Annabelle Peterson was woken up by the annoying sound of her alarm clock. It was 7:00 a.m., birds singing happily as the dim morning sunlight poured on her face. Anna slapped the top of the alarm clock, causing it to stop ringing.

  “Ugh, I hate Mondays,” she murmured to herself as she sat up on her bed, carefully removing the strands of hair that slipped into her mouth while she was asleep. Annabelle Peterson was a light skinned blonde with blue eyes. She had a perfectly crafted face and on most occasions, was told she looked like a model.

  Sliding her feet into her soft bunny slides, she stretched and vibrated, jolts of pleasure coursing through her body.

  “Looks like I’m back to that hellhole called school.” She lazily dragged her feet and headed towards the door. It was the first day of school after the Christmas and New Year breaks. A day she wasn’t really looking forward to. She was just about to enter the bathroom when her younger brother, Joshua ran into the bathroom and slammed the door behind him.

  Joshua Peterson was a fourteen-year-old dark haired boy. He was a bit skinny, and was taller than Annabelle which made him very happy, because he enjoyed making jokes about it. He had dark eyes and a strong resemblance to his father.

  “You pig!” Anna wailed, a disgusted expression on her face. Joshua had the annoying habit of always disrupting her morning cruise. Or so she called it.

  “Sorry, but it looks like your morning cruise has been disrupted once again!” Joshua screamed from inside the bathroom as she balled her fists at her sides, thinking of a way to pay him back.

  “Mom!” Anna yelled, banging on the bathroom door, hoping Joshua would come out. Anna’s mom was usually passive about their morning fights but she just had to intervene this time.

  “Joshua Peterson, I told you to stop this morning madness that you usually exhibit!” Mrs. Peterson said, as she walked up the stairs, still in her night dress. She usually called their full names whenever she was angry.

  “He is just being a dumb pig as usual!” Anna said as she stood in front of the bathroom, expecting her mum to intervene.

  Mrs. Peterson, a beautiful blond haired woman in her late 30s, smiled and said, “Don’t worry, you can use my bathroom.”

  Anna’s classes usually started by 8:00 a.m. and she didn’t want to be late, remembering the punishment she received from the principal the last time she was.

  “At least, I have just a year of high school left and I’m out!” Anna screamed as if she was trying to console herself. She grudgingly headed over to her mum’s bathroom to take a shower.

  A few minutes later, Anna was ready and all packed for school, but something was missing. She didn’t know what but she was sure she hadn’t packed something.

  “Oh yes, my phone!” she screamed as she ran downstairs and grabbed her phone from the table in the living room. At that time, Joshua was ready for school and they all converged at the dining room downstairs to eat breakfast which comprised sandwiches and tea.

  “Can’t we have something else apart from sandwiches every morning?” Josh asked as he lazily ate his food.

  “Eat your food and stop complaining,” Anna’s mum said. “I made this because you are already running late and I don’t want you to be too late, if you know what I mean,” she added.

  Annabelle hurriedly ate her food.

  “Manners, Annabelle! Where are your table manners!?” Anna’s mum scolded. She always complained about Anna having bad table manners.

  “Sorry, but I can’t be late,” She replied, the food in her mouth muffling her voice.

  “Ha, you eat like a pig,” Joshua commented, but Anna ignored him.

  “Your father is coming back today,” Anna’s mum said, a smile on her face.

  Annabelle’s father, Mr. Riles Peterson was a businessman who dealt in real estate, and owned a water bottling company. He travelled at least twice every week, and was almost never around.

  “Well, I hope he brings something for me,” Joshua commented but was ignored again.

  “I don’t want you to forget the curfew, no one comes in after 7:00 p.m. or else, you’d sleep outside,” Anna’s mum said, biting into her sandwich as the kids carried their bags and bid her farewell.

  The Petersons lived at the top of a hill on the outskirts of town, their only neighbors being the Hittcroffs whom they knew very little about. Both houses were surrounded by nothing else but trees and bushes.

  “Ugh, I hate this creepy neighborhood,” Anna said as her eyes darted around as if she was looking for something.

  “Are you scared?” Joshua asked, trying to mimic a scary voice.

