My Soul to Take pt.1

M y S o u l t o T a k e
07


E m i l i H e n r y




NOTE: The writing written in between the ( )'s are what Anya is narrating or thinking in between what is actually happening. I would use italics but i don't have premium membership so i can't~! also note there will be many more parts to this story but it may take a while for me to put them all on here because i'm still currently writing them~! hope ya like it so far though~!




Prologue:

(Snow. It's always falling. And it just keeps falling till it finally hits the ground.) The girl ran as fast as she could, the wind and snow whipping her face, freezing the frightened tears falling down her cheeks. She could barely see where she was running in the dark, and she tripped in the snow a few times. But she couldn't stop. Someone, or something was after her. (I wonder… does the snow, while it is falling, fear for the inevitability of when it smashes to the ground, or maybe it just waits. Waits for what is to come, excepting it's fate. There is nothing els it can do. It can't change fate, after all.) The girl kept running, not really headed anywhere in particular, just getting away. Running away. She looked back a few times, seeing the girl was keeping a steady pace with her. (I bet, much like me, the snow is envious of birds. How they can just fly off at anytime. Just fly away, while we're stuck just falling. Everyone and everything is envious of something, because there always is and always will be something better. That's just the natural way of things. But, when things, or people, think they can become something better out of envy, that is were the problem is. That is where they are wrong.) The girl came to a dead end. She cried out, as the young girl approached her, "What do you want! Who are you!" She screamed in fear. But the young girl said nothing. In the shadows she lingered for a moment, than quick as light she was eye to eye with the girl and quickly snapped her neck, then herself bit into it, causing the girl to fall to the ground, and the young girl followed her, taking blood from her snapped neck. (When that happens, things happen. Things that should never be. Things like me.)




Chapter one:


She slipped on her black thigh highs, and her bleached shorts, with black and pink checkered suspenders hanging down from the sides. She tossed a ripped up T-shirt over her thin, long sleeved plain black shirt. along with some black and white striped fingerless gloves. She sprinted out of her bedroom, and ran to the stair case where she hastily threw on her black converse. She flew down the long stair case, and flung open the door, rushing out into the darkness of the night.

It was icy, and cold outside. Mountains of snow covered the ground, and ice paved the roads and paths. She almost slipped a few times as she ran across the ice, and through the snow to the forest behind her apartment. The brisk night air hit her face as she ran, and she dashed into the woods.
In the woods, it was even darker because there was no street lights, and the moon was covered by the tree's shadows. She danced around happily from tree to tree with a smile on her face, taking in all the smells, and feels of the woods. She laughed to herself as she ran from tree to tree, swooping, and twirling and dancing around each one. Then, she heard a twig crack and she stopped immediately. Then, she heard a voice behind her say, "Hey, who are you?" And she instantly jumped, and flung herself back up against a tree. "Whoa, sorry. I didn't mean to startle you like that. What are you doing in the middle of the woods so late?" The voice asked. Her breath quickened, her heart pounding, and she kept her head down in the shadows from the voice. She glanced up for a quick moment to see the voice was a boy, about her age. "Are you lost?" He asked, stepping closer. The girl shakily put her head further down in the shadows, and drew as close to the tree as posable.
"D-don't-" She muttered, almost chocking on her words, "Don't look at me." She finished in a soft, hesitant whisper, keeping her head down, an her eyes on the ground in the shadows.
He raised his eye brow, looking her over for a moment then smirked, "Oh, don't be like that. Come on, look at me. You don't gotta feel bad about yourself just cuz your not some dumb-ass prep." He said, stepping a little closer again. She shook in her spot, as he got closer. Her breathing became harder and harder, and her heart pounded so hard in her chest it felt like it would burst out at any moment. Then, when he was only inches from her, she quickly glanced to the side of him, then quick as lightning, she swooped over the side of him and vanished from the woods.


