Hello there readers! Okay, I've kind of gotten bored over my cyber book that I was previously working on, BUT that doesn't mean I'm going to drop it. ANYWAY, this is just a rough draft/preview/test/thing/chapter of a story I thought as kind of interesting. Comment and say if you like it. Because if you do, I might just continue it. (:

Draft; "Coast is Clear."

"Do you ever just lie on your bed for hours on end staring at your ceiling, as if it's giving you the answer you need? It's not going to help. It just digs a deeper hole in your thoughts. "

When did I write this? Why do I write such nonsense in this stupid book anyway? I mean, it's just some way I can look back on my depression, that's never nice, is it? Who got me this book anyway? I faintly remember the day I got i-

"HONEY, come down for diiiiinner!"

Food for thought. Literally. I smell pork chops. Didn't we have pork chops three days ago? Or was that spaghetti? Huh.

I walked down the hall, glimpsing at my pictures from elementary school. So 'carefree' with my long dirty blonde hair. Such an ugly color. So I cut it, and died it black. It's starting to grow out again. Do I care? Really, do I?

Mom had her hands on her hips, "Honey, your food is getting cold, just how long does it take you to take at least thirty steps to the kitchen?"

"Thirty five. But I'm sorry that I'm so slow."
"And not just physically."

I shifted my glare from my mother to my older brother. "Thanks for reminding me."

"Hayden, you shouldn't talk to your sister that way, and Alicia, you know that's not true. Now, eat your food."

Hayden looked down at his food and started jabbing it with a fork. "Where's Dad?"

"He's… He's got the night shift again."

"He's never here anymore."

"I know, and I'm as happy about it as you are. But he keeps the food on the table, and for that, we should be thankful."

Dinner lingered on. Hayden was the first to finish. He cleaned his plate, and walked out the front door.

"Ali, you should go talk to him."
"You know whatever I say is just going to make him angry."
"That's not true. You're the psychologist of the family."
"You mean the optimist?"
"No. You're not an optimist. You're a realist. But you still make light of the situation when you need to."
"Isn't that our job? Last time I checked, you are the mother of this family."

She gave me an upsetting look. I sighed, cleaned up, and walked outside. Hayden was sitting on the bench on our porch. I slumped down beside him.

"Mom told me to cheer you up."
"I'm not sad; I'm just tired of it. I mean, if she wants money, I can get a job."
"You know if she allowed it, we'd both be working our asses off the day after. Ask her again, I mean, what could go wrong?"
"She thinks I'm going to work for construction and have something fall on me."'
"Don't you want to be a mechanic?"
"I won't get much money."
"You'll get enough. I'll go be a waitress somewhere. Together, it'll be a lot of money."
"You, a waitress? You can barely smile at a friend you haven't seen for months, let alone a stranger."
"With strangers, you don't have to associate yourself in their business, hence the fact that it's easy to seem like you're fairly content."

Hayden chuckled, and then loosened up a little.

"Y'know, I read this thing on the interwebs, saying stuff about mythical creatures, and how they're here, they just don't show themselves. You think it's true? Like, what if there's a fairy who can grant wishes."
"How desperate can one be to believe in fairytales?"
"Shut up. I'm serious."
"So am I. Hayden, there is NO such thing."
"I don't know Ali, you seem pretty supernatural yourself."

He smiled and nudged my shoulder.

"I'm just going to take that as a compliment, and go to bed. It's cold outside."

I got up, and he quietly followed.
"Age before beauty."

"Heh." He walked inside, and I gave a quick look-over of outside.
"All clear, you can come out now, all you mythical creatures."

Just then, the wind blew harshly, shaking all of the trees. "Yea, yea. Good night."

I closed the door behind me. Hayden had already turned out the lights in the kitchen. I walked to the hall and nearly pissed myself falling backwards.

"Boo."
"Hayden. Don't do that!"

He helped me up and patted my back."

"Sweet dreams."
"Yea. You too."

