Take Me

¤ Take Me ¤





Laughter. Laughter filled the cool air around me. I took a deep breath and turned to the laughter, and I smiled. My friends were not far off, digging their shoes in the leaf-covered ground. It was fall, and the air was brisk and the sky was clear. Leaves of orange, red and gold covered the dying grass on the field beside the forest. I breathed out, and my breath came out in a gray mist before me. I stood, admiring the tranquil scenery, and I was dismayed that I hadn’t brought my camera to capture the moment. “Nev!” someone called. I turned, not the least bit alarmed, and smiled.

“What is it, ‘cilla?” I called in return.

“C’mon! Let’s get going. I have homework to do.” Priscilla said, stopping her foot from kicking more of the leaves.

“All right!” I yelled back. We were apart from each other, for Priscilla and my other friends spent their time running around the field like children. I, on the other hand, stood still, admiring the beauty of the park. “Why don’t we take the old, stone road back? It’s shorter than that new road further down.”

“Sounds good to me.” I ran to where my friends were, and we walked out of the field and onto a road made of gray cobblestones in the middle of a small patch of forest.

The road was silent, which felt oddly strange for all of us. We had passed by this road many times to get to Priscilla’s or my own house, and we had always heard dogs barking in the distance, cars zoom by, and birds chirping. Never before had we heard this road to be completely and utterly silent. I did not mind the omen though, thinking that something like this was bound to happen anyway. I continued walking down the road, my steps seeming to echo all alone down the street. “Something’s wrong,” Priscilla said gravely. “Nevra, come back!” she yelled. I stopped and turned to her with a mocking grin.

“I don’t see what the fuss is about,” I replied. “It’s nothing. So the street is quiet for once. What’s so frightening about that? Besides, all four of us are here together. So if something does happen, we won’t have to face it alone. Now, you do want to get your homework done, right? So let’s get going.” I realized that was practically what I had said all day. I rarely spoke a lot at all, so why did I now? Reluctantly, Priscilla and my other friends, Liz and Emma, agreed and caught up with me.

“I still find this place to be strangely haunting,” said Priscilla.

“Oh ‘cilla, cheer up. I bet that tomorrow, this road will be as nosy as ever!” Again, I realized that I was talking more than usual, but I saw that Priscilla found it hard to smile at my remark.

“I guess so,” she said. I narrowed my eyes at her and wondered if anything was wrong. I gave a glance at Liz and Emma, but they just shrugged their shoulders at me.

“Are you all right, ‘cilla?” I asked. I could tell when Priscilla wasn’t her usual ecstatic self, for I had known her since I was eight. She gave no response and continued to walk as if my words bounced right off her ears. “ ‘Cilla, what’s wrong?” She sighed and looked at me, then at Liz and Emma, then back at me.

“It’s this place. I know something isn’t right here, Nev. I’ve lived in this area and walked on this old road tons of times, and I know when something is wrong.”

“Then what do you suppose is wrong, ‘cilla?” I replied, not quite taking her words seriously.

“Look, Nev!” she yelled. “If you just came along to make fun of me, then you might as well not be here at all!” Her eyes grew cold and icy, and instead of getting angry in return, I apologized calmly.

“Sorry, ‘cilla,” I said. Her eyes warmed again, and she smiled feebly. She knew that she had hurt me in some way, but I didn’t. I was too guilty to feel it.

Priscilla was always the brave and social one, while I remained reserved and protected in my own breakable skin. I never really spoke much, or at least as much as she did, and if I did speak a lot, my insignificant babble would be ignored. I found it best to stay quiet and out of everyone’s way, though Priscilla was quite talkative. Nonetheless, we were still the best of friends. She provided me with strength and courage to actually stand up for myself sometimes, while I provided her with knowledge and common sense (She was known have a short attention span). But without Priscilla, I would be a spineless mute who wandered the wicked world alone. I was scared to imagine what it would be like if Priscilla wasn’t around to help me or keep me from feeling that I was useless in this world.

I had fallen into depression’s luring dark pits of doubt more than once, and Priscilla understood me far better than my parents or any doctor could have. The reasons why I fell into that common trap I didn’t know, and still don’t know. My suffering during that time remains a mystery. And I’m glad to say that a doctor didn’t draw me out of depression. Priscilla did. She made me see that not everything was horrible in this world, and I’m thankful that I believed her. “We’re almost off the road, ‘cilla,” said Liz, breaking the silence for all.

“Good,” she replied, relieved. Suddenly, she smiled and ran ahead. “First one to my house gets Jeff’s phone number!” she laughed. Liz and Emma shrieked with glee and ran ahead, while I still walked at my normal pace. I laughed inside at my friends’ actions. Both Liz and Emma thought Jeff was the guy of their dreams, but apparently at school, Jeff had took a liking to Priscilla and gave her his phone number, which she had yet to reveal. But I was sad to admit that Jeff was a member of the popular clique, and I didn’t want Priscilla to join them too. But Priscilla showed little interest in him, which I was grateful for because I did not like Jeff either.

