Unanswered by Liza Mynx (books under 200 pages txt) 📕

gasped very loudly. “Claire, why aren’t you at school?”
“I’m sick! Can’t you hear how rough my voice is? I’ve been throwing up ever since I came home yesterday. Plus I have this killer headache. I didn’t want to get anyone else sick. And I thought that school would have been canceled because of Jessica. Having school the day after a person dies is crazy!”
“I know,” she said, sounding more upset then I did. “I understand how you’re feeling. I feel that way also, but some students disagreed with the idea that school be let out today, and some of them are close to the principle so he kept school going.”
“Oh.”
“Yes, well, what’s done is done. I gather that you won’t be at school today right?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Alright. You get some rest you hear?”
“Yes, ma’am. I will. Thank you. Goodbye.”
“Goodbye.”


11. Sammy Comes Back

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
“Hello,” I called from the other side of the door.
It was four o’clock, and I was about to go to the hospital to see my mom when someone knocked on the door.
“Claire, it’s me. Can I come in?” Sammy said from the outside.
I sighed, but still opened the door. “What do you want?”
She waltzed right in and sat down on my couch like it was her house.
“Well, I wanted to talk to you about some things.”
“I think I’m smart enough to realize that, Samantha,” I said coldly. How could she not expect that I would be upset with her? She just came strutting into my house like there was nothing wrong and that she lived here! Did she not remember that I’m not happy with her?!
“I know, I know. I’m not saying you’re stupid, Claire. I just don’t know how to word what I’m trying to say and I’m nervous.” She put her head down and took a deep breath.
I moved over to the recliner that sat on the other side of the room. There was no way I wanted to be any where near her. I might “accidentally” hit her. I tried to control my face to look natural, but I could feel my eyes narrow and my lips frown.
“So, how have you been?” she asked weakly.
“How have I been?” I tried to control my voice, but I knew that just like my trying to control my face, it wouldn’t work. “You come to my house, sit on my couch after I told you that I didn’t want to have you contact me, and you ask me how I’ve been!” I shrieked.
She put her hands up as if defending herself from an attack. It was probably good idea. “I told you I’m nervous and I just wanted to get a conversation going so it would easier to talk to you! So stop yelling at me! This is hard for me to say!”
“What do you have to tell me?! What is so important that you have to come to my house after I tell you specifically not to?! What Samantha?! What?!”
She was taken back. I’ve never yelled at her, and even though I was surprised at the fact I just did, I was too angry to pull back.
“I’m sorry about Jessica.”
I snapped. “Get out! Get out of my house! Now!”
“No, Claire. I have something else to say.”
“I don’t care!”
Sammy stood up and made her way to the door. “I’ll call you later.”
I grabbed a pillow from the couch and flung it at her. It hit her square in the face.

Direct hit! Yes! Maybe now she’ll get the fact that I never want to hear or see her again!
“Claire, I understand you’re going through a rough time right now, I really do. So, I’m going to do you a favor and look past all of this,” Sammy spat through her teeth.
“Why are you doing that? Don’t do me any favors!” I yelled, on the verge of hysteria.
Sammy looked like she was about to say something, but instead she walked out the door, and hopefully out of my life. I watched her walk down our outside stairs from the window. She turned to look at me one more time. Her expression wasn’t the hurt one that I expected. It was a satisfied smile that had another emotion paired with it in her eyes. Cruelty. Evilness. Hatred. I knew it was one of those, but I couldn’t tell which one it was. She got into her car and drove down the street in the direction of her house.
I wonder what it was that she needed to tell me. Maybe it was important... but I shouldn’t listen to her because she isn’t my friend. Well, that’s not a nice reason to not talk to somebody. But she hurt me really bad. She called me crazy, but a lot of people have for a while....
I could practically see the little devil and angle debating on my shoulders, telling me what I should do. I didn’t know which one was the right one to listen to, so I chose to ignore them. I grabbed m purse and went to my car.
“Mom, I don’t know what I should do. Can you tell me what I should do?” I asked my mom when I got to her room. I had told her everything. Everything that happened to me last night, the dream, and Sammy today. Her face seemed pretty calm as I gave her all the details. The only time I saw her loose her calm façade is when I told her about how my dream ended.
“Well, Claire, it seems like you’ve had quite the adventure while I was here. I’m so sorry you’ve had to endure it by yourself. I feel so bad about that, but I guess I can give you some advice.”
My face lit up at what she said. “Mom, that’s all I’m asking for.”
“Well, this is what I would do with the dream. You said the figure was cloaked? Try taking the cloak off in the dream. You’ll find out who the person is.”
“Confusion. How will I know if that’s the real person?”
“Sweetie, I think Chris made you have the dream. He’s allowed to give you hints, and technically this is a hint. It may borderline telling you who it was, but he’s not really telling you with his voice. You’ll have to break through your fear or whatever’s holding you back to be able to remove the cloak.”
I sighed. I wanted to say that that was easier said then done. I wanted to, but I needed to talk to her about other things so I dropped it and nodded. “What about Sammy?”

