Alive In The Night

What lurks in the dark?

Something about the night seems so strange to Emma Walker. Probably that explains why she is always within the confinement of her room when the darkness becomes thick.

'Gloomy', that is the only adjective that seems to repeat in her head as she stares through her window at the sight of black.

She dares not step out.

Anna and Chloe were out doing the usual. 'Those two,' she thought,as she lifted her head to the bulb light that held so much pleasantness and beauty. She sighed.

Will she continue this way? Hiding behind the beams of light always and never daring to let the hands of the dark touch her. For goodness sake, she was twenty. What type of phobia was this?

Her friends were out sometimes,partying and they came back, unharmed, alive. Now, everyone thought she was weird, they even admit it to her face. That's worse enough.

"Whatever," she said as the trembling hands of fear held her back.

She was the only one at home. She didn't care as long as she was in the warm embrace of safety with the eyes of light staring directly at her,watching her. This was safety indeed.

She closed her eyes, giving in to sleep.

Even as she closed her eyes, there was darkness everywhere. She couldn't see a thing. It was....it was gloomy!

All of a sudden, it seemed like something was coming for her, something ugly, monstrous, something she was too afraid to behold. It was coming closer.

She gasped.

It was coming closer and closer. It's shadows closing in on her. She screamed "No! Stay back!"

Hot tears rolled down her cheeks. She screamed and screamed and amidst her screams,she remembered that she had closed her eyes.

She opened her eyes quickly,blinking frantically.

Oh no! The darkness was still there. There was no light! She blinked harder as her breathing became heavy. It was as if she was sinking in a deep black ocean. She tried to keep steady but no, the darkness was still there.

It was then, she realized that the electricity had been interrupted.

Damn!

She was all alone. No one with her. No light. Helpless. Darkness wrapped around her like a big black cloth. She couldn't see herself. She could only feel herself.

"No no no no no no....," she shouted as she felt two strong hands on her legs. A force pulled her and kept pulling her. She screamed in fear.

She tried reaching for her torch lights. She couldn't make out what she was touching but she knew it wasn't any of her torch lights. "Damn!" she screamed.

Her phone! She tried to reach for her phone. She felt something flat. She gasped with sudden joy.

She felt the sides for the on button. There were no buttons! She gasped. The hands pulled her and dragged her away from her bed. She would have thought she was dreaming but when she hit the tiled floor of her room so hard, it dawned on her that it was real.

"Nooooooooooooooooooooo," she screamed as the darkness swallowed her up.

Emma's POV

Emma stood, staring, her face expressionless.

"Oh my goodness!...you need to see your face. You were so scared,you almost passed out," Kayden said as he erupted in laughter.

Emma sat, head bent, face in her hands, ashamed and embarrassed.

"You really are afraid of the dark," Kayden said, chuckling.

Emma raised her head and stared at the bulbs that now held light again.

"Yeah and I am allergic to jerks too," Emma said, standing up and moving to the kitchen. She felt defeated.

"Well, at least I am not afraid of the dark....like you are twenty! You should be helping helpless five year olds walk through dark creepy hallways not rolling on the floor, screaming in front of them"

"What are you doing here?" Emma asked, grabbing a drink from the fridge.

"Woah, am I no longer welcomed in my dear aunt's house?"

"Of course you are, you are just not welcomed in my room"

Kayden erupted in laughter again.

"Nooooooooooo!" he said,mimicking her.

He laughed out loud again.

Emma stood, watching him.

She really felt embarrassed. Her 22 year old cousin has now found out that she was was fearful of the dark. Damn!

"That's enough!" she yelled.

There was a deafening silence.

Kayden cleared his throat.

"Okay...I am a jerk...I shouldn't have scared you but what better way to surprise my favourite cousin, I came in through the back door when I thought no one was around and I heard you screaming...I actually thought you were in trouble...then I came into your room and saw you..."

"Yeah how thoughtful of you," Emma interrupted.

Kayden was mute.

"Hey,I heard Audrey is throwing a big party tonight and everyone is going to be there, didn't you and your friends plan to be there too?" he asked.

Emma didn't reply.

