𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝐒𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

It was a cold dark November night when Annalisa decided to finish up a little early Christmas shopping. Annalisa knew that Christmas was almost a month away, but she wanted to get the shopping out of the way before it slipped her mind. The mall was going to close very soon, so she had to hurry before she ran out of time. As she ventured through the vacant stores, one little shop caught her attention. It was tucked a bit further than the rest of the stores. She remembered that the area was empty for a very long time so someone had bought it. The soft thump of her boots and the light shuffling of the various shopping bags she was holding, was the only noises that could be heard.

Annalisa never thought the mall could ever look so eerie, dark shadows clouded every corner. She tried not to focus on the chilling feeling that was crept up her spine as she neared the store. Her goal was to hurry up with shopping and get the hell out of there.

She quickly made her way to the store that went by the name of Lucinda's Quirky New Discoveries. She read the name and wrinkled her nose, What kind of name is that? How weird...She thought to herself as she tightened her grip on the straps of her purse resting on her shoulder.

When she opened the door, a low jingle was heard above her head. A gush of cool wind hit her, causing goosebumps to erupt on her arms. She glanced around the store and noticed how everything inside seemed to be old antiques of some sort. The clothing, furniture and even the jewelry looked like it belonged to an era long before Annalisa was born. She didn't see where the the check out center was or even if someone was inside the store. So she took it upon herself to have a peek at the items in the store. Her eyes roamed the racks of antiques in fascination.

"Found anything you like yet, little lady?"

Annalisa jumped, her breath hitched slightly in her throat. With one slender hand on her chest, she turned around quickly. She faced the owner of the voice and was surprised to see a young woman with golden locks and a sweet smile. "You scared me!" A nervous laugh escaped her mouth before she continued, "I was just browsing through the racks, looking for anything that may catch my eye."

The blonde haired woman nodded with a tiny smile on her face. Annalisa returned the smile before she turned away from her and continued her journey on searching for gifts for her loved ones. She only had one person left to buy a present for anyways. She glanced out the corner of her eye and was startled out when she saw that the woman was still staring blankly at her. A large grin plastered on her face instead of the small smile she'd given to Annalisa only moments earlier. Something about the young woman gave Annalisa a really uneasy vibe. The hairs on the back of her neck stood her up as she averted her attention.

She let out a breath of relief when a brown vintage journal caught her eye. She knew her dear friend Ella would love this. Not only did the petite woman loved to write, but she loved anything that was vintage. She grabbed the journal off the shelf and turned around. She was was expecting the blonde woman to be right behind her, but to her astonishment she was no where to be seen. Annalisa looked around the store in confusion Where did she go that fast? She was here about two seconds ago.

Annalisa wanted to call out to the woman, but she soon realized she didn't even know her name. Damn, I should've read her name tag if she had one. Maybe I could say excuse me instead? I could give it a try.

Annalisa cleared her throat before calling out, "Excuse me? Miss?"

The only response she received is the shrill silence of the store. Annalisa adjusted the shopping bags on her wrist as she pursed her lips. Ugh! These bags are heavy, I just want to get home. Where did that lady go?