I walked into my room, flicking the light switch up. Bartholomew, my black long haired cat, was sitting in my bay window. He was facing the moon. Whatever it is about crescent moons, they make me think of black cats. More slender and short hair, not like Bartholomew.

I sat down beside him. He didn't give me any acknowledgement. I chuckled softly and started stroking his head. His left ear was ripped, but completely healed. He had gotten in a fight with a coyote. I'm surprised he didn't die, but things happen. I'm certainly okay with how it turned out.

I gave him a kiss, and walked back to my bed. Stripping my shoes and pants off, I slipped under the covers. School tomorrow. A month until summer vacation. A month until I have to seriously start working.
I drifted off to my usual dream. I'm driving home from school when suddenly there's a man in the middle of the road. I swerve to the side of the road, crashing into a tree. Still conscious, I look back for the man. He's not there.

Why won't I pass out? There's blood everywhere. I shouldn't be alive. I should be dead. I hear chuckling. It's him, isn't it? He's happy this happened... Why am I still breathing…. Shouldn't I die….?

I came to a blunt awake. Completely calm. That dream has really gotten to me over the past week. I turn my head to see what time it is. I guess it. Three thirty. Every time, it's three thirty. If I go to sleep now, I'll just have another nightmare. Once again, I'm left staring at my ceiling. Except the lights are off, so I'm staring into darkness.

I used to be afraid of darkness, but not now. Maybe because I grew up, maybe because monster can't exist. Or maybe because there really isn't anything to be afraid of.

There was a sudden noise. From the kitchen. I got up and dressed. I walked down the hall, hands on the wall. I peered into the kitchen. He was just getting a bowl of cereal. He; my father.

"Good morning."

He looked into the shadow the draped over me.

"Sorry, did I wake you?"
"No, it was dream."
"Ah. Cereal?"
"No, I prefer coffee."

He turned the kitchen light on. He was still in his suit. Stress was all over his face.

I made some coffee and sat across from him.

"Y'know, Hayden and I were thinking about getting jobs this summer. So you don't have to work so hard."
"Hayden can get a job. You need to keep your mother company."
"….What?"
"I don't want you to get a job."
"That's bull. I should be able to get a job too. I'm about as capable as Hayden is."
"There are a lot of creeps out there Ali. I'm not there to protect you."
"Are you ever?"

The moment I said it, I felt guilty.
"I'm sorry."

He kept silent. I grabbed some more coffee and retreated back to my room. Bartholomew was sleeping on my pillow. I slid my feet across my carpet over to the bay window, and sat down. I turned on a little lamp and grabbed my little black book

"Same dream, same time. I insulted Dad. Didn't mean to, and I feel terrible… it's only four a.m."

I close the book and threw it over my shoulder. I grabbed my iPhone off of my nightstand and texted my friend, Emma.

"I'm up, and alone, talk to me."

I didn't have to wait until my phone vibrated.

"Jeez, when I saw that I got a txt, I thought it was an emergency. Why're you up so early? Lol"
"I had that dream again. It's really gettin' to me. Any dreams for you?"
"Yea, I met the literal man of my dreams, thanks for waking me."
"Isn't it always the same? Some guy sweeps you off your feet, yet when you wake up you can't remember anything about 'im?"
"Well, sorry my dreams aren't that interesting."

We kept talking about nonsense; really, she was just keeping me cyber company. She said she had to take a shower, so I did too. When we were both done, I said I'd be at her house to pick her up soon.

By now, it was around six o' clock. I put on some old jeans and a tank top. I walked into Hayden's room, and he was playing video games.

"I'm taking the Car, is Allan picking you up?"

"Yea, see ya."

"'kay."

Hayden and I share a cute little white Acura TL, but most of the time, his friend, Allan, he comes and picks him up. Allan owns a jeep, and Hayden rather be seen in a jeep.

I drove down to Emma's house, and she had me finish half of her science homework. Once we got back in the car, we stopped at a Starbucks, and got breakfast. Then we went to school.

I parked next to Allen's jeep, and Emma went running after my brother. She has had an obvious crush on him since middle school, just after he hit puberty.

