I walked aimlessly through the park in wonder, all my thoughts were racing around my head like a toy train and I knew exactly who to blame for it. She knew leaving me would have a huge impact on me and deep down she knew it would have an impact on her as well. At this point I didn’t know where to go or what to do, I was simply...Stuck. Olivia was my whole world, I gave her everything that she could have ever dreamed of and this is how she repays me. She leaves. The day she walked out of the door was the day that I lost myself.

 

What am I now?

 

Sighing, I decided to take a seat on a bench. Crossing my legs I look around to see the sight of kids playing and parents scolding them from running too far. A small smirk forms on my face at the scene in front of me. I always wanted to have kids with Olivia, to grow old together, but I guess that was just a distant dream. I never felt this way about anybody before her, I had it all. The money and the fame of being in one of the biggest boy bands in the world. But all of that does not compare to the loss that I am feeling right now.

 

“Fancy seeing you here.” I look up to see the face that I have longed to see in months.

 

“Olivia.” I smile slightly.

 

“Hi Harry.” She squirms unevenly.

“W-What are you doing here?” I sit up a little straighter.

 

“I was just going on a jog when I saw you sitting here...I thought I’d say hi.” She explains.

 

“Well it’s really good to see you! Please have a seat.” I beam happily.

 

“I-I don’t know.” She shakes her head.

 

“Please.” I beg and she sighs giving in.

She takes a seat next to me making my heart swell.

 

“So how have you been?” I ask her.

 

“I’ve been alright...What about you?” She tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

 

“Great! I mean not really because you left me but I’m not bitter at all.” I joke at the end.

 

“Harry.” She sighs.

 

“Look I know we are not at the best of terms right now but I want you to know that I miss you so much that it’s killing me baby.” I take her hand in mine.

 

“You and I are the golden standard. Our story shouldn’t end...Not like this. I’ll do anything to fix us just please give me another chance.” I plead.

 

“Harry I don’t think I can go through your anger issues again.” I clench my jaw.

 

“I don’t have anger issues.” I spit.

 

“How long are you going to keep being in denial?” She laughs bitterly.

 

“I’m not in denial!” I yell and she shrinks back in fear. My eyes widen.

 

I-I’m sorry...I didn’t mean to yell.” I apologize.

 

“It’s okay, wouldn’t be the first time you lost your temper.” I look taken aback.

 

“What is that supposed to mean?”

 

“It means that you need help Harry.” I roll my eyes.

 

“You were the only person who helped me but you left! You left me alone and I’m afraid of the person that I am becoming. I loved you Olivia but I guess you didn’t love me enough.” I confess.

 

“I do love you.” A tear slips from her eyes.

 

“Then why did you leave me?”

 

“Because I loved you so much that I had to let you go!” I give her a confused look.

 

“W-What?”

 

“I knew that this break up would hurt you but I had to do it because you need to figure your life out Harry, on your own without me. You have everything that you have ever wanted but it wasn’t me. I’ll always love you Harry but you need to focus on yourself right now, I don’t want to hold you back any longer.” She stands up.

 

“No, please don’t go.” I say but she backs away from me.

 

“Goodbye Harry.” She turns around.

 

“No! Olivia!” I call after her but she ignores me and continues to walk away.

 

Leaving me standing alone once again.

 

“D-Don’t leave me."

 

THE END 

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• Poetry/ Short Story 

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Her

Her

By Makayla Woods

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Her soft hand in mine, keeps me grounded on the worst days. The feeling of true love so much more present than just a haze. As my fingers danced in her red hair, I was left peaceful and without a care. Everyday no matter what the time, she is at my side, whether day or night. Her smile brightens up the saddest of times, and I can’t wait to spend with her my entire lifetime.

 

Some may ask, what makes her so magnificent, but I couldn’t just choose one thing, for my answers are infinite. From the way her smooth accent fills my ears, to the way her words can somehow dry all my tears. To be without her is like to be without a motive, like an old unworking locomotive.