  “You sound like a frog that’s gasping for breath, it’s pathetic to hear,” Anna commented, plugging in her earphones. Joshua kept talking, so she increased the volume of the music to mask out his voice. It was a fifteen-minute walk from their home to Hampton high, and Anna preferred to walk instead of taking the bus. She always said she liked to clear her head, and the walking helped her. What could a 17-year-old girl have been thinking of?

  About two minutes later, they had walked down the hill and gotten to where other people and cars could be seen.

  “Welcome to civilization,” Josh said, spreading his hands out like someone who just gave a speech and was expecting an applause.

  Anna ignored him, and they walked through the town, a gentle morning breeze blowing on their faces. Enjoying the breeze, they walked past shops that sold talismans and other magical artifacts.

  Without Anna noticing, a homeless skinny-looking man walked up to Joshua and said to him, “I have a way of making you rich beyond your wildest dreams. Just use this.” He stretched a black orb towards Joshua, motioning for him to collect it. Josh noticed the inscription on the side of the orb that read: MADE IN CHINA.

  “No, I wouldn’t want to use an orb made in China,” Josh said sarcastically, as he walked away from the man.

  “Anna, you won’t believe what just happened,” Josh said to Anna who had earphones in her ears.

  “Anna, Anna!” Joshua screamed and pulled her by the arm trying to get her attention.

  “I can hear you, just not answering,” Anna said and kept on walking.

  A few minutes later, they arrived at school. The entrance was crowded with chattering students and everyone wore a smile on their face, seeming to be happy because of the resumption, but the real reason was because they were reunited with their friends. Annabelle felt lonely because her best friend, Joanna Michaels hadn’t resumed yet.

  This is going to be a boring day for me. She studied the crowd, half wishing her friend would emerge from the crowd.

  “Yo Joshua!” Joshua’s friend Erin called, waving his hands in the air. Erin Flatwood was a dark skinned chubby guy with a round face and thick black hair. He wore denim cutoffs and a white shirt, matched by black sneakers.

  Erin was one of Joshua’s perverted yet goofy friends whom Annabelle did not like at all. Anna smiled, trying to mask her disgust as Erin walked over to Joshua who was still standing beside her.

  Erin greeted her but she ignored him. He then walked away with Joshua and both of them went to meet other people.

  “Welcome loneliness,” Anna said and sighed when someone tapped her from behind. She turned around, and smiled, seeing her boyfriend, Jackson Whitmore, a blond good-looking senior standing in front of her. He wore a black leather jacket and black jean trousers, matched by plain white sneakers. He had blue eyes just like Anna, and his smile was so dreamy, every girl wanted him. She kissed him passionately and hugged him tightly.

  “Ok, you can let me go now little munchkin,” Jackson said in a teasing manner.

  “You know I don’t like you calling me munchkin,” Anna protested. She always looked cute when she complained. Jacob laughed and pecked her on the forehead, and both of them walked into the school. They were about to start a conversation when the school bell rang.

  “Looks like it’s time for class,” Jackson said, brushing some of Anna’s hair behind her ear.

  “I’ll see you later,” Annabelle said, and gave Jackson a quick kiss before heading to class.

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  The first subject for that day was biology. She hated biology. She aspired to be an entrepreneur just like her father.

  She took a seat at the back of the class, beside the school bully, James Bludovitch. “Hey Anna, good morning,” James greeted her. He had feelings for Annabelle and had confessed to her on many occasions but always got turned down.

  Annabelle ignored his greeting and kept staring at the board, as she waited for the biology teacher to enter the class. The biology teacher, Madame De Bosse, who was a good looking dark-skinned French woman, entered the class and put on her glasses which made her beauty even more pronounced. She wore a complete female suit making her look like a banker.

  “Good morning class,” Madame De Bosse spoke in a French accent.

  “Good morning ma,” The entire class replied.

  Madame De Bosse then looked towards the back and noticed Anna sitting there.

  “Annabelle Peterson, come to the front this instant,” She demanded, pointing to an empty chair at the front row.

  “But ma, I….”

  “I said come here!” Madame De Bosse insisted. Anna dragged her feet to the front of the class and took a seat.