He had thought about the girl all night, and she had even been in his dreams. And now, as his father was driving him to school, he still couldn't get her off his mind. He wondered how she could've ran so fast like that, then just vanish? He felt for her though. She obviously was an outcast for the way she dressed, just like him. He looked down at his black skinny jeans, black button up shirt that lay un-buttoned revealing a black tank top, and a black, gaudy cross neckless hanging from a thick chain around his neck. He sighed, looking out the car window. Why did life have to be this way? He thought. The thought of going to school made him sick to his stomach. He just wanted to get away from all the close minded, judgmental ass holes. But he knew he never would. They'd always be there to bring him down. At school, at places he hung out, at work, even at home. It was always him against the world, and it was tiring. Sometimes he just wanted to give up, but something was holding him back. Something always held him back, and he didn't know what the hell it was, but he wanted it to go away. He should;t have to suffer. He hadn't done anything to deserve it. Well, not in the beginning. But, all the bad things he'd done was because of the suckyness of his life, so life could't blame him for that. Or maybe the only person he really had to blame was himself after all. He sighed.
"So…" His father started, hesitantly. "Jeremy… …H-how you doing?" He finished, his voice unsure, and rusty and cracky from smocking.
He raised an eye brow, "Fine… I guess. Why?" He asked, confused. His dad

never even talked to him, barely ever even looked at him. What was with him?
"No reason. Just wondering how life's treating my son." He said.
He didn't know what to say. He sighed, then thought about it for a moment and rolled his eyes and replied, "What do you want?"
"What?" His father asked defensively.
"What do you want me to do for you? You obviously want something from me, so just spit it out." He repeated annoyed.
"A father can't ask about his son's life just out of curiosity?" He stated in protest. There was a long silence, and Jeremy sighed after a while, and his father rolled his eyes slightly and said finally, "Okay fine. I need you to take Hannah for a few weeks,I have something out of town i have to take care of, and I can't take her with me. Please, theres no one els, and she loves you." He sad, quite desperately.
The desperate tone was unusual for his dad, and he could tell all pasts aside he really cared about Hannah, and needed his help. He sighed, "No problem," He started, as they approached the school drop off.
Then, as Jeremy was about to shut the car door, his father added with painful eyes, "And, Jeremy…" He sighed, then finished, "Don't let her near your mother."
Jeremy shook his head as if it went without saying, "Right," And he shut the car door and headed into his school.


Jeremy lightly brushed his long, black swooped bangs out of his face with his ringed fingers, and sighed as he walked down the blurring halls of his school. His eyes glanced at teenagers laughing, and being stupid. Texting, and kissing, and punching. His rolled his eyes, and looked at the ground as he walked. Then he felt something push him forward from the back, making his fly forward and drop his bag, and all his things flung out of it on to the floor. He sighed, used to this by now. As he bent down to pick up his things, something pushed him again, causing him to fall down next to his things this time. He took a deep breathe,and gridded his teeth, continuing to pick up his things. He heard laughing as he finished, and stood back up. He turned to see Elijah, Boone, and Rick behind him. They continued to chuckle at him, drawing closer. He bit his lip. If he got in trouble again he'd be expelled. He could't fight them. And they knew it. Rick licked his lips, and then grinned like a cheshire cat as he rammed his tight fist into Jeremy's gut. "Oomph!" Jeremy groaned as the pain shot through him. Then they all laughed, and Boone punched him in the face, causing his head to fling to the side. Jeremy put his hand to his bleeding mouth, glaring at the pathetic bullies he desperately wanted to kill. Others were starting to watch now. Guys shouted and laughed, some girls cheered, others just looked away or laughed with their friends. "You pathetic emo boy!" Elijah laughed, flinging his head to the side to get his blonde bangs out of his eyes. Then he walked closer to Jeremy, and punched him in the face so hard Jeremy fell back a little, and Elijah came at him as he did, punching him in the gut harder, causing him to crouch down and hold his stomach in pain. Elijah laughed, then kneed him, and he fell to the ground. Then, before leaving him there, he kicked
him again as he began to walk away, Just as a teacher started down the hall, and laughed, "Fag!" And walked away before the teacher got there.