Suddenly, I felt a chilling wind pass by me, and I hugged my coat closer to me. I looked down to keep the wind out of my eyes, and it was then when I noticed something sparkling on the ground. I stopped, bent down and peered at it. It seemed to be a jewel of some kind, for it glittered like a diamond, and I cautiously stretched out my fingers to grasp it. But when I did, I pulled my hand back, for it felt like ice. I picked it up, and its coldness engulfed my hand. It was carved into a specific shape, and I took it to be a pendant of some sort. I expected it to melt in my hand for it felt so much like ice, but it didn’t. “Nev? Nev, hurry up! It’s getting colder!” I looked up and saw Priscilla walking over to me.

“Look, ‘cilla,” I said. “I fou--”

“Show it to me inside,” she interrupted. “It’s getting cold.” She hugged her coat.

“All right.” I stuffed the pendant into my coat pocket and Priscilla led the way off the road and towards her home. Her back was to me, but she was within arm’s reach. I glanced over to my left, and something caught my eye. I slowed my pace, and in the distance, I saw the figure of a man. A man dressed all in black. Startled, I reached out and grabbed Priscilla’s shoulder.

“What now, Nev?” she complained.

“I saw a man not far away,” I said, pointing in the direction I saw the mysterious figure.

“What?” she replied, skeptical of my words.

“I’m serious. I-I saw a man, ‘cilla. He was right there!” She turned her head in the direction I was pointing in.

“I don’t see anyone, Nev,” she said.

“What?” I looked with her, and she was right. There was no man. “B-But he was there. I saw him. He was looking... at me.”

“Chill, Nev. It was probably just your imagination. You do have a reputation for being somewhat of a day dreamer. Don’t worry about it.” I nodded and followed Priscilla to the safety of her house, where Liz and Emma were waiting for us. I reached into my pocket to hold the pendant once again, but my mind froze. It was no longer there.

I began to get panicky, and my hands felt my pockets thoroughly to see if I had just missed it somehow. I even checked to see if there was a hole in any of my pockets. There were none. I gave up my search to find it almost as quickly as I realized that it was gone, but I was still dismal. I wanted to show my friends what I had discovered.

We reached Priscilla’s front door, and we were all glad to walk in and feel warmth again. Priscilla, being the natural hostess she is, offered to hang our coats, and I handed her my black winter coat. We then went to her living room, and started a fire in her fireplace. We gathered around the warm flames and took out our school books. I always felt quite comfortable in Priscilla’s home, and I laid down on my stomach, resting my chin in the palm of my hand. Priscilla arrived to myself, Emma and Liz with a tray of steaming mugs. We each took one and drank the hot chocolate contained in them. Silence pounded against our ears for some while as we sifted through our school papers. “So how was your day, Nev?” Priscilla asked, lifting her mug to her lips.

“Okay,” I replied dryly.

“Come on, Nevra. There had to be more than that.”

“Nothing interesting happened, ‘cil. It was a normal, old, boring day... as usual.”

“What do you mean, nothing interesting happened?” Emma barged in. “What about what happened in Art class? Something interesting certainly happened there.” She giggled and took a sip of her hot chocolate. Priscilla looked at me with grinning eyes.

“Spill it,” she ordered.

“Fine,” I sighed. “Ms. Cook assigned us our partners for this semester, and I got paired with Clive Roscoe.”

“You mean the nerdy one?” I could tell Priscilla was controlling the giggles she longed to pour out.

“Yes, the nerdy one. Is there any other Clive you know?”

“Sorry, Nev. I just feel so sorry for you.”

“We all do,” Liz added.

“So do I. I don’t like him. He has wild, curly hair that smells and he wears thick, black-rimmed glasses. This will ruin my life.” I knew I was being far too dramatic over such a little thing, but I knew it was big to them, so I made it seem that way.

“Cheer up, Nev. Time will pass quicker than you think it will.”

“Hopefully.” We all laughed a bit, but it quickly died down. Again, the same uncomfortable silence filled the air, and again, Priscilla broke it.

“Oh yes,” she said, looking up from her work. “You guys still want Jeff’s phone number, don’t you?” Liz and Emma grinned with smiles reaching from ear to ear.

“Of course!” they said together.

“All right, c’mon. It’s up in my room, but you have to promise that you will never give the number to any snooty, popular bitch, all right?” The two girls nodded. Before running up the stairs, Priscilla looked at me. “Do you want it too, Nev?” she asked gently.