 

She is the main cause of my joy, like a small child receiving a brand new toy. Our time together is nothing short of fun, and every time we meet, I dread the times when being together for the day is done. What started as just a simple harmless attachment, blossomed into a glorious loving enchantment.

 

The undying love you can hold for someone, amazes me, and the feeling is something you can never truly outrun. No matter what someone could ever offer, she will always shine above, like the morning sun illuminating the shadows of the pure innocent doves. She began as my close friend, but now the word that fits best would be girlfriend. Every morning when I wake, I see her next to me, and my heart aches.

 

It aches for more time, yet there are not enough days in this world that would satisfy my need to forever be with this girl. 

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Poetry/ Short Story   

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Phineas

Phineas

Annalicia Urtiaga 

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I am brought into this new home and the first thing I see is a white dog. She’s very excited to see me for some reason, but I’m not sure how I feel about her yet, she kinda gives me the creeps. There’s also this man and woman who are just staring at me, making me slightly uncomfortable. I’m put down and instantly the white dog will not stop smelling me, so I look to the young girl who brought me here, hoping she’ll pick me up. She’s the only safe human here, and cats have very good judgment so I would know.

“Could you please stop”, I ask the dog. No response, just continuous sniffing. “Please, stop”, I tried again and still nothing. “Cut it out!”, I smack her in the head with my paw. She finally backs off, “I’m sorry, you smell just like an old friend of mine”, the dog finally speaks.

“It’s okay, I’m sorry for smacking you. I feel very uncomfortable here, I come from the streets. An alley cat.”, I replied.

“That’s so cool! What was it like?”

“Everyone was on their own, no one was safe. Oh, but the nights were beautiful. The streets were silent and all the tiny critters and bugs came out. I would love to go back.”

“That sounds amazing. You’ll love it here tho, the girl gives endless love, you never go hungry, and under the big humans’ bed is a real warm and private spot. I’ll show you around.”

So she begins walking around a corner down a hallway, I guess I’ll follow. We walked into what she called the food room. It’s where the humans come to eat, and we will be fed in this room too. Next is a play room. All of the things we can play with are put in a box in this room, the humans also spend most of their time in here. Finally, the young girl’s bedroom. “This is where I sleep, and I’m sure you will too. It’s mostly quiet and she gives the best belly rubs.”, the dog tells me. “It all looks very nice, but I still miss the streets.”, I replied.

Suddenly I’m lifted off of the ground and embraced by the young girl, “I’m gonna name you Phineas”. She sets me on the bed and starts petting me. She scratches behind my ear, under my chin, on my head, down my back. Before I know it, she brings us into the food room and a bowl of white liquid that smells amazing is set in front of me. Even though I’m skeptical at first, I start to drink it and it tastes amazing. Maybe I won’t mind it here.

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Poetry/ Short Story 

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Circle of Life

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It was dark in the room

There was no light

Just silence and darkness

 

You couldn’t leave,

All you had were your thoughts

Dragging you down with no hope of escape

 

The bad thoughts filled your head

Till there was nothing left

“This is it, there’s no escape, I’m stuck here forever.”

 

Seconds passed, hours, days, weeks, months

How long have you been here?

The seconds pass by slow, you lose your sense of time

 

What seemed like ages later there was a light.

You look up and in the distance

A low glow, light off in the distance

 

You get up, hope filling your spirit

And you run towards the light

You feel free, lighthearted after all the darkness surrounding you for forever disappears

 

You run and run and you finally get to the light

And it disappears

Gone. As if it never existed, a figment of your imagination

 

You fall back, the light, the hope, is gone

All you feel is dread

You thought it would end but it didn’t

 

You sit back down as the darkness surrounds you once more

Realization hits you, and you think

“There’s no point now, it’s not coming back.”

 

 

 

The inspiration is partly based on a video game, where someone would die, and everyone would feel despair, they would feel sad, but then as time goes on, it would get happy, joyful as if it never happened. Then someone else would die and it would be sad again, so like this poem kind of shows it, you can be happy for a short moment of time, and feel hope, but it’ll disappear and you’re right back where you started. It just shows that you spend more time surrounded by the dark and not light.

