October 1st

6:42 AM

Dear Diary,

I hate this so called “life” of mine. Nothing is as it is supposed to be. My parents are unfaithful to each other, and they both know of the other’s affairs. Yet, they go about each day as if nothing is going on, as if everything in our little lives are perfect, but I know the truth. Even little Sophie seems to know about it, and she’s only three! She always gets quiet when-

Sorry, I have to go now. I’ll be back later though.

I snap my journal shut and stuff it into my backpack as my mother calls for me again, yelling up the stairs about my needing to get dressed. It’s normal for me, since I normally sleep in late. “Jen, if you don’t get dressed, you’ll miss breakfast!” She shouts up the stairs again.

“I’m coming!” I call back as I pull a t-shirt over my head and bounce into my denim jeans. I don’t bother putting on my shoes just yet, since all I have to do is slip them on. Instead, I simply ignore my Converse and walk from my room, buttoning my pants and ignoring the reflection in my mirror that passes as well. I didn’t want to see the monster that looks back at me, especially those green eyes. My biological father’s green eyes...

I enter the kitchen, my eyes meeting the sight that my nose had already told me I would see; bacon is piled high onto a plate, enough for an army it seems, and waffles are being dished out onto separate plates for my father and myself, my mother serving herself last. “Thanks,” I murmur as I accept the plate from her dainty hand, ignoring the bacon altogether and going straight for the syrup.

“Don’t forget to come home early today. The disappearances in town have increased over the past few weeks,” my stepfather says over his newspaper, his thin-rimmed glasses sliding to the edge of his nose as he meets my gaze, blue meeting green. “No exceptions.”

“Yes sir.”

Nothing more is said throughout breakfast, not even a giggle from Sophie.

8:15 AM


I’m back, but this time, I’m at school. It’s ridiculous. Each day is the same thing: come in, take a seat, listen to these boring old men and women talk about boring old subjects like algebra or history, which is all rudimentary to me, and then go on home again.

But that isn’t what I hate most about school.

It’s the people. Every day, they gawk at me because my platinum blonde hair is unnaturally…. natural... and always straightened, or my makeup is a little darker than normal because, hey, I like eyeliner. Or maybe they don’t like my Batman shirt, because they think I don’t know my superheroes, or in this case, my vigilantes. They say I want attention. As if I care about what these idiots think!

And then there’s this jerk, who walks into homeroom every morning, looks in my direction as if to check that I’m not near his desk or within arms-length of him (like I’d want to be! God he’s so… Ugh!) and then proceeds to ignore me. EVERY MORNING! He normally comes in right about now.

Yupo, there is that pretty boy with his strawberry blonde hair and oddly vibrant green eyes, glancing at me again. Even meeting my gaze! ...And the teacher is right behind him. I guess I’ll be back later.


Peace.


I meet Dennis’ piercing green eyes with a mask of calm to hide the irritation he invoks each day. He simply nods a hello, smiles in a friendly fashion, and then turns to talk to the first person who verbally greets him. I hate the boy; he acts so smart and so great. He thinks he’s better than everyone just because he is smarter than most of us and has top grades in all of his classes. He’s even top of the entire class with a grade point average of…. I don’t even know. It makes me so mad, his holier-than-thou persona. He smiles, acts friendly, but I can see the hidden thoughts in his betraying eyes. He’s easily annoyed with people, watchful of me and a few others, and even more wary of groups of people...

I huff to myself and push away those thoughts, glancing down at my wonderful little composition book that serves as my makeshift diary and book of doodles. No lock, no password, just as it should be. And it’s always with me so no one can get into it. I run my fingers over it lightly in thought, considering going back to writing in it, but a tap on my right shoulder stops me. I glance back at the person behind me.

“What?” I whisper to the brunette harshly. My light green irises meet his chocolate ones, finding a raised brow and quiet laughter hidden in those eyes. He is the jokester of the school, the flirt, but more commonly known as Dennis’ best friend. They are almost always together, but they are so… different… so opposite from one another...

“You seem down,” the boy’s smooth voice whispers, coated with amusement while his eyes sparkle with hidden curiosity. “Are you alright? I mean, if you need a hug I can help.”

I scoff quietly at him and turned back around in my seat in a show of give it up. He’s mocking me, and I know it. He isn’t the only one either. Even though my back is to him, I can hear his gentle laughter, practically see the expression that I know is covering his face right about now. “Jennifer, don’t be mean. you could at least talk to someone every once in awhile,” he whispers to my shoulder, his chair making a gentle screech as he scoots forward some more. “You’re so anti-social, even for such a small school. It’s almost intimidating!” He pauses, and I continue to act like I can’t hear him at all. “Tell you what, how about the arcade after school? You like games, right?”

