Chapter One

She didn't know why, but for some reason she was antsy all day.

Even sitting in her last class of the day, Kathryn stared at the board, but she saw none of the words.

"Miss Stokes!"

Shaking her head, Katheryn looked at her teacher, and for a brief moment, his face was distorted, half of it missing.

Blinking her eyes harshly, Kathryn looked again, his face going back to normal.

"Sorry, can you repeat that please," she responded sheepishly. Relatively well liked by all, Kathryn could never understand what she had done to her history teacher, Mr. Denmon, that made him despise her. Even after she defended him against jokes about his last name sounding like demon.

Before he could, the class bell rang, and everyone let out a sigh of relief.

"What was that?"

Kathryn turned to see her best friend, Angel, walking to her from behind the crowd of students.

"I don't know. It's like he's had it out for me since the beginning of the school year, even though I'm the top student in his class. Well, second top student."

"True. To be fair, he does look like he'll throw up every time he says my name, so it's not just you. Maybe he really is a demon," she joked.

Spacing out, Kathryn remembers the gory image of her teacher with half his face.

"Maybe he is," she responded.

"Ha, right. Anyway, get a move on slow poke. We'll be late for volleyball practice. Jasper is gonna be watching today."

At the sound of his name, Kathryn sighs. Angel had tried desperately to get her friends to date someone, anyone, but Kathryn has not budged. Unfortunately, her friend has yet to get the memo.

"If that's the case, I'll just go home."

"Oh come on Kat, Jasper is a nice guy. He's super cute, and he's funny."

"Yeah well, he gives me the creeps. He's always staring at me."

"Maybe that's because he, I don't know, likes you! Ugh, you're frustrating sometimes, you know that!" Angel responds in frustration.

"Come on, like you said, we'll be late," Kathryn tells her, completely ignoring Angel's comments.

In reality, Kathryn is sure she may seem strange to everyone, despite how much they like being around them. She's extremely neat, and tidy. Always on time, never late, and she's always at the top of her game, rather it's athletic or scholastic. However, she has never been interested in dating any of the guys around her. Shaking the topic from her mind, she continues to the volleyball court.

"Turn around."

At the sound of the strange voice, Kathryn turned around, however there was no one else besides her and Angel. She continues forward.

"Go home!"

The voice screamed louder, more urgent.

"Hey, did you hear that?" Kathryn asks her friend.

"Hear what?"

"I think I'm going to head home. I'm not feeling too hot," Kathryn announced. She was starting to feel paranoid. As if death would await her if she went to practice today.

"Yeah, okay, sure. I'll just go and check on you later," Angel told her, though part of her wanted to go with Kathryn. Still, she knew she needed the practice. While she could keep up with Kathryn academically, she was not nearly as capable in the athletic department.

"Run!"

"Yeah, okay, we'll talk later."

Like a flash of lightning, Kathryn ran as fast as she could from the school to her car, and pulled off without looking back.

Finally home, she jumped out of the car, ran into the house, and locked the door.

"Dear Kat, your dad and I went to visit your grandmother in the hospital. We will probably still be gone by the time you're done with practice. There's leftover dinner in the fridge."

Throwing the note away, Kathryn fixed herself a bowl of cereal instead. Normally a big meal would've made her happy, but considering how terrified she was moments ago, she needed something a bit more light.

Taking her bowl of cereal, she goes and turns the television on, hoping just maybe it will help ease her mind.

"Some Spongebob ought to do the trick," she whispers to herself, taking a bite of Fruity Pebbles.

Listening to the hysterical laughs of the yellow sponge finally began to relax her, and the weird feeling in her gut finally began to ebb away. Unfortunately, it didn't last for long.

"We interrupt this program to bring you urgent news. Just twenty minutes ago, a major massacre occurred at the school Brenton High. At least ten students dead, and three injured teachers. The suspected culprit has fled the scene. His name is Craig Denmon, a fourth five year old teacher. He has been..."

Kathryn turned the screen off.

"Hide!"

Listening to the voice, yet again, Kathryn runs and hides in her kitchen cupboard.

Just as she situated herself into the cupboard, the door to her home is thrown off its hinges, crashing through the threshold.

Anxiously, she clamps her hands over her mouth to keep from yelping in surprise.

"Oh Miss Stokes, where are you?"

Kathryn's breath catches in her throat. Of course it would be Mr. Denmon breaking into her home.

"Aren't you going to tutor me?" Jasper asks in a voice that was almost not his own.

"I'll look upstairs, you check down here," Denmon tells Jasper, to which he agrees. He has been trying to trap Kathryn alone all semester, but for whatever reasons, she had resisted all his charms. He was a young shadow, so it wasn't as if she sensed his dark energy.

"Don't be afraid. I just need help with my math homework," Jasper announces in a sing-song voice.

Kathryn remained quiet, slightly shaking in the corner. However, she found something weird about the way she was shaking. It wasn't because she was afraid. No, it was more like she was excited. As if she knew this would happen, and even though she's hiding, she feels as if she can handle herself.

All those years playing sports and taking mixed martial arts classes would definitely pay off. With Denmon upstairs, she may have a chance of fending Jasper off long enough to escape.

"Don't!"

As soon as she was about to open the cupboard, the voice screeched again. Deciding it was best to listen, she stayed put. The voice hadn't been wrong yet, even if she wasn't sure who it belonged to.