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Poetry/ Short Story 

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People Like Me

People Like Me

By Makayla Woods

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The feeling washed over me like the feeling you get on Christmas morning seeing presents sitting under the tree. It embraced me in a warm hug, telling me that I was now free. The feeling of overwhelming peace, resided in my soul, telling me I was okay now, that I had finally found my home.

 

Each day was a gift, and each day I was welcomed by people like me. People who didn’t conform to society's standards and people who were free. Free to love who they loved, free to let their hearts soar high like a dove. People like me.

 

These people opened their arms to me, embracing my heart and shielding it from the bad. We were all so happy, loving whomever we pleased. The doors were wide open, to welcome anyone, and my worries were put to ease. I knew I had found a place to go, no matter what the day brought, I was freed from my sad thoughts.

 

But one day something was different, someone new came along, but they weren’t like us at all, they despised us overall. I was hurt for so long, questioning why I was disliked by some for loving who I loved. They’d shove me, they’d beat and bruise me, till I was nothing at all.

 

These people hurt those like me, and made us scared and unable to be free. All we ever wanted was to be accepted like everyone else, to be set free from our problems that consumed us as we told our tales. I found out that day, that not everyone was accepting of my lifestyle. I found out that day that people like me, had to go through so much just for being gay.

 

For being who we are, people like me, are still fighting for equal rights. People like me are still fighting a gruesome fight. All we want is to be seen as human, because at the end of the day that is what we are. Our rights should not be political debates, they should be given without a doubt, throughout every state.

 

So next time you go to judge someone for being different, remember that deep down they aren’t. We are all the same at the end of the day, seeking love and affection, in our own ways.

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Poetry/ Short Story

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The Praying Vision

by,Autumn Huerta

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While rain poured down in dark floods of wet showers

A voice so muffled was overpowered

Oh how I wondered why I awoke

Then you came to me in a cloud of white smoke.

 

With your eyes so empty that fill the void

I feel I am getting weaker from being destroyed

You told me I need not to be terrified,

But that made me petrified.

 

Oh how I prayed in the dark,I pray

“Oh it isn’t true please not be, I pray please go away!”

Here I feel a warm touch so gentle and peaceful it must

Please keep me safe and just.

 

Is this touch I feel an angel from heaven?

I then I hear the living

It is a quarter till twelve and I haven’t seen you sense

I thought you'd be gone but there you are hence.

 

You tell me that the whole time, I was with you

But I don’t believe you.

I am then changed when you say, Indeed I love you my dear friend

I loved you the whole time, but my life had an end.

 

Through the thickness I was at your side,

But then there was that day that I died.

I never doubted that I would leave you alone

And here I am giving you this loan.

 

Will you come with me and go away from this awful world?

Let us live on in the underworld. 

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• Poetry/ Short Story 

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In the Dark

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As a kid you aren’t expected to do much

“Do this, and this, that’s just how life works.”

No one ever tells you anything important,

“You’re too young,”

“You wouldn’t understand.”

 

Most people look down on you,

Expecting you to be stupid.

“You haven’t grown yet,”

“Just wait til you’re older.”

 

Then when you turn 18,

You have the weight of the world on your shoulders.

You’re expected to know everything,

To know what you have to do with your life.

“You’re too old to not know this.”

 

“Why haven’t you learned this before?”

You were in the dark for most of your life,

No one ever taught you how to pay your taxes,

Or how to buy your own house.

 

It takes time and learning, but when you try to explain

They take it the wrong way,

And don’t even listen.

“That’s not my problem, that’s your own.”

 

So no matter what you do,

You’ll always be in the dark

Unsure of what you have to do,

And what you need to learn.

 

That’s just how life works,

And you can’t change it.

“You’ll understand when you’re older.”

 

This poem was partially based on real life. When you’re a kid, no one really teaches you about life, so you don’t know what to do. Sometimes the adults always use the excuse “you’re too young to understand,” or “wait until you’re older.” So for your whole childhood you feel in the dark, no one ever tells you anything. Then when you become an adult, everyone expects you to know everything, even though you were never taught, or exposed to the real world. A lot of kids feel this way, while others don’t. Sometimes their parents never taught them so they just have to learn and figure it out on their own.

