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It was a dark night the night it happened. Jacqueline was busy on the computer, oblivious to the rest of the world. The only light in the room came from the screen, where she was busy messaging friends. Sighing, she leaned back, unsure what to do next. She yawned, gazing at it through half-closed eyes. Her day had been busy, just like any other day during her school career, which aided to her exhaustion. She stretched and got up, looking for something to do that didn't quite involve going to bed just yet as she turned it off. She walked around the house for a moment, before finding the light switch. She found herself in her dining room, near the front door. Jacqueline's parents had gone out that night, leaving her to have the house by herself.
She quietly walked towards the bathroom, suddenly feeling the urge to look herself in the mirror. She wasn't sure why, exactly, but she just needed to do it. Once she was in the bathroom, she grabbed an elastic and put her long dirty blonde hair up into a bun, this way it was off of her face and neck. Her slender neck twisted back and forth as she had done so, her white tank top now even more prominent against her tan. The house was quiet, unusual for a Saturday night. Rubbing her upper arms a little, she went back into the dining room, her feet quietly pounding the floor with every step, echoing in the silence.
It didn't happen until after she went by the front door. Through all of the silence, there was a loud knock on the front door, just after she had passed it. Her heart skipped a beat once it sounded. Her parents never knocked on the door, they merely only took out their keys and unlocked it. Her heart began to pound in her chest with this realization. It was late, so no one would be going from door to door asking for religious services or for advertisement purposes. Her hand shook slightly as she reached out towards the doorknob. She took a deep breath, trying to keep her control. Just as she grabbed the handle, there was a heavy bang against the door, practically on the glass window. Grabbing the handle, Jacqueline turned it and opened the door with caution.
Beyond the door was nothing but darkness, no sounds, no life. Jacqueline sighed to herself, wondering what kind of hooligans were outside at that late hour, disturbing everyone. Just as she was about to close the door, she caught a glimpse of movement from the edge of her view. The movement was quick, but she was able to determine that it was someone, not a local animal, judging by the height. Closing the door, she ran back into the kitchen to grab the flashlight, as the porch light was not bright enough for anything more than lighting up the door.
Once she was outside, she closed the door behind her, just in case. She clicked on the flashlight, looking around, checking to see if everything around her was okay. There was movement off to her left, this time on the opposite side of the first sign of movement. She moved over towards it, stopping suddenly as a cold wind suddenly whipped around her. Wrapping her spare arm around the other for warmth, she continued forward, her white tank top and large, bright pajama bottoms easily recognizeable in the darkness.
Just in front of her was a large bush, something her father had planted when she was a small child. She walked over to it, admiring it in the faint moonlight and flashlight. It was when she had cast her flashlight on the bush did she see a pair of eyes staring back at her for a moment. Startled, she almost wanted to run back inside, and not come back out, but her curiosity got the best of her. She walked over towards the bush, examining around it for the owner of the eyes. It was when she was behind it that she was thrown down onto the ground, her flashlight tore from her hand and clicked off. The hand that threw her down covered her mouth, preventing her from screaming. She could smell dirt and blood on the hand that covered her.
There was a rushed breathing, almost ragged. "Please, stay quiet, if you want to stay alive," she heard, from a panicky voice behind her. Due to the whisper, she couldn't quite tell if it was male or female, but she listened anyway. A moment later a figure appeared on the other side of the bush, hurried and looking as though it was looking for someone. She looked up a little, it appeared to be male, as well as carrying a gun in hand. There was a stirring in the tree above, and instantly the man jolted and pointed the gun towards the tree, the metal reflecting in the low light cast by the moon. Jacqueline's eyes had begun to adjust to the dim light, allowing her to see more. The person behind her kept her pinned to the grass, making sure she didn't move or make any sounds that would reveal their position. A moment later the man with the gun moved along, and the person behind her didn't move until they were sure the man with the gun was out of earshot.
Jacqueline breathed heavily once she was able to as she sat up, whipping around. "Who the hell are you? What's going on?" she demanded of her assaulter. She saw the person stand up, and reach down to help her up as well. She was able to see them better in the light, as well as the fact that this person was dressed in torn, bloody clothing as well as covered with dirt. What she also noticed was that this person was a guy as well, and he looked incredibly ragged, almost as though he had been on the run for quite some time from the other man with the gun.
"I'll give you my name when I know it's safe. You shouldn't have come out, little one, otherwise you may have been killed by that man earlier. He's a murderer, that one. He and his little sassy girlfriend," he grunted, his voice slightly shaky as he looked around. She backed up a little, wondering if she should bring this stranger inside so that he could get washed up.
