The sun was setting, and it was time for Adeline to go home. The roller rink closed at 8:00 on Fridays, and her parents expected her home by 7:00. She left Donald's Roller City at 6:45, leaving her roller blades with Tyler and telling her friends she needed to push off for supper.
It was the middle of Autumn, and the leaves had already began to fall and twirl about in the wind as she made her way past the drug store on her way back to Regan Street. The sky was a bright orange, matching the leaves that had left their branches and the color of the pumpkins in the pumpkin patch. She was dressed in her favorite red hoodie, the one with the black Halloween cat on the back, wrangler jeans and black Nikes. Her gloves were sidewalk grey, and made of wool which kept her warm.
The wind was picking up, whistling by softly as she walked past her school. She looked back over the school yard, halting her movements as she examined the building in this light. The school was old; it had probably been built when the town was. She noticed that the entry way of the building looked like a face, and she felt a little scared.
Checking her wrist watch, she almost gasped when she saw what time it was. It occurred to her just how slow she was being, and she sprinted down the street.
Adeline had exactly fifteen minutes to make it home if she expected to honor her curfew. If she was even five minutes late, she wouldn't get desert, and mama wouldn't let her stay at Marianna's house on Saturday.
Biting her lip, she turned towards Bobcats Way, a hiking trail through the backwoods of her neighborhood. It was a quicker route to her backyard, she knew because she took the path to school every morning so she was on time for school.
As she walked briskly past the trail sign, she noted that the last bit of light from the fading sun finally disappeared, now nothing but the fleeting glimmer of light in the sky lit her path.
Bobcats Way was lined with a thick amount of trees, and the path was nothing more than a thin line of dirt which marked how the route was worn and walked upon. Weeds were thick here, and the trail wasn't used as much as it used to be. Only she and Tyler used this trail to get to school during the fall and winter months. Marianna and Emily used it in the summer and spring, but when it got cold out they had their parents drive them to school.
Tyler's parents didn't want to waste gas driving him such a short way, and Adeline's parents went to work before she even got up for school, so both of them would walk together to and from school every week day.
But right now, Adeline was alone, and for the first time she felt afraid of this backwoods trail.
The wind seemed to scream softly as it winded through the trees, and every twig or leaf would crunch as if something menacing was lurking just behind her. She held herself as she quickened the pace, figuring the faster she walked the better.
As she sped up, the crunching sounds around her got more intense, and she felt her heart beat quicken in her chest.
"Calm down, Adeline." She told herself, turning sharply as she passed a mile marker. 'Home's not that far. Just a little bit longer and you'll be jumping the fence to your backyard in a few minutes.' She thought cheerfully.
The loud sound of a thick branch snapping jerked her from her thoughts. She stopped where she was, spinning around and looking around nervously.
"Hello?" she called out softly, brown eyes darting around. She kept still for a moment, straining to listen for a sign someone else was here. It was getting pretty dark, and she couldn't really see much past the trees. After a minute or so of waiting, she turned back towards her destination.
But again, a loud snap sounded behind her, closer this time. She turned around with wide fearful eyes, searching the surrounding area franticly.
"Is that you, Tyler?" she shouted angrily, trying her best to sound brave. She held her breath, listening carefully to the woods. The wind whistled softly, and a few leaves fled past her feet on the trail, but no one answered her.
When she was about to turn around, a flicker of movement caught her eye. Tilting her head up, she took a few steps back as she stared past the trees.
She could have sworn that she saw something move, something long and tall. Almost as if a tree had walked by. Sweat trickled down her forehead as she kept quiet, watching intently.
Suddenly, she saw it, a good eight feet away from her. A long, thin black figured came into view, moving just a few inches before stopping.
Adeline shrieked in fear, confused and frightened. She took off running, as fast as she could manage, past the half mile marker and through the weeds. Her heart was racing, and her mind went blank as she sucked air into her lungs at a panicked rate. The small fence that circled her yard came into view, and she almost stopped running out of joy.
But she wasn't out of the woods yet, so to speak.
With practiced ease, she jumped over the fence and hit the ground running, never stopping until she practically body slammed her back door. Panting, she struggled to get a grip on the doorknob, prying the door open and entering it quickly.
When the door slammed shut, she could finally breathe easier.
"Addy!" her mother shouted from the living room, not sounding pleased. She guessed her unceremonious entry had warned everyone in the house that she had returned.
She heard her mother stomp as she walked, meeting Adeline halfway.
"You're late!" her mother informed her, looking concerned. The young girl shot a glance at the clock above the stove, and she mentally cursed at the hour. Ten minutes late! How did she manage that?
"I'm sorry…" she began, unzipping her hoodie and sliding the material off her shoulders. Her mother crossed her arms, not looking impressed; the angry flush on her mother's face matched the pink sweater she wore.
"Why didn't you leave the roller rink sooner?" she questioned. Adeline peered up at her nervously.
