Shadows of the Night

I put in my password, and my computer loaded up all the pop ups. I got on my MSN messenger. No one was on yet, so I just browsed my sites and stuff. On my favorite site I had a new friend request from All_Seer.

This time I accepted it, now that I knew who it was. After about an hour of browsing sites, an IM window popped up. It was Batty.

Batty: Warning, your parents will be home, in...
Batty: 5
Batty: 4
Batty: 3
Batty: 2
Batty: NOW!

Just then I heard the door swing open and heard my parents' footsteps upstairs.

Batty: Now this part is very important...
Batty: The phone is going to ring...YOU HAVE TO ANSWER IT!
Batty: They will think you are your mom, let them...
Raven: O.o k...

“Ring-ring-ring!” the phone went off, just like she said. I answered it.

"Hello."

"Yes, hello. This is the secretary at Sacred Heart High School. We are just calling to let you know that your daughter, Renee, has been skipping school a lot. Also, that today she was suppose to have detention. For well, we feel it is best for you to come into school to discuss it with the principal."

"Oh, she was. Well, we will discuss it and come see the principal tomorrow."

"Thank you and have a nice day."

"You too," and she hung up.

Then my mom picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Mom, oh hey, yeah it was just a wrong number."

"Oh OK. Dinner will be ready soon. See you then. Bye."

"Bye," I hung up.

Raven: You were right...O.o
Batty: I know....
Raven: So...what else can you tell me?
Batty: I only tell people when its important.
Raven: Oh come on...pleeeease tell me
Batty: Well OK, we're skipping school tomorrow and all you guys are coming over to my house
Raven: Hmmm...

I didn't know what to say, but I guess that was okay with me. I wouldn't have to go to school and deal with my parents. I wouldn't have to stay in this icy room. The temperature was dropping every hour it seemed. Just then Moon and Thorn signed on.

Raven: hey
Thorn: whatsup?
Raven: talking to batty I really believe her
Raven: about being able to see the future
Thorn: meh i still dont know
Thorn: hold on shes talking to me now...

Another IM window popped up, and it was Moon.

Moon: hey...batty just told me we are going to her place tomorrow
Raven: yeah i know, do you want to go?
Moon: yes i do soooo bad
Raven: idk if i will or not....
Moon: why? shes really cool..
Raven: meh idk...

Then I got a nudge from Batty, whose IM was flashing orange like it was at a rave. I clicked it.

Batty: you have to come over tomorrow...we have to skip school...there's so much you guys have to learn
Raven: your such an odd person....
Batty: :) i know...but trust me....i know you don't want to go to school, and i know you will XP
Raven: hmmm

I clicked back over to Thorn's conversation.

Thorn: she keeps saying we should skip tomorrow and go to her house
Raven: yeah, moon wants to go
Thorn: yeah i know...shes trying to convince me...*shifty eyes*
Raven: XD idk it might be interesting, maybe her parents are blind too or something...
Thorn: XD maybe...
Raven: OK were going then ^___^
Thorn: if you say so...
Raven: I do XP
Thorn: k

I clicked back over to Batty's IM, which had nudged me again.

Batty: You're coming? :)
Raven: yes thorn and i are coming ^__^
Batty: yay!
Batty: To me your skipping school thing makes no sense. So I'm gonna make some changes. We will all met up at Moon's house, OK?
Raven: sure...

I clicked back over to Thorn.

Thorn: Batty told me we will met up at Moon's house.
Raven: Yeah she just told me.

I was nudged by Batty's IM again.

Batty: You better get to sleep. Big day tomorrow. :)
Raven: Why? I never go to sleep before midnight.

Right after I typed that sentence, my computer went to a blue screen. Then it went black. I turned it back on. Right when the log in page showed up, it went back to black, I just unplugged the whole thing.

It was only 7 PM now, and my mom was saying that dinner was ready. I trudged upstairs, thinking how Batty hacked my computer. Who else could it be? She was crazy and controlling. The crazy I didn't mind, but no one controls me. I unlocked my door and took a breath. The air was heavy with the smell of food. This time we were having lasagna and garlic bread.

I gulped down some of my water and pecked at my food. I ate the bread more than the lasagna.

"So who was that on the phone?" My mom asked.

"It was just a wrong number."

"Oh..," she said.

"So how was school?" My dad asked.

"School, was school," I said.

I had to go back down stairs. I needed an excuse, to make up something.

"Dinner is really good, Mom, But I'm full and I have to write an essay for English. I also have Math homework to do," I trailed off while taking my water downstairs.

I sat the glass next to the one from yesterday. They both still had a little water in them.

With the computer on the fritz, I had nothing to do. I decided to take a shower and get to bed. The water was nice and warm. Water always had a relaxing quality.

When I got out, the mirror had a heart drawn in it from all the steam. The heart was right in the place where I always looked in the mirror. I never did things like that in my mirror. Was there some one here?

"Hello?"

I looked around and there was no answer. I couldn't see anyone. I got dressed quickly and opened the door.

"Hello?" I repeated.

Again there was no answer. I still didn't see anything. I grabbed a bat from the corner of my room and opened the closet. Nothing.

"What the hell," I said to myself.

Maybe it was just my imagination. I set my alarm clock and put in a different CD, HIM's album Dark Light. Then, I flopped onto my bed and tried to sleep. It was so cold.