She lifted her bottle of drink to her mouth and drank the content.

She continued staring at him.

"You could get more of that and even more at Audrey's party...you know she throws the best and top notch parties...it's amazing how you miss them even when you have every chance to go...trust me, I know your friends would fight their parents just to see the roof of Audrey's beautiful mansion," Kayden said.

Emma rolled her eyes.

"Say something...why didn't you go?"

"Well,since you have a huge crush on Audrey Miller, why don't you go to her party and sort it out?" Emma said, dropping the empty bottle of drink on the wooden stool beside a sofa and walking to her room.

"Woah! Come on cousin...well, I know she's hot but maybe she's not my type"

Emma turned and smiled. He was her cousin alright,she knew he had a way of sustaining conversations, he was too good at it.

"Tried your luck or something?" Emma asked.

Kayden raised a brow.

"Why would I? I told you she's not my type"

"Yeah I know but maybe you asked her out and she turned you down and decided to pick on you later as a punishment for asking her out," Emma said, laughing.

"Ah ah very funny," Kayden said,brushing aside his blonde hair.

"Okay...why is she not your type?...because she is every guy's type!," Emma said, laughing again.

She was really enjoying this moment. She felt she had to. She had been ashamed when he scared her and made her scream at the gloomy darkness and now, this was a way of paying back.

"Damn! Stop! You are really not funny," Kayden said, slightly angry.

"Come on...you are not enjoying this? Because I am"

"What's your problem? You are weird, you know," Kayden said.

There was deafening silence again.

"You think I am weird?" Emma said.

She laughed.

"You find being weird funny?" Kayden asked.

"Well, I find it normal and damn right safe!"

"You are afraid of the dark and that's why you can never go to the most biggest party in school!...."

"And you think it's weird?"

"Yes! Yes! Yes I do! Everyone thinks so too!"

"Hey," Emma whispered.

"Look at me, being called weird is very normal to me, trust me, I don't feel it at all. In fact, if being weird is going to always keep me safe every night, then....y'all can change my last name to 'Weird',"Emma said as she went to her room.

Audrey's POV

"Here's your soda Audrey....I made sure it's very cold, first class treatment...cause you deserve one," Audrey turned to behold Victoria, handing a chilled bottle of soda to her.

Audrey stared at her and then at the bottle of soda. She shook her head, trying to gain her composure.

"Oh...so this is the part where you praise yourself and feel very good meanwhile you have only been a very incompetent personnel," Audrey said, staring at the drink.

"I don't get it"

"You never will"

"But it's cold...first class treatment"

"Oh dummy....I never said I wanted soda"

"Uh I'm pretty sure you said so"

"Uh are you going to question my honesty?"

There was silence.

"I went through a lot for that," Victoria said, dropping her hand.

"But you are dumb...and that's why I think of replacing you every single day"

"Okay okay," Victoria said, breathing hard.

"What do you want?" she asked.

There was silence again.

"Okay maybe...maybe I want something else," Audrey said, staring away from her.

"What's that? I hope it's something I can get here," Victoria said.

Audrey smirked.

"You'll never get it," she said.

"Come on! What's that? I will get it"

"I want Ryan," Audrey said.

Victoria was silent.

"I'm sorry,what?" she asked.

"Yes,you heard me"

"Ryan Gray?"

"You know him"

"But....why do you want him? You hardly converse with him"

Audrey rolled her eyes.

"Must you always be this dumb?....yes we hardly talk and I say awful things about him...but those are cover ups, don't you get it?" she said.

"Oh....does that mean...you....oh no!" Victoria said, drawing back and covering her mouth with her hands.

"Quiet!" Audrey commanded.

"Oh I'm sorry...it's just...I never expected it. I never even imagined it. What makes you suddenly fall in love with him?" Victoria asked, curious.

"Dummy, I've always loved him, I just didn't want to show it"

"Oh...why do you love him?"

"He's mysteriously cute....that's all I have to say"

"Ooooooooh...now that's a discovery...of course, Ryan Gray is insanely cute, I thought you never noticed...now I know you do...."

