Blood. There was blood everywhere.
My mother, my father, my little sister, everybody was... Gone.
And their corpses lay before my eyes.
How did this happen? One minute I was out grocery shopping, and the next I see this image. Is this a vision? A warning? What does it mean?
My name is Annelise. Annelise Wilson. And this is my story.
Chapter One: I Have A Bad Feeling...
Annelise
I was walking down the street, tired and sweaty after P.E. class. I was on my way home.
Home. How that word tasted weird on my tongue.
I never stayed under one roof for too long. Either I ran away or I was kicked out. Nobody accepted me. Because I was different.
This is the seventeenth house I've lived in, and so far my "family" never noticed anything out of the ordinary. Or maybe they just chose to ignore it.
But I knew that sometime soon I'll have to leave, whether on my own accord or by force. I've stayed for too long; five months is more than enough. I cannot get sidetracked. I was distracted for once, and I stayed five months instead of three. This is not good.
My train of thought was cut off as I heard a familiar voice. "Yo, Annie! How you doing?"
My only best friend- ahem, only friend- jogged up beside me. Her name was Chelsea, with long brown hair that stretched down to mid-thigh and unique pinkish eyes. The latter was a common trait among her family members, she told me again and again. But I never believed her. I've seen somebody with brown hair and pink eyes before and assumed they were harmless, and that got me to my current living. But I still think of Chelsea Wayne as my best friend, no matter what happens.
"I'm fine. How are you, Chel?" I replied, smiling. Scratch what I said earlier. I found somebody who accepted me. She doesn't know what I am, though, and I don't want to spoil our friendship because of something I have almost no control over.
"Fine and dandy! In fact, I think I'm TOO happy to be out of that jail cell we call class. Sure feels good to be outside again!" She exclaimed excitedly. I've known her long enough to tell that she has another outlandish hangout spot in her mind. Chelsea Wayne Extremely Happy Mood=Total Chaos. I learned that the hard way. Shudder...
"... And then she told me- Hey! Are you listening?!" She accused. My eyes widened a fraction.
"Umm, y-yes I am! I was just thinking about The Incident..." I muttered, earning a slight groan from her.
"Was it really THAT bad, Annie? Come on, you surely enjoyed it at least a little bit... Right?"
"Chel, we got caught by the police and had to face a long lecture from that officer who thinks he's so great! What's the fun in that?" That incident really irritates me when I think about it... How can two sixteen-year-olds get caught spray-painting a lookout tower that's been abandoned for centuries? Oh I know, Chelsea's insane voice, I'm sure. And why would they capture us for spicing up an old tower? Humans nowadays are really messed up.
Chelsea's words grew on me. I'm getting super out of practice.
"... Uh, hello? Earth to Annelise? Did you zone out again?" I heard a cocky voice I didn't recognise. Oh, I'm getting old already.
"What ya doing here, Blake?" Chel spit out his name like it was poison. And it was. And still is.
"Oh, I just came to check on my favourite weirdos," he cooed sarcastically. Oh, how I hate him and his blue eyes that are much more arrogant than my own brown ones.
And the worst part? He's my supposed brother. Couldn't I look for a better place to live? Ha ha, this is what I deserve for being different. Oh, well. At least his parents are nice.
"You don't need to pick me up, Blake. I can walk home... Which is ten minutes away from school," I deadpanned. He looked at me with irritation. Which is part of what I feel towards him all the time.
"Mum told me to. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't even inch near you," he spat. "If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't even need to live with you! You aren't the one suffering, Annelise... I am. So stop talking back to me and let's get on with it."
Something's wrong. I can feel it. Blake normally doesn't bring up family matters with anybody, much less ME and MY friend. I have a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach, and it's telling me to run away from his house. Fast.
How convenient. I was planning on running away tonight anyways. But what could be so important that Blake of all people would suddenly snap like that? I've always known since I moved in with the Normans that he and his mother weren't on good terms at all, but for him to say that...
Before I run away, I'm going to figure out what's going on.