She had absolutely no reason to be there.
None.
Her mother made her go to a stupid slumber party at the house of a girl who she didn't even like. She tried to get out of it. Really, she did!
But in the end, (y/n) ended up at Brianna's sleepover. She hardly knew her but knew Brianna didn't like her.
(Y/n) sat within the circle of four girls including herself as they chattered away. She was just sitting there in her pajamas with a book in her lap. It was by one of her favorite authors, Tami Hoag and it was the second in a trilogy.
Secrets to The Grave, a continue of what was left off back in Deeper Than the Dead. (Y/n) was about to open to her bookmark before he girl to her left-Madison I think her name was?-caught her attention.
"So, (y/n), what do you do for fun?" She asked with a twirl of her hair.
(Y/n) blinked and gave a shrug.
"I read sometimes."
"Oh really? What do you read? People? Us? Time?"
Oh, she thought (y/n) read magazines. No. She never so much as glanced at a magazine, finding them hopeless and full of often times useless information. Well, maybe not Time.
"I read murder mystery novels," (Y/n) clarified.
the girl stared at her for a moment, blinking in silence before Amy, the last girl, spoke up.
"Oh..you actually read. Like, books and stuff. That's cool too. I guess.."
What else was she suppose to read? Billboards? (Y/n) let out a sigh as she closed her book and stood up.
"Hey, can I use you bathroom, Brianna?"
"Yeah. Upstairs and first door on your left."
(Y/n) gave a nod. "Thanks."
The three watched her go before Madison scoffed once she was out of earshot.
"What a total weirdo. Who actually reads anymore?"
"Who reads about murder?" Amy asked with a shutter.
"Someone who plans on doing it," Brianna said with her hands on her knees. "Know what I think? I think (l/n) is planning on killing one of us here. That's why she's reading murder stories! That's why she's being so quiet! No one plans a murder out loud!"
The other girls nearly shrieked at their idiotic realization. What if (y/n) really was trying to kill someone? What if it was one of them?
Brianna lowered her voice and leaned in closer to her friends. "I bet she has super good hearing and just heard you call her a weirdo, Madi."
The blonde gasped in horror, eyes widening. "You think she'll go after me?!"
Amy was about to reply before they heard knocking at the door. Brianna grinned and jumped up.
"Finally! Travis is here, took him long enough."
"You actually invited him?" Amy asked as she stood up too. Everyone at school knew of Brianna and Travis' relationship.
"Why wouldn't I?" Brianna scoffed as she went to the door and pulled it open. She was grinning and about to greet he boyfriend before stopping.
The teen at her door was NOT Travis. Didn't look anything like him. Messy black hair hanging in his face with the hood of his ivory sweatshirt pulled up and hiding most of his features. Who the hell was this?
"Yo, can I help you?" Brianna asked as she crossed her arms. Did she care if she was just in short shorts and a tank-top? Nope.
The teen shifted his weight and chuckled softly. "It's a bit late for you all to still be up, don't you think?"
The brunette rolled her eyes. "So? You aren't my dad. Now get out of here, creep!" She was about to slam the door in his face before he grabbed it.
"Hey!" Brianna yelped, glaring at him. Then he lift his head and she froze.
"I really think you three should be getting to sleep.."
(Y/n) dug out her phone and dialed her mother, tapping her fingers nervously against her leg. It was late, she knew this, but she couldn't stay here anymore.
"Hello?" Came the groggy voice of her mom.
"Hey, mama.."
"(Y/n)? What's wrong? It's almost one in the morning."
(Y/n) sighed. "I know. Could you come and pick me up? I don't wanna be here anymore."
"What's wrong? Are you and your friends-"
"Mom, Brianna and I aren't friends! We don't even like each other!" (Y/n) huffed in frustration. There was a moment of silence on the other end before,
"Oh. Well I just thought...I'll be there in a bit. Make sure to have your stuff ready."
"Thanks, mama," She said with a wave of relief.
"Alright, I love you."
"Love you too, mom. Bye."
(Y/n) hung up and tilt her head back against the wall, closing her eyes and just breathing in relief. She wasn't sure if she could handle an entire night there, and she was so glad to be going home.
Pocketing her phone, she went back downstairs to tell the girls the "bad" news.
"Hey, Bri? I think I'm just gonna go-home..."
(Y/n) paused, seeing the living room empty of the three females that were there minutes ago. Their sleeping bags were still on the ground and their phones next to them. But where were the girls?
She looked around, arching an eyebrow in curiosity. "Brianna? Madison? Amy?" She called for them all, only meeting silence.
She huffed irritably, immediately thinking it was a joke. "Okay, haha! Very funny! But seriously, I'm going home."
She gathered her things, slipping her jeans over her shorts and pulling on her jacket. The others still hadn't come out yet. They were really milking it.
"Fine, be like that! Screw all of you!" She flipped the bird to the empty room before grabbing her back and walking out, grumbling under her breath. She walked down the driveway and waited for her mother, shivering some from the cold biting through her jacket. Why hasn't she packed something warmer?
(Y/n) rocked back and forth on her feet, taking it the silence of the subdivision for once. Some would find it eerie and spine chilling, but she found it calming. The way the crickets sung a different lullaby every night and the lamp posts casting down their protective cones of yellow light. Subconsciously she knew this was dangerous, with all the recent murders happening to teens who stayed out after dark.
She just had to wait a little bit longer for her mom to show up, than she would sleep all that was needed.
Any second now.
She shivered again, not from the cold, but from the odd feeling that she was being watched. The crickets fell silent and she tensed up, glancing over her shoulder as puffs of air left her in small clouds.
"Hello?" She called out into the darkness, squinting to see through the thick curtain of night. Was that an outline of a person she saw? Over there by the apple tree.
"Is someone there?" She called again, reaching for her keychain flashlight. She had no idea that the moment her light shone on him he would attack.
But then a minivan pulled up to the driveway. (Y/n) forgot about the other presence and quickly got into the passenger's seat, clicking her seatbelt and saying, "Go. Now."
Her mother didn't question, pulling away and turning around to head back home. "What's the matter?" She asked once they were away from the house. She glanced to her daughter, not liking how she was nervously looking over her shoulder. "(Y/n)?"
The teen snapped back to reality, shaking her head of the disturbing feeling. "Nothing. Everything's fine." She said it even as she checked behind them in the rearview mirror and side ones. She saw nothing at first, but her eyes widened when she saw the figure of a boy step out into the street, staring directly at her.
She whipped back around and sunk down in her seat so quickly her mother actually stopped the van. "(Y/n), what is going on with you?" She looked behind them now but saw nothing but an empty street.
(Y/n) shook her head, repressing a tremble as she replied, "N-Nothing. I just..I thought I saw something. Can we hurry home?" She gave her mother a desperate look and the woman faltered.
Her daughter never became like this unless for good reason. She wove an arm around her and gave her head a kiss.
"Of coarse, sweetie. I don't want to be out here anymore than you do. Not with that maniac on the loose. Who knows where he could be?"
(Y/n) gave a small nervous laugh, still checking behind them again.