Surviving a Real Life Horror Story

Chapter Eight

The next six hours were the longest of my life. Every time Andi’s phone rang, I jumped. It was hard for me to tell what I was feeling in that time. At the sound of the phone, my heart dropped to my stomach before it felt as if it was pounding hard enough to burst. I was scared of what news it might bring. I knew with every bone in my body that I didn’t want to do it. If I had any other option in the world, I would take it.

But I didn’t.

Every time I felt my heart sink to my stomach, I scolded myself. I had to be constantly reminded that I needed the money…Krista needed the money. If I didn’t try, she wouldn’t survive. When I reminded myself of that, my emotions didn’t seem to matter.

I sat alone on the couch in Andi’s living room. The t.v. was off but I couldn’t help but stare at the blank screen. I could see a morphed version of my reflection. Drily, I wondered if that was how I would look when they found my body.

I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket, and I jumped. I pulled it out slowly to see that it Brenda calling me.

“Hello?” I answered.

“Hey, Alexis, where are you?” she asked.

“I’m at Andi’s,” I replied, trying to keep all traces of my sorrow and fear from my voice.

Brenda was silent for a moment. “Are you okay?” she asked.

I nodded before remembering she couldn’t see me. “Yeah, Mom, why?”

“You sound like you’ve been crying, is everything all right?” she asked.

I smiled at her words. She knew me so well. “Yeah, Mom, everything’s great. Andi and I were just watching Titanic is all. You know how it chokes me up.”

“Oh, okay,” she said. “Well, what time are you going to be home?”

“I’m spending the night here,” I replied. “I’ll be back sometime in the afternoon.”

“Okay, have fun. I love you,” Brenda said, ready to hang up.

“Wait,” I said. “How’s Krista doing?”

Brenda was silent for a moment. “The same as when you left really. She’s just too weak to move on her own.”

Once again, the image of my little sister sprawled lifelessly on the couch came to mind. I felt like crying…I didn’t know why I didn’t.

“Tell her I love her will you?” I said.

“What are you up to, Alexis?” Brenda asked.

“Just promise me you’ll tell her,” I said, squeezing my eyes shut as I waited for her response.

I heard her sigh deeply. “Yeah, I’ll tell her.”

“Thank you,” I replied and hung up without another word.

That had been a tough conversation. I wasn’t sure if it was because I was hiding what weighed so heavily in my heart or if it was because I was sure Brenda had some idea of what I was up to.

I bit my lip to keep the tears in my eyes as I slipped the phone back into my pocket. I wiped at my face just as Andi entered the room. I observed her and the sorrow that had been so ready to be released froze where it was. Andi was wearing a green sequin dress that came down to mid-thigh and high heels to match.

I stared at her speechlessly for a long moment. “Wh-what is this?” I asked gesturing to her outfit.

She beamed at me in response. “Do you like it?” she asked.

I didn’t know how to answer that so I kept my mouth shut. “What is it?” I asked again.

“If we get picked, I wanted to make sure I looked fabulous for my interview,” she said as she looked down at herself. “Do I look good or what?”

I closed my eyes for a minute and focused on my deep-breathing relaxation techniques. There had never been a stronger moment when I wanted to slap her across the face. Of all the problems we faced in the near future, her main concern was her appearance for an interview.

“What’s wrong, Rexi?” I heard her ask.

I opened my eyes to look at her. Her smile had fallen as she looked at me. For a minute, I wanted to try explaining again what was bothering. I opened my mouth to speak but closed it again. I knew it would be a waste of time explaining it. She didn’t really care what was bothering me as long as it didn’t involve her.

“Oh, nothing,” I replied.

“Is it my outfit?” she asked, frowning as she twirled around once. “I wasn’t sure if green was the right color. Maybe red?”

I chewed on the inside of my cheek as I tried to let some of the anger dissolve away. “Your outfit is just fine,” I said flatly.

The smile returned instantly to her face. “Thanks, Rexi!” Then she looked thoughtful as her attention turned to me. “What are you going to wear for it?”

“Jeans and a t-shirt,” I replied, not caring about the look of absolute horror that washed over her face.

I could tell she was about to argue with me when the phone on her living room table suddenly came to life. I felt that familiar rush of adrenaline as my shaky hand reached out to pick up the phone.

I swallowed heavily as I held it to my ear. “Hello?”

“Is this Alexis Harrison?” the unfamiliar voice asked.

“Yes, it is,” I replied uncertainly.

“You and a Miss Andi Briggs have been selected as participants in the Surviving a Real Life Horror Movie competition,” the voice announced the words I had been dreading all evening."Congratulations."