Last day of preparations (1)

AT THE CASAGRANDE HOUSE

After we got there, Lori and I were warmly welcomed by the Casagrandes and, as expected, as soon as I told Ronnie Anne everything that had happened to me, she did what I expected: she laughed at me like there was no tomorrow.

But that was really my plan, after all, even if she didn't want to admit it, deep down she realized that I had changed, that I wasn't the same silly, playful Lincoln and that yes, something had happened to me. As I saw it, the wisest choice in that situation would be to plant the seed of doubt in her chest, and that's exactly what I did. But there was something I didn't know: that as well as planting the seed of doubt, I had unwittingly also planted the seed of fear in her chest, and even if that was bad, at least from now on she would think about it more. So, for now, it's fine.

December 16th

9 days before the apocalypse...

As soon as Lori and I got back from my 'Secret Girlfriend's' house, and as I had nothing to do today, I decided to call my school friends Rusty, Liam and Zach to tell them everything that had happened to me, and for a change, they did the same thing Ronnie Anne did: they laughed at me, but I don't judge them. After all, who would believe something crazy like that?

But as I told them what had happened to me before, it came back. My friends hadn't believed me until then. However, when they saw how serious it was and the way Clyde and I were talking, they had no choice but to believe everything. And, incredible as it may seem, not only did they believe everything I had said, they also decided to help with our plan.

December 23rd

2 days before the apocalypse...

As the days went by and my worries grew, not only did I have to worry about getting ready in time for everything to start, but I also had to hide what I was doing from a 'certain person' who was always watching me. Although, at this point, she already knew what I was doing, she just didn't know exactly what it was or why I was doing it. But I ended up not caring much about any of it. After all, if she found out what I was doing and came up to me to ask, as well as telling her what was going on, I could train her once and for all. That way, I'd solve two problems at once.

And just like the other days, today turned out to be no different: there she was, watching me without anyone discovering or sensing her presence, and I had to admit that she was great at it. However, if it weren't for my perception, which in some inexplicable way that I still can't explain has come back to me, I would never have been able to feel her presence as well as I do now, to the point of knowing the exact location of where she is.

I was getting fed up with this childish game of hide and seek.

(Apparently, if I don't say anything, she'll play this boring game all the time. The shit of it all is that I'm already running out of time. After all, not only is she delaying my plan, but she's also dragging her feet because, for some reason, she won't come to me).

With an expressionless face, Lincoln got out of bed and headed for the air duct in the corner of the room, which served as ventilation. Inside, his younger sister Lucy, who had been watching her brother's movements for some time, was startled by his sudden action.

"You can come out of there, Lucy. I know you've been watching me these days, and I also know that you know very well what I'm doing."

Said Lincoln, as he tapped on the air vent in his room, which ended up scaring his sister who was hiding inside. She suddenly hit her head on the ceiling of the duct.

Lucy, not knowing what to do in the situation, decided to do the obvious thing. She came out of the duct and, with a curious face, stared at her brother, but still in that quiet way of hers.

"How did you know it was me? Besides, no one has ever been able to sense my presence. So how did you do it?"

Lucy asked, approaching Lincoln cautiously while peppering him with questions.

Lincoln, his face expressionless, stared at his sister and, in a calm, soft voice, replied.

"Since I used to spend half my time hiding and being afraid of things, I ended up acquiring this ability to detect the presence of people, whether they were near or far from me, especially if that presence has spent the last twenty days following me around."

Lucy couldn't believe what her younger brother had said. She wondered if it was all true, but if there was one thing that not even, she could deny, it was that her brother really was acting differently.

"I feel like you're not yourself, like you're someone else, someone more mature, like you've lived and suffered enough to know things that no one else does."

Said Lucy, as she stared at her brother with a serious look, which ended up going unnoticed by him who couldn't identify it because of his bangs, which covered both eyes.

After Lucy said those words, Lincoln wanted to admit that he hadn't been impressed, but he was lying to himself. After all, he really had been impressed by the deduction his younger sister had made in such a short time while watching him.

(You were able to identify all this just by watching me. I couldn't have expected anything less from you).

Lincoln thought as he tried to hide a small smile of pride when he looked at his sister.

[WARNING: From chapter 26 onwards... this story will be written in the first person.]