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?I don?t get why you?re always on that thing.? Dawn waved her hand in front of Kelsey?s face.
?What?? Kelsey kept scrolling. ?I?m just reading the news.?
Dawn raised her eyebrows. ?News? Really??
Kelsey shrugged. ?You never know. Maybe they decided to cancel school again.?
?Doubt it.? Dawn snatched the phone and scanned the first few headlines. ?This stuff is always the same. Look at today: ?Five Year Old Boy Dies of Covid?; ?Accident in Quarry Leaves 13 Dead?; ?Mayor Announces Plans to Restore Downtown?: it?s all depressing garbage!?
Kelsey crossed her arms. ?You missed the one about a phone stealing sister.? Dawn handed it back.
?Seriously, nothing ever changes in this town.? Dawn glared at Kelsey who was scrolling again. ?I?ll prove it to you!? She grabbed the phone.
?If you don?t cut that out, I?m telling Mom!? Kelsey pulled it back.
Dawn rolled her eyes. ?I just wanted to look up the articles from a few years ago. Dare you to do it and tell me the headlines aren?t similar.?
Kelsey started typing. She looked at her sister and grinned. ?I know what this is.?
?What??
?You always try to freak me out this time of year, but it won?t work this time! I?m in middle school now, remember?? She went back to scrolling.
Dawn shook her head and took her own phone off the charger. She typed, October 20th, 2018 and read through the headlines. ?No way.? Her mouth hung open.
?As if you didn?t already know.? Her sister snorted.
Dawn checked the current news again and then went back to 2018. ?Did you read this? ?Thirteen Dead in Chemical Leak, Five Year Old Died of Cancer, Mayor--?
?It was bound to happen eventually, I guess.? Kelsey sighed and sat her phone down. ?You?re right. There?s gotta be something better to do on a Saturday.?
Kelsey left the room before Dawn could respond. She stared at the screen. October 20, 2015. There it was again: ?Child Dies??; ?Workplace Incident??; ?Mayor Announces??. How was this possible? What about yesterday?s news? She kept typing. ?Department of Health Issues Warning about New Covid Strain''; ?Croatan Positions Government for Grant--? Different. She fell onto the couch and dropped the phone on her chest. Kelsey was right. It was bound to happen eventually, unless--She picked up the phone, October 19, 2018. She sat up slowly. ?Department of Health Issues a Warning about Water Contaminates?; ?City Positions for Funding?? The room started to spin. She continued typing. The eighteenth, the seventeenth--every three year the subjects repeated. ?M--m--mom!!!? She ran to the kitchen. ?Mom, you gotta see this!?
?Just a minute, sweetheart. Let me finish these dishes.?
?No! Mom! Please!? She grabbed her mother?s arm.
Her mother turned off the water. ?Alright, alright. What did Kelsey do this time??
?What? Nothing. You just--look!? She pushed the phone into her mother?s hands.
?Oh yes. I remember that accident at the factory. Poor Mrs. Wilson was torn up for weeks. Maybe we should--?
Dawn grabbed the phone. ?It?s not that, just--? She pulled up the current headlines and turned the phone around.
Her mother wrinkled her forehead. ?Well that?s strange. I thought the Mayor?s plans were supposed to be finished by now.?
Dawn shook her head. ?Didn?t you notice the articles? They?re all the same.?
Her mother handed her the phone. ?Don't be silly, Sweetie, the accident a few years back was in the plastic factory, not the quarry.?
?But six years ago the--?
?That?s enough!? Her mother placed her hands on her hips. ?Sitting around on your phone all day isn?t healthy for a girl your age! Why don?t you give Ruth a call? She got her license last week, didn?t she??
Dawn groaned and stomped to her room. Calling Ruth wasn?t a bad idea. She put her phone to her ear and started shoving books into her backpack. ?Ruth? It?s me. Do you think you could give me a ride to the library? There?s something I want to look into.?
?Why? Can?t you just look it up on your phone??
Dawn dropped her backpack and pulled at the back of her neck. ?I just need to get out of the house, okay? Besides, if my mom sees me on my phone, she?ll probably take it again.?
?Yeah, sorry.? Ruth sounded hurt. ?I?ll head over now.?
?I didn?t mean to be harsh.? Dawn hung her head. ?Just, do me a favor? If my mom asks when you get here, tell her we are going to your place to study.?
?Yeah, okay.?
Dawn sat on the porch until Ruth arrived. As soon as they were in the car, she started explaining. She spoke so fast, she had to stop to catch her breath. ?I thought the news would be similar, but this is insane!?
Ruth frowned. ?I don?t know. Are you sure you?re not just making a big deal out of nothing??
