The Jaguar (Fan Fiction)

The Presence

A blast of heat hit me as I stepped outside the airport doors. It felt nostalgic. I never thought I would actually say this, but I was glad to be back. I was glad to be home. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Home...

"Yuki! Right here!"

I knew that voice. It belonged to my younger brother, Haru. I looked up and noticed him running towards me with a big smile on his face. Haru was only 12; his livelihood and optimism always made my day.

We embraced each other and I felt as if I was going to cry. I can't believe that it has been a year. Now that I think about it, I can't believe that I had it in me to pack up my things and leave for an entire year. Things had to change back then. So, I shouldn't feel bad about it.

I'm in a better place now. I'm stronger now. I thought to myself.

My father waited for us in the car. I placed my luggage in the trunk and climbed in the back seat with Haru. My father was talking on the phone as usual.

I guess some things never change. I sighed.

When my father finished his phone call, he looked at me in the rear view mirror and smiled.

"Yuk, it's good to have you back. I've already enrolled you back in high school. All your friends already graduated and moved on to college. But that's alright. I'm hoping that you're doing much better now?" He asked.

"Yeah, I feel a lot better now, so you don't have to worry. The past year has been very therapeutic for me." I responded coolly.

My father nodded, "good! I need you to focus on your studies this year, so you can graduate and get into a good college. Alright?"

"Yes, of course." I said. I smiled to myself. My father was a single parent. He was never the emotional type and chose to show his love by working hard and providing us with everything. It was his way of showing affection. He was a workaholic like that. My mother walked out on us when Haru was just a baby. I still think about it sometimes and I wonder why she left in the first place. My mother's departure was a sore subject with dad. He always closed up whenever I brought it up. After a while, I decided that it didn't matter why she left, because she chose to abandon us.

I spent the rest of the ride back home looking outside the car window. It was noon time and the streets were very lively with kids playing around. When we reached home, the first thing I did was go straight to my room and sleep. I was exhausted and I just needed a bit of peace and quiet. A part of me was dreading going back to school, but I tried to stop the negative thoughts from taking over. I was fine now. School was just school. It's just a place and I shouldn't be giving it any kind of power over me. I was going back to school and I was going to do it right and make my family proud. On that thought, I closed my eyes and drifted.

There was something strange about this night. It was colder than usual and I felt my insides turning into ice. I felt something, like a presence, but I wasn't sure what it was. I looked around me but there was nothing. There was no one. Suddenly, I felt very vulnerable. The school gates were locked and I just knew that I had to retrieve my textbook and head back home as soon as possible. I had an exam the next day and I needed to do this fast so I can go back and study. However, I had a very bad feeling about this and hoped that I wouldn't get caught. I climbed over the gate and ran towards the basketball field. I remember leaving the book there during training. I looked around, but there was nothing.

Did someone take it? I asked myself.

I sighed and looked towards the school building. All lost and found items were placed on Mr. Azuma's desk. I walked towards the nearest building and noticed that the doors were locked and all the windows were shut. Well, I didn't expect them to leave them open in the middle of the night either. I thought to myself.

I turned around and decided to head home. I can still study from my notes and get a decent grade. I was at the top of my class and I honestly didn't even need to sit for tomorrow's exam. I was doing so well in biology class that even if I messed up tomorrow, I would still pass. I frowned, tomorrow was my last exam in grade 11 and I didn't want to mess it up.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't notice the temperature dropping. There was a strange quietness and a very nasty smell in the air. I suddenly stopped and looked around me. There was that feeling again. That.. that presence.

I felt eyes on me and I felt the blood draining from my face. My breathing was becoming irregular and I knew I was panicking. I looked around me again and suddenly, the dark school building and the empty fields felt very menacing to me. It was so empty and so desolate. I wanted to ran off,  but for some reason,  my legs were frozen in place. My hands were shaking and my teeth were chattering.

I was freezing.

Suddenly, I stopped breathing. Someone or something was standing right behind me. I felt the hairs at the back my neck stand and goosebumps on my arms and legs. I didn't dare look behind me.

The foul smell was nauseating. I was suffocating as the smell of burnt skin spread through the air. My heart was beating so fast, I could hear it. I felt something cold brush against my arm and I just had to see. I slowly turned my head to peer behind me.

There was nothing.

I woke up gasping for air. I was sweaty and my hands were clenching the sheets so hard. I sat upright and looked around me. I was in my room. It was just a bad dream. I haven't had that nightmare in a while now. I looked at the clock and noticed that it was only 5 in the evening. I took a few deep breaths to alleviate the panic, then I just sat there wondering whether these nightmares would haunt me again now that I was back in Karakura town.