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Poetry/ Short Story

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The Middle Ground

The Middle Ground

By Makayla Woods

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The sunlight shined down onto the bed, illuminating a sleeping figure. With a groan, Danni

 

Robinson moved her hands in front of her face to shield her eyes from the bright light. With a

 

sigh, she rubbed her grey eyes and sat up, knowing she couldn't afford to sleep in late. For the

 

Past week Danni was hard at work finishing up her novel that was to be published in only a

 

matter of days. She stayed up late the night before finishing it and adding the final details. But

 

Today however, she needed to proofread it, just to make sure everything was okay. She stood

 

up and made her way to her kitchen. Already smelling the glorious smell of eggs and bacon.

 

When she arrived inside the kitchen she saw her wife setting down two plates of food for the

 

both of them. “Ah, I see your awake love. Just in time for breakfast. How’d you sleep?” Her

 

wife, Scarlett Danvers asked with a bright smile. Danni let out a small chuckle and kissed her

 

wife on the cheek, “Alright I suppose. And you?” She replied as she took a seat at the table to

 

begin eating. “Just splendid. How’d the writing go last night? Did you finish?” Scarlett asked,

 

taking a seat by her wife. Danni looked up and brushed away her dark blonde hair, “Speaking of

 

writing, I might as well proofread it while we eat breakfast.” She got up quickly and made her

 

way to the living room to grab her novel she had finished writing. But when she made her way to

The Middle Ground

 

the spot her novel had been the night before, it was nowhere to be found. “Um, Love. Have you

 

seen my novel? It was here last night?” She asked in a worried tone. Scarlett made her way into

 

the living room with a look of concern. “No, I haven’t seen it. Maybe you misplaced it? Come

 

on, I’ll help you find it.” Scarlett replied. Danni hesitated for a moment, but nodded in

 

agreement. Danni knew the only way they were going to find it was by looking everywhere they

 

could. An hour flew by and neither of them could find the missing story. They were about to take

 

a break when they heard a frantic knock on the door. Danni and Scarlett looked over at one

 

another and then back at the door suspiciously. Scarlett made her way over to the door and

 

opened it gently. There was a young girl standing there, she had long black hair and wore a look

 

of paranoia on her face. Without even asking, Scarlett immediately knew who the girl was.

 

“Look, I know I sound crazy but my name is-” The girl was cut off by Danni, the front door

 

opening wider to reveal her standing there. “Constance?” The look of pure confusion and shock

 

were worn by the three girls.“Yeah. Hey, never thought this would actually happen.” Constance

 

said, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly. “Come in, explain exactly what happened.”

 

Scarlett said, letting Constance step Inside. Constance Constintine, the lead character for Dannis

 

book. Danni didn’t even need to ask, she knew the girl standing in front of her really was

 

Constance. She was the one who had written about her in the first place. And Scarlett was

 

already aware of this girl due to the fact that she always reads Dannis stories. The pen

 

Danni always used to write with, was a gift passed down from one writer to another. She had

 

The Middle Ground

gotten the pen from her grandmother, who had told her the pen could do things no one could

 

comprehend. But Danni had never experienced anything out of the ordinary with it before. Until

now. Constance had explained to the two women, that the antagonist of her story, had found a

 

way to come into the real world, and that She followed him to try and stop him. “He must have

 

been the one to steal the story then.” Scarlett said, knowing that was the only possibility. “You’re

 

right. But luckily, he didn’t steal the pen, I still have it.” Danni said, pulling out a black and gold

 

pen from her pocket. “That’s great!” Constance said, “I thought he took the pen, but since he

 

didn’t I know how we can trap him and get him back to our world. All we have to do is find

 

him, since you still have the pen, all you have to do, is write that he got trapped in the middle

 

ground.” Constance explained. “Then on a separate sheet of paper, you can write that I returned