"You look horrible," she commented, unsure of what else to say.
"I've been on the run from him for weeks. Got the nose of a bloodhound, he does," he said, feeling his scruffy, unshaved chin.
"Uhh, would you like to come in and wash up? You look like you could need it," she said, looking away as she finally decided that she should be nice to the man that most likely saved her life.
"Are you sure? I mean, I don't want to intrude," he replied politely. He fiddled with his hands a little, something Jacqueline noticed immediately, since she was pulling on her fingers behind her back.
"It's okay. Please, come in," she mumbled, looking around. "It's the least I could do."
"Well, alright. If you say so," he said, following her inside. Just as he walked inside behind her, she stepped off to the side, handing her the flashlight. "I think you might want this back," he said. She smiled faintly at him, and gestured towards the bathroom.
"The bathroom is right there in the other room. Feel free to make yourself comfortable and... decent looking. I'm sure my father won't mind if a pair of pants and shirt go missing," she smiled at him as he left. Unsure of what to do while he was in there, she walked into the kitchen, hoping to find some sort of coffee or tea for the man, as well as herself. She couldn't help but be curious about why that man was after him. Just as she bent down to grab the coffee can, she noticed the grass stain on her shirt. Slightly angry, she quickly got the coffee ready as she ran upstairs to go change.
Just as soon as she came back downstairs with a new shirt on, he was in the kitchen, a mug full of coffee in hand. He raised his mug as she came down. "I found the mugs. I figured since you made so much, you were wanting a cup, so I poured some. Not sure if you wanted milk or sugar or anything, so I left that up to you," he said, trying to be nice.
"Oh, thanks," she muttered as she tended to her cup. As soon as she poured the milk, she whipped around at him. "Was it you that banged on my door?"
"Bang? No, I don't think anyone went near the door. I try to keep as many people away from those creeps as I could. You scared me half to death when you came out with your flashlight, since I thought for sure he would've killed you on the spot," he sipped his coffee as he spoke.
"Oh. Well, there were a couple bangs on the door. That's why I went out in the first place," she shrugged. After a few minutes of coffee sipping, she turned to him again, this time to really get a good look at him. He had a rugged jawline, a worker's build, and slightly shaggy hair, she guessed due to the constant being on the run.
He caught her staring at him. "Something the matter? I miss a spot shaving?" he grinned.
She blushed a little in response. "No, it's not that."
"Well, then what is it?"
"Nothing, honestly," she said, turning away. "You should probably be going soon," she added quickly.
"Of course. I wouldn't want to be a burden," he said. He finished his cup and set it in the sink politely for her. He went towards the door, but as soon as his hand touched the handle he whipped around towards the bathroom. About a minute later he came back, with a look on his face that just made Jacqueline's heart turn over. In his hand he held a folded piece of paper, which apparently was of some importance to him, as he made sure that he didn't forget it. "I... want you to have this," he said, handing her the folded note.
"What is it?" she asked, fumbling with it, as she was unsure of what it contained.
"It's just some stuff that I've written. Kind of like a lucky charm. I want you to have it, since I feel real lucky now that I've met you," he smiled. When she gave him a weird look, he quickly regretted his wording. "Oh, no, not that kind of lucky. I meant as in, you know, good luck."
"Of course you did. Anyway, you should get going before they come back," she told him. He reached for the door, and just as he opened it, he spoke again.
"My name's Alexander. It was wonderful meeting you," he said as he stepped outside.
"And mine is Jacqueline. The pleasure was all mine, I can assure you," she smiled.
Just as he took a step outside, there was a loud bang. Alexander fell backwards, back onto the stairs, his face dark and body limp. Once he had fallen down, Jacqueline gasped and bent down to look at him, but immediately began to regret looking at him. In the center of his forehead, right between the eyes, was a gaping gunshot hole. Alexander was dead. Jacqueline looked up and outside to see who was the killer, already knowing who it most likely was. Outside, she could see the man that was there before, the gun still held at the fire point. A maniacal chuckling arose then, first deep, then into a higher pitch, almost painful to the ears.
"You're next, girlie!" He called, the voice sending shivers down her spine. As much as she wanted to run, her body couldn't move. It was then that there was a shrill cry from behind the man. It was most likely a signal, as he turned and ran away from the house. Jacqueline sat down behind Alexander, running a hand through his damp hair, his face bloody and lifeless. About a minute later, sirens sounded from around a corner, and several police cars and an ambulance showed up. The police came over to Alexander and Jacqueline immediately, and then called over for the medical help, already knowing that he was dead from the shot.