“No. I don’t like him. Never have, and never will.” She gave a cheap laugh at my comment and ran up the stairs.

I resumed doing my homework and focused on the math problem in my textbook, but ever since Priscilla, Emma, and Liz had left, I couldn’t help but feel that someone was watching me. I turned the page of my book, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw something dark by Priscilla’s window. I turned my head slowly to it, and I saw the strange man again. I did not scream and run away, for the man was gentle of face, with lightly tanned skin, hair stopping a little below his ears, with a goatee. His hair was dark, and his eyes were too, and all he did was look at me. I stared back, and I noticed that he was clad in odd clothes.

Suddenly, I heard the thuds of footsteps not far away and I averted my eyes back to the math problem I was working on. Priscilla, Emma and Liz entered the living room once again, smiles on each of their faces. I looked back to the window to see if the man was still there, but there was nothing. The man had vanished yet again.



¤ ~ ~ ~ ¤



I arrived home around six o’clock in the evening that same day, and my mother welcomed me. I plopped my backpack in its usual spot right beside the coat closet and took off my black boots. I walked into the kitchen, grabbed a bag of chips on the counter and seated myself comfortably on the living room couch. My dog, Lolly, came shortly into the room, waging her tail happily at me. She jumped onto the couch and rested her head in my lap as I entertained myself with the music channels on T.V. “So how was your day?” My mother asked, as she entered the living room and snatched the bag of chips out of my hands.

“Hey!” I yelled, trying to retrieve my snack.

“Don’t spoil your dinner.” I gave a disgusted sigh and sank into the couch, my arms crossed before my chest. “So how did school go?”

“Fine,” I said plainly.

“Okay. Dinner will be ready in about half an hour. Did you finish your homework?”

“Yes. I did it all at Priscilla’s house with Liz and Emma.”

“All right. Your brother should be coming home soon from practice.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Which means you’d better shower now before he comes and stinks up the whole place.”

“All right, fine. I have nothing else better to do anyway.” I got up, leaving Lolly without a lap to rest her head on, and walked upstairs. I grabbed my pajamas in my room and then went to my bathroom. I showered quickly and was done before my brother was even home, but as soon as I got out of my bathroom, my mother called me down for dinner.

Dressed in green, plaid, flannel pajama pants and a long sleeved white shirt under a gray tank top, I went down to dinner, my hair still dripping wet. “What’s for dinner?” I asked, sitting down at the table.

“Spaghetti,” my mother replied. She handed me my plate of food and I devoured it quickly so as to get back to doing the things I wanted to do. As soon as I did though, my brother swung open the front door and stepped into the house, tossing his muddy shoes to the side.

I passed by him as I headed for the stairs, and the familiar smell of sweat entered my nose. I wrinkled my nose in disgust. “Where’s Mom?” he asked. “ ‘Cause I’m starving.”

“In the kitchen, Ryan,” I replied bluntly. He gave a nod at me and walked into the kitchen, immediately receiving scolds from my mother about his dirty and smelly attire. I did not mind it though. I rarely got in my brother’s way. He kept to his own, and so did I.

My brother though, was just as different as Priscilla was to me. He, for one, was very social and was in the so called popular clique because of his excellence in sports and academics. I envied him in many ways, but I didn’t mind being the lesser known of us two. We attended the same school, but many people didn’t even know that I was his sister. For one, he had blond hair, which he dyed at the beginning of high school, and two, he had an accent because he spent nearly half his life living with my father in London. Both of us were born there, but due to money problems, I moved to the United States with my mom, while he stayed in London with our father. My parents weren’t divorced. They were just separated. But after my father died in a car accident five years ago, Ryan was forced to move to America.

In the beginning, when Ryan just arrived, I was quite dedicated to knowing him as a brother. I hadn’t really known him or met him except for a couple of visits to London in the far past, but as soon as he started school, that changed. Neither of us were dedicated enough to actually see each other as brother and sister. I never asked him for help, and he never blamed me for things like little sisters are supposed to be blamed. I never annoyed him, and he never tried to fight me. We were simply different, and it was obvious wherever we went.

I was in my room, listening to music, when I heard a knock on my door. “Come in,” I sad quietly. To my surprise, Ryan entered the room.

“Hey, Nev,” he said. I looked at him without blinking. “What’s up?”

“Nothing much.” I found it odd that he was trying to start a conversation with me.

“I hear that your friend, um, Priscilla, is trying out for cheerleading.” My head jolted up when I heard the words.

“Where did you hear that?” I said, so softly that it was near a whisper.

“She told me on my way here.”

“And you are telling me this because?”

“Well, you know I’m on the football team. American football I mean.” I continued to stare at him inquisitively.

“And?”

