This is all made up; please don't hold anything against me.

I ran for my life unaware of what exactly was after me. All I knew was I had to keep running from them. They looked like any other human being, the only difference? They didn’t need to breathe like me or my friends. They survived on lack of oxygen and other things… But I continued running over branches hearing the snaps under my feet. I wondered as I ran if the snaps of twigs gave away my location, as I zigged and zagged through the forest. So, I bet you’re wondering why this happened to me? I’ll explain.

    This whole race for life deal started three or four days ago. I was sitting in my boring high school math class. My two best friends on either side of the room and myself in the middle. We had our ways of communication although we always ended up laughing our asses off. The one on the left side of the classroom sitting upfront, was six-foot-tall, a little on the pale side, with unnatural fiery red hair, green eyes, and a freckled face. Not to mention, his social anxiety, he’s gotten better over the years, but it’ll always travel with him. However, the one sitting at the back, always turning boys’ heads was a dark-toned, bright-eyed, sunset hair colored girl who always flirted with any boy she came across. These two are Skid and Lauren. Skid’s a nickname for Stephen, but that’s all I’ve known him by since we were kids. As for Lauren, well, she’s just a Lauren. They’ve been with me since childhood, we’re like a little family. Then my entire life changed when four boys walked in.

    Two of the boys had black hair and clover green eyes. “Hi,” they both said. “We’re twins, Darryn and Darryl.” They gestured to each other when they said their names. They winked at a couple of girls. The other two were polar opposites of the twins. They were quiet and calm.

    “I’m Jake,” he waved a hello and put his hand back in his pocket.

    “I’m Jack,” he waved a shaky hand at everyone.

    The only thing really matching about Jack and Jake were their eyes, like milky dark chocolate orbs.

    “All right, gentlemen, pick any open seat.” Our teacher pointed to a couple of desks.

    There were seats in the back, untaken, but suddenly and magically, four desks were open surrounding me.

    “Good choice, guys. She’s a smart cookie.” The teacher chuckled.

    “Whatever, they could’ve sat next to me, I’m smart too.” Alice scoffed.

    “I’d call you more street smart than grade smart, Ms. Price.”

    The entire class laughed and snickered as Alice got roasted by the teacher.

    Alice laughed mockingly, “whatever.”

    After class was done, the four boys followed me to my locker.

    “Uh, can I help you?” I turned around.

    “Yeah, teach said you were smart, so could you help us out with a problem?” Darryn asked.

    “Sure…?” I hesitated.

    “So, here’s the question—” Darryl butted in.

    “What happens to a person after—” Jack interrupted.

    “They supposedly meet their demise? Jake finished.

    “Well, it could be a lot of things, but the one I can only think of is reincarnation.”

    “Ding, ding, ding! Correct!” Darryn smiled.

    “Why ask me about this? There’s another—” I tried to protest.

    “Just testing you!” Darryl shrugged.

    I arched an eyebrow. ‘What’s with these guys?’

    The seventh-period bell rang out. I went to class, and the boys introduced themselves again. I sighed as my teacher began class, I started to draw in my notebook. I blurred everything out of my mind and focused. A girl came to my mind, and—

    “Ms. Wolfe? Ms. Wolfe? Are you paying attention?”

    “Yes.” I looked at the question on the board.

    “Two plus two?” She tried to catch me off guard.

     “Four, fish, infinity, etcetera,” I remarked smartly.

    “Ms. Wol—” She was interrupted by the bell.

    I got up and rushed to my locker, thankful my class day was over.

“Dude! She was just about to send you out of the class!” Skid joked.

“Saved by the bell as usual,” Lauren added.

“Even if she did, I’d walk my happy *** home,” I shrugged with a grin.

They both laughed at my remark. We walked home together since all our houses were in the same neighborhood. I was the last one on the block, so it was natural I walked to my house by myself. Once I entered, I could smell bacon, eggs, and waffles being made.

“I’m home!” I yelled as I walked in. Johnny, our Pitbull mix charged and jumped on me, wagging his butt. “Hi! I know, Bubba, I know! I love you too!” He gave me kisses on my arm as usual as I rubbed his belly.

“How was school, honey?” mom greeted from the kitchen.

“Normal, with the exception of new boys,” I shrugged off my backpack and headed upstairs.

“Whoa! Hold up a sec! Where are you going?” She was at the base of the steps.

“To my room? Where else?” I gave her a questioning look.

She gave me the ‘I want to talk about boys’ look.

“Let me change first, then I’ll explain,” I rolled my eyes. 

I changed into my pajamas and walked back down into the kitchen.

“So, do you like any of them?”

“Mom…”

“I’m not saying like-like just like friendly-like, you know? Like Skid and Lauren.”

“First, that’s the most likes I’ve ever heard you use in a sentence. Secondly, they’re pretty cool guys, but they’re also weird.”

“Weird, how?”

“I don’t know, just weird like they followed me around school type weird.”

“Who followed you around school today?” my dad asked, walking into the kitchen.