"I did! I left it around a quarter to seven." She answered. She put her jacket on the kitchen table, pulling her gloves off her fingers and placing them on the table.
"Then explain why you're late." Her mother retorted; thin eyebrow raised in interest.
Puffing out her cheeks, her lips twitched as she hesitated to respond. What was she supposed to say? She kept getting scared as she walked home? That wasn't good enough. But Adeline was not a liar.
"I thought somebody was following me home." She stated, looking embarrassed. Her mother looked skeptical, but after a few moments of silence, her expression became concerned.
"Did you walk home with Tyler?" she asked. Adeline shook her head.
"No. Tyler stayed with Mark and Anthony. They wanted to stay until closing."
"Why didn't you walk back on Apple Rail Street?" she questioned further.
The small girl shrugged. "I wanted to get home on time. Bobcats Way is quicker." She answered. Her mom stood in thought for a moment, rubbing her fingers against her chin. Adeline noted her mother's nails were painted a fresh coat of fuchsia pink, which she had probably just put on while waiting.
Her mother turned back towards her. "Nobody tried to make you come with them, right? No stranger or other kids?" she asked.
Adeline shook her head again. "No. I just heard someone walking behind me, and when I called them out, I saw someone hiding behind the trees. Then I ran home."
Her mother nodded, her worried expression changing into a smile. "Good girl. You can still spend the night at Marianna's tomorrow."
Adeline smiled at that, but then her mother added, "No dessert though. Max got hold of it and made a mess. Sorry."
Letting out a heavy exhale through her nose, Adeline walked over to the fridge.
Max was her sister Kimber's three year old son, a bratty kid who was spoiled by mommy and grandma.
Sighing in defeat, she opened the fridge and looked for the Tupperware container with her name, taking it in her hand when she spotted it. The plastic was still warm from the food inside, and Adeline was happy to see it was Macaroni and cheese with hamburger. The green beans weren't the best, but she'd eat them anyway.
After she finished her meal and washed out the Tupperware, Adeline bid her mom and dad goodnight before going upstairs to her room. Entering the hallway, she wasn't surprised to see Max's toys littering the floor. Plastic cars and trucks were scattered along the way, once in a while she'd spot a group of toy soldiers hiding behind the other toys.
She heard Avenged Sevenfold playing loudly, coming from her sister's bedroom. The door was open, and before she passed it her sister came to the doorway. The older girl was pretty, with long blond hair that met her elbows. Her freckles on her cheeks only added to her charm. She was wearing a purple spaghetti strap tank top and skinny jeans, and her wrists were decorated in gold bracelets. On her hip was the chubby toddler Max, who was sucking on a pacifier.
"Hey, Addlibz." The cocky teen greeted, putting snotty emphasis on the pet name for the younger sibling. Adeline glared at her sister in response.
"Go away, Kim." She said back, not really wanting to see her sister's gross spawn right now. Max's chubby fingers grasped her sister's shirt as she readjusted the baby on her hip.
"I heard some creeper stalked you home." She teased, ignoring her younger sister's avoidance. Adeline rolled her eyes, continuing down the hall.
"Is little Addlibz scared of the boogeyman?" Kimber added. Adeline entered her room, turning to shut the door. The blond shoved her foot in the doorway, preventing the younger door from shutting it.
"Careful, Addy. The boogeyman like's little brats like you." This time Kimber's tone was serious, and Adeline stopped to listen.
"The boogeyman doesn't exist." She stated. Kimber shook her head. "Yes he does. Lots of kids have gone missing from Wolf Creek."
For a second, Adeline looked scared. Her sister smirked, backing away.
"Sweet dreams." Kimber whispered; her voice fading as she went back down the hallway.
Friday, October 10th
Today Jeremy threw up in Math class. I felt bad for him but I laughed anyway. Emily said he's been sick for a few weeks, and she said he doesn't like to talk much anymore. I think he just doesn't like to talk to Emily because she has a crush on him. Tyler copied notes for me in Science class, and I promised to do his English notes on Monday. Mark said he's starting work with his dad, and he said he'll buy us all membership passes for the roller rink. That way we could buy snacks instead of paying the entry fee. That'd be cool. We were thinking about adding the new kid Jonathan to our little club, and I think it would be nice of us since he just moved here. I can't decide what to be for Halloween. I want to ask mom and dad to help me with making a new costume, but I don't want them to spend money. This will be my last year trick-or-treating. I'll hit up every house for candy. I don't know what the club wants to do. Also, I had a scary walk home today. I heard really loud snapping sounds, and then I saw something weird. I don't know what it was, but it was really long and tall, and thin. I couldn't see very well, but I know I saw something. It made me come home late, but mom said I could go to Marianna's house tomorrow. Max ruined dessert. I hate that stinky baby. Kimber got all creepy when I went to my room. I wonder if she was telling the truth about kids going missing. Probably not.
Chapter II