Taint (Formerly Claimed) Dark Midnight 1

Chapter 22

*I edited this chapter a lot, so if something doesn't make sense, please let me know!  It seems to be the norm these days that everyone tried to distract me as I try to write, so something might have gotten mixed up in the chaos.  As always thanks for reading!  I hope you enjoy the rest!*

The day started out just like any other.  

Miriam woke up, made her bed, and picked out a pair of clothes to wear to school. Mostly she did so out of habit—but a quick glance out of the window revealed that it hadn’t snowed anymore overnight, meaning that school would most likely be open today. 

Which made her feel…strange, for some reason. 

Maybe because she wasn’t dreading it?  Not the long walk to school, or the thought of suffering through the day in fear of a seizure.  Instead, she felt nothing at all as she rolled out of bed.

           It was almost eagerly that she pulled on a pair of jeans and an old gray sweater, taking the time to brush her hair back and pull on a pair of old rain boots. 

The day could have been normal.  

But just as she paused to button up her jacket, she just so happened to peek out of the window over through the trees...

Her heart skipped a beat.

            There, just at the curve in the road, idled a sleek black car.  A familiar car, that didn’t move no matter how hard she squinted or blinked.

            Eliot.

            He was there. Only this time he didn’t even try to hide or pretend that he wasn’t waiting.... 

            For her. 

            That black car almost seemed like an unspoken challenge—a dare.

            Come out, come out, little girl…if you’re brave enough. 

            She wondered if he was trying to scare her again.  Intimidate her.

           Well, Miriam thought, feeling her bottom lip curl into a scowl before she could help herself. Two could play at this game.

           On an impulse, she slipped off the dull sweater and tossed it onto the floor.  Then, biting her lip, she wandered over to the pile of boxes in the corner and dug through the stack until she came to one near the very back, marked only with the word ‘dressy’ across the front. 

            She hesitated for only a second before digging through the neatly folded clothes for one item in particular and slipped it on over her head before common sense stole her nerve. 

            Then, she pulled on her boots, slapped a hat onto her hair and hurried down the stairs. 

            The house was empty—unsurprisingly.  Even without glancing at the closed door to her father’s room, she could tell that he hadn’t come home last night.  But he had called at least, and left a message on the answering machine that told her to stay at her uncle’s tonight if he had to work late again. 

            But other than that…

            Though, to be fair, she hadn’t spent the night entirely alone.  The police had been out in the woods until early morning—and thankfully, no more midnight guests had showed up.