The Night Children

Chapter 11

Edited. 

Days dragged by and I caught myself multiple times wishing Aaron would come back sooner, however every time my self-conscious realised my sudden veering of thoughts, I would steer then back to the current matter.

Disappearances.

Oh and the evil witch of a woman who wanted to put a pencil through my hand.

While the boys were away, fourteen students were reported missing, all of which were in grade nine or above. The community, subsequently, was up in a riot, with parents taking their children out of school and the Mayor was eventually forced to shorten the curfew to five o' clock. Police were also on the patrol during late night shifts, securing the streets that the children have been taken from previously, but so far nothing was reported back.

Aleena and I were on unsteady ground. The disappearances had once again put her in a foul mood and I had drifted away to give her the space she needed to take out her sour comments on something else. I didn't have the strength to deal with her snappy comments in my current state.

Miss Anderson however, was more quiet than usual, although that didn't stop her from throwing sneering comments every so often. She didn't seem too distressed over the fact half our chemistry class was gone, leaving only seven of us left. She had stated, rather loudly one day, that it was a surprise the rest of us hadn't disappeared yet considering our lack of intellect. I'm sure if Isaac was there, he would've laughed. I thought it was insensitive.

News reporters began to file into the small town, demanding evidence from any innocent person walking past. We were told to ignore them by our Sheriff.

Mum was growing duller by the day, her moods shifting so frequently that I escaped the house as often as I could to avoid an argument, which proved as a bad move because I found her later one night clutching a liquor bottle screaming her head off about Dad. I turned to Aleena later that night once I had calmed Mum down, but she gave me such uninterested responses that I hung up on her to dwell in my own misery. Even the chickas were acting weird, especially Chelsea. Her makeup was splotchy, her hair fell down her back in tangles and her usually bright, blue eyes were diluted and expressionless.

My wolf hadn't appeared since the night I saw blood on his paws and I couldn't help but miss him. He was something familiar, his yellow eyes a comforting sight. Great, you've become attached to an oversized dog that will probably kill you once it gets the chance, I snarled to myself. But then words echoed back into my mind. Words I had been trying to forget.

'You aren't alone.'

Aarons voice replayed in my mind, drilling into my brain until all I could think of was him and his eyes and his lips and his touch. It sure as hell feels like I am alone, I wanted to scream.

Every day, my attention span was shortening in class. Every day I could feel my grades slipping. Every day I dreaded who would disappear next. It wasn't long before I started to question when I would disappear next, when I would be stolen in the cover of shadows to never be seen again.

But those thoughts stopped when I heard the door of the chemistry class open.

I looked up sharply from my books, the pages filled with my sketches. A figure entered the room, ignorant of the several eyes that stared at him. But then I recognised those blonde curls, those dimples that engraved into his lower cheeks and the fringe that swept over his eyes.

It wasn't him. It wasn't Aaron.

Isaac offered Miss Anderson a small smile and she returned it, her pointed expression changing to one of relief.