Charlie drove me home. Of course he had questions but they didn’t get answered. I think when I completely ignored him by burying my face into a book that I got from the library while I was waiting for school to get out, tipped him off that I didn’t want to talk. And of course he didn’t push. 

   Man, I sure do love that boy. 

   I mean don’t get me wrong I totally wanted to tell him about what happened today with the Unwanted but to be honest I couldn’t even comprehend what happened. It was as if today was just a weird dream and I would wake up soon to find that none of it was real and just live my life like usual. But of course I couldn’t deny the fact that something did happen today that I couldn’t ignore and just hoped it would go away. No, I have to face this head on. 

   Charlie pulled up to Liam’s middle school before the final bell rang. In those quiet moments there was a discomforting silence that stretched out between me and my best friend but I didn’t have the heart to disturb that silence. Because if I did then I might not be able to stop myself from answering those many questions he has and I really didn’t want to do that. Don’t ask why because like everything else that happened today, I have no idea. 

   Just as the bell rang for dismissal I caught a movement in the side of my eye. When I looked I didn’t find anything. Then I saw it again. This time I turned my head at neck breaking speed but didn’t see anything. Who knows maybe I am losing my- 

   I saw it again closer to the school this time, but when I looked this time I actually saw something. It was more of a shadow, a trick of light disappearing behind the school into the alley next to the building but I could have sworn that shadow had a smile. It wasn’t the happy kind of smile but more like a smirk, something was just unsettling about it. Like that shadow knew something I didn’t, which just made my blood boil. 

   Like seriously, does everyone know something I don’t? Is this just a sick game of seeing how far we can push Scarlett until she snaps? 

   “I would love to play that game…” That annoying voice said, chuckling. Seriously, even my subconscious was laughing at me. Ugh. Even my own brain was siding against me.

   Liam climbed into the backseat with the grace of a toddler learning to walk. Well, something was going on again because my brother was nothing but graceful when it came to doing…well anything. He had more grace than me, who was usually the one that looked like a full grown toddler learning to do anything for the first time. Which by the way was not fair. 

   I twisted in my seat looking toward my brother while Charlie started the engine and started maneuvering the Jeep towards the road. Everything seemed fine when I looked at Liam. Well, other than the purple blooming around his right eye…wait, that was not there when he went to school this morning. 

   I opened my mouth to say something very dangerous that might have included gutting a kid but then my brother gave me a look that just looked annoyed. My mouth shut immediately. But Charlie did not get the memo. 

   “Hey bud, who slugged you?” Charlie asked. There was an emergency in his voice that was there when he found me heading towards the bathroom today. 

   “Just a random kid that got mad at me,” he replied, nonchalantly but I saw the way he tensed. He closed his eyes and rested his head against the window, when he peeked to see if I was still watching he sighed and mother Later. When I nodded he closed his eyes and I had a weird feeling that I was just dismissed. I turned around in my seat and continued my reading. 

   Something must have given my worry away because the next thing I know, Charlie has his hand in mine resting on my thigh. I looked over and saw he was still looking at the road but still felt the sincerity in his gesture. I relaxed a little and watched things blur outside of the Jeep, listening to Charlie and Liam talk about random things. Though I wasn’t really listening to what they were saying, there was a feeling of normal in the shelter of the little vehicle that the world outside had completely forgotten. 

   I must have fallen asleep because when I next blinked, I saw white sand and sparkling, gold water with a sun getting ready to sink into. I looked around, there was the book I was reading earlier forgotten on the floor board near my feet, but when I looked near the driver's seat it was empty. I checked the back and found the same. I was completely alone. 

   Panic surged in my body, causing my heart to beat faster, my breath coming out thinner and quicker. I jump out of the Jeep that's parked in the parking lot on the beach. My feet are moving without being told to move and carries me towards the lapping water of the sea. By the time I come to a stop and look around, my lungs have expanded so much that it feels like I'm about to burst, which sounds a lot better than the reality that I woke up to. A reality where I can't find my best friend or my little brother. 

   I open my mouth to scream but an arm circles around my waist and a hand plasters against my mouth stopping me from making a sound.

   Seriously? This is happening to me now? 

   Great. I'm about to be kidnapped by a random man who’s probably a pervert-