassured knowing Grace was right outside, and perhaps this girl would be too.
