Watching from the shadows
Abilene looks in the mirror as she gets ready for school, she says out loud "This is going to be the best birthday ever Midnight!" She says staring at the black cat, she found him last month hungry on the streets. She gave him some tuna and got him back on his feet. She is trying to put on a little makeup, she wants to look good on her birthday. She is going to be 16 years old! She looks at her phone. It's 8:05 am! She needs to get going or she's going to be late. She says, "Hi Mom!" Her mom Mairenn sings her happy birthday, "Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! I can't believe you're going to be 16 today! I need to talk to you about something while you eat your birthday breakfast." Abilene checks her phone again, "Mom, can this wait? I'm going to be late! If I don't leave right now." She says while opening a can of tuna for Midnight. She grabs a piece of bread and puts it in her mouth while grabbing her phone. "I just wanted to ask if you felt anything different now that you are turning 16, you might be going through some strange changes." Abilene looks at her mom embarrassed "Mom!" she says "Didn't we have this type of talk when I turned 10 and 13?" Her mom looks at her strangely. "It's not that type..." Suddenly the alarm goes off on her phone. She looks down and it's 8:15 am, "I'm sorry, mom I need to go now or I will be late to class! Can we talk about it when I get home?" She asks pleading with her mom. "Okay." Her mom looks worried "Just be extra careful today, okay?" "Alright." She says not paying attention. "Bye, mom! I love you." Kissing her on her cheek. She says bye to midnight and walks out the door. She walks down the sidewalk looking at her phone, she zones out for a minute while waiting for a light to change at the sidewalk. She doesn't notice when it says don't walk because she got lost in her phone. She walks out into the road at the wrong time when she realizes it too late. She can't move she closes her eyes and she puts her hands up while she braces for the car to hit her head-on. The impact never comes when she opens her eyes expecting herself to be dead. She looks at her surroundings and she's safe on top of the school building. She freaks out when the school bell rings, grabbing her chest. I need to pull myself together she thinks, she puts this to the back of her mind and heads to class. She didn't know it, but someone was watching from the shadows. "Happy Birthday, Princess Abilene," he whispers to himself. He disappears into the shadows as if he was never there.
