CLEO’S ENCOUNTER (3)

It was the break of dawn. The city was quiet. The streets silent. The birds were singing to announce the dawning of the new day. The atmosphere was pretty mundane. Until...

A loud noise erupted through the air.

"Mm...ugh..." Cleo rolled around in pain, eyes closed disturbed by the noise.

-HONKKKKK!!!!-

The noise broke her sleep again. It seemed like it was getting closer to her.

Slowly waking up she thought to herself, 'Ughhh...why's my alarm clock so friggin loud today? And why in the xxxx does my bed feel so friggin hard?'

Cleo sat up and rubbed her eyes. She felt around her for her alarm clock to finally shut it off. After touching the cold hard surface beneath her a few times without feeling her nightstand or her bed she paused. Her heart began to pound fast.

-HOOOOOOONKK-

The sound went again much louder and closer this time.

The sleep immediately cleared from Cleo's eyes and she looked up to find herself face to face with the head lights of a 'Hercedes' Jeep.

She froze on the cold hard road like a deer entranced by the head lights of a car.

"Hey! Lady!! Get off the road!" The driver of the car yelled at her. "Go be drunk somewhere else will ya?"

Cleo couldn't believe what she was seeing. Where was she and how the xxxx did she get to the middle of this random road?

Just then, whispers began to fill her head again repeating the words, "Find the Mijer, Renew the seal", over and over again. The whispers grew louder and louder causing Cleo to hurriedly cover both her ears with both hands. She looked like she was in pain.

"Oh damn! Ya really need some help don't ya?" The driver of the car said while opening his door.

Cleo tried to stand but her legs just gave way like jelly beneath her.

Seeing that, the driver rushed out of his car to her aid. He helped her stand and gave her support.

The driver was an old grey man in his 70s. He looked at Cleo with great worry in his eyes.

"Ya really shouldn't be out here alone at this time. These streets is really dangerous. "Can ya remember where ya house is?" He asked trying to stabilize Cleo. "Just calm down and think, I'm sure you'll get it."

Cleo struggled to make out words. She was still in a state of deep shock and her heart raced a million miles per hour.

"T-twenty.....f-fourth s-sstreet i-in the suburbs." She managed to utter.

"Twenty fourth?! That's a way's way from here. What'd ya have to come all this way for? Just to get a drink?!" He shook his head.

"Ahhh...kids these days."

"I'll take ya home, get in."

The old man helped Cleo get into the car and drove her straight home.

By the time he got to the gate, Cleo had gained full use of her senses and her body back.

'What's happening to me?' She questioned herself, terrified of what she was going through at that moment. ' I have to see Jason. He's the only one who'll hear me out and not think I'm crazy.'

She got down from the vehicle and thanked the old man saying, " Ummm...thank you sir. You're a literal life saver. I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't shown up."

"Oh it's nothing youngster. If ya really grateful then you'd do us both a favor and never go drinking without proper supervision alone that far from home again. Goodbye tiny." He said before turning his car around and leaving.

It was time to go in and Cleo who had spent the time in the car trying to figure out how to get in the house without waking her mom or at least without her mom noticing her and had come up with a plan.

'If I use my fingerprint on the gate it'll make a noise when it opens and alert mom upstairs. But I know what to do."

Cleo took a few steps back and then ran with all her might and skillfully leaped over the gate landing on her feet like a cat.

'Thank you gymnastics class!' She congratulated herself in her brain. 'I'll definitely have to erase that footage on the security cameras later.'

The next phase was getting through the door without the alarms going off. This was the easy part for Cleo as she knew that house in and out. Being left alone for days on end in that house and having to secure herself by herself finally had an advantage.

She knew the security system like the back of her palm and every flaw that came with it.

'The outer basement door never arms no matter how hard you push the buttons. I should go through there.'

Cleo crept through the garden silently, 007 music playing in the background until she got to the outer basement door.

The door creaked as she opened it very slowly.

She tip-toed through the basement and into the house through the basement staircase, skillfully dodging every breakable item that could possibly make noise.

She finally got to the door of her room and let out a sigh of relief.

'I did it! At last I'm here!' Her brain assured itself while calming down.

Cleo flung her door open and turned on the lights to find her mother sitting on her desk chair waiting for her.

"M-mom how did yo-" She was startled at the sight of her mother.

"How did I WHAT?!" Lilian cut her off with the most furious tone she had ever used with her daughter. "Where were you huh? Where did you go?!! I'm out here not sleeping because of you not knowing that you've been out this whole time and I'm just worrying myself for nothing!" Lilian's anger rose even more.

"Mom I'm so sorry." Cleo said getting on her knees to apologize to her mother.

"Sorry to yourself because whatever you wouldn't be able to do it for the next month. You Are GROUNDED young lady!!! Consider your internet privileges revoked also."

Lilian walked out of the room furiously and slammed the door behind her.

"Nooooo. Bug I have to see Jason. Something is wrong with me. I need help." Cleo whispered, trembling as her knees hit the ground in utter despair.