I whirl, causing my hair to fly and my desk to squeak harshly as I turn to face the boy behind me. “Jack, enough. Leave me alone. Why don’t you go break up a fight or comb your hair or something?”

“No need to get hostile,” he chuckles.

I growl to myself and turn to face the front of the class again, throwing open my composition book and beginning to doodle on the inside of it. I glance up to check the time, but instead meet striking green eyes that are watching me. I meet that gaze steadily, challenging the smartest boy in the Senior class to a staredown, which he promptly declines and turns to the front of the room.

“Hey,” I hear from behind me again, a pencil tapping my shoulder as a piece of folded paper glides in the air over my shoulder and lands on my desk neatly. Holding my tongue, I grumble to myself and peel open the ridiculous note. Notes in class, really??

Seriously though, I need help on some work for Calculus. If you help me out after school today, I’ll treat you to whatever you want- dinner, movie, games, books, whatever. You name it! -Jack

I sigh and play with the pen in my hand, shaking it back and forth and even tapping it on my desk. Well, I could use some downtime and a new book or three… I think to myself. However, I shake my head. No. I will not give in to this idiot’s pleading. I hate people; they’re worthless.

Another sheet of paper lands on my desk, further irritating me.

Please? I’ll leave you alone if you just help me study for this test. I would ask Dennis, but he has family plans after school, and I could really use the help from the second top-scorer in the class!! I promise that if you help me, I will get you whatever you want today, and then leave you alone for the rest of the year! Heck, I’ll even buy you new composition books, since you always write so much!

I sigh, deciding to give in for once. It is only for a day, right? And I will get something out of the deal… We will stay at school, where I can ditch him in a heartbeat if I get tired of his antics. I turn in my chair. “Fine,” I whisper, earning a giant smile of triumph and what appears to be… relief? “But only an hour, and then you owe me.”

Jack smiles and nods, but my attention is diverted in a moment’s notice when the teacher bellows at us. “Miss Hensley, mister Domns, turn around and pay attention or I will send you both to the office!” People in the class snicker, but I am only keenly aware of Dennis’ effort to not look over at us. Why does that make me even more mad than before?

3:15

The bell has rung, and I’m sitting here, in the Calculus classroom, waiting on Jack because I couldn’t turn down the opportunity to get my hands on a new book or two. And guess what? The “nice guy” is late. School ended twenty minutes ago, but I’m still here, waiting. I don’t know why I waste my time on people when things like this happen. This is why I do not bother to associate with people, ever.

Well, I guess now is a good time to continue what I was saying this morning about my family. Might as well.

My mom had me when she was nineteen; she’d gotten together with some jerk during her freshman year of college and, once he found out I was coming, he ran away. For three years of my life, my mom raised me by herself with little money, and I love her for that. But a few years ago, she met who I now consider my father. They hit it off, and I was happy for them for the longest time.

That is, until the pictures came in the mail one day after another last year. I was the one who saw them, the one who looked through the evidence of my father’s mistress and my mother’s… lover. Neither of them have been true to each other, and since I found out, it seems like my happy little world has been turned to dust. Everything is a lie now. Yes, I left the pictures for them to see. No, I never talked with either of them about it. However, it kills me. Sophie, my little sister of three years, has to grow up in a home where no real love is shown anymore. Babies feel things like that, they know how people really feel. It’s no wonder she doesn’t play with anyone but me now. I never have to lie to cover how I feel, and I never see the need to. I hate them. Both of my parents.

My mother goes on smiling each day, making breakfast and dinner for us before going to work for her magazine company. She asks about school, how my day went, all that crap, but she isn’t even really interested is she? She just wants to make sure I suspect nothing of her affair; she is just being sure I am naive and clueless.

My father is exactly the same: he gets up, reads the paper at the table, goes to work, comes home and eats dinner, kisses everyone goodnight, and starts all over again. All while smiling and laughing. I can’t stand it. He’s so detached, so genuinely unhappy. I wish they would just divorce already, or I could move out.

One more year, I can move out. One year, I’ll be an adult. One. More. Year.

I glance up at the clock. only ten minutes have passed, but even the teacher is gone from the room and the janitors are rolling their carts in to clean up this room- their last room of the evening. I sigh, pack up my things, and leave. I hate this world. People are stupid, rude, arrogant, bullies who take up people’s time and lie to get what they want. Everyone is the same.