"Listen to me dummy, if anyone else gets to know about this, you'll have yourself to blame, trust me, it's not a hard task to make you drop out," Audrey said, smirking.

She lifted the bottle of soda to her mouth and drank the content as she watched Victoria stare at her, bewildered.

Ryan's POV

"Oh great....another one of those stupid parties she throws," Ryan said, sitting down on a swivel chair.

"Yeah the same parties people kill themselves for," Leo, his roommate said.

Ryan smirked.

"Still I'll never imagine myself in one of them," he said.

"Cause you hate her....right?" Leo asked, smiling.

"No...she's not even worth my hatred"

"No girl is worth your love too," Leo said.

Ryan stared. He didn't utter a word.

"Whatever," he said, standing up.

He went towards the window. Slowly, he opened one side of the curtains and stared at the darkness that loomed outside.

"I wanted to go," Leo said, breaking the silence that took over.

"Then go," Ryan said, not looking at him.

"Just kidding dude....any enemy of my friend....is an enemy of mine," Leo said.

"And nobody is my friend until loyalty is proven," Ryan said.

"Mehn....you sound like you don't trust anybody....not even me," Leo said.

Ryan was silent.

"Never mind....any plans for tonight? Or you wanna go to bed early? That's quite drab"

"No....no plans," Ryan said, closing the curtain.

"O....kay," Leo said.

Ryan strolled to his bunk bed.

"Goodnight," he said as he climbed his bed.

"Alright," Leo said after a short silence.

"Um...Ryan," he called.

"Yeah," Ryan responded.

"There is football tryout tomorrow...Greg's court....1:00pm"

"Yeah...I almost forgot," Ryan said.

"I got you bro....I'm loyal," Leo said.

Emma's POV

"Who's that?" Emma asked, hardly getting up from her bed. Someone had knocked on her room door and she really didn't want any company right now.

"It's me Emma," the voice behind the door said.

Emma knew the voice, that overly thin and high pitched voice that sounded so feminine. She knew who possessed that voice. It was Anna's voice. She was obviously here to talk about the extremely awesome party that Audrey threw last night and Emma didn't want that.

"Uh...what d'you want?" Emma asked, rolling her eyes.

"Uh come on! You sound like you are kicking me out of your house," Anna said.

Emma didn't say a word. Anna wasn't wrong about that, she didn't want her in her house today.

"I'm coming in," Anna said, moving the door knob.

"Don't bother....it's locked," Emma said, still not moving.

"Are you serious right now?" Anna asked.

Emily knew she was pissed already. She was surprised she didn't care.

"Emma! Open the door!" Anna yelled.

"We are not having lectures till eleven!" Emma yelled back.

"Geez....I know!"

"Then go!"

"Geez....you are chasing me away"

"I'm....I'm not....I heard all about the party okay? No need to tell me about it"

"I am not gonna tell you about it....I didn't come for that"

"Oh please...what a very clever way to lie"

"I'm serious....Chloe and I couldn't get in," Anna said.

There was silence.

Emma's eyes were wide open in surprise. Then she became confused.

"Wait... I don't get it...why?" she asked.

"Audrey's such a bitch," Anna said.

Emma got up and went towards the door. She unlocked it and opened it slowly.

"Move away," Anna said, pushing Emma out of her way.

"That was really bad of you...trying to kick me out of your house," she said, standing in the middle of her room, arms folded.

"I'm sorry...you know how much you blab about Audrey's parties, I just wasn't in for any of those gists," Emma said, closing the door.

"Whatever," Anna said.

"If you put it that way, then we are good," Emma said.

"I saw your hot cousin...you didn't tell me he was coming to visit," Anna said, suddenly feeling excited.

"I still don't get why you think Kayden is hot...and I didn't know he was coming...and he did something damn right stupid as always last night"

"Oh my goodness, did he try to kiss you?" Anna asked, her eyes wide open.

"What?! No! Eww! Why would you ask that? Why would you even think that?" Emma asked, frowning.

"I don't know...oh come on...you were the only one at home last night...and besides, cute and hot guys like Kayden like to have girls whenever they want...they are players...."

