disturbance | 5sos au (short story)

3 • strange coincidence

"Look Aria don't panic its clearly some sort of sick joke!" Her mother half smiled, trying to lighten the situation.

"Yeah... A really sick one." Aria agreed trying to ignore the utter dread forming in the pits of her stomach, first being chased and now this? Something was wrong. "Mum, I'm really tired so we're just gonna go crash. I'll talk to you in the morning." Aria let out a fake yawn and nodded her head in understanding, giving a small polite smile to Michael as they walked past her and into the house.

Once safely in the confines of her bedroom, Aria let out her fear. "What the fuck!?"

"I don't know..." Michael frowned.

"First we're chased and now this... What's going on? And the stuff- the stuff in my room... It makes no sense." She pleaded to herself.

"Wait. What are you talking about the stuff in your room?" Michael asked, his face twisting in concern.

"Ugh, probably nothing, but the other day when I came home my clothes were all over my bed and I know I didn't leave them like that. It had to have been me though."

"No its just... Weird things happened at my house too. The other night I was home alone and when I woke up all the windows and doors were open." Aria and Michael took a second to look at each other, neither really focusing on the other but confused at to what was happening, after ten minutes of pure silence Michael started gathering up his things.

"You aren't seriously leaving?" Aria whispered. Michaels face was torn, he wanted to leave but he had to be a good friend.

"No." He sighed and made himself comfortable on the sofa bed again. He turned his body to the side and wiggled around, trying to find a position that was comfortable enough to sleep in but something under the bed caught his eye. "Aria, what the actual fuck? What is that?" His eyes were full of disgust and his voice thick with disbelief as his finger pointed at something underneath Aria's bed. Frowning, Aria hopped out of the bed and got to her knees on the floor, scrambling he hand under until she felt something, grabbing ahold and pulling. It was a glass box and inside it was a dead rat.

"Oh my god!" She squealed pushing it away and jumping back on to her bed making the box fall on its side with a loud clatter, luckily the glass lid was secure so the box stayed shut but there was something on the bottom. "Mike... There's a note on the bottom." She half moaned. Scrambling to his feet Michael got up and retrieved the box, gulping as he read the paper stuck to the bottom.

"It says 'you aren't who you think you are'." Aria bit her lip in fear as they both realised someone must have broken into her house. She quickly got up and double checked all her windows were locked before securing the lock on her bedroom door. Michael took the glass box out to the trash as she changed into her pyjamas and settled into bed again.

A few minutes later Michael walked back through the door with a wry smile and started making his way back to the sofa bed before Aria stopped him. "No! Wait. Sleep next to me?" She said sadly. "Not like that before you get any ideas, Clifford. I'm scared." Her voice got even smaller.

"Fine." Michael huffed out, dragging himself to her bed and jumping in, immediately relishing the comfort. Instinctively he wrapped his arms around her. It wasn't romantic, or sexual in anyway. It was nice. Comforting. Something about being with her friend made Aria feel a little less scared about this entire situation and they soon both fell asleep.

•

"Aria! Aria!" Her mothers hands shook her body consistently as Aria grumbled and turned in her sleep. "Aria! Wake up! You don't want to be late for school!"

"Mum please, school is for the weak." She mumbled, turning over from her mum's poking fingers that were continuously prodding into her ribs.

"School is for people who want to succeed in life."

"No mum, I'm happy sleeping for the duration of my life. Wait. Where's Michael?" She sat up realising he wasn't asleep next to her.

"He's downstairs eating breakfast, that kid sure knows how to eat, after he's done I'm gonna have to go to the shops, we'll have no food at this rate." She chuckled making Aria crack a smile. Seeing that she was now up and getting out of bed her mother left the room and headed back downstairs.

When she was dressed and ready she went down and got straight into the car where her mother and Michael were patiently waiting. The drive to school was silent, filled only by the soft sounds of Fleetwood Mac drifting from the car radio. When they arrived in the school car park they both hopped out with a quick goodbye but as soon as the car pulled away they were greeted by a flustered looking Calum.

"Hey. Hi. Have you guys seen Luke?" He asked taking small breaths between words.

"Not since the party last night, man." Michael replied, frowning.

"Why? What's wrong?" Aria asked, concern tainting her voice.

"Ever since last night I haven't been able to get hold of him, he won't answer his phone, his texts, I went to his house and his mum said he hasn't been home. Guys, I think Luke's missing..."