I
'A pair of almond-shaped, sunken in eyes glittered hazel-ish green as they pierced my soul, searching for a sign of life. The last thing I could remember was the blinding light of a laptop, its screen reminding me I had to be asleep three hours ago. Now a tall figure stood before me, its- her eyes staring into mine. She looked perfectly awake, her curly blonde hair already wet with the remnants of a shower. It took me but a second to recognize the face of my best friend.
"Hey," her rough yet affectionate voice rang in my ears, creating a ray of sunlight to hold up my heavy eyelids, "Did you sleep well?"
"Well enough," I replied, the remnants of slumber still detectable in my voice, "For falling asleep at three." While I had gotten in bed at three, I had actually stayed up even later listening to music. That's what sleepovers are for, right? Kaylyn had slept in my room that night, and we had had fun staying up all night playing Five Nights at Freddy's. It had been great.
As my memories of yesterday returned, I remembered another face; one of an emo platonic feti dude pal bro named Mikaila. As she entered my room, the smell of bathwater and black hair dye entered my nostrils. She was dressed in a casual Twenty One Pilots hoodie and skinny jeans, her usual getup.
"Are you ready?" Her question rang in my ears. For what? It took me a few seconds to remember our plans for the day. "Oh, right, getting Zander." She looked at me amusedly, her grin growing exponentially. Kaylyn's did the same, her smile piercing my drowsy frown and restoring its playful arch. We had been planning this day for months. We were going to pick up Zander from his house and spend the day at Skyzone. After that, we would visit the Mall and take Kaylyn into Hot Topic for the first time.
"Alright, I'm up, just let me get ready." I ushered the girls out of my room, convincing them to leave me alone for a few minutes. Their expressions had been understanding, but if they knew what I was hiding, their opinion might change. I reached into the millimeter gap between my bed and the wall beneath my window. This was the only spot in the room not cluttered with books and drawings. My fingers searched until they found a small cavity in the wall. It was a few centimeters thick and well-hidden by old paint and bad lighting. I grasped a small object between my fingers and pulled it up towards my chest. Its intense glow was soon choked by the black lining of my left pocket.
"Harris?" Having successfully hidden the glowing object in my pocket, I turned my head to the door and painted a casual look on my face. "I'm done. Give me a second." Racing to leave the room, I tripped over a stack of dusty novels and sent a box of markers flying. The impact threw my phone from my right pocket. "Are you okay, bean?" Mikaila began to open the door, both worry and amusement present in her voice. She called me 'bean' because I was small and innocent for my age.
"I'm alright, I just tripped." Everyone was in my room now. Kaylyn helped me to my feet as Mikaila stared at the novels I had knocked over. I haven't read the Secret Garden in too long. It had been a while since I'd reread some of my favorite books. They littered the shelves of my small, rectangular room like gum litters the bottom of desks.
Buzz! My phone notified me of a message from a friend. Thanking it with my warm hand, I picked it up and entered my passcode. A large white box appeared at the top of my screen;
Hey, you dropped your phone.
Pick it up!
Mikaila's muffled chuckle revealed the message was hers. "Thanks," I nodded at Mikaila, grateful for her attempt to tell me I'd dropped my phone.
"Let's go," I suggested, reclaiming my balance and leading my friends into the hallway that connected my room and the rest of the house, "We'll be late to pick up Zander if we wait any longer." I had not yet noticed the missing weight from my pocket, and I wouldn't until it was far too late. Unknown to me, something had gone missing from both pockets.