Chapter-1- REBECCA LOPEZ

I raced downstairs to answer the phone, but the name on the screen was enough to sink my mood.

"Rebecca, we're not gonna drop by until next week, so the duty's on the maids."

"Yes, sir."

I hung up without even letting him finish, but why did that matter? It wasn't anything new.

My eyes fixed on the two Prussian blue-colored handprints of a young girl on the wall.

Wish Granny was here.

In response to that wish, my childhood with her appeared in flashes.

~~~ ~~~

"Rebecca! Time for bed—"

"—and stories," I finished in the jubilant tone of a 6-year-old.

I jumped into my bed, pulling the covers up to my chin. Granny caressed me to my side and soon began her bizarre tales.

"So there's a legend—" She flew into a coughing fit, but soon continued. "There was this young soul, the one that could last forever"—She raised her index finger as she said this—"but only 'could.'" She paused. "Cassidy Allen, oh! How generous this soul had been!"

"Not a human, then?" I asked, curious.

Granny chuckled hesitatingly. "You could say that, but she lived just like any other lady would."

She began to continue her tale, but I interrupted by pointing through the window at a little boy, standing alone on the road.

The boy had peculiar silvery hair that stuck up and a heart-shaped face.

As soon as Granny's gaze landed on the boy, her eyes bulged and she stood up, resting a palm on the side table.

I watched as her worn-out expression melted into a gleeful smile, and she turned to me.

"He has no friends, I reckon." She took a deep breath before saying, "It would be quite generous, if you would be his friend."

"But isn't it time for bed?"

"Just the afternoon doze, you know. I don't see how Mommy would get to know that you skipped your nap." Granny winked.

Hearing that, I leaped from my bed with rapture; sleeping never seemed to befit me.

"Now, get along. I'll be right here." Her smile was cryptic, yet reassuring.

And ever since, it felt like a string tempted me to approach that lonely figure on the road.

~~~ ~~~

"Casper." I sighed.

Wish Granny was here. Again.

Even the one person whom I loved was separated from me. Like, what kinds of parents do that?

"Beep beep, get out, Helena!"

The voice seemed quite appropriate for a boy of my age, so I peeked out of the window.

A freckled boy stood with his back against a bicycle on the sidewalk. His hair was styled in a pompadour, and a pair of sepia-colored eyes met mine.

Even from afar, I could see him roll his eyes before walking to my door.

Was he talking to me?

To confirm, I bent down, bracing my hands against the window frame to steady myself.

"Uh, hey, young man! Who exactly are you referring to by the name, He... Helena?"

"Isn't this Helena's house? Alfred Street, Apartment 9?"

"The address is correct, but I don't have any Helena's in my household." I smiled, expecting him to return the gesture. It was unusual for tweens to come and talk to me, so I tried to leave a good impression.

"Oh, damn!" he said instead. "Must be another prank. You are so dead, Clayton Francisco!"

"May I inquire what you're talking about?"

"Sorry, little girl. I just gobbled it." He raced back towards his bicycle and swung a leg over it.

At one point, I became aware of my feelings of desire towards him and did not want him to depart from my view so quickly, so I kept thinking of an excuse until his face started to seem familiar.

"Hey, aren't you from my school, Austin?"

As in Austin Kennedy, one of the popular boys at school.

"Uh, yes?" He furrowed his eyebrows in a gesture of annoyance.

"Oh, I'm Rebecca!" I introduced myself, expecting him to offer a hand of friendship.

"Didn't ask."

And with that, he zoomed away. My reflex was to have a feeling of repulsiveness, but it might just be me.

I sighed and turned around to see a shadowy figure waving at me from the corner of my room. I keep my lights dim in the evening, so I couldn't tell who this person was.

"Psst, Reca!"

The voice was directed in the general direction of where I stood motionless, a part of me desiring that figure to be Casper.

Casper? In what part of my mind did he come from?

"Hey, bud. Adeline here."

The girl then came into view and I sighed, seeing the glow in her olive-green eyes. A smile crept upwards as I admired how her tanned skin contrasted with the fuzzy, sand-colored hair that framed her oblong face.

"Addy, you gave the heebie-jeebies again."

I proceeded to give my best friend the usual fierce hug.

"How did you enter?" I asked as we broke apart.

"Oh, sorry. I couldn't gather the guts to enter from your front door, seeing as Austin was there, so I kinda broke in."

"Seriously, Adeline?! You broke in just because of that arrogant moron?"

"'Arrogant moron'?" She laughed, clutching her stomach for god knows why, until I snapped my fingers in front of her face.

I relayed the whole situation to her and her final reaction was to give a face palm. For the next 10 minutes, she fangirled about Austin's persona and phenomenon. Instead of displaying my vexation, I simply teased her about her infatuation with that idiot.

We soon shifted our focus to Netflix and munched chips to further relish each other's company until the ringtone sounded from downstairs.

Without any hesitation, I excused myself and made my way towards the landline. Why couldn't people call in on my phone?

"Er, hello?"

"Is Lucas Allen here?" a voice asked immediately, presumably belonging to a female.

"No, ma'am," I mumbled, assuming it to be a wrong number.

"Casper?" she promptly inquired, and I did a double-take when I heard the name. Casper existed?

