Nightmare in Niceville

by Amberle Cianne

  On the way to my house, we listened to the radio, singing along to the songs that we liked. After a minute, we switched to “our” CD— it had all of our favorite songs, which were mostly Lady Gaga albums and lots of rap songs. Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj were our other favs.

  We sped down my street, and Emily pulled up to my house. I got out of the car, shut the door, then turned back to Emily.

  “Oh, can I come over after the movie?” I yelled over the music.

  “Yeah, sure! I’ll ask my mom just in case,” she yelled back.

  “Okay! See you tomorrow bestie, love ya!”

  “Bye, love you too!” she crowed through the open window. I waved and watched her drive away. As I turned and walked up to the house, I felt an eerie tingling on the back of my neck, like someone was right behind me. I spun around, prepared to scream and flee from some dark figure, but there was nothing there. I backed up slowly, then turned and sped up my lawn. I practically flew up the stairs to the porch. My heart pounded as I ripped open the front door and slammed it shut. I looked through the peephole, but saw nothing except the house across the street. After a moment, I chuckled at myself for acting so silly. That feeling was the worst. I sometimes felt that tingly feeling when I walked up the stairs at night, but why had it happened just then? It was bright and sunny outside, and I was in my driveway! I was going crazy.

  “Hey, Mom! Hey, Ashley! I’m home!” I called out. I let my bag slump to the floor and hung my jacket over the staircase banister.

  “Hi, sweetie!” Mom called from the kitchen. “How was your day?”

  “Good. What about yours?” I replied.

  “It was fine, thank you,” she answered.

  “Lily!” Ashley, my six-year-old sister yelled as she ran to hug me.

  “Hey, squirt!” I scooped her up into my arms and gave her a big bear hug, then set her down and tickled her. She laughed and tried to run away, but I snatched her up again and twirled her around, then plopped her down on a chair at the table. She stopped giggling and rambled on about her day at school.

  “That sounds great, Ash,” I told her.

  As my sister chit-chatted away, I walked over to where my mom was making chicken and rice with gravy. Her soft, light-brown hair fell just above her shoulders. She always looked kind and sympathetic no matter her mood. It was the way her face was built. Her eyes always glimmered, and she always smiled. Unless she was sleeping . . . it was the only time when she really frowned. When I was little, I used to try to make her smile—pulling her lips up—but she would always wake up and gently swat my hands away.

  “Mom?” I asked. “Can Emily, me, and a few other kids go to the movies on Saturday?”

  “Any tests coming up, room clean, chores done?” She listed off my to-dos.

  “No, yes, I’ll finish up tomorrow, and I have to work, but I’ll be home before I have to go. I think it’s at nine. Emily will tell me tomorrow.”

  “Names, title, what’s after . . . you know the drill.” She laughed at her small joke.

  “I don’t remember all the names, but Max Gareheart and Sarah Nelson are a few. I’m not sure what movie it is yet. Emily said it was supposed to be scary. I’ll most likely go to Emily’s house or just come home after the movie.”

  “All right, sounds fine, but remember to tell me the other stuff tomorrow,” she reminded me.

  “No problem. I’m going to finish my homework before dinner. Be down soon!” I said and headed upstairs.

  I walked into my room and slumped onto my twin-sized bed. Kicking off my shoes, I turned on the radio and got started on my homework. The walls in my room were a pale blue. I didn’t like the color, but I never got around to repainting it when we moved in. My bed was pressed against the opposite wall from my closet and bathroom. Yes, I had my own bathroom, for which I was thankful. I had a nightstand, a dresser, and a desk with my computer on it. There were some posters of bands, like Paramore, and pictures of me and Em scattered on the walls. Other than that, my room was pretty plain.

  I finished up my math and history homework, which didn’t take long, and headed downstairs to eat dinner with Mom and Ashley. We talked about our day, especially Ashley. She could ramble on and on about the tiniest things. Even though I couldn’t always catch every detail of her long stories, I adored every second of them. After dinner, I made sure Ashley got a bath while Mom worked on some paperwork. We would play with Ashley’s toys and pretend to be anything in her vast imagination. We splashed each other and laughed. Sometimes Mom would yell up at us to settle down, which made Ashley cover her mouth and giggle. After her bath, I put Ashley to bed.

