From the Shadows
Recurring
One week left.
The countdown began. One week until summer vacation. Five days of actual school attendance, then two and a half months of freedom. Teagan was strange in that she wasn't as excited about summer as the other kids were. She pretended. Summer meant less excuses to escape home. School was a required eight hours a day, without travel time, away from home. Teagan also liked learning. Math and science were her favorites. She had to walk to and from school, which took about thirty minutes each way. Make that nine hours away from home. She'd often do her homework in class, so as to ensure it was done. That guarantee wasn't always available within the walls of her house.
This summer felt different. She made a few friends this year. Last year, and most of the years previous, she didn't really have friends. She tried being friendly, but she was shy. A lot of kids picked on her for being in advanced classes. What was the deal with that anyway? Her step-dad was always yelling at her to get some friends. Now she could leave the house with more of an excuse. She always enjoyed keeping to herself, though. Climbing trees and playing in the fields in her somewhat small town. Whenever she found coins under the sofa or on the street, she'd go to the corner store and buy some candy. That was her treat. No Halloween candy. No Easter candy. Her parent's wouldn't buy her any, either. Chewy, fruity candies were always her favorite. They lasted longer, and tended to not leave chocolatey evidence on her face to get her in trouble.
Twenty-three minutes until the bell rang. Last day of school. The air was warm and breezy, and the sun was shining bright. Not a single cloud in the sky. Today was perfect for walking home, or taking other adventures. She couldn't dilly-dally today. She forgot what was so important, but she knew she had to get home.
Seventeen minutes until the bell rang. The conclusion to seventh grade. One more year and she'd be in high school. She wanted so much to go there. So many more classes to take, and more people she didn't know. Strangers gave Teagan a strange feeling. She didn't trust them, but knew they knew none of her secrets. She liked that about them. She could be anyone she wanted to be.
Six minutes. The teacher stopped caring about control, and the students were getting antsy. Some kids were talking about what they wanted to do after school, or what they were doing next week, where their family was taking them for the summer. Teagan overheard so many adventures. The mountains, the beach, Disneyland, Europe. All seemed so exciting to her. She knew she'd never leave this small town until college, and she'd only get their with scholarships and loans. It didn't matter. Out of here was where she wanted to go. Out.
RING RING RING. The obnoxious and hated ring of the bell hated throughout most of the year, but cherished at the end of the day, and especially loved right now. Summer was here. Kids ran through the hall, pushing their friends, throwing their homework on the ground for the poor custodian to clean up. Teagan would normally help clean, but not today. She had to get home.
She headed towards home, pulled out her water bottle. It wasn't too hot outside, but a lot of her trek had hills and was in direct sunlight. Her gaze would shift from the ground to the sky. The sky was the bluest blue she had ever seen. She looked behind her: nobody. Most of the time, kids sometimes bothered her on her way home. Today was special in that everyone wanted to start their summer now. They wouldn't even think of bothering her. She obsessively checked her pockets, making sure she had the phone numbers of her new friends. She hadn't called them yet, but would soon.
She approached her house. Hmm, his truck's missing. Her step-dad didn't have a job. He was supposedly looking for one, but always seemed to be at home, glued to the couch with the remote in one hand and beer in the other. She skipped along the path, up the stairs and to the door. Locked. She checked under the place mat for the key. Missing. What's going on? She walked around back. Backdoor locked. She went to the side of the house, climbed the tree and through the window. Luckily, that was open. If her mom was asleep, she'd never get inside.
“Hello? Anyone home?” Maybe he took her out somewhere...
She skipped down the steps and peered into the living room. Nobody. She walked down the hall towards the kitchen to grab a snack. Teagan froze. She dropped her bag and stared. Blood splattered all over the kitchen. A pool of blood trickled past the island.
“Teagan? Wake up. We're here. Are you alright?”
The countdown began. One week until summer vacation. Five days of actual school attendance, then two and a half months of freedom. Teagan was strange in that she wasn't as excited about summer as the other kids were. She pretended. Summer meant less excuses to escape home. School was a required eight hours a day, without travel time, away from home. Teagan also liked learning. Math and science were her favorites. She had to walk to and from school, which took about thirty minutes each way. Make that nine hours away from home. She'd often do her homework in class, so as to ensure it was done. That guarantee wasn't always available within the walls of her house.
This summer felt different. She made a few friends this year. Last year, and most of the years previous, she didn't really have friends. She tried being friendly, but she was shy. A lot of kids picked on her for being in advanced classes. What was the deal with that anyway? Her step-dad was always yelling at her to get some friends. Now she could leave the house with more of an excuse. She always enjoyed keeping to herself, though. Climbing trees and playing in the fields in her somewhat small town. Whenever she found coins under the sofa or on the street, she'd go to the corner store and buy some candy. That was her treat. No Halloween candy. No Easter candy. Her parent's wouldn't buy her any, either. Chewy, fruity candies were always her favorite. They lasted longer, and tended to not leave chocolatey evidence on her face to get her in trouble.
Twenty-three minutes until the bell rang. Last day of school. The air was warm and breezy, and the sun was shining bright. Not a single cloud in the sky. Today was perfect for walking home, or taking other adventures. She couldn't dilly-dally today. She forgot what was so important, but she knew she had to get home.
Seventeen minutes until the bell rang. The conclusion to seventh grade. One more year and she'd be in high school. She wanted so much to go there. So many more classes to take, and more people she didn't know. Strangers gave Teagan a strange feeling. She didn't trust them, but knew they knew none of her secrets. She liked that about them. She could be anyone she wanted to be.
Six minutes. The teacher stopped caring about control, and the students were getting antsy. Some kids were talking about what they wanted to do after school, or what they were doing next week, where their family was taking them for the summer. Teagan overheard so many adventures. The mountains, the beach, Disneyland, Europe. All seemed so exciting to her. She knew she'd never leave this small town until college, and she'd only get their with scholarships and loans. It didn't matter. Out of here was where she wanted to go. Out.
RING RING RING. The obnoxious and hated ring of the bell hated throughout most of the year, but cherished at the end of the day, and especially loved right now. Summer was here. Kids ran through the hall, pushing their friends, throwing their homework on the ground for the poor custodian to clean up. Teagan would normally help clean, but not today. She had to get home.
She headed towards home, pulled out her water bottle. It wasn't too hot outside, but a lot of her trek had hills and was in direct sunlight. Her gaze would shift from the ground to the sky. The sky was the bluest blue she had ever seen. She looked behind her: nobody. Most of the time, kids sometimes bothered her on her way home. Today was special in that everyone wanted to start their summer now. They wouldn't even think of bothering her. She obsessively checked her pockets, making sure she had the phone numbers of her new friends. She hadn't called them yet, but would soon.
She approached her house. Hmm, his truck's missing. Her step-dad didn't have a job. He was supposedly looking for one, but always seemed to be at home, glued to the couch with the remote in one hand and beer in the other. She skipped along the path, up the stairs and to the door. Locked. She checked under the place mat for the key. Missing. What's going on? She walked around back. Backdoor locked. She went to the side of the house, climbed the tree and through the window. Luckily, that was open. If her mom was asleep, she'd never get inside.
“Hello? Anyone home?” Maybe he took her out somewhere...
She skipped down the steps and peered into the living room. Nobody. She walked down the hall towards the kitchen to grab a snack. Teagan froze. She dropped her bag and stared. Blood splattered all over the kitchen. A pool of blood trickled past the island.
“Teagan? Wake up. We're here. Are you alright?”
♠ ♠ ♠
This is a dream sequence that reflects a memory of Teagan's.