|
|
Kylie looked down below, at the waves crashing against the rocky coast. A jump from this far atop the cliff would surely kill her instantly. Perfect, she thought. Just the way to end an endless summer. She turned and slipped off her pink cardigan and folded it neatly on a rock, before laying the crystal necklace David had given her down on top of it. Right on the rock where they had met. The salty sea air wrapped around her bare arms as a replacement of the cardigan. Only this time, the chill was permanent. If she couldn't be with David, then she couldn't be with anyone. It just hurt too much. How could she? He had disappeared nearly three months ago, after he supposedly saw Shay's 'ghost', but that did not matter to Kylie. He was her true love; soulmate. She took a few steps back and looked down at the waves. She hung one foot off before she heard someone stumbling through the nearby shrubbery. She glanced back to see David, his face filled with fear and worry. He yelled, "Kylie! No!" She ran towards him, before she saw her.
Shay. Her face fell, and she pushed David away. "How could you?" she screamed. David looked puzzled. "What?" he demanded. "Shay?" Kylie gestured towards her ex-best friend, whose lips curled into a twisted grin.
She was no longer human, and lunged at Kylie, throwing her over the side of the cliff.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Kylie bolted upwards, breathing hard, palms sweating. She looked at her clock. 10 A.M. She rolled out of the comfy bed, telling herself over and over it was just a dream, that David was still with her, and Shay was where she belonged; in her grave. But, ultimately, fear consumed her, and she went downstairs, tired of being alone. She ruffled her brothers hair as she poured herself a bowl of cereal. "Kylie? You up?" asked her mother. "Yeah." she replied. "Good. Get ready. You have to take Ricky and Eric to the park today, remember?" Kylie looked at the six year old boy eating at the table. Eric grinned. "You ready, Kylie? Can we bring some money? Ricky and me want ice cream!" he cried.
Kylie sighed. "Of course." She dumped out the half eaten bowl and ran upstairs to slip into some plaid shorts, a white tank top, and pull her hair into a loose ponytail. She hopped down the stairs and smiled at her brother, dressed in his hat and cargo pants with his sneakers on the wrong feet. "Ready to go, Kylie?" he asked her, grinning, revealing his missing tooth. She laughed and helped him put the shoes on correctly, before heading out. David met them, and Eric ran to him. "David!" he cried, jumping at his feet, "Are you coming to the park with us?" Kylie smiled as he pulled her into a hug. "Sure. Ready?" Kylie looked at him. "Of course."
They rode in David's Jeep. They were almost to the park when Eric saw something alongside the road. He cried out, wanting to investigate. Something was moving in the woods next to the curb, and Kylie wasn't so sure. She eyed them suspiciously. The trail leading to the cliff where she had first seen David started there. She wasn't sure she wanted to, especially after that wild dream . . .
But David grabbed her waist and hoisted her out of the vehicle, tickling her sides as they ran next to Eric. "Look!" he yelled, pointing to a turtle, slowly walking into the brush. Kylie smiled at her brother. "Don't touch it!" she cried as she watched with horror as the child stuck his finger out to poke its shell. David grabbed his wrist, and was about to say something, when something moved again in the woods. Kylie rose, picking up Eric, not moving a muscle, not letting the branches out of sight. Suddenly, it was all too wrong; this was not right. Something was not right.
She backed slowly to the Jeep, when David started walking towards it, whatever it was, almost in a trance. "No, David!" she screamed, fear overwhelming her again. It nibbled at the bottom of her and boiled up. She put Eric in his carseat before closing and locking the doors. She looked at him. "Stay here. No matter what." she ordered, and the boy, sensing her anxiety, obliged. She ran to David, and grabbed his arm.
That was when Kylie first saw Shay. She gasped and let go of his arm. It fell to David's side as he reached up with the other arm to stroke her face. They were out of eyesight of Eric, and the poor thing was probably freaking out, but Kylie couldn't move. How could Shay be alive? She had died last fall, after Marcus took that wrong turn when he was drunk and hit that tree . . . Shay was obviously not human. Her eyes had no life in them; they were steel grey with dark violet flecks in them. When she was alive, her eyes had been brown. Her once long and flowy hair now was cut short and choppy, and apparently had not been brushed in a while . . . Her teeth were razor sharp; they looked like they had been filed into triangles.
"Shay?" she whispered the name. David face fell and he grabbed her, rushing away. Kylie watched as Shay growled and crouched, as if she were a hunter about to attack it's prey. David looked at her as she crawled into the car. "Did you see that?" he breathed. Kylie, too stunned to speak, nodded. But, Eric wanted to go to the park, even though a bunch of clouds had moved in and Ricky's mom called and said Ricky was sick.
David revved the engine and sped off, when Kylie heard a whoosh, like a strong wind; only there wasn't a breeze.
She spun around in her seat to find Eric gone, his carseat belt chewed through.
|
