The night was dark and long. I got out of my car to walk into my house for the night and felt a shiver go up my spine. I turned around feeling some one watching me. My eyes widened as I felt a pricking sensation flow up my neck as I stared into the bushes lining across my driveway. I slowly backed my way into the front door, feeling it hit lightly upon my back. I gasped as I felt the coldness of it rush through me like water. I grabbed the handle from behind my back and quickly twisted it. It was locked. I cringed, knowing that if I turned my back, "it" would come out and get me. I just knew it. I took my keys out of my pocket and quickly turned around. My blood rushed through my veins feeling my heart pump it through with the adrenaline kicking in. I started to breathe hard as I fumbled with the keys, trying to find the correct one to fit in the lock. I found it and I heard deep breathing behind me. I gasped and turned around. Nothing was there. But I knew something out there was watching me, feeling me there. I quickly jammed the key into the lock, twisted it, and yanked it out. I quickly opened the door and slammed it shut behind me. I breathed hard and placed my back against the door. Quick footsteps were heard from outside but I looked out and saw no one.

A voice behind me says, "Sis, what is wrong with you?"

I gasped and turned around quickly, "Huh!? What? Oh it's you. Oh God, Josh it was horrible. Something has been watching me ever since we moved here. I can feel it every day... Every night..."

"Cel, you really need to cool it about the ghost crap," Josh replies. "It's really starting to get annoying."

I glared at Josh, "You just don't get it. You never do. Ever since we lost mom, you lost faith in me... The entire family."

Josh glared right back at me with his ice-cold eyes, "Don't talk about mom like that to me."

I pushed my body forward with my hands that were against the door, "Whatever, I'm going upstairs."

I walked up the stairs and felt my brother's ice-cold eyes stare at me the entire way up to my room. There was something about them that just freaked me out. I couldn't stare into them for too long or I would feel like my entire body would have gone numb.

I opened my bedroom door and saw my window open. I stared at it with my mouth slightly open. I left it shut before I went out at around daybreak. This was all too weird and I couldn't keep seeing this. I needed to get out of here. But my dad was working so hard to keep what we have. It was hard enough for us all to move from Florida to Illinois. My mom died in a tragic car accident three years ago and if I speak to Josh about it all, he would flip out on me. It was like his eyes pierced into my soul and ripped a piece off every time. It's like he's supernatural. I never figured out if he was some "thing" or just a part of my wild and vivid imagination. My dad worked long hours at night and Josh and I barely got to see him because we were both at school all day. Josh goes to college and I go to this dinky high school that everyone treats me as an outsider there. But usually, I'm the quiet type; I don't care if any one talks to me. I like to stick to my books, draw, and keep to myself while I'm there.

But this "thing" that was following me around is starting to scare me more and more. Josh doesn't seem to notice it or even feel it for that matter and I realized that because he makes fun of me and calls me crazy. I don't care what he says, he doesn't know anything.

I walked up to my window and shut it. I locked it tight and flopped down onto my bed, staring at the ceiling. It gets too cold in Illinois, it sucks. I miss the ocean and the crickets at night. But here, it's cold, wet, and dark. It's sort of spooky in a way. That's probably why I've felt like there's some thing watching me all of the time. Sometimes I hate my vivid imagination, especially at times like these when I really feel it.

I started to feel my eyes get heavy as I slowly drifted off into a deep sleep.

My dreams were filled with violence and death. One of those nightmares that you don't want to have; I had that. Red sparks flew across my skin, piercing holes through my flesh. I felt each spark spear through me, penetrating my arms, hands, chest. I couldn't escape these confinements from this torturous dream. The pain felt so real but I couldn't find the strength to wake myself from this haunting nightmare. Then, something heavy landed on my chest. It made it impossible to breathe. I couldn't move, breathe, and I felt sharp pains from the sparks that danced across my delicate skin.

All of a sudden, I sat straight up in my bed, my eyes were wide open as I stared into the plain wall before me. My window was open and a thunderstorm was brewing outside in the October night. A shadow loomed above me as I looked up. But I couldn't make out what it really was. A person, maybe. It seemed more like a creature as it clung to the ceiling. It had a face, I saw its eyes glow in the shadows of the night. A flash of lightning made me flinch in surprise and as I looked up again, I found that the creature's presence was gone.