 

back to my story, and that should take me back home.” Danni thought for a moment and smiled

 

up at Constance. “It is the only way for me to get my story back and for you to make it back

 

home safe, so I say we go for it.” Scarlett agreed with a nod but looked over at Danni. “I agree,

 

but just one question. What is “The Middle Ground?” Scarlett asked. Danni was already putting

 

her coat and shoes on as she responded, “It’s where the characters that die go, once you’re there

 

you can’t leave unless the writer decides to bring you back to life.” She spoke quickly before

 

opening the front door to leave. Scarlett nodded and quickly put on her shoes before following

 

Danni and Constance out of the door. The antagonist was a man named Keith Marbrot. Danni

 

was his creator, so she had a good idea on where to find him. After about thirty minutes, the

 

The Middle Ground

three girls managed to find him in an abandoned warehouse. He sat on the ground with the novel

 

in his hands. He was attempting to change the story by writing on it with a pencil, but it wasn’t

 

working no matter how hard he tried. He threw the novel down on the Small desk he was

 

previously sitting at. Before getting up and angrily walking into the back room, which gave

 

Danni time to quickly grab the novel from the desk. Before Keith was able to come back, she

 

quickly got out her pen and wrote that Keith had gotten trapped in the middle ground and was

 

never able to bother anyone again. She bid her goodbyes to Constance before writing on a

 

separate sheet of paper, with her special pen, ‘Constance returned home safely.’ And within the

 

blink of an eye, Constance had disappeared. Going back into her story where she belonged.

 

Danni let out a sigh of relief and looked up to her beloved wife. “Well that was, interesting, to

 

say the least.” She joked. Scarlett let out a small laugh and nodded in agreement. “Most

 

definitely interesting. But I’m glad it’s over now. Just in time for date night.” Danni laughed

 

softly. “You’re already thinking about date night?” She asked Scarlett. To which she responded

 

with a grin, “We have two things to go and celebrate. One, you finished your novel. And two,

 

you saved your novel.” Danni smiled and happily took Scarlett's hand in her own. “Yeah, I

 

suppose you're right, shall we Then?” Danni asked. “We shall.” Scarlett responded. And the two

 

the girls walked off into the sunset, happy and content.

 

Inspiration: The main thing that inspired me to write this story was that I was always so curious

 

what would happen if an author got to interact with their own characters.

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Poetry/ Short Story

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At The End Of The Day

At The End Of The Day

By Starr Perkins

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Have you ever felt a wave of confusion?

 

Like you didn't fully understand what was happening around you?

 

Well that's exactly how I feel. I've been in this band for five years now and dealt with alot of pain, mostly mentally but sometimes physically. At times I wanted to just take a break and quit but I knew I couldn't do that. She wouldn't have wanted me to. I think about her everyday and so do the rest of the boys, but it hits me the hardest. I remember her laugh, her smile, and those gorgeous blue eyes that reminded me of the ocean. I try not to think about her too much but it's kinda hard not to think about someone who you loved so much, I loved her. The day she died was the day that I lost myself, I was unable to feel for months and I still can't feel. I ask people what to do but just tell me ´lad it'll take time there's no need to worry´ but they were so wrong, all I did was worry, I wanted to feel what it was like to laugh again, to smile again, to love again. She was my world. Now she's gone and I'm stuck with idiots.

 

¨Harry?´´ A voice breaks me out of my thoughts. I shake my head and look up to see Liam giving me a concerned look.

 

´´You okay mate? You zoned out for a minute.¨ He tells me and I sigh.

 

´´Yeah I´m good.¨ No I'm not.

 

¨Are you sure?¨ He checks.

 

´´As sure as the sea is wet.¨ I say sarcastically.

 

¨Well the boys and I were wondering if you maybe wanted to go out tonight?¨ He suggests.

 

¨I think I´ll pass.¨ I say running a hand through my long hair.

 

´´You're lying.´´ He says.

 

´´Don't start with me Liam.´´ I warn him and he laughs bitterly.

 

¨I'm not starting anything, I'm just worried about you.´´ He mumbles.