  “I can’t have my star student sit at the back. I want to interact with you,” Madame De Bosse said. Annabelle was the best student in her set and she had won several academic awards for the school in recent times.

  “Now where did we stop before the break?” Madame De Bosse asked the class but no one seemed to remember.

  The class went on for a while, and it was as boring as usual. The bell rang and everyone dispersed and headed for their next classes. The next class which she attended was boring, or seemed to be boring because she didn’t have her best buddy with her. She checked her wristwatch throughout the class and time seemed to be unusually slow that day.

  Annabelle attended a few more classes and went to the cafeteria for lunch. The school’s cafeteria was crowded with students walking around, the smell of pastries floating in the air, as some of the bigger students bullied the smaller ones in their usual manner, their leader being James. Annabelle shrugged at the sight of bullying. She hated bullies and she had witnessed many people being bullied but never her, not even once.

  Anna ordered food from the cafeteria and sat alone at an empty table. She didn’t really have many friends apart from Joanna, but she had many acquaintances she usually greeted.

  “Can this day just go any worse?” Anna said to herself and started eating.

  “Can I join you?” Jackson, who was standing behind her, asked in his usual deep voice. His voice was so deep that girls blushed every time they heard him speak.

  “Oh Jackson, I didn’t know you were here,” Anna said, a bit startled.

  “How could you be so jumpy even with all these people in the cafeteria?” Jackson said, and sat down.

  The new year celebrations were fast approaching and a lot of planning had begun even on the first day of resumption.

  “I wasn’t jumpy, I was just……” Anna said, mumbling her words.

  “Just what?” Jackson asked and laughed.

  Annabelle hated being teased or laughed at but she let it slide because it was Jackson doing the teasing.

  “The new year festival is fast approaching,” Anna said to Jackson, forking at a meatball.

  “Yeah, I won’t be able to go,” Jackson replied and took a bite out of an apple.

  “I have exams to prepare for,” he added.

  “At least, I will have Joanna with me,” Anna replied quickly, staring at the doors, half expecting Joanna to walk in.

  A moment later, the school bell rang and students headed to their respective classes. Annabelle didn’t want to go to class because she dreaded the class she had for that period. It was a history class usually taught by Mr. Duncan, the school principal.

  Mr. Duncan had an odd behavior and some students said he was a serial killer, even though those were just rumors. Anna bid Jackson goodbye and headed to class. She greeted a few of her friends as she headed for the back of the class to take a seat. She hadn’t been seated up to five minutes when Duncan, a brown skinned man with dark hair and a skeptical look entered the class, looking as weird as ever. His eyes scanned the class, an uneasy expression on his face.

  “Aha!” he screamed and smiled on seeing Annabelle.

  Students turned around to look at Anna, and everyone was confused about why he screamed like that. Mr. Duncan kept staring at Anna, a smile of relief on his face as he stared.

  “Is there a problem sir?” Anna asked, clearly uneasy. He slowly walked towards her, his fingers tingling as he did.

  The entire class was quiet and everyone watched expectantly.

  Annabelle’s heart rate increased as Duncan got closer to her. She could hear her own heart beating and her mouth felt dry as cotton.

  What’s wrong? Why is my heart racing? She thought. She wasn’t scared but there was something about Duncan’s gaze that she couldn’t explain. It was like he had a hold over her and she couldn’t look away.

  Duncan stopped in front of her, his eyes still fixed on hers. He looked even more intently at Annabelle and his smile broadened.

  At that moment, flashes of her being attacked by a creature in the night ran through her mind. She flinched, and began to breathe heavily. She wanted to scream but couldn’t, due to the number of people in the class and even if she screamed, she would have looked like a crazy person.

  More flashes of her being killed ran through her mind and she started to feel like she had really experienced it.

  What’s happening to me? Anna thought, staring at Duncan with sweat trickling down her face.

  “Done,” Duncan whispered, turned around, and began teaching. Everyone in the class looked at Anna with puzzled expressions on their faces.

  What just happened? Anna thought, wiping the beads of sweat off her forehead.

  “Anna, are you okay?” Dave, who was sitting behind her, asked as he placed his hand on her shoulder.

  “I…I…I’m fine,” She stammered and heaved a sigh of relief. She hadn’t realized she was barely breathing.

