May's Story (Part 4)

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Monday, The day I go to camp Torcido Rosto.

I entered the bus as a teacher yelled, “BUNKMATES SIT TOGETHER!”

I walked down the middle until I found Chris in the very back seat. I started looking around to see who was sitting with whom.

My face twisted a bit when I saw this really cool kid name Brian sit with the biggest bitch I know, Danielle. She was really mean to the other girls who weren’t in her click.

But Brian isn’t shallow like her; I’m sure he just wants to get in her pants, just as I am sure she’ll let him.

I yawned. “Tired, huh?” Josh asked from the seat before me.

“I didn’t get any sleep.”

He said something sexual and Chris laughed, but I was too tired to make out the words. I laid back and fell asleep.

“What’s going on?” The stage was full of people, screaming and cheering.

“Where am I?”

A younger girl walked up to me. She had a white dress on, which had a silky under layer, a lacy over-layer, and a teal bow around her waist, which met the end of her red, curled hair. She seemed really scared, but she forged a smile. She was beautiful, but she looked really familiar. I’ve seen this girl before...

“You won!” she congratulated with fake, flowing enthusiasm.

“What? What’s going on?”

Then everything was black.

Two shadowy outlines of men appeared from a distance. They took the girl into a full-sized van. “HELP!” She screamed.

I was in a van.

The girl had duct tape on her mouth and she was crying. She continued to try to scream. She wailed uncontrollably as the boys kicked and hit her, laughing. Her face was becoming bloody beyond recognition. The guilt, terror, and anxiety shook me violently, trying to get me to react. I was frozen still, my mind screamed ‘MOVE’ but my body can’t hear. They unzipped their flies laughing and I closed my eyes tight. I can’t watch this.

“You will watch!” A familiar voice screamed angrily as my eyes flung open.

The guys went to go get something from the front seats of the van. A tall, lanky man with a teenage posture came back carrying a big trash bag. The other, a blonde man who looked about in his thirties, carried a hand saw.

I opened my eyes and jumped up straight from Chris’s shoulder. I’m on the school bus, with the same kids. No van. No girl.

I sighed, relief sweeping through my body.

“You had a nightmare, didn’t you?”

I looked at Chris. My warming relief turned quickly into ice that made my hand shiver violently. Terror trickled down my spine.

“How did-”

But he interrupted me. “It was really bad, wasn’t it?”

“Wait, how did you-” I found myself inching away from him until I was on the very edge of the small maroon seat.

“Tell me, May, what was it about?”

I made sure this wasn’t another bad dream. I pinched the palm of my hand with my pinky and thumb.

“Was it about, THE BOOGIE MAN??!!” Josh jumped out from his seat and slapped Chris a high-five. They planned the whole thing. I felt instant relief again as I rolled my eyes and punched him in the shoulder. “Owe! Can’t you take a joke?” He said, rubbing his shoulder.

“You scared me!” I laughed. “I really was having a nightmare and then you, you little fucker, you scared the-”

“No need for the language, May,” a male teacher yelled over the other chattering kids. I shrunk back, embarrassed, and Chris wrapped his arm around my shoulder. I leaned against his warm body and started tracing the muscular lines of his arm with my fingers. Him and Josh talked nonstop about stupid boy stuff, except for once when Chris asked about Caitlyn and Josh explained she was sleeping, and I felt myself drift off in the comfort of him arms.

Then out of the blue, everyone started cheering. I looked up and saw a big yellow sign that read ‘Torcido Rosto’. Oh, boy.