"Casper? How do you—"

"Oh, pardon me! I didn't seem to suspect your voice to belong to a lassie. I was looking forward to hearin' from a male."

"It's totally fine, but—"

The line cut off, leaving me in a state of turmoil when my Addy called for me from my bedroom.

I left the topic and restated it to Addy. She was the only person who comprehended my feelings and fondness towards Casper, the friend that I presumed to have in my younger years.

Those years, I missed terribly. It's just when I hark back to those joyful moments and look at who I used to be, that I feel scared about the person I had become.

***

Into the field I went, en route to my class. But in the middle of my way, scarcely audible whispers disrupted my walk, repeatedly calling my name with deep breaths.

"Re... be... cca... Re... be... ca..."

The first thought that came to my mind was that it was my own fancy flight, caused by the stress and loneliness I was going through. But I was wrong.

For in those moments, I couldn't hear anything around me except the hushed tones.

The vision from the edges of my eyes blurred and my frontal sight was the only thing I could see. Only the whispers sounded in my ears.

I suppressed a shiver as my terror mounted with every step I took towards the building. So, I wrapped my arms around myself in a self-hug all the way to the classroom.

I simply couldn't think of anything other than how its voice and dark aura sent shivers down my spine.

Usually, I wasn't one to get flustered by fear in this kind of situation; my brain would get all curious instead. But this time, it wasn't.

I took a deep breath and gathered some courage, realising my shuddering wouldn't help. Then, all of a sudden, I was shaken up by a body jerking in front of me.

"Whoa, whoa, gal. Look where you're going. " Austin frowned and looked me up and down. "Hey, I know you! Um, Rebbie? Wait, no, Raven? Oh, I know. Re—"

"—becca," I finished for him, folding arms over my chest, finally distracted from the whispers and more inquisitive about his following egotism.

"So, you're not sorry?"

"I can't think of a reason to be," I said, trying to display sarcasm and courage so people might find me interesting (?).

"I guess you don't know who I am." His irritatingly smug grin made me more irritated, and, somehow, I liked it.

"Can't see it written anywhere on your face." I frowned, looking at his face in a way that showed I was searching for something.

My attention turned towards the snicker of a lanky boy with an impressive mop of kinky ginger hair. He mockingly patted Austin on his back, making Austin glare daggers at him.

"Next time, I'll bring boxer gloves with bricks inside 'em," Austin threatened, but it only made everything more comical for him.

"L-O-L, the girls are gonna put you down, seeing your half-naked body," the ginger boy said, grinning.

For a moment, Austin would start smacking him, only if I would not start giggling at his lame joke and their immaturity.

Having nothing to say, Austin stormed out of the field causing the other boy to cackle.

"Hey! Me Clay. Clayton Francisco." He passed his hand towards me, indicating for a handshake.

Seeing the hand in front of me, my eyes widened while red lights were flickering in my brain's control center.

I was strong but just befuddled being offered a friendship hand.

Cause until then whoever proffered me to be their friend, they would either talk trash behind my back or ditch me, for which trusting Clay back then was quite an arduous job for me.

His smile stretched more to his cheeks as he waited for my response but I couldn't approve the situation well, until that same voice toned up.

"C'mon Reca, chances are not given daily, shake it up."

"But_" I thought , expecting that voice to hear me.

"The lad's hand is not some statue, Do it!" With the increased volume of that violent whisper, terror paralysed me for which I quickly shook his hand giving a reluctant beam. If it hadn't been that male voice, then Clayton wouldn't have been my friend. Ever.

"So wanna join us in cafeteria?" He asked with a snuggly smile, but innocent enough to make anyone melt. But I wasn't sure, so all I could do was extend a topic to such an extinct where I would be able to politely deny his offer.

"Us?"

"Oh, few friends of mine are probably gonna join me, so_"

"Probably?"

"Yeah, my friends do not seem to admire me that much, so, " he forced a smile, "but it's fine, Austin would always there for me."

"So I would have to eat with that jackass?"

"Not today, he's pissed off, he'll smoke and eat with his gang,"

My eyes broadened at the mention of him having those bad boy gangs at age 13 and I exaggerated unnecessarily.

"Oh my god, he has a—"

"Psst no. Just saying like that."

I pouted my mouth to the 'O' shape, and became relieved.

"So you have to sit with a nitwit....if you—"

"Oh, don't worry, I'd love to. Besides, I'm a halfwit, no doubt." I waved my hand off and smiled in order to brighten Charles's downcast eyes, even though I didn't care much.

"Very good reason for that natural smile, Reca" again that dulcet male whisper.

What the heck was going on here?

But then again, the pause of that voice throughout the whole class times somehow convinced me that it was really my mind, thinking that moronic voice to exist as a hallucination.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I don't really like anyone telling me the moon is shining, nor any writers do, so please show me the glint of light on broken glass.

Yes guys! Please read, and if you like it please take the time to vote and comment, I really crave positive criticism or just my readers mentioning the part where words are completely unnecessary or what makes it boring or what I could add alteration to.

Tysm guys. 🖤

AND MOST IMPORTANT⚠️

I do not like to be formal. NOT AT ALL. Please dont take as those typical formal writers who talks like....aaaaah idk.

Feel free round here, eek