I push out the school doors and take off walking down the street, my bag hitched over my shoulder. I don’t want to go home, but I don’t want to stay in town either. So, I head for the park, where no one is around this time of day, and I can sit in peace on the swings. Yet, as I walk, I pass an electronics store, where televisions are displayed, each playing a sudden break of the news that has interrupted whatever show had been on each one. I pause to read, not caring that people on the sidewalk have to go around me.

The screen has scrolling text at the bottom, warning people to be in before sunset. Apparently, the police are cracking down on a new curfew due to recent disappearances in town, but I don’t care. I simply turn and head to the park anyways, and that is where I stay


______________________________________________________________________________

My eyes slide open as I sit up, stretching my aching muscles and glancing around my surroundings. It’s dark, but I don’t know the exact time. Sadly, I have no cell phone, so I can’t check the time, but I guesstimate that it is around nine o’clock. The park always looks creepy during this time of the night; shadows always seem to move on their own, and I always have chills when I looked too hard at them. I huff and push myself to stand, grabbing my fallen bag and leaving the small playhut I had taken refuge in. It’s metal bars are cold when I sleepily bump into them, but I don’t care.


I meander along the street, sticking to the lit sidewalks rather than taking my normal alleyways home. A cold chill passes over me, carried by the cooler wind that has kicked up. I’m not sure why, but even though I am wearing a jacket, my skin just won’t be rid of the bumps that have formed. Before I know it, my nerves are frayed and my eyes continue to move about in front of me. I even look behind me on occasion, but nothing is there. It isn’t out of the norm, so I’m not sure why it makes me feel so… afraid. Then I realize not a single car has passed me since I left the park. Not a single stray animal has approached me in any way, shape, or form… I am walking the main road, too…

Despite my better instincts, I continue on. I walk with purpose, for once wishing I was at home to see my mother’s false smile and my father’s happy facade, to play with my little sister and her ridiculous building blocks. So, I keet thinking about that: playing with little Sophie. But my mind keeps wandering, just like my eyes that seem to be searching for something.

Suddenly, a hand stretches out from the alleyway I am passing, taking a strong hold on my arm and pulling not-so-gently until I am in the shadows with the person. I open my mouth to scream, but no sound comes out as my eyes take in the sight of the man- no, the creature- that has a hold on me.

Red eyes glow in the shadows of his sharply defined face and thick, gray hair falls to hide his left cheekbone that I can see is sunken in and discolored, like the rest of his ashy skin. His mouth parts in a sneer, releasing a laugh that makes my bones rattle not just from the guttural sound and the sharp, yellow teeth, but from the stench that emits from his cracked, dry lips as well. I freeze out of instinct, and claws dig into my skin as the creature’s mouth begins to emit a sound that I at first do not register as words.


“Finally. After weeks of tracking, I’ve found you.”


I gulp, fear making it impossible to do anything else as I try to back away. His grip on my arms only tighten, drawing blood as his claws pierce my skin, causing me to try to retreat even faster. “N-no!” I try to scream, but it only comes out as a panicky whisper. I… I can’t die! I have my sister to look after! My family needs me…! I-I need them!! I can’t… This can’t be happening!

The creature chuckles loudly and pulls me close, using only a single arm around my shoulders to hold me against his chest as he mockingly pats my head. “There, there little human. This won’t hurt for too long, I promise. I’m only going to kill you and take your soul.”

I struggle even more to get away, and surprisingly, he releases me. I turn to run away from the vile creature, whose breath I now know smells of death and rot. For a few moments, I think I just might get away. However, when I glance back and see the mirth in his eyes, even fron the distance I have put between us,I know that this is his game, and I am merely his pawn. I turn and try running faster, actually rounding a corner before-

I run smack into what I could have sworn was a wall. As I land on my backside, only adding more pain to my body that I hadn’t even known was hurting, I look over at the male sitting across from me, rubbing his behind and huffing. Never in my life have I been so grateful to see this jokester. “J-Jack! You need to run!” I try to get out, but it only escapes as a whisper from my trembling lips. He merely looks up at me, at first in confusion, and then another emotion settles on his face: shock.

“What are you doing out?”

“Doesn’t matter. We need to go- now! There’s this… this THING, and-”


Laughter sounds from around the corner as the creature steps into the streetlight, making himself completely known to myself and Jack. I squeal and move away, finding myself behind the brunette who is now standing between me and the creature that I associate with Death. “I know you. You’re the one getting in our way.”

Jack smirks and tilts his head to the side; I have never seen him do that before. At least, not in this way. He looks… as if he is actually going to fight that horrible, inhumane thing! “Jack, don’t!”

