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Chapter One

Chapter One

Jeannette's POV

     Hello there. My name is Jeannette. I'm not quite sure where to start with this, and I'm also not sure I remember everything that happened all those several weeks ago... But I will try my best to recollect.

     It happened on the fifteenth of March, I believe, three days after my seventeenth birthday. I was supposed to go out with my friend Mitchell, his boyfriend Lazlo (who I've known since third grade), my best friend Elizabeth (who I've known since kindergarten), and her older sister Missy. Elizabeth had arranged it because she wanted me to go out and "meet new people." Now me, I haven't really been one for interaction with people since I was small. Well, since I lost the ability to speak.

     That alone is kinda of a lengthy story... But, long story short, my mom and I got into a car accident and... Well, my vocal cords were severed by a large shard of glass from the windshield. The doctors told us that the only way I was going to live through the night was if they removed my vocal cords completely.

     Anyway, Elizabeth said "it was time I interacted with more than just my friends and family". Well, my friends and family are really the only ones who understand that I can't speak at all. With newcomers, it's kind of hard for them to grasp the concept.

     I originally didn't want to go with them because I was awful around new people. And I feel that if I hadn't went with them... I wouldn't have been taken. Well, you see, myself, Mitchell, and Lazlo did not own a car. Missy, Elizabeth's sister, was the only one with a car at the time, so I had to walk down to Mitchell's from my place, then the three of us--because Lazlo was almost always with him--would walk down to Elizabeth's so Missy could give us a ride.

     I used to live a good mile to a mile and a half from Mitchell, but we moved further down the block, so it became a three-mile distance between us. I didn't mind it though; the walks always gave me a chance to breathe in the fresh air. It was, however, getting dark and my parents were out of town on a business trip. I was anxious, but I knew people in the neighborhood, plus I could walk a mile like it was nothing, so three miles should be a breeze.

     It also never took me very long to get myself ready. I was never one for make-up or anything like that. Often times I would see other teenage girls with their hair curled or done all fancy like. I prefer a ponytail; they're quick, easy, and comfortable. I remember their faces being doused in make-up as well. Maybe some black eyeshadow and a light blush, and that would work for me. I'm not really one for skirts and dresses either. I prefer shorts and pants. Since that particular night was a hot summer one, I decided to go with my usual teal tank top and black denim short shorts. They weren't too short, though, and the white tufts that stuck out of the bottom went a little ways down my thighs, but I've got long legs.

     My phone vibrated kind of loudly as I pulled the cute, striped thigh-high Pikachu socks I had up my legs. It's more than likely Elizabeth. I thought to myself. When I checked my phone, of course, it was her. After putting on my socks, I made sure to quickly answer the text.

     "I'll be there soon. Keep the door unlocked for me, Lizz." I typed out on my phone's screen before I pushed the send button. Not a minute later, my phone dinged again with another notification that Elizabeth had texted me. Sliding down the notification bar, I read the words 'It's already unlocked for you chica, I'll be in the living room waiting for ya.' I smiled to myself, sending her a smiling emoticon before stuffing my phone into my back pocket. Nighttime was quickly approaching, and I really didn't want to spend more time walking than I already had to.

     After I had my shoes all laced and situated, I grabbed one of the spare house keys and made sure that my phone was in my back pocket before I exited through the front door. Making sure it was locked before I walked off the porch, I sighed contentedly to myself as the warm summer air danced across what bare skin I was showing.

     As I climbed off the porch and started walking toward Elizabeth's house, I hadn't a single clue of the evil that lurked itself behind me. I hadn't known that, in fact, it spent months watching me—getting to know my every single move while it waited for the right time to strike.

     In all honestly, I will say this: I am glad that evil got ahold of me...instead of Elizabeth.