 

´´Well stop because I´m fine.´´ I clench my fists.

 

¨You don't look fine Hazza.¨ I close my eyes in irritation.

 

¨You have five seconds to walk away.¨ I whisper. For what felt like eternity I heard a sigh and the sound of the door closing. Opening my eyes I look at the spot where Liam was once standing to find it empty. Smirking in victory I looked out the window, the New York air was crisp and bitter just how I liked it. I wasn't really a summer person but I did enjoy the cold, it brought me great comfort and joy. She always loved winter which was another reason why I enjoyed it. Don´t get me wrong I loved singing and the boys but deep down inside I just wanted it all to go away, just for a little bit. All of a sudden the door burst open and there stood my mother Anne, with a shocked expression on her face.

Here we go.

´´HARRY EDWARD STYLES!´´ She screams shutting the door behind her.

´´What is it mother?¨ I sigh really not in the mood for a lecture.

¨Liam just told me that you refused to leave this room.¨ She says and I huff.

´´That is very true.” I take out a cigarette.

´´Don´t you dare smoke that Harold!´´ She threatens and I chuckle.

´´What are you going to do? Ground me?´´ I tease.

´´You don´t talk to me like that.¨ She says.

´´Mother I am a grown man and I could do and say whatever I please.¨ I light the cigarette but as soon as I do she shoots me a deadly glare so I reluctantly put it out.

¨What happened to you? You're not the Harry that I remember.¨ She frowns.

¨No ´I´m not, now are you satisfied?¨ I get up from the couch.

¨No just disappointed.¨ She whispers.

´´You know you're starting to sound a lot like her.¨ I spit.

¨Good at least one of us does.¨ Her voice is low but I still hear her.

´´What? Care to repeat that?¨ I walk up to her.

¨She wouldn't approve of this behavior.¨ She looks at me in disgust.

´´Dead people don't want anything, that's one of the joys of being dead.¨ I say.

¨Whatever Harry, I'm going to go work and I suggest you do the same.¨ And with that she walks out the door leaving me alone once again.

I look down at the ground.

I failed you my love.

My Abby.

I promised that I was going to get better.

I guess I couldn't keep that promise.

Sometimes at the end of the day you have to live with your regrets and pray to god that they don´t catch up to you. I made a promise to her and I couldn't keep it so here's a word of advice: Don't try to do good, because if people see good they expect good, and I don't want to live up to anyone's expectations.

 

The End.

 

“My motivation for this story was because I want everyone to know what loss feels like. What it feels like to lose the one you love and how you feel after they're gone. It is important to cherish the people you have in your life because god knows how long you'll have them. Harry Styles was also my motivation because he is a very talented young man who I admire so much as an artist and a person, I am also a big fan of One Direction. I feel like if you experience grief long enough to the point where you are no longer yourself is the right time to become someone else, something else.”

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Poetry/ Short Story

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Pandora

By: Madolynn Jaramillo

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The sound of rain hitting your car at night as you drive is calming. It makes the world around you disappear, as if you’re the only one in this world right now. I watched the raindrops falling on the windows, quickly disappearing due to the wind as we drove. We were driving to our new house, but I didn’t understand why it had to be so far. We left early this morning, and have been driving for hours. The sun had just set so now we were surrounded in complete darkness. I had seen pictures of the house, and it looked really creepy. It was one of those old brick houses that looked like it would be in a horror movie.

   Almost.

   I showed my friends the house and they started talking about the history surrounding it. Apparently there used to be a family there, and there was a little girl named Pandora. Pandora was 14, but she was sick. Mentally sick, insane, psycho, not right in the head. She would stare at herself in mirrors, unmoving, for hours and she liked to torture bugs that entered her house. She rarely talked but when she did, she said the creepiest stuff. ‘Mother, why is there someone standing behind you?’ ‘Father, who is that old man living in our living room?’ Those were the kinds of things the girl had said, and her family living there, which was only her mother and father, were scared of her. They locked her in her room for days, blocking all the windows and bolting the door with a deadlock, preventing her from leaving. She would stay in there for days, with no food or water. One day when she was 16 her parents opened the door to give her some food, and when they opened it, they saw their daughter laying on the floor dead, bleeding from her eyes. She scratched her own eyes out, driven insane from being locked up, and had died from hunger and thirst. 