“Do you mind--” I read his mind and for the first time, I yelled at him.

“No! I’m not going to set you up with my best friend! Priscilla is not going to turn into some preppy bitch, Ryan!” Again, it was a first for me. I never used derogatory terms while speaking to someone. I only said them when I was alone.

“But--”

“NO! Just go away! Go take a shower! You reek like Hell.” Those were the last things I said to him before he turned and left my room silently. For some reason, I felt like crying, but I didn’t know what I wanted to cry about. I knew Priscilla would never give up our friendship just to be popular. Not after this long. I couldn’t lose Priscilla. If I did, then I wouldn’t know where to go. I’d be lost.



¤ ~ ~ ~ ¤



I lay wide away in my bed, staring out of my window. I couldn’t sleep, even though everything else in the house was. So many thoughts and worries traveled through my mind blocking me from resting. The torture wouldn’t end. I tried to get my mind off of what Ryan told me and what I told him, and I focused on the strange happenings in the park with the ice pendant and man. When I tried to retrieve the memories, I found that they were very vague, when they had just occurred this same day. But out of the corner of my eye, I saw something sparkle on my nightstand. I sat up and leaned over to look at what it was, and it was the ice pendant I had seen earlier. I picked it up, and a cold sensation ran up my arm. I immediately dropped it, and when I looked up, the same man I had seen previously was at my window. I wondered how he could stand like that in front of it, for my window was two stories up. I looked at him, my blood running cold, and he spoke to me. “I understand,” he said. His voice echoed in my mind as if it were a cave, but his voice was gentle and comforting.

“How? Who are you?”

“Someone who will be of great importance to you.”

“I-I don’t understand. I saw you before. Why are you following me?”

“I am not following you. I am watching over you.”

“Why? You are certainly not an angel to look over me.”

“You’re right. I’m not. But you are special to me nonetheless. Sleep. You will understand soon.”

“No, I--”

“Sleep,” he commanded, and I felt my head fall back on my pillow, and I fell asleep.



I awoke after feeling someone shake me. “Nev, wake up, darling. Time for school.” The words “school” drew me out of my slumber and I sat up.

“What time is it?” I asked.

“A little after six. Come on. Get up and get dressed.” My mother’s nagging got me out of bed, and she left. Sleepily, I walked over to my closet and took out a black t-shirt, a white, long-sleeved shirt, and green cargo pants. I got dressed and headed for my bathroom to wash up. I then went downstairs to eat breakfast, which, by the time I got there, my mother had already left for work. Ryan sat at the table, chewing on a granola bar, when I entered.

“Morning,” he said, not looking up from the sports section of the newspaper he was reading.

“Morning, Ryan,” I said. I sat down at the table too, and the silence around us was aggravating “Sorry,” I said at last. “I’ll tell ‘cilla about you, if you still want me to.” Ryan looked up at me, his gray eyes almost identical to my own.

“Thanks, Nev. Want me to give you a ride to school, instead of you getting carpooled by Priscilla’s mum?”

“Sure,” I said.

“Well, pick up the pace a bit, Nev. I still have to drop by the gas station.”

“All right.” I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and a granola bar from the table and followed my brother out of the kitchen. I grabbed my backpack and put a leash on Lolly and walked her over to the neighbor’s house to stay while we were at school, while Ryan headed for his car.

After saying good-bye to my dog, I went into Ryan’s car, and we were off. We went to the gas station as planned, and we were silent on the drive to school. I had never ridden to school with Ryan, and I was a bit conscious of what people would think. And I also wondered how Priscilla, Liz and Emma would react to me not joining them on our daily drive to school.

But what would Ryan’s friends think of me as soon as I got out of that car? I didn’t have time to think about it though. I would find the answers soon, for Ryan parked the car in the school parking lot. “Thanks,” I said, getting out of the car as quickly as I could.

“No problem, Nev. Just doing what a big brother should.” I hated the words. I realized then that he was trying to suck up to me so I could get Priscilla to agree to go out on a date with him, but how long had he liked her? As soon as I got out of the car, it seemed as if all heads turned to me, and I heard someone call out, “Who’s the chick?” I looked down at myself and the skull and crossbones design on my black t-shirt. I wasn’t exactly what they would call, a fashion expert. Ryan though, handled things quite well.

“She’s my sister,” he said with a laugh. “Nevra.”

“You sure?” someone replied. “You don’t look like brother and sis. I mean, she looks like a Goth.” I burned red.

“Naw,” Ryan replied. “We’re just different. But she’s my little sis. C’mon, lay off it.” For once I was glad that Ryan was backing me up like a brother should. I said bye to Ryan quickly before heading into the school. Things were changing so much ever since I saw that man in the park, and I feared that I wouldn’t be able to handle the rapid changes.