  “’Night, squirt!” I said, then kissed her on the cheek.

  “’Night, Lily,” she said sleepily and yawned. I flicked the light off, but her Princess nightlight glowed, chasing away any shadows in the dark. Before closing the door, I took one last look at her. Her eyes were closed, and her chest was rising and falling steadily. I gently shut the door and headed downstairs to find Mom on the couch, munching on chips while she worked. She was separating one stack of papers into two different piles. I grabbed a few chips and leaned down to hug her. She kissed my forehead and squeezed my arm softly.

  “Love you, honey,” she said as she released me.

  “Love you too, Mom. See you in the morning,” I replied.

  “All right, sweetheart.” She turned back to her paperwork. I headed upstairs and brushed my teeth, then shuffled to my bed and picked up the recent book I was reading. It was a mystery novel, which I loved. As I read, I lost myself in the story. And before knew it, my eyes were heavy with sleep.

  2

  Lily

  The alarm for school went off at six thirty, making me groan. My book was still open on my lap, and the lamp was still on. I stood and stretched, realizing that I was still wearing the clothes I had on yesterday. So much for my pajamas.

  I quickly hopped into the shower and got ready for school. My morning routine never took long. I put on some mascara and a little foundation if needed, but I usually didn’t need it. I didn’t like bothering with makeup. I didn’t know anything about putting it on, and I hated the feeling of it on my face. I partially blow-dried my hair, and then let the rest air dry. My hair was almost “perfectly naturally straight,” according to Emily, so I left it that way since it seemed to be the new style anyway. I heard Emily honk outside, so I gave my goodbye kisses and grabbed a strawberry Pop-Tart for the ride to school.

  “Morning, Em!” I said as I slid into the passenger’s seat and gave her a piece of my Pop-Tart.

  “Morning,” she replied with a mouthful of food. “What did your mom say about the movies?”

  “She said it was fine as long as I tell her the movie, the time, and where I’m going afterwards. I’m assuming your house, right?” I asked.

  “Yeah, I talked to my mom last night, and she said you could stay over. I’ll tell you the rest later. I’m sure it’s at nine, though,” Emily informed me.

  She glanced over at me with a furrowed brow. “Why do you insist on wearing that frumpy jacket every day? It doesn’t flatter your body shape at all,” Emily said matter-of-factly. I was used to this kind of comment from Em. I liked her tips and advice, but I also loved my comfy jackets and t-shirts. I knew she didn’t mean it as an insult; she just wanted to help.

  “I like this jacket because it’s comfortable, thank you for asking. And body shape! What body shape? I have no shape to speak of.”

  “Lily, I swear sometimes I could just . . . just . . . ugh! When are you going to realize that you are much prettier than you seem to think?”

  “I don’t think I’m ugly or anything, I’m just not as pretty as you,” I said as we pulled into the school parking lot. Niceville High was close to both of our houses, and there was hardly ever any traffic along Friendly Neighbor Street.

  As we walked across the parking lot to the main entrance, Emily stared at me for a while, then spoke: “Well, you need to get more self-confiden
ce and stop wearing that jacket,” she said, trying not to smile. Then she started laughing, and I had to laugh with her.

  “I’m serious! I’ll take it off of you if I have to,” she joked.

  “All right, all right!” I slipped the jacket off. “If I get cold, I’m blaming you.”

  “And I will take it proudly. See you at lunch, Lily,” Emily said as she walked away.

  I walked to my locker and got my stuff for first-period Biology. It was my least favorite class. My schedule went in order from my least favorite to my favorite. I had Biology first, then Math, Driver’s Ed., then lunch with Emily. All of my classes after lunch were with Emily. We had Spanish, History, Art, and AP Lit last. I had A’s in every class except stinking Biology. To make things worse, the teacher, Mr. Willons, wasn’t very nice. He had thin, gray hair and small, beady eyes, and he wore thin square glasses. One day, at the beginning of the year, I had asked him about the homework, which turned out horribly.

  “Mr. Willons?”

  “What?!” he’d shouted.

  “Um, is the homework due tomorrow or Thursday?” I asked.

  “It’s due Friday! Don’t you dumb kids listen?!” he screamed. The entire class jumped at his outburst.

