The Window to the Soul

Chapter 1: The Beginning

Mondays. Everyone hates Mondays. Unless, you like high school. I have always been naturally an Introvert, and being raised with no siblings, I was pretty content with myself. 2500 Kids running rampant over a worn-down campus was overwhelming to me. Screaming, yelling, sharing social media posts, gossiping. And then you have the cliques- The cheerleaders, who probably got too much attention, the football players, who, most likely, are always with the cheerleaders, the geeks-ah, well, you get my point.

Rolling out of bed wasn't easy. It took willpower, willpower that I didn't have at this time in the morning. I glanced at my alarm. 6:00 am? Kill me. No one should ever have to wake up this early. Ugh.

~

I arrived at school at about 8. Parking my car in the junior lot was a pain in the ass, as always. Too much fighting for parking spaces. I pulled my green pea coat closer around me. Since when was it this cold in California? It was almost summer for god's sake. My boots thudded against the asphalt as I made my way to the front lawn. Sure enough, Anna was waiting for me on the stairs.

"Don't you look gorgeous?" Anna teased.

"I actually made an attempt for once. I'm trying to stay away from yoga pants; they may be comfy, but they're not an everyday thing."

She giggled a little. "Always a try-hard when it comes to fashion, aren't ya?" She implied jokingly.

The thing was, for once I embraced my natural beauty. I'm not Narcissistic, but I still like to think I'm quite an attractive individual. I was bronzed from my time as a swimmer, and my curvy 5'11" frame, long legs, hazel eyes, and golden wavy hair made me look like an Amazon. Not that i wanted the attention, anyways. Now, I may be a living Sasquatch, but that doesn't mean I can't still be feminine,right?

"Which class are you heading to"- Anna was in the middle of talking when I felt something. I have watched enough Paranormal shows to know that what I felt wasn't normal. That is, if those shows are even true anyways. A shiver went up my spine, freezing my body for a second. I pulled my jacket closer, hoping that maybe the thick wool would keep whatever the feeling was away. I looked back to Anna. She was still babbling on about stuff-Had she not noticed me shivering? Oh well, I'm kinda glad she didn't notice my mini freak out.

~

After school I walked to my red Ford F150 truck. I can still remember last year when my parents had given it to me, a present for keeping straight A's. Laying in the back of the pickup, every summer day in Texas, was the best. I trotted on over to it, and unlocked the doors. Sitting down and arranging my back pack in the passenger seat, I closed my door and locked the windows. While I was putting the keys in the ignition-I felt it. The same feeling I had earlier that day. Extremely paranoid, I swiveled my head behind me, only to find another parked car. This was really freaking me out. Naturally, I was a jumpy and paranoid person. Add that to having a father who is a cop and tells you horror stories about young teens, you could say I had a right to be paranoid. I quickly put the truck in reverse and headed home.

~

Mom had dinner ready, as always when I arrived. The sweet aroma of spaghetti drifted from the kitchen. "PASTA!" I screeched. Mom's pasta is the only good thing she cooks, whether she accepts it or not. I grabbed a plate and sat down at the table. I guess Dad was still at work. He was always missing, but usually returned from work pretty late. "How was school?", mom asked. I didn't know wether I wanted to mention what I felt today to her or not. It didn't seem to big if a deal, since I didn't have any real evidence if I was being stalked. "Just the normal. Hormone-crazed teenagers doing crazy crap, and teachers stamping F's on their papers." She smiled and laughed a little. I finished my plate (I'm a fast eater, what can I say?) and headed upstairs. As un-scholarly as it sounds, I didn't feel like doing homework right now. I just needed a nap. Whoever said naps were a kids best friend is a liar, they are everyone's best friend. I threw on an old concert shirt and some spandex shorts, threw my loose waves into a messy bun, and passed out on my fluffy duvet cover.

~

I didn't dream. It was odd to not dream and it felt like I hadn't even gone to sleep in the first place. I wouldn't have known it was night if I hadn't seen the stars glinting through my window. I glanced at my pink alarm clock. 3:00am. Sh*t! How long had I slept for? I went to bed at 5....crap, I still have homework too. Groggily, I managed to get my butt out of bed and meander downstairs. Grabbing a water, I opened my text books and scanned through boring chapters about Pythagorean Theorem and other math equations. God, I hated math. It wasn't like we were going to use it anyways when were older. While taking a sip of my water, I felt it again. The same eerie presence. My senses told me someone was here. Was it dad? I paused and heard deep, bear-like snoring from upstairs. Nope, he must have gotten home when I took my "nap". You know what, I'm going to be a badass. Supernatural (my favorite tv show) has taught me how to handle ghosts and sh*t, so that's what I'm going to do. Even though it's just acting, who knows, maybe there will be some truth in it? I picked up a steak knife from the kitchen counter. Shimmying along the wall, I came to my front door. I have seen way too many horror movies to look through the peep hole, so I looked through the window instead, positive I was out of range just in case this "presence" decided to attack me through the glass. I peered out, cautiously, awaiting some sort of murderer to pop out and scare me. Nothing. My front porch was empty. And that is when I felt the wind whip my hair. I lost my logical thinking for a minute, and then it hit me like a runaway train. There was no wind inside. I prepared to turn around, but It was to no avail. Someone had already wrapped their hands around my mouth and neck.