  During the period of the class, Duncan kept on staring at Anna, but she wasn’t bothered. What bothered her were the visions that ran through her mind. She tried to think hard about where those visions came from. Were they memories or were they figments of her imagination? She tried adding things up, but just got entangled in her own thoughts.

  “And that’s the end of our lecture for today,” Duncan said, rubbing his rough hands together.

  “Make sure you read in preparation for tomorrow’s class. And also, happy new year,” he added and briskly walked out of the class as if he were chasing something.

  Annabelle slowly stood from her seat and headed for the hallway, ignoring the questions of her classmates as she walked towards the door.

  “Anna, are you okay?” Anna, what's wrong?” Questions were directed at her from here and there. She headed to the locker section of the school and scanned through the items in her locker with her eyes after which she slammed the locker shut in frustration.

  “What am I even looking for?” She said to herself as she rubbed her face with her hands and began walking.

  “Don’t worry babe, I’m here for you,” A voice said behind her. Recognizing the voice, she spun around in excitement and hugged Joanna tightly. Both girls then screamed and laughed, drawing the attention of some students in the hallway.

  “Did you miss me?” Joanna asked with a beaming smile. She had dark hair which reached her back, and a perfect smile that could melt your heart and take your breath away. “I’d date you if I weren’t straight,” Anna would always say. She wore denim cutoffs with a sleeveless white blouse, matched by a white pair of sneakers and her face seemed to glow, courtesy of good skincare.

  “Of course I missed you. My day was going pretty bad already,” Anna replied and pulled Joanna in for another hug.

  “Don’t worry, I’m here now,” Joanna replied, as both ladies giggled and headed to the library.

  “When did you get back from Paris?” Anna asked.

  “Just yesterday,” Joanna replied. “Oh and I met this totally hot guy in Paris,” She added, flirtatiously twirling some strands of her dark hair.

  “I thought you were coming next week,” Anna said, as they approached the library.

  “I wanted to surprise you,” Joanna replied, opening the door to the library. The door didn’t make any sound when it was pushed open due to constant greasing.

  “I can’t let creaking doors break the focus of my students,” Duncan would always say.

  The library was really big, one of the biggest in the state, with the white ceilings, several feet away from the floor. There were many sections in the library and students were everywhere, frowns of concentration on the faces of some. Pages flipping, pens clicking, people researching and some sleeping. The library was really quiet. So quiet that one could hear one's own heart beat if one listened closely, or so it had been said.

  “What exactly are we looking for in the library?” Joanna whispered.

  “Duncan said we should read ahead for tomorrow’s class, so we are here to borrow a history textbook,” Anna replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

  “Oh, and there’s something I need to tell you when we get outside,” she added.

  Annabelle hadn’t been to the library more than once, since she started schooling at Hampton high. Her friend Joanna, hadn’t been there at all, apart from the day of orientation when all students were shown round the school.

  Towards the right, not too far from the entrance, sat Mrs. Crow, an extremely beautiful lady with dark hair and flawless skin. Annabelle noticed the librarian, Mrs. Crow staring at her through the corner of her eye while pretending to read a book.

  Mrs. Crow quickly averted her eyes when she noticed Anna had seen her.

  “Let’s ask the librarian where we can find history textbooks,” Joanna said as she grabbed Anna by the hand and walked towards the librarian. As they approached the librarian, more flashes of Anna being attacked ran through her mind.

  “Don’t worry dear, I’ll only eat your heart,” the voice of the creature that killed her echoed through her head. She felt like it was right beside her. She winced, stopped walking, and started to pant, holding Joanna for balance. The world began to spin and she had this nauseating feeling.

  “Anna what’s wrong?” Joanna asked, but her voice sounded muffled. Anna slowly lost consciousness. Her head felt light and she could hear a faint buzzing sound.

  “I don’t feel so good,” She whispered, and turned around to leave, but she regained full consciousness and no longer felt dizzy.

  She turned around and noticed the librarian staring at her with a concerned look on her face, as if trying to study her. Was the librarian responsible for the way she felt? Or was she just overthinking things? So many questions ran through her mind as the librarian stared at her, refusing to avert her eyes.