Allan walked up to me. "Hey, you seem lonely."

"Not enough for your company."

He chuckled and caught up to Hayden. I walked far behind, but still listening to their conversation. Emma was saying how she needed help on her science experiment, and if Hayden could stay over and be her tutor although both she I know that she is far more capable than my brother when it comes to anything school related.
It's good that she's still trying and not looking desperate. Hayden's too dense to notice anyway.

I was caught up in my thoughts that I didn't hear the sound of the engine hastily getting closer. A Black Infiniti screeched in front of me. IT took only a second for it to disappear from my sight completely, but I've never recalled seeing that car before.

"Hey, Jesus, you could've run her over! Psycho!"

Emma ran up to me and asked if I was okay. "Yea, fine." Was my reply, but she was still worried. She clung to my arm, and we walked into the school. I looked around and everyone was excitedly whispering about the same thing.

"It's really weird! All the sudden, too." "Do you think it means something?" "Maybe they're all related."

Emma leaned into my ear. "Um…. Do you know?"

"No idea, let's just get to class."

We walked into first period classroom, and once again, the same thing. A petite little blonde ran up to Emma. "Did you hear the news? It's spreading about as fast as that one YouTube video of you dancing!"

"Um, yea, just about forgot that, thanks for reminding me. Anyway, what are you talking about?"
"Oh please, you don't know? Have you even checked your phone?"

Emma whipped out her Android, and immediately, text messages from abundances of people sprung onto her home screen.

"Hey, spurt of the moment phenomenon, there are these people who just appeared here. The variety tells me they're not just one family. You know what might be goin' on?"

"Sooo, what does this have to do with us?" I used to break the silence.

The little blonde looked at me. "Well, there's new people. THEY might be, I don't know, supermodels! Just imagine a model boyfriend."

"So, you know about it, yet you haven't even seen them yet?"
"Well, no, but it's even more mysterious this way, RIGHT?"
"Yea, sure."

I sat down in a desk, and our teacher started the lesson.

Maybe that person in the Infiniti was one of the new people they were talking about. Or, one of the jocks could have bought a new sporty car. Whoever it is isn't really aware of their surroundings (eye roll). Wouldn't there be a lot more new kids if that were the case? Maybe a bunch of delinquents who got kicked out of their old school. That'd be quite the rumor…

"Anytime now, Alicia."
"Wha, Huh?"
"I asked you for the answer."
"I'm sorry, could you... repeat the question, please?"
"The answer is 73"

Everyone flung around the room. He was sitting in the very corner, feet on the desk.

"Um.. And when did you get here?"
"I've been here, it's just that I've finally decided to show myself."
"Oh… Well, how fascinating, anyway, the question was directed to Alicia. Alicia, if you want to daydream, there is a wonderful place for that. In the office."

"Really? For daydreaming?" Embarrassingly making a scene, I started getting red in the cheeks,

"Well, if it was a onetime occurrence, I'd let it pass, but the last five times I've asked you something, you've been somewhere else. And to think people call you a realist. Reality is the last place anyone could find you."

"That's great, can I leave then?"

He sighed, and wrote down a little note for me to pass to the lady in the office.

I sauntered my way to the office and handed the lady my little sticky note. She just smiled and gave me a chair in the corner. She used to ask what was on my mind, as if she could help me, but after a while, our words got shorter, more silence between, and then she just stopped. The bell rang, and she let me go. I met up with Emma on the way to second period.

"Dude, I think that teach' is out to get you. But, then again, he's out to get anyone. So, what did you think about that boy? I think he was trying to impress you by answering your question."

"Sure, Emma, that's…exactly what he was trying to do."

She walked into the classroom, flicking her hair at me. I was about to go in after her, but someone's hand planted itself on my shoulder.

I turned and jumped a little at the face.

"Did I scare you?"

"Do you need something from me?"

"Alicia, let me say something. Only a few of us are delinquents, but I assure you none of us got 'kicked out; of anywhere."

I stood there, dumbfounded. Did he…. read my thoughts….?