"We are cousins! Kayden is my favourite cousin...well was my favourite cousin,we know each other too well and he can never ever dream of kissing me or trying anything else"

"Alright...but I don't trust him too...and that's why I kinda try not to let him know I like him",Anna said,staring at the floor.

"Get over your stupid crush on my cousin..."

"It's not a crush! I seriously like him!" Anna said, fiddling with her hair.

"Ok whatever," Emma said, rolling her hair.

"It sounds like you are mad at him," Anna said.

There was silence.

"It's nothing...it's just that he acts stupid, that's all," Emma shrugged.

"O...kay,so what did he do last night? I really wanna know," Anna said,curious.

"Relax! He didn't kiss me or do anything related to that...Kayden is my cousin...can we stop talking about him?" Emma said, rolling her eyes.

"Alright," Anna said.

"Do you really have to stay away from night life all because of some phobia that's just for kids?" Anna asked.

"Alright stop! Don't start another war with me," Emma said.

"Oh come on, you need to get over it, there is so much fun out there waiting for you if only you just leap into them...I can help you...Chloe and I will help you...you don't have to replace us with the two torchlights you have," Anna joked and smiled.

"I'm not finding this funny and stop talking about my life..."

"But everyone thinks you are a weirdo....last night, Liam asked about you and called you a weirdo and Liam is one of the popular guys in school...if he says you are a weirdo then it's what everyone else says...."

"Maybe I don't care about what Liam says and if I don't care about what Liam says then I don't care about what everyone else says!" Emma yelled.

"Uh!" Anna groaned.

"Yesterday, Audrey didn't let Chloe and I in because...because of you," Anna said.

Emma was mute.

Audrey's POV

Audrey noticed that everywhere was quiet as she strolled into her Dormitory.

"Hey...what a wonderful morning it is," a voice said behind her.

Audrey stopped. She turned to behold Clara, one of her roommates standing at the door of the bathroom.

Audrey sighed.

"Um...your party was lit...as always," Clara said, ignoring Audrey's curt silence.

"You weren't even in the party," Audrey said.

"Yeah I wasn't...your bouncers didn't let me in...I guess I was in your naughty list"

"Yeah like always and why don't you give up?" Audrey asked, folding her arms.

Clara was mute.

"See, I know...you probably hate me...ever since...I mistakenly spilled my drink on you but really, I didn't do it for any reason, it was an accident," she said.

"Oh I know," Audrey said.

"I...wait, you know...you understand, right?"

"Yeah I totally understand"

Clara's face brightened up with a smile.

"But dear, that's not the reason for me not accepting you into my parties and into my life, I find you quite weird and awkward and certainly not worthy to be found near me, ask others, they can relate," Audrey said as she walked towards her bed.

Clara stared in disbelief.

The door swung open and Lucy, Audrey's other roommate walked in.

"Hey Clara, have you seen my silver wrist watch, I left it on the stool," she said.

"I didn't see it," Clara said.

Lucy sighed.

"Come on! I have been searching for it! It's got to be here somewhere!" she yelled.

There was silence.

"That was the same way I lost my necklace! I can't keep on losing things like this," Lucy said.

"We were both here together Clara before I left," she said.

"Doesn't mean I stole it," Clara said.

"I'm not saying you stole it...I'm just saying you could have seen it"

"Don't pin your loss on me, I wasn't even paying attention to you," Clara blurted out.

"Looks like someone was out all night," Audrey said, smiling.

"I didn't talk to you you know," Lucy said.

"I just observed...did you finally find a boyfriend...to reverse this stupid 'boyish' attitude of yours?"

"Hey you know what? You are not worth it! In any way! If you think you are! So I'm gonna walk away from you. You are a constant reminder that everybody is not like you...so that's why we have to keep away from you. You even know that. That is why you keep people away from you and keep some people to yourself. Those ones are just like you...foolish, wasteful and disgusting," Lucy said and left.

Clara stared at Audrey. There was silence.

Audrey gritted her teeth in anger. Then, she turned to Clara.

"It's....," Clara tried to say.

"Zip it Din-bag! And don't you ever say a word to me again," Audrey interrupted.