  “Sorry,” I mumbled quietly and slumped in my seat as he lectured for the rest of class. I hated being yelled at by teachers. It was so embarrassing.

  —————

  The day was passing quickly, and Emily was waiting for me at the lunch table.

  “Hey!” she practically sang in her happy voice.

  “Hi!” I tried to mimic her, but it just didn’t sound the same.

  “So, the movie is called A Stalker’s Greatest Wish. Sounds creepy, huh?” Emily wiggled her eyebrows at me. I laughed and nudged her with my elbow.

  “Oh yeah, I’ve seen the previews for that. It looked pretty good.” I wasn’t into scary movies, but this one did look interesting. It was about a girl who was falling in love with this guy who had been stalking her for a year, and he planned to kill her. Typical scary movie, I guess. The title sounded a little cheesy, and the plot was predictable from the previews, but nonetheless, it looked like it was worth seeing. Plus, Emily wanted to go.

  “I know, I can’t wait to see it!” Emily exclaimed.

  “Me either; it looks awesome,” Rachel chimed in. “Scott, are you going?” she asked.

  Scott looked over at her, and then at me. I blushed and looked away.

  “I might,” he said.

  I was quieter than usual for the rest of lunch. Scott made me so shy sometimes. I knew him from elementary and middle school, and he had always been so nice and friendly. Those qualities were hard to find these days. And he was so muscular and tan and handsome. I snuck another peek at him. Gosh, he was cute. I returned my stare back to my mashed potatoes and fumbled with my hands in my lap. Something about the guy you could never get always made you want him more.

  —————

  “So, I’ll pick you up at eight thirty for the movie tomorrow, right?” Emily asked through the open window of the passenger door.

  “Yeah, that’d be great.” Then I mouthed our saying: “Elephant shoes.” It sounds weird, but when you mouthed the words, it looked like you were saying, “I love you.” It made us both crack up.

  “Elephant shoes,” Emily blared. I was still laughing when I headed up my driveway and onto the concrete porch. I tried the knob, but it was locked. Weird . . . it was usually open. I dug into my bag and fumbled for the keys. I felt like someone was behind me, just like yesterday. I spun around quickly and scanned the area, but there was only the scene of my peaceful neighborhood. Across the street, Mr. Bannd was mowing his lawn.

  I was about to turn back to the door when I heard a twig snap. I fixed my eyes in the direction where the noise came from. A hedge in our yard was quivering slightly. I stepped off the porch and took a few steps toward it. I squinted, trying to see anything hidden in the bush. Suddenly and without warning, a bird flew out of the hedge, chirping frantically. I screamed.

  “Lily, are you okay?” Mr. Bannd called from his yard.

  “Oh, I’m fine. I was just checking the mail, and a bird scared me,” I said and laughed.

  “All righty. Just makin’ sure.” He pulled the lawn mower string and went back to mowing.

  I huffed and stomped back to the house. Finally finding my keys, I unlocked the door and went in, shaking my head at my behavior lately. I closed the door as quietly as I could and called out, “Hey, Mom! Hey, Ash!”

  Nothing but silence.

  My heart sped up a little.

  “Mom? Ash?” I yelled.

  Still no answer.

  I walked down the hallway to the kitchen where I would usually smell something cooking and hear Ashley chattering away.

  “Hello?” I heard my voice echo back. I stepped all the way into the kitchen and saw a piece of paper and a microwaveable box of lasagna sitting on the counter. I laughed quietly.

  Lily,

  Sorry we aren’t home.

  I took Ashley to her dentist appointment.

  Be back in a little while!

  Love you!

  Mom & Ash

  P.S. I love you!

  Ashley

  As I read the note, my heart slowed back down. I smiled at Ashley’s part. Her handwriting was messy, but I didn’t mind—in fact, I loved it. I shoved the note into the back pocket of my pants. Why was I being so paranoid? Must be that new mystery book I’m reading, I thought. I read mysteries a lot, and they always made me a little nervous, but I had never been this jumpy. And the book wasn’t even that scary! All of these creepy feelings were weirding me out. Maybe after I finished my book I should switch back to fairy tale-type books.

