The Monsters In Our Town

05 // STUPID ANCHORS AND STUPID TRUTHS

Annabeth Maltby had used to be mine and Lincoln's babysitter for whenever our parents had gone on their date nights out to Gregory County.

I knew it was her from the tattoos down her arms and her fiery red hair. Mum had always loved it, but dad thought it wasn't something that they should have looked for in a babysitter.

She was crazy, and played the electric guitar. Annabeth was a person, just like Jenny Hastings and the other two girls.

And now they were dead.

I rolled over in my bed and the sunlight crept under the covers. I pulled it closer to my mattress and the light disappeared again.

After I saw her, Annabeth, I heard Lincoln as Jones getting closer. I screamed for them to stay away, but they didn't listen and found me.

As soon as Lincoln realised who it was, she burst into tears and Jones pulled us both closer to him.

Harley was the only one who didn't see, and he was the one that went to get Sherif Pearl. None of us spoke while we waited for them.

"Alexander" Mum sad as she knocked lightly on the door. I ignore her and pulled the covers tighter around me. She opened the door and sighed. "Come on Alexander, it's been three days and you haven't eaten anything"

I stayed silent, like I had whenever anyone had spoken to me. Not even when Tommen was questioning me.

There was a difference between knowing what had happened to dead people than seeing what happened to dead people.

***

"How are you feeling Alex?" Jones asked. I didn't say anything, just looked at him blankly.

Jones had seen a dead body before. He found the girl from England and before that, a guy who had drowned in the lake.

"Alexander, we want to know what you're feeling," mum said from where she sat at the dining table. I knew coming downstairs was a bad idea.

"Leave her alone Luce," dad ordered her, "she's trying to cope."

"Well she's not coping the right way." she spat back at him.

My parents were arguing within minutes. It went from me, to how my dad dragged my mum back to Northrun with him, how it was her fault that Jones had to sneak off to Gregory County to meet a girl, then it came back to me; how I would be a better person if we lived in Gregory County.

My parents never fought. They never even fought as a joke.

I looked over to Jones and he was staring at them in shock.

Finally, after I had been talked about several times, I got up and hurried out the front door.

"Alex!" Jones cried and the arguing ceased... Then started again moments later.

I started towards the lake, then froze. The Sirens would still be there. Instead, I turned and grabbed the top of the fence that led to Blue's yard.

I pulled myself over and landed on the ground with a thud. It had rained last night, so as I landed on the wet grass I slipped and fell on my butt.

I winced and got onto my hands and knees, crawling towards the tree in the corner of their backyard. It was such a big tree, big enough that a thick branch went over the fence into my backyard.

When Jones and I were younger, we had a swing from that branch. Also, since our parents are very strict on dating at eighteen and below, Jones used to take girls over the fence and kiss them behind the tree.