Simply Sharp

Chapter One

The ride home was comforting, I had dazed off as I rode shotgun besides Melody, her blond hair was adjoined neatly into a Katniss like braid.

She was wearing a boho lace shirt with some shorts, she must have been really happy.

"So, who's the boy?" she asks, taking a hand off the wheel and turning the radio down. Her gaze glanced from 2nd street to me. I turned my head and spoke,

"Toby."

She chuckled as her she raised a middle finger at the asshole riding our ass, she turned back to the wheel, occasionally looking to me and the road.

"Cool, so you two a thing?"

Her voice slick.

I blush and look out the passenger window,

"No! I only helped him! He was getting his ass kicked."

She nodded and stopped at a red light, pulling out some gum, she flicked the pack open and aimed it at me, I smile and accepted a piece,

"Thanks."

She replied with a 'Mmm' and started driving again, our conversation dying out softly,

...

I set the pencil down, the graphite smeared on my hand, and calculus written on the 5 pages of homework, I sighed and reached over the desk, grabbing my water bottle and gave it a tug with my teeth. The water felt nice in my mouth, as I set it back down, I looked out the window,

I was met by a faceless man. I stiffened and kept my gaze on the figure, it stood outside, nearby the beginning of the woods,

As I rubbed my eyes quickly, the apparition was gone.

"What the hell..." I muttered and scurried downstairs, skipping every few steps. Melody was downstairs sautéing some chicken stir fry, I shuddered and grabbed my coat, ignoring her,

"Hey! Where are you going?!"

I gave her a hopeful look, snatched my flashlight and ran out the backyard door.

...

Leaves crunched in the darkness, cicadas buzzed up in the trees, the flashlight held a eerie flicker as I walked, I wanted to discover the apparition I saw, what it was, why it was there.

For all I did, was pray, walk and nervously hum to calm my jittery nerves, I used to play with Ryder and Alex in the woods, climbing trees and exploring, sometimes we would find salamanders on the creek bed, as we would play with them.

I remember a silvery-red salamander named Feeko. Ryder had found it buried in the mud, laughed evilly ad chucked it. Feeko flew into my jumper.

I giggled softly and shuddered, it was almost as if I could still feel the slimy salamander nestled snugly on my stomach.

"Hehe... hehehehe... HAHAHA!"

My head swiveled around as laughter erupted in the dark, a high-pitched cackle, I remember feeling a nauseous headache trigger, a feeling like a pair of claws raked behind my head and dug into my eye sockets.

A piercing sharp pain, my body went cold as I fell to my knees, cold sweat fell from my forehead. Twigs snapped loudly in front of me.

My gaze shot up as the headache pounded louder in my skull, the taste of metal rang on my tongue, every cold sweat gave me chills running up and down my spine. I screamed loudly as the pain increased.

Static filled my vision

A figure walked up to me, I was met with brown eyes, and a familiar pale face, my body became sluggish, and my vision darkened and my breath slowed.

My eyes rolled back in my head as I fell unconcious, my lips uttered one word before I fell asleep,

"T-Toby."