The teacher leaned down to Jimmy slightly, "You alright, son?" The man asked. Jeremy gridded his teeth, "Yeah. Yeah I'm fine." And eventually the teacher realized Jeremy didn't want his help, and walked away. Jeremy groaned lightly in pain as he got up slowly, and picked up his things, and headed down the now empty halls to class.

Jeremy sighed, before slowly opening the door to his first hour class. The teacher glared at him, and hissed, "Late again, Jeremy? Not off to a better year this year I see." the teacher said disappointedly, and looked back at her desk as Jeremy picked up his detention slip as He had almost every day the years before. He dragged himself to his seat in the back, and plopped down in at his desk with another sigh, tossing his bag over the back of his chair. He didn't know if he could, or wanted to put up with three more years of this.
Why couldn't people just leave him the hell alone? Why did they have to get their satisfaction from making him want to kill himself? It wasn't fare. Why could't he be happy? Didn't he deserve to be happy too? Maybe he didn't. That was just the way the world was. Some people just don't get to be happy. Some people, just have to deal with the fact no one cares about them. They don't matter, and they only exist to help the people who matter feel better about themselves. But there was a way to not live that life. To not live. He thought to himself, as he had thought many times before. He rolled up his sleeves to stare at his scars up his wrists. He bit his lip, and pulled out his "water" bottle, filled with wine, and leaned his head back and drank almost half of it in one sip. He licked his lips, coughed slightly, then drank the rest throughout class.

By the end of class, he was stumbling in the halls. His head hurt, and he decided to ditch. He waited in the bathroom till classes started them slipped out the doors. As he walked down the street he ditched his bag in a little stash ditch he had made in his first year of middle school by the pond and headed to town. As he walked into "The game" store, he sighed, and the owner Ryan said, "Hey, it's been a while Jer. School already starting again? Man, summer flew by. Didn't expect you on the first day though, that's a new record." Ryan laughed. Ryan was the owner of the store he had co-created his senior year with his best friend Mike. But Mike died a few years ago. Jeremy had gotten in a fight in an alley once, and Ryan had happened to be walking by. But unlike what most people did, he help him. A few days later he bought a video game at his store and they started talking. Before he knew it, when ever he skipped school he'd come here, and talk to Ryan. "Schools just getting worse, huh?" He asked, with a slight laugh half sympathy.
"Yeah," Jeremy replied with the same half laugh as he sat in a chair next to the front desk, "Guess so."
"How's Hannah?" Ryan asked.
Jeremy half smiled, "Actually she's ganna be staying with me for a while. Chris is going on some business and he can't take her, so…" He trailed off, getting lost in thought.
Ryan pulled him out of it, when he spoke again, "I worry about her. But she loves you so much, and your good with her. It's good, I think, when she's with you." He finished.
Jeremy shook his head, smiling a little, "Yeah. She's a good kid."
"You are too," Ryan added, coming out from the contour, patting him on the shoulder, then organizing some play stations from some 360's and Wii's.
Jeremy laughed a little, "I don't know what Bull shit you're spewing, but I'm a horrible kid."
Ryan laughed, "Well you are kind of a pain in my ass," Then he walked back over to Jeremy, and laughed again, "You're a good kid Jeremy. If people can't see that, they're just idiots. You have to except most of the human race is selfish dick faces that will screw over anyone to get what they want, and sometimes you'll want to be one of them. Don't be one of them Jeremy, It's not worth it, Okay?"
Jeremy half smiled and shook his head, "Yeah."
But Ryan wasn't convinced. Jeremy's eyes still said give up, what's the point? And Ryan new that look to well. He sighed, sitting back behind the front desk. "Let me tell you a story Jeremy," He started, and Jeremy raised an eye brow but didn't protest. "There once was a little girl. Her parents didn't give her the love she needed, so she was desperate for any kind of love. By the time she was in her third year of high school she was pregnant. She wasn't going to, but she had the baby. The father ran away, didn't want to deal with it. She didn't want to either, but she thought that the little baby needed her, so she kept trying. For her birthday once, her son got her a silver necklace with a cross and a heart on it. She loved it more than anything she had ever gotten in her life, and never took it off. She loved him so much. But after a while, the kid kid turned 10 and was starting third grade, she tried to walk him to his class like she did when he was in kindergarden and preschool. But the little kid thought it was embarrassing since non of the other kids needed to be walked in, so he told her he didn't want her to. She went home, deciding she didn't feel like going to work. She started to think they wouldn't even notice she didn't come into work. She started to think her kid didn't need her anymore. All the stress and pain she was going through, and the kid didn't even need her. Didn't want her. She started to think it'd be easier to just give up. A few hour later the bus came by their house, and the little kid ran into the house, flinging open the door, ready to tell his mom he was sorry for what he's said earlier and he wanted her to walk him to class everyday. But when he got inside it was dark, and his mom didn't reply. He started to yell for her, but still the house was silent. Finally the kid went to her room to see if she was sleeping. She wasn't sleeping." Ryan stopped for a moment, gulping, and biting his lip and holding back tears, "She had hung herself." He paused again, and took a deep breathe, then looked straight into Jeremy's eyes, "And that kid just sat there on the ground next to her, and cried. He thought of every time he had gotten mad at her for stupid things, and every time he might have been annoying to her. He thought of every posable reason posable as to how it might be his fault. But the worst part was finding out it really was his fault." He paused one last time, looking down for a moment, then back at Jeremy.


