Maleficent

The sun beat relentlessly down on my annoyingly dark hair as I walked home from school. The muscles in my legs were aching as I trudged down the concrete path, and sweat was congregating along my forehead and the back of my neck. I hadn’t walked so far in such a long time, I was suddenly regretting turning down Flora’s car ride.

My teeth sunk into my bottom lip, chewing lightly as my thoughts drifted to places far away from the dreadful walk, yet going places that weren’t much better. The top of the list was Jeremy Forbes.

The rest of the school day had gone unsurprisingly eventless with regards to Jeremy. He seemed to disappear off the face of the Earth as far as appearances were concerned. Laura hadn’t crossed my pathway either, ditching her last class; to do what, I didn’t have a clue. I didn’t ponder on it.

When school had let out, I’d been unexpectedly glum. My responses had become more chipped and snappy than usual that even Flora had decided to keep her distance. She would hammer me later on about my strange behaviour.

The path I walked was a shortcut through the lower suburbs. Full of worn old houses walled with peeling paint and discoloured roof tiles; my regret only sunk deeper as the unsettled discomfort wormed its way into my bones. Why had I insisted on walking home? I’d never done it before, so why now?

Of course I knew why. And he remained fixed at the front of my thoughts.

A sharp bark, stunned me back into the world, my eyes falling to see a dog weaving through my legs as it sniffed me curiously. A smile tugged at the corners of my lips and I bent down to scratch behind the dog’s ear before nudging it away from my legs as I continued to walk. My discomfort was lessened slightly by the dog’s presence; its nails scraping lightly against the concrete with each trotted step it took. I felt less alone. A little more safe. At least until the pup stopped dead in its tracks.

I’d barely taken two steps before I noticed the absence of the canine’s claws tapping at the ground. His fur stood on end, his back arched slightly before dropping at his shoulders as he pressed low to the ground. My brows knit together in hope and confusion; bending down to the pup’s level, clicking my tongue and calling to the pup in a baby tone.

A low snarling growl seethed through the little dog’s teeth as his lips curled back threateningly. At first I’d thought the dog had gone rogue, turning on me for no obvious reason, but I realised his gaze stretched behind me. His threat grumbled so deeply and furiously that even on the face of a jack russell, he look menacing.

My gaze flitted over my shoulder, landing on a weathered house with old shingled windows. A lone bony tree stretched into the sky, naked and shrivelled but standing out no more than the barren wasteland in which it derived.

It surprised me to have not noticed the house before. Darkness seemed to shroud it even from the light of the sun. I could almost imagine the perfect timing of a lightning strike behind the broken house. Only this wasn’t a movie.

My gaze remained transfixed; trailing over every line of the scenery before me for no other reason than it felt familiar. As my eyes slid across the damaged picket fence and around the darkened windows, I felt a strange tug at the back of my mind. The thought unsettled me more when I realised that the same feeling had overwhelmed me when Jeremy had whispered in my ear. I rubbed my arms instinctively, though there was no chill. No breeze. In fact, it felt as though the very air had been sucked from the Earth leaving me gasping for breath.

My footsteps retreated from the house slowly, just as I had done in the hallway, and I came to a stop beside the still snarling dog. I felt at ease being a little further away. It was obvious I wouldn’t be continuing any further alone. The dog had to come with me. I didn’t care how much of a wuss I was becoming. The house was damn creepy, and even now I had the overwhelming urge to glance over my shoulder, and yet I refused to take my eyes off the house.

“Come on, pup,” I whispered, though I had no idea why I bothered whispering.

My fingers stretched out, closing the gap between the snarling dog and my curled up body. If I had to carry him to get past this point, then so be it. But he seemed to have other plans. With a sharp, furious yelp, the jack russell snapped his jaws around my hand warningly before darting off back towards where we had come.

“Little shit,” I snapped, clutching my hand as blood welled from the little points he had penetrated into my skin.

My fear had already filled me to the brink, verging on anger since it seemed easier to deal with. My reluctance to step closer to the house had me warring with myself, arguing over running past, or dealing with an extra hours worth of walking if I were to take the long route.

I still watched the house, feeling a strange power residing within the border. I could almost see the shuddering inhale of breath; my mind was so convinced that the house was alive. It was taunting me. Laughing at me. Snickering at my fear. The fear tainting my scent in its overwhelming power. But swimming deep within that fear was something else. Only a miniscule grain hidden inside of me and yet it was powerful enough that I hadn’t realised I was standing directly in front of the house until moments later.

Curiosity.