   The story creeped me out and I didn’t want to believe it. Why are we going to be living in this house if that girl had died there? I tried telling my parents what happened there but they said it was just a myth and nothing happened there. Still, it made me uneasy.

 

-

 

“We’re here.” The car stopped, the gravel of the driveway moving under the tires. Mom turned from the passenger’s seat to look at me. “You okay Vivi?”

   I nodded and turned my attention to the house. It was larger than what I expected. We all stepped out of the car, heading to the house. It seemed to be in good condition, despite being so old. The porch lights lit up as we walked near it, allowing us to see the entirety of the porch. There was a small wooden swing, the paint chipping, and there were dead leaves everywhere. I take back what I said about it being in good condition. The wood creaked loudly as we stepped up to the porch to the door, a dead giveaway. 

   “Well here it is. It’s already dark so we can bring everything in tomorrow. Just go grab your suitcase and anything that you need for the night.” My dad turned and walked back to the car, leaving me and Mom alone.

   “This house is so ugly and old, is there even heating in it?”

   “Well of course there is,” Mom put a hand on my shoulder, leading me back to the car. “They fixed it up just for us, maybe not renew the porch but it’s all fairly new. There’s still some things in the house that were left for us- like a dining table and I think there’s a dresser in your room!” she smiled, trying to cheer me up.

   “A dresser? Really Mom? I don’t want a dirty old dresser, what if there’s spiders in it?” I pulled away from her and ran to the car, taking out one of my suitcases from the U-Haul. I’ll spare you the bits, but when we all had our necessities we went in the house. Dad showed me the way to my room and I looked around in it. There was no bed, but there was a dresser. It was white and the paint was chipping. He said we would go get it repainted, or we could sell it, it was probably antique and could be worth something. I just told him was fine, and to get out so I could get settled in. Well, there wasn’t much to get settled into when there was no bed. 

   The room was fairly large, and has a small walk-in closet where I could fit all my clothes. There were two large windows, and no curtains. Thankfully there weren’t any close neighbors that could look in my room until I had curtains for it. I didn’t want to take my shoes off, the floor seemed really dusty, uncleaned for who knows how long.
  “‘Oh they cleaned it for us, they fixed it up all dandy!’ Yea well they sure didn’t do a good job.” I rolled my eyes and sat on my suitcase since there was no bed, or even a chair. What was I even supposed to do now? I didn’t want to go back and bother my parents. 

   But they sure liked to bother me. 

   Mom walked in carrying a large bag, it was the blow-up mattress. “Here, we can set this up and you can sleep on it until we get you a bed and blankets. Where’s the nearest outlet?” I pointed to the wall nearest to her and she helped me set the mattress up. She left to go get some blankets and quickly returned. 

   “Come on Vivi, it isn’t as bad as it seems. No neighbors, no one around, you could invite some friends and have parties here as loud as you want, no one’s here to tell you to be quiet after 10pm.” 

   “I don’t even have friends here Mom. We’re too far away from my actual friends for them to be coming over all the time.” I hated when she tried to cheer me up when she knew I was mad, it just made it worse. “I’m tired now, can you leave please?”

   Mom gave me one last glance and then left, leaving me alone in this dusty room. I changed into some pajamas and got into bed. It was cold, a lot colder than what I expected. So much for heating.

 

-

 

“Hey, hey, can you hear me?” 

   I opened my eyes, my body shivering. The room was freezing, it had to be at least 30 degrees in here. I pulled the blanket closer to my face and I looked around my room, my eyes adjusting to the darkness. Something had woken me up, a voice, but no one was here. I was probably dreaming about something, and someone said something in my dream and I woke up, thinking someone had really said it. The cold must really be getting to me, I wasn’t making any sense. 