"That little kid, was me." There was a long silence, and Jeremy's eyes were now filled with sympathy. After what seemed like hours of silence, Ryan took another deep breath, then walked back over to the unorganized shelves of game systems, and without looking back at Jeremy said, "Don't ever give up. Because there is always someone out there who needs you. At least one person. Always."
Jeremy thought about saying how sorry he was about Ryan's past, but new al to well it was better unsaid, and The shop was silent for what seemed like an eternity.

Before they knew it, it was dark outside the windows of The game. "It's getting late," Ryan finally said, "Your dad is going to be dropping off Hannah soon." He added.
Jeremy shook his head, "Yeah, see you next time." He finished, finishing up the pricing he had been doing, then stood and left. But not before looking back at Ryan one last time, with understanding, and a sigh of sympathy.

Jeremy was walking home, when it began to rain. He hadn't gotten very far yet, he could still see Ryan's store. Then he saw her. The girl from the woods, standing by
the window of a ice cream shop. Her long, white blonde hair with streaks of bright pink. He ran to her, and just before he got there she quickly turned. "Sorry," He said as he came to her.
"Didn't mean to startle you again," He finished, notching she wore thick black sun glasses on her face, even though it was already night time, but didn't mention it to her. Again, she said nothing, just looked at him, shaking slightly. "Look, I'm sorry about before. I didn't mean to scare you. It's just, I don't see anyone around here that's not a preppy robot. Guess when I saw you, I just got a little excited. Sorry." He looked at her. She stopped shaking, but still said nothing. "Maybe we could hang out sometime?" He asked somewhat doubtfully.
She sighed, and finally she spoke. Her voice was soft, and young. Almost childish, but still defined in a slightly older way. "You know," She started, clutching the cuffs of her black victorian coat with her pale, smooth finger. She walked with her hand behind her, holding them together, then stopped at the lamp post. She started to walk around it slowly as she continued, "Maybe I'm not really here." She finished, with a sort of smile.
He raised an eye brow, "What?" He asked, confused.
"Maybe you so long to meet someone in this town that's more like you that you're imagining me right now." She replied, still slowly circling the lamp post with her hands held together behind her.
"That's imposable," He argued, "Of course you're real."
"Who are you to say If I am real or not?" She questioned, somewhat rhetorically.
"Because I don't believe in those kinds of things." He said back.
She raised an eye brow, "What kinds of things?"
"You know," He started, "Seeing things that aren't there."
"I suppose then," She started, as she stopped circling the lamp post, and looked across the street, "You'll tell me next you don't see that woman over there." She finished, pointing across the street where Ryan's shop was.


