Chapter 2: Eerie (ROUGH DRAFT!!!)

A Chapter by Elicia

Chapter 2!

2. Eerie

"Alex!!!"

We'd be late for school if he didn't hurry his butt and get down here.

Me having Alex as a brother was never a high point of my life. Especially this year, when I had to drive him to school because he thought busses smelled bad and his car got totaled in an accident, and our dad says he needs to “express his creativity”. Well, thanks to his “creativity” my car reeks of Axe.

"ALEX! IF YOU'RE NOT DOWN IN THE NEXT 10 SECONDS, YOU CAN WALK TO SCHOOL!"

"Keep it down....I’m trying to sleep!" My dad yelled from his room, clearly half-asleep.

I'd nearly have forgotten about my dad if he didn't just snap at me (he was never one for yelling or snapping, but when he was partially in reality, partially in dreamland, it was a different story). I set out all of the things he needed to make his coffee: mug, powder, coffee maker, and acup for hot water. After living here for 18 years, he still barely new his way around the kitchen.

I glanced at the time. 6:21. School was at 7:15. The drive there was a half-hour long, again, and Alex still had to eat breakfast, and I still needed time to get my things together.

"ALEX!!! " I was furious now.

"Chill- I'm coming," I heard from the top of the stairs "geez."

"Why do you ALWAYS sound like you’re stoned? And what were you doing up there for 2 hours? I don’t even take that long."

"Well, I AM always stoned…” he joked, I think “and why do you always sound so bitchy? And FYI for 1½ of those hours I was SLEEPING-" his voice raised

"Shh," I put a finger over my mouth "dad's still asleep"

"Still?"

"Yeah," I said "he got here last night at like, 1 a.m."

"Doing what?"

"I dunno. I just heard his car pull into the driveway, then some snoring as soon as he got to his room. When I went in to check on him, he was totally out.”

Alex went to get himself some cereal.

"Oh," he said "what were you doing up till then?"

"My room is right above the garage. I wake up from my bed shaking every time someone opens it.”

"Maybe I will,"

“Will what?”

He shrugged.

"What? Ugh I don’t wanna know—hurry up and eat breakfast."

I had nothing else to do, so I watched him eat, looking at the features I had seen all my life. Alex had brown hair and blue eyes like the rest of us, his hair messy and cut to his chin. I could never dodge how unalike he and I looked, not that it was a bad thing. I had high cheekbones and almost none of my baby-fat left. The only thing we resemble are our eyes. He had slightly rounded cheeks, but not so much that he was fat. None of us were. At all. Luke had the same high cheekbones and thin lips I had (but more guy-like on him), but his eyes were a bit darker than the rest of us- he had our mom’s eyes.

"Done." Alex said as he put away his dish.

"'K. Let's go."

* * *

I was barely on time for my first period class. I made it in just seconds before the bell.

Jess was in all of my classes (except PE—it wasn’t coed at our school) and he wasn't there that day. I wondered if it had anything to do with what happened Friday.

I went through the rest of my day quietly, waiting for it to end. When it finally did, I saw Alex waiting for me, leaning against my car, eyeing a senior that was on the soccer team. Pervert.

"She's out of your league. Besides, she's too old for you."

"We'll see about that," He looked smug.

"Perv. And why are you here? I thought you had detention,"

"I did."

"You ditched," it wasn't really a question

"So?"

"You're so stupid. Get in." I said, unlocking the car.

“Who says ‘ditched’ anymore?”

* * *

The whole ride home, Alex wouldn't shut up about some weird ghost story someone presented in his English class, about World War II, and now, he wanted to go to Germany. That's where my mind trailed off.

As soon as we came into our driveway through the gate, I cut the engine and stormed inside. Alex just kept talking like nothing happened. Blah blah blah blah blah.....

"ALEX! Go do you're homework or something" at that point I'd have said anything to get him to leave.

"I don't feel like it."

"Well go do something else away from me!"

"Fine. If you don't want me to stay and talk, just say it."

I shot him a glare.

"All right, I'm leaving. You girls and your moods..." he mumbled as he walked up the stairs.

I just rolled my eyes, as I heard him call calling "Luke! I got something to tell you!!" poor Luke. He already had a cold. Now he had to listen to Alex drone on and on. For a 16-year-old, he was pretty immature.

The first task on my mind was to check the answering machine, as no one else that lived here ever touched it.

34 new messages. 34. I checked all of them.

Message 1:

Hello Mr. Trentford, this is National City Wide Financial Bank of Connecticut calling to confirm the purchase made for $5 at The

Delete.

Message 2:

Hello, Mr. Trentford. This is Luis Hospital calling to confirm your appointment-please call us back at 1-857-555-5679

Save.

Message 3:

Hello, successful homeowner of America! It is SO good to be free. What if you could be even more free? Introducing the first EVER

Delete.

It went on like that until message 34, all of them a sales call, confirmation call, or something else for my dad.

"DAD?" I called for him, but no answer came in return.

"DAD?" I called again, but still no answer.

"LUKE?" no answer.

"ALEX?" no answer again. This was getting creepy.

I walked up the stairs to see what they were doing that was so important that they had to ignore me.

"Guys…?" I said, opening the door into Luke's room, only to find it empty. I could've sworn I saw Alex go in there. So I checked Alex's room.

Empty.

Then my dad's room.

Empty.

Then finally mine- which I thought was silly- and it was of course, empty, and in the same shape I left it that morning: neat and tidy. Except, now, there was a little white envelope with my name on it, sitting on my pillow.

Chrystallina,it said, in the handwriting I recognized as Jess’s.

Uh-Oh was the only thought that came to my mind.

Chrys,

I'm so sorry I have to do this. I don't know how you'll react.

I'm leaving. Please, God, I beg you, don't try to reply and ask me where, because there's no return address, and I can't tell you. I’m sorry I have to tell you what I’m about to like this, I’m sorry I’m too much of a coward. But I couldn’t leave without you knowing.

Chrys, I

"CHRYSTALLINA!!!!" my reading was cut short when I heard someone yell my name from downstairs.

"Dad?"

"GET DOWN HERE!!!!"

It was my dad, and he sounded really mad. I threw the note onto my bed, and practically flew down the stairs.

"What?!" I shouted, but there was no one downstairs when I got there. God, this was getting really annoying.

"DAD?!" I yelled, but NO ANSWER. UGH!

I know I heard him yell my name. I checked all throughout the house, in every room, and found absolutely no one. Maybe I’m hallucinating. Yeah, that’s all.

After a while, I gave up and went back upstairs to finish reading the letter. But, having one of the most eeriest days of my life, I thought it be better if I just waited until morning to read the rest- in fear of seeing my dad and brothers trapped within the piece paper.

I shuddered.

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