   I rolled onto my side and closed my eyes, attempting to sleep through the cold. It was impossible, the cold was making me even more awake. There was a weird feeling in my body, and suddenly I felt really heavy. I couldn’t move my arms or legs, it felt like something was holding me down. “Seriously?” I whispered to myself, trying to convince myself that nothing weird was going on but I kept thinking of the story that my friends told me. My throat closed up, and I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, making it difficult to breath. Spirits? Ghosts? No way, I didn’t believe in any of that. It was just my brain playing tricks on me. I’m just having a nightmare, my brain is just trying to scare me. 

    I felt a weird urge to get up now. To get up and go to the dresser. Remember that heavy feeling I felt? Yea it was gone, but my fear stayed. I wanted to curl up in a ball, huddling under the blanket as I went back to sleep. I’ll just do that. I closed my eyes and brought my knees to my chest-

   What about the dresser? 

   My eyes flew open. Dresser? What was so important about the dresser? I didn’t want to get up and look at the dresser- it was like past midnight. 

   But I did anyway. Throwing off the blanket I got up, walking to the dresser. One by one I opened the drawers. They were all empty, nothing interesting in them but that feeling didn’t go away. I walked around the dresser, inspecting it when something caught my eye. 

   Writing.

   At the base of the dresser, on the back, near one of the legs was writing. I crouched down but couldn’t make out what it said, so I grabbed my phone, turning on the flashlight, and turned once again to the back of the dresser. I stared at the writing, trying to comprehend what I was reading. 

   Property of Pandora

   Property of Pandora. Property of Pandora. Property of Pandora. I repeated the words in my head, trying to make sense of what was going on. Then it hit me. 

   This was Pandora’s room. It had to be. It was one of three rooms, the master bedroom, the guest bedroom, and this one. It was the only reasoning I could think of. Maybe this was some sick joke. Someone was in here before we moved in and wrote on the dresser, making it seem like it was Pandora’s. Just like Mom and Dad said- it was just a myth. It was just a myth and some person decided this would be a good laugh. 

  I nodded to myself, convincing myself that’s what was going on. I crawled back into bed, still on high alert as I closed my eyes and went to sleep. 

-

 

Bang bang bang!

   The sudden sound woke me up. I was tired, I had barely gotten any sleep last night. I rubbed my eyes to wake myself up when there was another bang. I jumped again; it sounded like someone was banging on my door.

   “What!?” I yelled out, still half asleep. There was no answer, just silence. That was weird. I yawned and opened my eyes fully and froze. 

   This wasn’t my room. What was this? It looked just like my room but somehow colder and more lonely. I was sitting on a bed in the corner of the room next to one of the windows. The dresser I had seen yesterday was pushed into the closet, the doors of the closet gone. The dresser was a bright white, no chips at all. There were drawings all over walls, and pencils scattered everywhere. It felt like a prison. 

   I got out of the bed and walked to the door. I was breathing fast, my heart pounding in my chest. I had no idea what was going on. I grabbed the door handle and pulled.

   It was locked. 

   “No no no no no why aren’t you opening?!” I attempted to open the door but it was locked still, there was no way I could open it. I started to panic and I banged on the door, yelling. I stopped, trying to hear if anyone was outside the door. 

   There was. I could hear someone mumbling something and the sound of footsteps. 

   “Help! Someone help me!” I banged on the door again, and I could feel tears streaming down my face. 

   The door swung open, knocking me back. A man and woman were standing in the doorway. They weren’t my parents but they looked oddly familiar. It made me sick to my stomach, I had a bad feeling about this.

   “Why are you banging on the door?” The man spoke, but his voice sounded frightened. 

   “Please don’t bang on the door when we’re trying to sleep.” The lady spoke up, her voice was really soft and I almost couldn’t hear it. 

   “W-what?” I stood up, stumbling over my own feet. “I don’t- I don’t know what I’m doing here, can you help me? My name is Vivi and-”

   “Vivi? Vivi? Your name isn’t Vivi. Stop with your delusions. Your name is Pandora.” 

 

The End