Chapter Thirty-Eight

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You mustn't see

The whole night, I kept tossing and turning, begging for answers I had no clue where to find, making it harder for me to close an eyelid. But that wasn't the only thing keeping me up at night. My mom refused to say anything even a few days later, and when I tried to understand with persistence, she'd break into tears and go as pale as the snow that had slowly begun to melt a few days after Christmas. The new year was just around the corner, but something much darker hid there as well. Things we can't always see.

Everything was quiet, sound asleep in broad daylight. Even with everyone awake, the house still felt intoxicated by something other than our own presence. Sometimes, I'd catch sight of something from the corner of my eyes, But there was nothing to prove that there was anything there, to begin with.

What made this twice as hard, was not having him around. This made me feel frustrated, hurt, and afraid. I'd remember all those times we fought about protecting me, about interfering in my life, but now I missed that. I missed the feeling of being safe, being protected. But deep down... it was being wanted.

I was starving myself, which my therapist clearly didn't like. She'd try to figure out why I was acting the way I did, but all her guesses where nothing close to the paranormal.

But that night, my thirst led me out the door, and into the kitchen where I poured myself a glass of water. I returned the bottle back into the refrigerator and walked towards the small dinner table nobody sat in, to place the glass. Just as I was about to take a seat, I heard a strange echoing voice from outside that made my heart jump, and my fingers paralyzed from movement by the piercing cold that voice brought with it. I looked around the room, but when that wasn't enough to calm my racing heart, I stepped forward until I reached the tall glass window. Breathing heavily, I raised the curtain slightly for me to see threw.

Nothing. I sighed, uneasy.

In still silence, My eyes observed the slow and delicate movement of the branch of a thin tree, to the hallowed moon, and to the thick snow that lay on our fences and old Mr. Robinson's van, but nothing calmed my heartbeat, nor the way my fingers trembled at the touch of the cold glass window.

The chilled crisp of the air found it's way to my throat as I took in deep breaths, and crawled south until it froze my heart and made me stop breathing. It was a new kind of painful, one you couldn't recognize between body and soul. The longer I stared into the dark abyss, the stronger the pain would get. There was also this strange certainty that someone or something was watching me from behind. Eyes pierced threw me, making me feel transparent- I gave in and turned towards the darkened room.

Unfortunately, once My eyes adjusted to the lighting, I screamed at the horrific sight I had beholden. Although no voice came out, I felt like I was choking, and in an instant I found myself stumbling back, falling down with an expected yet denied loud thud onto the kitchen tiles.

Even that made no sound, making me think this was just a bad dream.

I crawled back until I felt my back on the wall, and watched as the figure stepped closer. It was long, thin, no eyes or mouth, almost like it was a blank canvas splattered with darkness evenly even on the corners of its face and the ending of its fingers. Long nails scratched the side of his thighs as he walked, and with each step, I felt my heart pounding faster and my lips trembling as the hair on my back stood tall.

I don't know how I did it, but I managed to ask, "Wha- what are you?" In a low and shaking voice. But it didn't answer. It just continued to walk towards me, at a steady rate, to tease me.

"What are you?" I tried." Why are you here, and what do you want from me?"

Still nothing.

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