I: VIOLET

We had agreed to meet in the basement at midnight as usual. My parents were asleep upstairs, but even if they hadn't been it wouldn't have mattered. Tate and I went where and when we pleased and did whatever we liked. We may as well both have been ghosts in this house for all my parents saw.

The house made those familiar settling noises as I moved through it. As I walked down the basement steps one of them creaked loudly and disturbed something on the floor below, which went scuttling off into the shadows. I wasn't scared of rats or mice or whatever else lived in basements. I had always detested those girls who jumped up onto chairs screeching whenever mice or spiders or anything really came towards them. There were enough of those girls in my school for me to have become well and truly sick of it. Usually the screeching was followed by a fit of faintness which meant that one of the jocks just had to come and help them down. Usually with his arms wrapped tight around them, feeling up anything they could possibly reach.

There was no need to keep quiet so I thumped down the last few steps, my ankle boots almost booming on the old wood.

"Tate. Come out come out. It's midnight," I called into the darkness. He had a habit of trying to scare me by leaping out of the shadows. You would think by now that he would have learnt that it didn't scare me. All it usually achieved for him was a thump to the head.

No one moved in the shadows. I tapped my foot impatiently on the floor and crossed my arms, leaning against the railing of the steps.

"Come on Tate. I don't have all night."

I waited for the darkness to answer me. A few minutes passed and no one emerged.

"Fine then. Some of us have better things to do. Like sleeping. Come and find me when you can be bothered," I called out, irritated by his lack of response. I had had barely any proper sleep in the last few weeks and I was constantly on edge for one of the 'others' to pop up unexpectedly. My nerves were shredded and my patience practically non-existent, I didn't have the energy to play one of Tate's little games tonight.

Glaring one last time into the shadows I turned towards the stairs.

Suddenly a terrible howling erupted from the shadows and I whipped around just in time to feel something collide with me. We both slammed onto the hard concrete floor. I could feel every point where a bruise was going to bloom tomorrow. I was temporarily stunned and winded by the assault but the creature on top of me was instantly alert. I could feel its vicious claws scratching against my arms before I even got a chance to properly look at it. Adrenaline kicked in and I frantically began to wrestle the thing of me. It was only half my size but I was shocked by its strength.

My panic began to rise as it clawed its way up my body and I could take in the terrible creature. This was the monster that I had seen attack Leah. Looking into the eyes of the devil, that was what she had said.

I heard myself scream as I saw its little mouth open revealing jagged rows of pointy teeth. I was desperately hitting at the monster and I could feel long bloody gashes open on my arms as its hideous claws scrabbled at me.

With a ferocious kick I finally managed to dislodge the monster off me. I didn't wait a second and rolled away from it, scrambling to my feet. I could hear my heart beat loud in my veins and it, combined with my gasping breaths, drowned out everything. I set my eyes on the stairs and desperately began to sprint for them.

Just as I thought I was going to make it I felt a terrible cold, little hand wrap itself around my ankle. I came crashing back to the ground. I was too slow to reach out and with a sudden smack I felt my head slam into the concrete. Temporary blackness blurred my vision as I lay on the ground, gasping for breath and trying to clear the painful ringing in my head.

I opened my eyes and fuzzily looked around. I couldn't see the creature anywhere. I knew I had to get up and get out but I couldn't move. It felt like every bone in my body hurt and every time I moved my head the world swayed and I felt like I was going to be sick.

I had just rolled over and managed to get up on one elbow when I heard the terrible howling again and a little white fury came pelting out of the shadows at me. Without even realising it I screamed for Tate.

My scream was cut short as the creature launched itself onto me again and this time wrapped its terrible hands around my throat. Its face was inches from mine and I was petrified by the monstrous face that looked back at me. I could feel its claws digging into the soft skin on my throat and collarbone. Warm trickles of blood began to seep down my neck. Instinctively my hands were wrapped around its, but I couldn't match its ferocity. Soon it became hard to breath and I could feel the strength begin to leak from my limbs.

I tried to gasp for more air but slowly darkness was closing in on my vision. The last thing I saw was the monsters teeth baring in an evil looking smile and the last thing I heard was the harsh cry of the beast.

"Mama."