The investigations seemed to last for hours, although Jacqueline seemed distant from it all as she grasped onto the folded note she had received in Alexander's last moments. Tears rolled down her cheeks throughout as she thought about him, wondering if he knew what he was walking into, or even if he knew anything about that at all. She wondered what he saw last, what he thought last. Either way, it made her even sadder about the situation.
Her parents came home around halfway through the investigation, both of them asking her what had happened, but all she was able to do was sob. The doctors blamed shock as they ushered Jacqueline and her family inside. Jacqueline rushed upstairs to her room, grabbing her grass-stained shirt and clutching it close to her heart. It wasn't until she had fully curled up in a ball on her bed did she remember about the note in her hand. She opened it slowly, wanting to see what was written inside. After the first fold, she was able to read the word "halo" scribbled in. It was written small, in black ink, on the side, almost as if it was written in a rush.
Jacqueline relaxed and leaned back on her bed, facing the ceiling. She thought about that one word, halo, as she fumbled with the rest of the note. Inside, there were bits of quotes, drawings, and some various other dates. But there was one in particular that stood out the most of the ones written down on the two sheets of paper. It was today's date, and beside it, it said "finally." She looked through the rest of the papers, wondering if there was any clue as to what "finally" was meant for. Folding the papers back up, she turned over on her bed and fell asleep, needing the rest.
The next morning, Jacqueline woke up to the sound of another voice. She looked around for someone, but when she didn't find anyone, she went downstairs, looking for whoever called her. It was when she reached the bottom of the stairs did she hear a voice whisper next to her. "Finally." She whipped around to see who it was, not finding anyone.
Throughout the day, her mind mulled over last night and the morning, but mostly about the voice that was behind her that morning. "Finally." It seemed so... definite. She thought of him meeting her, of his death, of anything that it could relate to and the day before, but she couldn't quite find an answer that seemed like the right one.
It was in the early hours of morning when Jacqueline finally decided to go to bed. Just as she turned the lights off in her room did she feel another presence in the room next to her. It didn't feel cold, or wrong, but yet it felt warm and reassuring. She could feel him in the room with her, and she felt safe. She knew that he finally had his halo. [Original Ending]
Jacqueline awoke to her alarm clock going off in time for her to get up to get ready for school that morning. Her body felt limp, tired, and just an all-around zombie. According to the doctors, her mind was still in trauma from the weekend, and her school was already informed of it. It seemed like it took hours for her to get dressed and downstairs in time for a quick breakfast. Her mother was sitting at the table, skimming through the paper with her morning cup of coffee, still in her bathrobe.
"It's about time you got out of the bathroom, pumpkin," she said, smiling up at her daughter who had just walked in. There was some toast and coffee sitting in the chair next to her, open for her daughter to come and sit down. Jacqueline sat down, of course, but she didn't touch anything that was there for her. Her mother tried not to make a fuss about her unusual actions, especially after what happened that weekend, so instead she tried for conversation that didn't involve what had taken place. "Anything to do after school today?"
Jacqueline didn't answer immediately, as her mind was someplace else. "No," she mumbled under her breath.
Her mother didn't hear her. "Jacqueline, do you have anything to do after school today?" she asked again.
"NO, Mom, I don't. Would you stop bugging me? I've gotta get to school," she said, grabbing her bag and leaving without another word. Just as she slammed the door shut behind her, Jacqueline's father walked into the dining room.
"Emily, give the girl some time. The doctors said she'd still be in shock for the next few days. Don't worry about it, I'm sure she'll be just fine," he said as he put his hand on his wife's shoulder.
"I know, but... oh, I don't know. I just have this feeling something's going to happen to her while she's at school, Matt, I really do," Emily sighed.
Jacqueline decided to walk to school instead of riding the bus as she normally did, since she had left early enough to do so. The sun was just beginning to rise, and the dew was still easily visible on the grass in the chilly morning. Jacqueline's mind was so full of worry and panic that she didn't even bother to notice that along her path, the school bus had met up with her and stopped to pick her up, this way she didn't have to walk. The large yellow bus opened its doors, and yet Jacqueline continued to walk on, still not noticing. It wasn't until the bus driver shouted did she turn around and get on the bus.
"Sorry, I don't know what I was thinking," she said shyly as she climbed on board.
"It's okay, I heard what happened," the bus driver said.
 Thee Alchemyst · Sun Aug 09, 2009 @ 08:18pm · 0 Comments |
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