“She may have hurt your feelings darling, but I’m not so sure ignoring her is the best option. She was your best friend for a really long time; I think you should give her another chance. Best friends fight all the time, but they always make up.”
“Are you sure I should be friends with her again? I mean, she was so hurtful that
day at lunch.”
My mother gave me a stern look. “No. You put words in her mouth, Claire.” Her face softened into that ‘all knowing mother’ look. “It may have hurt your feelings, but she really didn’t say or imply anything. My advice to you is to talk it over with her, and then ask her about what she was trying to tell you. You said she said she was nervous about telling you?”
I nodded and said, “Yes, ma’am.”
Her face was unreadable, but I think she was trying to guess what Sammy was going to say to me. “Go home, Sweetie. I think you’ve had enough adventures to last a life time. But, sadly, we both have to wake up to more tomorrow. I love you.”
I bent down and kissed her cheek. “Love you too, mom. See you tomorrow. We can take these adventures one step at a time, together.”
I walked out of there with more questions then when I walked in.


12. Bad Dreams Haunt

I tried to move my arms, but I couldn’t feel them. They weren’t frozen cold, but frozen in time. I did whatever they did. Or rather, he did.
Let go of my fear.
But I wasn’t afraid. He was.
Let go of my fear.
I’m not afraid! Or am I? I don’t feel fear. I’m not scared of this person, because it’s someone I know. What was it my mom said? To get over my fear. What fear?
I wasn’t paying attention to what was going on, but I did when I realized I was falling to my death.
Wake up! Claire! Wake up! People who reach the bottom die! WAKE UP!
It took a too many seconds to wake up this time. I was an inch away from the ground. I was an inch away from hitting the ground and never waking up to tell somebody.
That was close. Too close. What if I had reached the bottom? I wouldn’t be thinking about this, because I wouldn’t have woken up. No. I would be dead. Dead from a heart attack...I would be dead like Chris, but not from a broken neck. Dead like Jessica, but not from being strangled. Dead like dad, but not from a chemical accident. Dead from a heart attack. Dead...
I walked into the bathroom and took a shower. I realized once I got in that I was already sweating so I turned the knob and took a twenty minute cold shower.
When I got out I went to see if anyone called me this morning. I hadn’t realized how late I had woken up. I wasn’t really thinking of the time...
There were two messages that I had to listen to.
The first was from my mom:
“Hey, Sweetie. It’s ten thirty in the morning, and you’re probably still asleep, but I just wanted to call you and see if you were alright. Come by and see me whenever you feel like, but if you’re tired of seeing me, you can just give me a call. Honey, I think you’ve been locked up in the house for too long, maybe you should go out tonight. Go ahead and call someone and go have some fun tonight. You don’t have to, but I think you should. Anyway, I love you. Bye.”
I laughed at the message. She has told me before that I’ve been cooped up in the house, but I never do anything about it. What’s the point? Everywhere I go there are always people from school, and that means that everywhere I go I’m avoided.
I listened to the second message.

“Claire?! Claire?! It’s me, Sammy! Someone’s here! I don’t know who it is, but there’s someone in my house! My mom’s at work and she’s not picking up her cell! Dad’s cell is turned off! Help me! I’m scared! AHH! What do you want?!” The line cut off.
My heart froze. My body froze. Time froze.
Time started.
I grabbed my keys and jumped out the door and into my car in one amazingly fast move, but that wasn’t what my mind was thinking of. I was thinking of Sammy, and wondering who it was that was in her house and if she’s. . .
No! She’s not dead! She fought the person off! She’s not dead!
It was only a two minute drive to Sammy’s house, but with the fear that racked my bones and my mind it could have been two days, or two weeks. Or two years. In these cases, it would be too late to save her.