Jeremy looked over to see an empty damp, dark street. He could see Ryan putting things away and getting ready to leave inside his shop. But not a soul was outside the store. "What are you talking about? There's no one there." He insisted.
She sighed, "So you don't see her then. I thought maybe you would."
"You see a woman, over there?" He asked.
"Yes," She said as if it were obvious at this point, "She's sitting on the bench outside that store. She pretty young, with curly red hair. She seems sad. And she has scars on her neck." She added, still looking at the bench.
"Scars on her neck?" Jeremy questioned, thinking about Ryan's story.
"Yeah," she confirmed, "And she's waring the prettiest neckless. I'd love to have one." She added, staring to circle the lamp post again.
"Neckless!?" He asked surprised.
"Yes," She answered, a little surprised at his interest, "It's silver. It looks like a cross, with a heart in the middle. I just love it." She repeated, continuing to swoop around the lamp post.
His eyes widened. How? She couldn't have heard his story from all the way over here. There wasn't anyone around when he had told it. Maybe she knew Ryan?
No, he would have met or heard about her, they were like family. He looked at the girl strangely for a while longer, then muttered, "I think I'm ganna go now."
She didn't stop circling as she said, "Okay."
He shoved his hands in his pockets, and started to walk away. He sneezed, and rolled his eyes, remembering it was raining, and now he was soaked. He wasn't sure why, but for a moment he wondered if the girl had an umbrella, and if she'd be okay walking to her home in the rain if she didn't. But when he turned around to the lamp post, she was gone.


He drug himself into his apartment. He still could't get that girl out of his mind. She wasn't shy like he had thought. She was crazy. Or maybe he was the crazy one. Maybe he really had imagined her. No, that's stupid, how could she mess with his head like this, damn! He sighed, and plopped down on his coach, flipping on the TV and flipping through channels, but not really caring what was on. Just then, the door bell ran, and he sleepily pulled himself off the coach and over to the door. When he opened it, the first thing he saw was an excited little girl with long, curly brown hair and chocolate brown eyes run and him and hug him, yelling, "Jeremy! Jeremy!" And laughing as she hugged him.
"Hey," He said back, "How'v you been Hannah?" He finished, a little shaken.
His father laughed slightly, then said quietly, "Thank again for this, Jeremy."
"Like I said, no problem," Jeremy repeated.
Hannah detached herself from Jeremy to say good-bye to her father. "You'll be back soon, right daddy?" She asked innocently.
He smiled, knelt down and patted her head lightly, "Yes, sweetie. I'll be back before you have a chance to miss me, promise." And with that, they hugged good-bye, and Hannah and Jeremy were alone.


"Okay, Hannah. Why don't we make some brownies?" Jeremy suggested.
Hannah's eyes lit up, and she shook her head violently, "Yeah! Yeah!" She yelled excitedly.
Jeremy laughed a little, and they went into the kitchen. Together, they cracked eggs into the bowl, and poured in apple sauce and the brownie powder, and stirred it all in one. Hannah liked the spoon clean, and once the brownies were in the oven, she did the same to the mixing bowl. After a while of sitting in the kitchen, waiting for the brownies to cook, Hannah said, "Jeremy," In her innocent child voice, "Why do people cry?" She finished.
Jeremy raised an eye brow, repeating her question a few times in his head to try and understand what she meant. "Well, I guess… People cry because bad things happen to them, and it makes them sad, and tears are how they handle the sadness." He paused, looking at her, then added, "what made you ask something like that anyway, Hannah?"
"I don't know," She shrugged, "I was just wondering, cuz on my way here I saw a girl crying by that ice cream shop by Ryan's store. She was really pretty, she reminded me of you cuz she wore weird cloths like you. And her hair was crazy. It was like white, with pink in it!"
"White and pink? By Ryan's store?" He asked, thinking about the strange girl that still hadn't left his thoughts since he saw her.
Hannah shook her head, "Yup. I wanted to go give her a hug, but daddy said I had to stay in the car." She added, making a frowny face.
He laughed a little at her, then patted her on the head. Just then, the buzzer for the brownies went off. They ate most of the brownies while they watched a movie, then Jeremy took Hannah to his room, and set her in his bed and tucked her in. "Okay, Hannah. I'm ganna stay up a little later, but I'll be back to sleep later, but you should be asleep by then, okay?" He asked, adjusting the pillows. She shook her head silently, and closed her eyes, and he quietly left the room to let her sleep.

