Hide & Seek 2: The Return of Mr. Harmon

Chapter 1: Fast

Two years ago I was living with my loving parents and my little brother Caleb. Life was great for us. Never had I once been unimpressed with the way I was living when I lived with my parents.

Then there was the shooting. My parents were shot. Would you believe me if I told you it was because a crazy psychopath, my ex-best friend, and an evil book took that all away from me?

No, you wouldn't.

That's why when I told my only living family,
my grandma what happened, she almost put me in a mental home! She accused me of murder then left me on the streets. A fourteen-year-old helpless girl. I knew she wouldn't believe me. She's not really the compassionate type. 

I'm sixteen now. You're probably wondering where I currently live. Well, I'm currently living with my unstable aunt and uncle who were glad to take me in. The police helped me contact them after finding me wandering outside in the middle of the night, thinking I was out for trouble. Good thing they were sober when the cops came.

My aunt, Mary, and uncle, Wayne, were my only options. They put me in school, which is only a few blocks away, gave me my own room, and bought me the things I needed. That's good. They're okay, except when they're drunk. So, I guess everything is not okay, considering they are drunk all the time!

Our small house is squished between a few trees outside. It surely is a sin and a shame. Trash all over the dingy furniture in the house. Carpets stained with beer and all sorts of disgusting stuff. Unfinished food left out to mold. A refrigerator that can't keep the milk fresh for more than four days. Broken doors in every room. Broken toilets that always seem to stop and back up from time to time. Water that runs slower than a herd of snails traveling through peanut butter.

In short, the place is a mess.

Two years ago, I had a queen-sized bed with a room most teenager can't even dream of. My current room holds up to one bed. Anything else bigger inside that room and I'd be trapped inside of it. It's s something, that's for sure. I have a few poster of some bands on the wall. Bands like, Panic! at the Disco, Of Monsters and Men, Florence and the Machine, and My Chemical Romance. I am a band junkie, thanks to my friends at school. My room smells like the rest of the house. Moldy, dirty wet clothes, cigarettes, beer, alcohol, and dirt. It isn't pleasant.

That's the life I'm living at the moment.

It can't get worse. I lost my home. I lost my family. I lost everything. Through all this, I am grateful. Some days, I see a small light at the end of the tunnel welcoming me into a new world. A new home. A new family, or perhaps my old family. It's hard. Each day I look forward to school to get out of this dump. I even signed up for sports to stay on the field longer. ANYTHING so I wouldn't go home. 

So, I'm lying down now, scrolling through my laptop, when all of a sudden I get a call on my cellphone. Good thing my aunt is a bit paranoid and pays for my phone bill. 10:46 PM. I answer the phone.

"Hello?" I say into the phone.

There's a raspy hello from a guy on the other line. "Is this Emily?"

I'm thinking it's a call from a classmate. "Hey, yeah that's me. What's up?"

"Well, yeah, I didn't call you yesterday," He continues. "My friends and I found this book while we were swimming yesterday and we'd like the money." He studders as he speaks, as if he is nervous about asking. "I didn't open it yet, so...yeah."

My heart drops. I swallow hard. No, just no. Why now? Why? That's all I can ask myself. Why?

 "Okay, we can plan a meet up, maybe. I want to talk to you in person." I think about it. How in the world am I supposed to give him that money? I don't really have it. I regret throwing the book into a public river. What was I thinking!? I didn't think someone would really open the bag. I mean, it looked like a trash bag full of exactly that — trash!

My mind racing, I hear him say, "Okay, just give me a time."

"Tomorrow," I reply quickly. "Can you meet me at Johnson City High School?" 

There's a pause. "Sure, I guess."

"Okay, tomorrow at 3 PM. And if you open more than the first page, you won't get that money. " I say threateningly.

"Alright," he says then hangs up.

I click end on my phone and just sit there. How am I going to get 7,000 dollars? What was I thinking? I just think over and over about how stupid I was. I just know one thing; I need to get that book.

And Fast.