"we are about to graduate." Nora pushed herself up the bed. "Loosen up." She said, "Have fun. Grayson is not going to throw a party all by himself."
Rain rubbed her forehead," I can't. I have to babysit."
"So?" Nora said. "We can just wait till Lily falls asleep."
"And leave her alone?" Rain's eyes narrowed.
"It's one night, what's the worst that could happen?" Nora asked.
Their gaze lingered on each other. Rain remained silent, her mind weighing Nora's statement.
"No." She muttered, "I'm not going." Moving to the other side of the room.
Nora rolled her eyes. She slipped her fingers into her left bra, pulling out a small white sachet. "What is that?" Rain asked.
"Just something to help you out." Nora teased. She grabbed Rain by her wrist, folding the sachet in. "This would knock her out for hours." She said with a grin.
Rain's eyes widened, she hurled the sachet back at her. "Are you crazy?" She muttered
"Drugging my sister? That's too far."
"Relax!" Nora said, picking up the sachet. "it was only a joke."
"Well, don't joke like that." Rain snapped. Her tone, sharp and cold.
The silence came again, louder than before. They met each other's gaze. Then Nora gave a light shrug, before falling on the bed.
"I'm not leaving unless you come with me,"she added.
Rain glanced towards the door.
Her mind replayed her mother's words, look after Lily. But, senior year was about to end. The last night of freedom before things changed.
She inhaled deeply, and exhaled just the same. Her eyes drifted towards Nora lying on the bed. Her lips slowly curled into a grin, as though she already knew her answer.
"Fine!" Rain spurted out. "But, only after Lily falls asleep, and we'll be back before dawn." She demanded.
Nora jumped to her feet, "Of course." She said excitedly. "I'm just gonna text Mason. He is outside in the car."
Rain gave a small smile, her eyes flickered towards a faint shuffle in the hallway. She stared at her half closed door for a while, then moved towards it.
She peered through the gap. The hall was dark and…
Empty.
The door at the far end stood slightly open.
"What are you doing?" Nora asked, pulling her attention.
"Oh, Nothing." Rain replied. She glanced back at the hallway, before slamming the door shut. Returning back to Nora as they both searched for a dress to wear.
^^^^*^^^^*^^^^*^^^^*^^^^*^^^^*^^^
The hallways seemed to stretch on forever, each footstep echoing like a whisper in the dim light.
Rain tiptoed across the rug, Nora followed close, her movements slow and careful. She reached for the doorknob and gently pushed it open.
But not gentle enough to stop the tiny creaks.
Rain peered into the dark room, as Nora leaned closer, whispering into her ears.
"Is she asleep?"
Rain squinted, trying to make out the shapes in the shadows. And she saw it.
Lily curled up in bed.
Rain shut the door carefully behind her, then turned to Nora with a nod.
"She is."
Nora almost leaped for joy, then remembered not to wake Lily up. Gently she pulled Rain as they headed down stairs and out through the back door.
^^^*^^^^*^^^^*^^^^*^^^^*^^^^*^^^
Cars were parked along the quiet street, lined up one after the other, beneath the dim glow of the streetlights.
The night was quiet, darker than usual.
Colder even, the kind that settled into your skin.
Inside one of the cars, soft music played. A brown, nape length haired boy sat in the driver's seat, scrolling lazily through songs, nodding his head to the one playing in the car. The faint light from his phone reflecting against his eyes.
Suddenly something caught his attention. A brief flash of light.
He frowned slightly, and glanced towards the trees, leading into the woods.
Then, he ignored it. His focus back on his screen.
It happened again.
Irritated, he paused. His thumb hovering inches above his screen.
The trees stood tall, unmoving in the distance. Gently, he pushed the door open, stepping out of the car.
The door clicked shut behind him, cutting off the music mid-beat.
There was silence. Not the quiet, peaceful kind.
Just…wrong.
His eyes narrowed, glancing towards the trees. They stood exactly where they should be, tall and still.
So why does it feel like something just moved?
He took a few steps closer.
"Nora?" He called, casually. "Rain?"
Silence.
He walked even closer, his hands tucked into his jacket due to the cold. The sound of gravel echoing too far into the dark
"You can stop playing now," he added, forcing a small laugh. "I know it's you."
Still, nothing.
No sound of footsteps, rustling leaves. Not even the wind blew.
Mason stared into the dark for a bit. Then turned to leave, when…
"M..a…s…o…n…"
His name.
Soft. Almost like a whisper carried faintly by a sudden gust of wind.
Mason froze.
His body instantly stiffened. He turned around quickly. "Nora? Rain? If this is some kind of joke…"
But the darkness stared at him.
His gaze scanned through the woods. He swallowed, but his throat was suddenly dry.
"This…isn't funny guys." He said, but this time his voice came out strained.
Then, something shifted, not a figure or a shape. Almost like a distortion.
Followed by a distant sound that echoed somewhere behind him.
Mason stumbled back. "Okay, nope. Nope." Rushing straight to the car.
He reached to pull the car door open.
He missed the handle.
He tried again, and yanked the door open, sliding inside as quickly as possible.
Slamming it shut.
His breathing was uneven, as he continued to scan the darkness. But, there was no movement.
He exhaled slowly, and turned towards the passenger's seat.
A figure sat there, still. Grinning widely.
Mason screamed.
He jerked back, about to attack. Then stop, taking a deep breath.
"Jesus… Nora?" He said, clutching his chest tightly. "You almost gave me a heart attack."
Nora couldn't hold it in any longer, she instantly burst into laughter.
"Careful, Norey," Rain said from the backseat, a hint of sarcasm in her voice.
"you might actually scare him to death."
"Did you see his face?" Nora asked, her laughter slowly dying down.
"I did." Rain replied, her gaze shifting past them and scanning the house and the dark street beyond.
Mason noticed.
"What took you guys so long? He asked. "And what are you looking at?"
Nora quickly fastened her seatbelt. "We waited until her sister fell asleep."
"Just looking." Rain said. "Habit."
Realization crossed Mason's face. His brows furrowed in confusion. "If you are that worried about her, why didn't you just bring her along?"
Both Nora and Rain turned towards him at the same time.
"Take a minor to a party?" Rain's eyes widened.
"Wow, very mature." Nora muttered dryly.
While fixing her brown wavy hair through the rear view mirror.
Mason sighed. "Let's just go." He said, turning on the car. "This place is creeping me out."
Then they drove off.
The trees remained still behind them.