"Oh, I think I should get out of here now." Tiffany muttered and knelt up straight, defeated. She sighed and her shoulders slumped.
"Hell."
Whatever she'd come for clearly was not working out.
Not relenting, she got on her feet and walked in a bit deeper again. She crouched and squinted in the darkness. "It should be here!" She cried, exasperated. "Where else?"
She stood straight and kept looking about.
Then, her visage abruptly began to seem change.
Apprehension.
A hand instinctively went behind her neck and she froze.
Her eyes flared wide.
Something didn't seem right. It seemed like she had sensed something and she turned around.
Silence.
Tiffany was afraid now and she began to run.
Toward the light in the distance but it was hard. Too far.
Tiffany hadn't realized she had come this far. She kept bumping into trees. Panic was making her clumsy.
And finally, she crashed into someone.
Tiffany screamed, stumbling backwards till she fell and went quiet.
★★★
★★★
"Let's take a little walk, Shawn." Bree said engagingly.
"Okay. Sure thing."
Bree carefully got out of the vehicle and watched as Shawn locked his Rolls Royce, model 2065 with his fingerprint and strolled towards her.
"The sides and backyards are less noisy." Bree offered and Shawn laughed. "Nah, I don't think you've gone to the back of the house yet. It's the most packed."
"Uh oh."
"You've never been to the back of the house at all, have you?"
"No."
"Ha! Come and see the wonders. It's massive. I heard it belongs to Maverick's father and that the three guys bought it."
"Wow. So.... What's special about the backyard?"
"It's so big that sometimes you'd forget you're outside. I've seen a lot similar but there's still something perculiar and unique about this one."
"Whoa, I'm excited. Let's explore it then." Shawn smiled and followed her lead.
★★★
★★★
Rolando glared down at her, flashing his torchlight over her awkward, crumpled form that sat back on the forest floor. She didn't dare to look up so she reached up one shaky hand and pushed her glasses properly onto her nose.
"Answer me. Now." He said dangerously and she recoiled, frozen in fear.
There was another silence and he squatted in front of her, frustrated. Rolando's face was unreadable.
"What are you doing here?"
She seemed to want to say something but no words came out. So, she shut them up and swallowed.
Rolando shocked himself too when he reached forward and grabbed her chin, aggressively. He forced her to look at him. Not minding the extra tension that had grown, he slipped off her glasses.
There.
Her big eyes.
They caught the beam of the torchlight — glistening and sparkling honey-brown as they stared up at him.
For a long moment, neither of them spoke. The only sound was the distant thump of music from the party, muffled by the trees.
"Do you want me to force you to speak....?"
"No–No...." Tiffany finally burst out, breathless. "I swear I was looking for my necklace. My grandma — she gave it to me and said not to lose it...."
"Stop lying!" Rolando snapped and she yelled frantically.
"Just leave me alone!"
The both of them were shocked and heard it ring softly in the night.
"I-I gotta go." Tiffany whispered, shifted backwards — just enough to free herself from Rolando's grip — and began to get to her feet.
Rolando watched her, silently.
She fidgeted and looked about.
"I'm sorry for yelling. I was just so agitated. Sorry."
Slowly, he got to his feet, too. He was watching her even as he held out her glasses — the one he had taken off her face.
Tiffany began to take it but Rolando held onto it and she couldn't help but look up at him, her eyes big.
Their eyes met.
Instantly she looked back down but his voice cut through her like a blade and made her jolt.
"Look at me."
She glanced up from under her lashes fast.
"Now." Rolando said dangerously. Sharper this time.
And immediately she obeyed, frightened. Her chin rose. Offering the full attention he demanded.
The look on his face left no room for defiance. It was cold, commanding and expressionless.
"You watch your back while you're doing all your crap, nerd. Do you understand?"
Tiffany was taken aback that she couldn't even give a reply but blink. "I don't...."
"Do you understand?"
Her voice cracked and sounded tiny when she finally spoke. "I.... I understand."
Rolando released her glasses into her hand and gave one last order.
"Now, get out of here. Right away."
Tiffany didn't wait and before you know it, she was bolting toward the light, panting.
Behind her, Rolando stayed still. Watching.
★★★ ★★★
Shawn and Bree stood by the side of the house, looking at the dark shadows between the trees, intrigued. They were talking softly.
"Imagine someone walking into such a dark place. It's crazy." Bree was saying, half-joking and half-curious and Shawn was nodding.
"Damn. Who knows what even lurks in there."
"Nah. Come on, Shawn. Don't think too much about all that.... horror movie things."
"Whoa. You don't believe in the supernatural?" Shawn asked, teasing.
"No...." Bree paused and then gave a stiff shrug. "I don't know. I just have never.... witnessed anything weird in real life. So, I don't think it's real."
"Ha."
Shawn smirked.
"Well.... It's all closer than you think...."
Before Brielle could even react, a figure came running into the light, looking frightened. The both of them staggered backwards, startled.
The girl had big glasses on and was whipping her hair from her head every now and then. And she seemed like she was trying to recognize her environment.
She was wild-eyed and panting. She looked completely shaken.
"Oh my God. Don't you think she needs help?" Bree panicked.
"No!" Shawn said and tried to hold Bree back in the frenzy but the girl resisted. "Come on. I kinda know her...."
"Bree! Wait...."
It was too late.
"Hey, are you okay?" Bree asked, walking over and paused when the girl turned to look at her.
She was also looking disheveled and frightened. But it suddenly wiped off with no traces and a polite smile took its place.
Bree had stopped breathing now and she waited to hear or see what the girl was going to do.
The girl's voice was light, charming. So pleasing for anyone to listen to.
"I'm fine. Uh, don't mind me. I was only being silly, dared myself to go in there and well.... I heard an owl. It was so scary." She looked back and gasped. Bree tensed again.
"Oh me. Look at me still standing close to it." She said, dramatically skipping forward and it made Bree laugh despite herself.
Now, Shawn had managed to walk closer now and was scrutinizing 'the stranger from the shadows' closely.
"I think I know you." Bree said, intrigued.
"Really?"
"Yes. Did you remember the girl you hit on your way out of the 'freshers' building'?"
"Uh...." The girl seemed to be thinking of it and then she nodded. "I think so."
"Yes." Bree giggled. "That was me."
"Sorry about that. I just have such a bad eyesight."