?Nothing?? Dawn felt a stabbing in her chest. ?How could you say this is nothing? The odds of this happening by chance--?
?I?m not saying it?s not weird, but if there were some big conspiracy of news repeating itself, do you really think you?d be the first to notice? You didn?t even notice my new haircut last week.? Ruth nudged her arm.
?This isn?t funny.? Dawn?s ears were getting hot.
?I just mean, you and I have both grown up here and we?ve known most of the town since we were kids. Don?t you think someone else would have noticed??
The car stopped in front of the library. ?Whatever.? Dawn opened the door. ?Thanks for the ride.? She slammed it and narrowed her eyes. If the news repeated every three years, maybe she could go back far enough to find a reason why.
She marched to the door and threw it open. A chill ran down her spine as the librarian's gaze followed her across the room. She dropped into a chair in front of a computer. She just needed to focus. She started typing, Croatan Daily News, October 20, 2012. Her eyes raced across the screen. Same. 2009. Same. 2006, 2003, 2000...1883. It stopped. There was nothing before that year. She leaned her head against her hand and squinted at the screen. The picture of the aged paper was difficult to read. ?Five Year Old John William?s Dies of Polio?; ?Mining Accident Claims 13 Lives?; ?Mayor Jones Claims Great Things to Come for Croatan?--
?Ahem.?
Dawn jumped. ?Mr. Wolf, you scared me.? Her voice shook.
He leaned towards her and whispered. ?Not everything can be found on a computer.? The hair on the back of her neck stood as his hot breath brushed across it. Something about the librarian had always made her uncomfortable. ?Come with me.?
She watched the long braid on his back sway as he walked across the room. She swallowed and tried to steady her shaking hands as she followed. He disappeared into a small room. She froze, not sure she should enter. He appeared a moment later with an old newspaper
?You must not remove this from the building.? He met her eyes. ?Be careful what you do next.? He grabbed her hand and wrapped her fingers around the paper. ?History has a way of repeating itself.?
He was almost back to his desk when she remembered to breathe. Her knees were weak. She lowered herself to the floor and studied the paper. It had a strange logo in the corner she didn?t recognize. Her gaze fell to the date, October 21, 1883. Her head started to spin. She quickly read the front page:
?Young Woman Causes Death of Entire Town?
Croatan resident Jane Smith was recently arrested for disturbing the peace of the city founded just three years ago. Reports of her frantic behavior spread beyond the town border last week when she tried to bring a stop to all mining projects claiming the town had been founded on sacred Indian burial grounds. After the shame of her failed efforts to stop the town?s progress, Miss Smith was seen entering the mines equipped with a small explosive. It is assumed the young woman only intended to bring about her own death, but two-hundred and sixty seven villagers were killed by the collapse of the mine that resulted from the blast..
Dawn?s mouth flooded as she resisted the urge to vomit. She scooted herself against a wall and took several deep breaths. She scanned the rest of the paper. The only article about Croatan was on the cover, but if it repeated every three years--She glanced at the clock. It wasn?t too late. If she could show someone the paper, maybe they?d believe her. Energy coursed through her veins. She looked around. Mr. Wolf was nowhere in sight. She darted to her backpack and shoved the paper inside. She couldn?t stop until someone else knew what was going on.
That night, Dawn collapsed onto her bed and glared at her backpack. The school, the police, the news: they?d all been just as dismissive as her family. She pounded her fist against her blanket. Maybe she just needed to let it go. Her phone rang.
?Who is this??
?It?s Jerry Cly, the intern you met at Croatan Daily News. I was interested in your story today. Would you be able to meet me in the morning to answer a few questions??
Dawn struggled to find her voice. ?Yeah--yes! Definitely! But can?t we meet tonight??
?Sorry, it needs to be tomorrow. Meet me at the paper first thing.?
Dawn pushed her phone away and tried to close her eyes. First thing. She could still make it in time.
Before the sun was up, Dawn was out the door. Her mom would be worried, but she could explain later. Her eyes were fixed to her phone as she typed, Croatan Daily News. She scrolled and walked. Nothing since yesterday. She typed again, News October 21, 2021. A single article appeared with the same symbols she hadn?t recognized before. Her heart threw itself against the wall of her chest. ?Gas Tanker Explodes Claiming Two-hundred Sixty-seven Lives? by Jerry Cly. Her fingers trembled as she clicked the headline. ?Sixteen year old Dawn Wright committed suicide early this morning by walking--? The sound of a horn made her turn. Her eyes grew wide. Headlights.
Pain erupted throughout her body. She blinked several times but was too weak to move. Someone was standing over her. ?I told you to be careful.? A cool liquid seeped around her feet, and burned her nose. She heard a match.