“It’s alright, Jen. I gotcha.” he says calmly, only sparing a brief glance over his shoulder at me. The next thing I know, the creature lunges at Jack, and then the two are gone from my sight. Or at least, that’s what I had thought. Instead, I see them just a little ways down the road, fighting in the middle of the street, punching and kicking each other and drawing blood. I can’t believe it. They are moving at great speeds, so fast that they appear as mere blurs to my straining eyes. Loud shouts of anger and pain are heard as things explode (Explode!!) all around them. Streetlights fall and crumple like paper in their wake, and I am left completely mesmerized by their fight. Never in my life have-

“Jennifer?” a smooth voice calls, making me jerk in surprise as I turn to see Dennis crouching beside me, concern written all over his face. “Are you alright?”


“Alright?” I repeat, earning no response as he simply watches me, as if he knows what I am about to say. “Alright?! I just got attacked by…. by…”


“A demon,” he supplies quietly.


“A demon, and you think I’m alright?!” I pause to take a deep breath. “What the heck?! I nearly died tonight!” My eyes turn and trained on the fight again, watching as what appears to be a glow of light shoot through the air and collide with the so called ‘demon’, who promptly collapses. I wait to see if he moves, but from here, I can’t even tell if he is breathing.


“Yes. Lucky that Jack and I were out,” he responds, as if this is as natural as the sun rising and setting each day. His keen eyes are watching me, observing my every movement. “This is not the first one you’ve encountered, Jennifer.”


I blink. “What?”


“He’s right, you know,” Jack calls to us. I turn my eyes to watch the boy lumber towards Dennis and me; it’s like he is a totally different person than in school… “Demons are everywhere. They’re disgusting creatures that somehow get loose from the underworld, and they have an appetite for people like you and me. Dennis and I-”


“Jack,” Dennis interrupts, but is easily ignored.


“-work to kill those demons. We work for an association that deals with phenomena like this. For the past few weeks, you-”


“Jack...”


“-have been a target of these creatures, but-”


“You’re giving out too much this time, the memory...”


“-we don’t know why,” Jack finishes, eyeing me with a look of slight curiosity and… expectation? “Regulations of the association say that any human who comes into contact, though…”


“Must have their memories erased,” Dennis supplies promptly, eyeing Jack with a look of exhaustion.


“Wait, you said I’ve been attacked… before… and you’ve erased my memory?” I inquire, my voice starting to shake as I scoot back a bit from both boys. They watch me, neither answering the question, so I ask another. “Are you two… demons also..? In disguise?”


“That’s a good one,” Jack chortles, throwing his head back for a moment. “Nice guess though,” he pauses and casts his brown eyes over to Dennis. “We have to do it again, huh?”


Dennis nods in response, a grim expression on his face. “As much as I hate it, it is necessary until we find out what her father is up to. Now is just not the right timing…” He turns to me, his vivid clover-colored eyes meeting my lighter hues and softening as he catches sight of my worry-filled and fearful expression. “I apologize, but you must sleep now.”


I try to scoot away from him, but he holds up a handful of a powdery substance and blows it into my face. The substance sticks to my cheeks and nose, even my lips, making my skin feel gritty and dirty. However, I’m more worried about the exhaustion that suddenly overtakes me. I try to fight back a yawn, but it is so very clear that there’s no winning against this. Within moments, my world turns dark and, later, will be filled with dreams.


October 2nd


6:33 AM


I didn’t sleep too well last night. I had weird dreams all night about school and work. Oh yeah, I have to work today… God I hate this. I hate my family. I hate people. Why can’t I just live alone already?


I don’t remember how I got home last night. Was I really that mad that Jack ditched our little study program? Oh well. It’s just another day to put up with idiots like him. Pft, who cares. I’ll just get through it and start all over again tomorrow.


Maybe I’ll go buy a new book after school today. It isn’t like those disappearances in town are anything big anyways- they’re all just attention seeking teenagers with nothing but parties to run off to.

My bedroom door suddenly opens and, for a moment, I catch my mother’s brown gaze as she tosses a letter in my direction, her lips pursed in what I can only guess to be disappointment or irritation. I glance down at the yellow envelope and read the address before sighing and picking up my composition book/makeshift diary once more.

Look what I have here… It looks like a letter from my biological father. That’s the second time this week. Whatever. I’ll just throw it out again. I have no interest in that jackwagon.

I huff to myself and look around my room, catching my own gaze in the mirror on the opposite wall. I look like a disaster child; my hair is a wreck and my eyes are darkened by lack of restful sleep. My pupils are dilated and a little glassy, hinting that I could be getting sick. I stare for a few moments before giving a resolved sigh. I can’t waste any more time.

I turn back to my journal.

I have to go. I need to get ready for school and eat something.

I’ll be back later when someone irritates me again.

Peace out.