A few hour's later, Ville Valo's voice was exploding out of my alarm clock, and I nearly fell out of bed. I could see my breath. The water next to my TV had some how spilled, but the droplets had formed into icicles.

"What the hell is happening here," I said with my teeth chattering. I grabbed my bag and threw random clothes inside. I threw on my school uniform and green sweat shirt. I ran up the stairs shoving my feet into my boots.

My mom was right there when I opened the door. Again she was muttering about me needing to eat, but I had to get out of the house and talk to Thorn. I cut across people's yards and ran at lightening speed. I fell when I got to Thorn's drive way. Then I rammed my head against the door on accident.

Thorn answered without me needing to ring the bell.

"Did that hurt?"

"Yeah," I said rubbing my head.

She frowned at me and said, "Let's get this over with."

I smiled at her, and we walked down the road to the country road. Again, dogs were barking everywhere.

"It's so cold in my room. I could see my breath. What's it like in yours?"

"That's weird. Mine is fine. Did you tell the rents?"

I laughed, "Why?"

She just shook her head. We finally got to the top of the hill. Batty said to meet at Moon's house, so Thorn and I walked down it for the first time. It was pretty steep, and I almost slid down the whole thing. When we got down the hill, Moon was sitting in the old tire swing on the big tree in front of her house. She kicked her feet in the dirt to turn and face us.

"Is she here yet?" I asked.

"Nope," Moon frowned.

I shivered in the wind. I walked over to the base of the tree and sat down. Thorn followed. We waited for what seemed like an eternity, until finally Batty showed up. "Come on guys. Lets go. We've got a long way to go."

I raised my eye brow, "Long way?"

Moon said, "Your hair is a mess! How did you get here?"

"Yes, it's a long way to my house from here, but I told you guys to meet here, because it's closer then anywhere else. Come on." She waved her arm in the air, gesturing us to follow her, and she took off in the opposite direction of the way we came.

I shrugged at Thorn and got up. Moon got out of her tire swing and followed me. Thorn got up and followed her. Soon we all caught up with her. She parted the way through the corn field on Moon's farm.

"Won't we get lost?" I asked.

"No, I know the way. Trust me," Batty said.

I followed her messy red head, through the green all around us until we finally got to the end of the field. Then there was a lot of trees, a forest you could say.

"Come on guys! We're getting close!"

She walked in between two of the trees into the deep woods. It wasn't that thick of a forest. After we walked by around five trees, there was a long bush. It went all the way around a giant house. It was white with black shutters, in a plantation style. There had to be at least 3 floors. The bush in front of us was just a normal looking-one, but all the others had roses. We walked through the one in front of us.

"Welcome to my home, guys," Batty said.

We walked up to the porch, and she opened the door. We walked inside to the lavish living room. The carpet was pure white with a crazy black pattern. The furniture was modern and a drab gray color. There was a huge flat screen TV and marvelous paintings on the wall. To the right was a spiral staircase built right into the wall. It had the same carpet. Right next to it was an open door way which lead to the kitchen, which from the door way I could only tell it was huge, and white. Everything seemed very clean.

"Come on guys. Lets go upstairs to my room!" Batty shouted while darting for the stairs.

We all looked around in awe, like it was a museum. Moon almost tripped over the partially glass coffee table. We got up to the top of the stair case.

"Come on. It's on the next floor," she pointed to the end of the hall.

We all followed her down the seemingly never-ending hall way, but then we got to the secrete door, which was a mirror that gave the illusion of the hallway being never-ending. Batty pushed in the side of the mirror where a door knob would normally be. Then, there was a pop sound. The door swung open, and we saw a normal-looking stair case. This carpet was different; it was completely black.

"Go ahead. Walk up. I'll close the door," Batty told us.

I walked up first, and then Thorn and Moon followed. When I got up to the top, the ceiling was a bit low. I had to grab onto the guard-rail to balance my crouch. Then once I got out of that area, I could stand up. I looked around. The walls were the same drab gray color as the chairs down stairs. They were covered in posters, and post-it-notes. Her computer sat at the other end of the room on a desk like you might find in the white house. The computer, printer, and scanner were all brand new. On the wall near the stairs was a big TV, and there were two chairs and one big couch in front of it, all leather. The carpet was still black. The long wall of the room had a huge window where there was a window seat. Her bed was right next to the window seat. On the wall opposite of that were more posters along with her dresser. Next to that was a white door. I guessed it was her closet.

"Well, go on sit down. Are you guys thirsty or hungry? Anything?"

"I am kind of thirsty," I said.

"Yeah, me too," Thorn and Moon said at nearly the same time.

Then Batty walked over to the door in her room. She opened it and said, "I'll be right back."

She then opened a small door in the wall of her closet and climbed inside it. She was gone. Then after about ten minutes had gone by, she was back with with a little bag and four plastic cups. She set the cups on the little table in front of the couch. Then, she opened the bag which had strawberry-flavored soda, and a little zip lock bag of ice.

"How did you do that?" Moon asked.

"There's a dumbwaiter in my closet. It goes all the way down to the basement and all the way up here. I use it all the time," Batty answered her.

"Cool," Moon said.

"So what is all the work you were talking about that we had to do?" I asked.