  After heating up the lasagna, I ate it quickly. Even though the movie was tomorrow night, I wanted to finish my chores and homework so nothing would get in the way of my plans. I needed to clean my room and bathroom, sweep the kitchen, do the dishes, and do any laundry. I ran upstairs to check the guest bathroom. It looked good—the toilet and shower were fine—and the sink too. But I took out cleaner and scrubbed the toilet anyway. Ew.

  There were a few things scattered on the floor of my room, and I scurried to pick them up. I looked in my hamper, but there were only two shirts. I snatched them up anyway and tucked them under my arm. I scooped up the towels from my bathroom and went downstairs to the laundry room.

  After throwing in the laundry, I swept the kitchen floor, then loaded the dishwasher and got it going. I started on my homework at the kitchen table so I would hear when the dishwasher buzzed. I did biology first and got halfway done with math before the dishwasher finished. I unloaded it, then went back to my homework. I had three questions left in history by the time I heard Mom and Ashley walk through the front door.

  “. . . and I’m hungry Momma. Why can’t I eat?” Ashley whined.

  “Because the dentist said not to,” Mom told her patiently. “Lily? Are you home?”

  “Yeah,” I called back.

  “Yay, Lily!” Ashley cried with joy. She ran into the kitchen and scrambled into my lap.

  I wrapped my arms around her and squeezed her. “Hey, squirt!”

  “What’cha doin’?” she asked.

  “Homework,” I answered.

  “What kind of homework?” she asked.

  “Just some boring old history,” I told her.

  “Oh okay,” she said and hopped off my lap. She walked over to Mom and said, “Lily is doin’ history, Momma.”

  “Is that so?” Mom said and bent down to kiss Ashley on her forehead.

  “Not anymore,” I told them. I shoved my books back into my bag. “I’m done with my chores and homework.”

  “Oh good. Would you like to help me heat up leftovers for me and Ashley?” she replied.

  “Yay food!” Ashley called from behind us before I could reply. I smiled at Mom and she chuckled.

  “Can I go to Emily’s after the movie Saturda
y?” I asked while washing my hands in the kitchen sink.

  “That’s fine with me,” she answered.

  “Thanks! The movie is called A Stalker’s Greatest Wish. It sounds creepy, I know, but it should be fun.”

  “I hate scary movies,” Mom said.

  “I know, Mom.” I laughed as I headed to the fridge to look for leftovers. There wasn’t much left in the Tupperware, which was probably why Mom left lasagna out for me. She was always thinking of little things like that.

  —————

  After they finished eating, I got the bath ready for Ashley. I plugged the drain and adjusted the water temperature, then dumped bubbles in the water. Ashley took a long bath, playing with almost all of her toys, which was a lot. She had to make up a game for each individual toy. After her bath, I tucked her in bed and read her a story. By the last page, she was out cold. I wished I could fall asleep that fast.

  As I walked down the hall to my room, someone grabbed my shoulders. I yelped and jumped, my heart pounding in my chest.

  “Shhh!” my mother said.

  “Oh my gosh, Mom. You gave me a heart attack!” I said, laughing.

  “Sorry honey . . . is Ashley already asleep?” she asked.

  “Yeah, I read her a story.”

  “Okay good.”

  “Goodnight, Mom, love you,” I said hugging her.

  “Goodnight, sweetheart.” She hugged me back, squeezing me to her. She kissed me on the forehead, just like she did every night, and went back down stairs.

  I laid out my outfit for work the next day. Then I grabbed my mystery/thriller book, plopped on my bed, and started reading. After some time, my eyes felt heavy, and I had a hard time keeping them open. And just as I felt myself dozing, my head slipped sideways onto the pillow, and I saw a dark figure crouching in the rhododendron bush on my front lawn. I couldn’t see the face, but somehow I knew it was smiling.

  I jolted awake. A warm breeze brushed my cheek through my window. I didn’t remember opening it. Had Mom opened it? That seemed likely; she loved the breeze coming through the house.

  What was wrong with me? My heart was still pounding from the dream. I plucked the book off my chest like it was a foul creature and threw it aside. Maybe I would take a break from the book altogether. It was still dark outside. I squinted into the shadows and saw no figure there. The image still haunted me as I fell in and out of sleep. Tossing and turning, I finally caved in to the darkness of sleep.