He sighed, a million things running through his mind, as he stepped over to the screen door to his balcony. But before stepping onto the balcony, he heard faint singing from outside. He quietly slid open the screen door, and peeked outside. The singing was coming from a girl on the balcony next to him. Her voice was soft, and light, but also sad. He couldn't see her from where he stood, so he stepped out on to the balcony to see the girl was the strange one he had seen just a while ago at the ice cream shop! He shook his head, and looked again to see if it was really her, and it was. She was swinging on a black and red swing she put on her balcony that looked very out of place, as she sang, and she kicked her feet high as she could in the air as she went up on the swing. He noticed she still wore her thick rimmed sin glasses as well. "It's you!" He yelled, and her eyes widened and she looked over at him. But after a moment of looking him over, she shook her head and went back to swinging but didn't start singing again. "I'd of thought you'd be more surprised, i know I was. A little creeped out too." He added.
She smiled, kicking her feet higher, "Nothing surprises me." She stated bluntly. It


was silent between them for a while, then the girl stopped swinging, but didn't look at Jeremy.
Breaking the silence, Jeremy asked, "Why do you where those sun glasses, when the sun isn't even out?" She sighed, lightly touching the edges of her glasses, but not answering. "Oh, so your ignoring me now?" He mumbled under his breathe, then sighed.
His eyes widened when he heard her. Hannah was screaming. His whole body shook, and he flung open the screen door and ran to his room as fast as he could. When he pushed open the door and ran to her she was balling, and screaming, holding the covers tightly around her. He put an arm around her, "What's wrong Hannah!? What happened!?" He yelled, holding her close.
Still cringe she managed to mumble, "A woman!" She stumbled on her words, clutching onto Jeremy tightly, "There was a scary woman at my window!" She cried, "Tapping on my window! I was so scared!" She yelled, balling into Jeremy's shirt. Jeremy quickly crawled across the bed to the window, and looked all around, but no one was there.
He sighed, holding her in his arms gently, "Shush Hannah. It must have just been a bad dream, but it's over now. I'm hear. It's okay." He soothed her, rocking her slightly in his arms as she slowly calmed down and stopped crying. He whipped away her tears, and held her and she sniffled, holding onto him tightly. And soon they fell asleep, Hannah snuggled tightly in his arms.

Before he could see he heard singing. It was sting and clear, but also very sad as if tears stained the notes as the voice sang them. He glanced at Hannah sound asleep next to him, then at his clock which said it was 2:00 AM. He sighed getting up, and walking toward the voice as if in a trance. He followed it out to his balcony and as he stepped out he didn't even have to look over to know the voice was that girl's. It was beautiful, and calm. But so agonized at the same time. He didn't look over at her, just out at the falling snow in front of him from the balcony. She wasn't actually singing, but humming some sad lullaby he'd never heard, yet it burned in his heart so familiarly. Finally he looked at her as she hummed her beautifully sad lullaby to see tears slip down her cheeks as she too was looking straight ahead at the falling snow in front of her balcony. She did not ware her sunglasses and his eyes widened as he saw her eyes. They were very light blue, almost white, and she had no pupil. They might have even looked kind of scary… …if she didn't look so horribly sad. She turned to him in that moment, and when their eyes met he felt his heart stop. After a moment, she slowly turned her head, tears falling down her cheeks, and slipped back into her apartment without a word.