Falling For Hunter - Chapter Three : The Nameless Boy And The Lost Girl
To say the Old Green House was the creepiest place on Earth would be a massive understatement. Sure there were a million places on Earth that were spine chilling, but if there were a contest this place would at least get runner up. I snapped my head in all directions searching out the girl who had wanted me to meet her here, but there was no sign of her.
"Malice!" I called out. The wind was my only respond. I pushed the bundle of towering tree leaves out of my way, deciding to circle the green house.
It was nothing but a small dilapidated shed now with vines hugging it like a mother to her child. The vines stretched over the other side of the roof while dead plants lingered on the ground floor. I let out a sigh once I came back to where I first started.
About to leave, my heart did a back flip when someone cleared their throat. I turned around slowly and met the eyes of your favorite tough girl. She was sitting on the half demolished brick wall, a small opened black book in her hands and her eyes with heavy dark eyeliner showed no emotion.
"You're here." I said with a comforting smile, hopping over a rusty oil can.
She scribbled something on one of the pages with a black marker then glanced up at me from the book. "Isn't it obvious?"
Enduring the bland coldness of her voice I took a seat next to her on the hard wall. I kept my hands awkwardly in my lap, trying to get a peek at her open book.
"So you're really good at this, aren't you?" Her eyes snapped back up to me making me jump. Hoping she didn't catch me being too inquisitive I looked elsewhere while answering.
"That's what I've been told."
Her hand hovered over the yellow page slowly, "Well I don't need good. If anything I need great. I don't need you to make me look like a fool, got that?"
If my head shook anymore rapidly then it just did then there was a chance it'd drop off any moment now. I couldn't believe how obeying I was being. In order to be successful in this I need to loosen up. I didn't have to fear Malice - so why did I scream and jump off the wall when she reached into her pocket ?
"Relax, loser. It's just another marker. The other one ran out." She said blandly, shaking the marker in her hand. She popped the cover off and continued in her book.
"I think you know how this works. You tell me who you like, I do my magic and everyone's happy." I smile and she doesn't bother looking up from her book, still resuming to doodle or write or do whatever she's doing.
I go to say something, but she's already talking. "I've never felt this way before." She says, making me shut my pie hole.
I give her the notion to continue. "He seems different though I've never actually talked to him. But I think he's like me - you know.. striving to survive in a bitter world with people obsessed of their possessions, worrying about the littlest things, planting their seeds today instead of tomorrow."
"He's not like one of those people, he's different, I can sense it."
"What's his name?" I ask just as her lips purse together to make words, but instead of hearing her frigid voice my pocket begins vibrating and eventually my ringtone disrupts the quiet atmosphere.
I reach into my pocket and pull it out, recognizing the name of the contact calling. It was my step dad Nick. There's a chance I'll have to babysit our cousins for the night.
I rolled my eyes and pressed ignore as I got up, brushing the back of my pants off. "We'll have to finish this conversation later. Tomorrow after school is good for you?"
Malice gives me a smooth nod and I wave a quick goodbye, but she doesn't give me one in return.
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"Are you sure you don't mind babysitting the triplets, Ari?" Mom asked, pulling down her baby blue pencil leg skirt in the hallway mirror.
I waved my hand dismissively, "Of course I don't. They're a piece of cake." I think to myself, "Well three pieces of cake since they're triplets." I chuckle to myself.
Mom smiled "That's great to hear."
She modeled in my center of vision since I was scrolling through the channels and did jazz hands. "Okay, what do you think?"
The baby blue skirt made her eyes pop, her coffee colored hair was straighten and laid on her lovely shoulders. The floral white blouse didn't go no further than her waistline and she was definitely killing the white heels and I had to say I was really proud to call her my mother.
"Go get him tiger." I winked as she clapped her hands like a glee filled teenager.
The door bell rang which made the television make a weird noise, but I ignored it. Mom went to answer the door and I went to the end of the stairs, unable to cope with the loud music coming from Tristan's room.
"Tristan!" I shouted, but got no respond. I let out a groan and decided to let him kill his eardrums and be a horrible sister instead.
The front door opened and Nick was standing outside. I went to the front door, resisting the urge to puke as Nick and mom greeted each other with kisses. He hadn't even been gone that long. He had just driven a few blocks to get the three not so innocent triplets standing on the porch right now.
The Harrison triplets. They were all six, sharing the same age of course and devils in disguise. I put up with them though since it was the only way mom, Nick, my new aunt and uncle got a night out on the town.
"Hey kids." I said as they all surrounded me for a bone crushing hug.
The eldest triplet was Davey with brunette helmet hair, dark brown eyes and the cutest little mole on his left cheek. Next was Henry who shared appearance with Davey, and Angie who also had the mole but was the female triplet with her long brunette locks pinned in pigtails sitting on her shoulders while she squeezed the daylights out of her plush Elmo.
"Ari, are we gonna play mermaids and tigers today?" Angie asked as Mom and Nick admired the adorable moment. I brushed her bangs out of her face and smiled.
"We'll play anything you want, Angie."
Mom ruffled Davey's hair and grabbed her coat off the rack, her free arm entwined with Nick's.
"It's five thirty - we should be back by nine. Make sure to get the kids tucked in before eight thirty!" She yelled as Nick began pulling her outside before she could start making a list. It wasn't like this was the first time I babysat them.
As soon as the door closed behind the triplets dropped their angel facades.
"I want to play construction truck!" Henry immediately ran over to one of mom's vases and pushed it on the ground causing it to shatter to pieces.
My hand clasped on my mouth from screaming. I ran over to him, scolding him, but he only stuck his tongue out at me before running upstairs. Tristan who had been coming down the stairs the same time grabbed him by the arm.
"Whoa whoa, little buddy. What's with all the speed?" Tristan asked him
Henry grinned. "I did something bad so I run. That's what all the criminals do."
"Ari, Henry is being a criminal again." Davey tattled, pointing an accusing finger at his sibling.
"Henry, it's not nice to -" I stopped and my eyes instantly fell on the open front door. My eyes scattered around the room for Angie, but she was nowhere to be seen. I should have known she would be up to something - it was way too quiet and she was always the wanderer of the three.
Fear crawled up my sleeves at the thought of something bad happening to her.
"Tristan, Angie's gone." I breathed as hie eyes widened.
"What'd you mean she's gone? You're supposed to be babysitting."
"I know, but she opened the door. It was locked. I -" I bit my lip, "I'll go look for her. Keep your phone on you and watch the boys."
And almost faster than the speed of light itself I grabbed my phone off of the counter and dashed out of the front door, slamming it behind.
I was in a load of trouble