“Just these four weird new boys—” the doorbell interrupted me. “I’ll get it,” rushing over to the door. I opened it.

“Hey,” two voices said in unison.

I saw the twins, Jake, and Jack on my doorstep. I slammed the door in their faces.

“Who was that, sweetie?” 

“The creepy twins, the creepy bad boy, and the shy creep. I’m going upstairs.” I marched back up to my room while my mom and dad greeted the new boys into our house. “Creeps.” I sighed, rolling my eyes.

There was a knock on my bedroom door. “Levy?” It sounded like Darryl.

“What?” I snapped.

“Your mom said to come get you or—” 

“Or what?” I got up cautiously.

“Or she said she’d start showing up your baby pictures.”

“No!” I opened the door and almost ran into the tall boy. He grabbed ahold of me to stop me.

“Whoa there!”

“I…I—” I looked at Darryl’s eyes. They were still green like I saw at school, but stranger, like glowing in the hallway darkness. “Move!” I remembered why I ran out. “Mom! Don’t you dare!”

She giggled, “It was just a ploy to get you out of your room for dinner.”

I glared at her knowing I couldn’t go back to my sanctuary. I can’t believe I fell for it.

“You forgot this after class,” Jack took a folded piece of paper out of his jacket’s pocket.

“My drawing!” I snatched it away from him. How could I forget something I know I packed in my backpack?

“Easy tiger! You left it there.” Darryl came up behind me.

“We only wanted to return it to you—” Jake interjected.

“Aw, that’s sweet! Isn’t Levy?” Mom nudged me.

“Yeah, sure sweet…” Seriously? What is with these guys? Glowing eyes? Somehow taking my drawing from my backpack? Hmm… I glared in their direction.

I looked at my incomplete drawing. I didn’t know why, but most of my dreams consisted of this girl. She looked the same age as me though probably wasn’t. She was always within my grasp but could never reach her no matter how hard I tried. She’s so beautiful, wearing all kinds of dresses every night most of them black like she was in mourning. I felt like she was waiting for me, or someone like me. She didn’t smile all that often, though, you could tell she did once by the laugh lines on her face. And—

“Levy?”

I looked at my mom blurrily, I had started crying without realizing it.

“Are you okay? What’s the matter, honey?” She tried to cup my face.

“I—uh, I’m just tired!” I faked a yawn.

“All right if you say so. Gentlemen, you’ve been perfect guests, but this is where I kick you out.” My mom gestured towards the door.

They all nodded and shuffled out leaving my family and me all by our lonesome.

“Well, I’m off to bed, sorry about dinner, mom.” I looked down. “I didn’t mean to spoil—”

She kissed my forehead, “It’s okay, Levy. Get some sleep.”

I sauntered back up to my room and fell on my bed not caring that it was messily made. I slowly drifted into the darkness hoping to see my drawing come to life once more.

Slowly but surely, she came into view wearing a starry night bluish-black dress, diamond earrings, and a left matching bracelet. She was sitting by the window like an unmoving statue. The girl shifted her gaze to the door.

“Skye, are you coming to the ball tonight?” a man asked with a knock.

“No, I don’t want to go,” she returned her gaze to the window.

“Darling, it’s been 20 years since the incident, you must find another suitor,” a mature lady entered the room, determined to drag this girl back to her senses.

“Don’t you dare write her off like that! She’s the love of my life! My soulmate! If she were truly dead, then I wouldn’t be here! I know she’s out there…somewhere.”

The man who knocked looked at her, “I’m sure your brothers will come back with good news, but they wouldn’t want to see you like this. What if they do manage to bring her back? Do you really want her to see you in this situation?”

Skye looked at her father, “No. I suppose not,” she stood up and slipped into her sparkly heels. She took her father’s hand as they walked into the main hall.

“Ah, Princess, so good to see you out of your room,” a golden armored man greeted them.

“Of course,” Skye cleared her throat, “it would be most unpleasant if my wife saw me the way I was in my room just now.”

“Very good, your Highness,” the man bowed to one knee while he pounded his fist to his shoulder.

A loud boom echoed through the hall, “Sorry, a force of habit. Is there any news on her whereabouts?” the mysterious man asked. He was shrouded in a reddish-black mist; frown lines already deepening on his forehead and around his lips.

“Not yet, Lucifer. The boys may be chasing a lead, they should be home within a few days—” The King spoke to everyone.

“Hopefully with good news,” the Princess spoke softly.

No way! Lucifer?! That is so cool! I giggled.

The corners of Skye’s lips twitched upwards slightly.

“Your Highness,” a man approached the bottom of the staircase, “May I have this dance?”

Please say no! Say no!

“You do know I am married, correct, Samson?” Skye’s face morphed into a look of boredom.

“I am well aware, I even asked my own wife if I could dance with you,” Samson reached a hand towards the Princess.

“Very well, I must put on a brave face until my wife returns,” Skye walked down and cupped Samson’s hand.

Samson? Sounds familiar… I shivered at the thought of him. My dream slowly dispersed until I was in darkness again. Eventually, I woke up back in my room facing the ceiling.