As the small light fell, she remembered. It wasn?t an explosive she?d carried into the mines, it was an arrow. ?Cly? was engraved on it?s side. She shouldn?t have touched the grave, but she needed them to stop! The match reached the pavement. Not again. Jane Smith braced herself. This time, don't take it! Even as the thought appeared, she felt it slipping through her consciousness. There was a flash of light and a warm breeze as the girl drew her last breath for the forty-sixth time.
"Don't be an idiot, Sara. Of course I didn't sleep with him! It was just a.. date, that's all." I huff out an incredulous laugh as a reply, my phone pressed to my ear by my left hand, my right holding out my car keys. The heels of my boots clacking against the damp gravel of the road, the night air smelling of rain, the obvious sign of the previous rainfall from earlier.
"Oh come on, Kara! He was hot, had an arse that filled out his slacks, I bet you he was packing too. You totally should have given him the fuck of his life." Sara's reply came with a snort, and an eyeroll from me, although she couldn't see it. I squint my eyes against the jet black night, seeing my familiar red Honda Civic, parked underneath the same street light as before.
"God, you really have no filter, do you? Guess that's why I love you so much, huh?" I bite my bottom lip to try to hide the smile rising to my chapped lips, failing terribly though.
"Mhm.. fuck no! And you can't help it, I know. What can I say, everyone loves me. Also.. please hit me if I'm wrong but, you're not walking home are you? Did that bastard really ditch you? Do I need to grab him by the balls and squeeze them until he has some sense in his brain? Because I will, I mean that little shite better not've-" I cut off Sara's sudden aggressive rant about her possible dehumanisation of my date, with a loud chuckle, unable to hold it in.
"No, Hannibal Lecter, calm down! He was actually pretty nice.. at first. And no, not walking! I'm driving Jenny, you know, the car that I own, helps me get to places, has four wheels and says 'pussy wagon' on the back bumper. Which by the way, was from you." I let out a giggle, shaking my head slightly, hearing a soft laugh and a scoff on the other end of the line.
"Yeah yeah, I know what.. Jenny is. Honestly, Jenny? Why would you name your car Jenny? And well yeah. It IS a pussy wagon, a wagon that's got a pussy in it. Right okay, so the damn sod was nice, then turned into a prick? Is that why you're alone? He flaked, didn't he? I'm going to kill that poor excuse of a-" Sara's protectiveness blares out again, showing how much she cares for me. She's the only true friend I've ever had, and she's always had my back, and the same goes for her too.
"Leave Jenny alone, and if you'd let me explain.. I would, you goose." My reply sounds out softly over her loud rant, which effectively worked in getting her to quiet down. I raised an eyebrow to no one in particular, a satisfied smirk on my lips. A sharp sigh sounds out with a slight cough, to clear out her throat.
"Alright alright, go on then, I'm listening." Sara finally gives in and gives me the chance to explain my disaster of a date.
-That Evening-
I'm sat in my red Honda civic, Jenny. Yes, I named my car, only because.. well I don't really know, I guess she just looked like a Jenny. Sara thinks it's odd, which I totally agree, but well, screw it. I raise my hand to grasp my rear view mirror, tilting it down a little, seeing my natural glammed face sheen with slight nervous sweats. My eyes scan over each feature of my face, to my hazel green orbs, my lashes filled in with mascara, then to my slightly chapped plump lips. I look down, my eyes finding my cherry chap stick residing in in of my cup holders. Unscrewing the lid, I slide it onto both my upper and bottom lip gently, applying the somewhat red tinted product. My lips both smooth and slide together, spreading the product of the chap stick, then releasing with a light 'pop'. I slide the chap stick into my small purse, checking that all my necessities are there, once I'm confident they are, I zip up the purse, my eyes looking up into my reflection in the rear view mirror again. I close my eyes and let out a shaky breath. Clearing my throat with a light cough, and shaking my head gently.
'Come on Kara, you can do this You look more than good, don't be so nervous. It's just.. a date. No biggie.' My inner thoughts spiral, my eyes opening, meeting my nervous orbs. I stare at myself for a few seconds before nodding my head at my reflection. I reach my hand towards the car handle, opening it, stepping out into the slight muggy night air. Closing the car door, locking it, I turn around and reach into my purse and dig out my phone, putting in my password and then clicking into my text messages, I tap on Sara's name and start typing in the chat.
'Heading in now, wish me luck! Kisses x' I send the text, the three grey dots appearing immediately.
'Good, now remember.. BLOW JOB EYES. Good luck cougar, don't forget your pepper spray is also there just in case, oh and of course, some condoms. Be wild, Kara. Kisses x' My phone dings as Sara's reply comes in, my lips stretch into a smile, slightly rolling my eyes at the message. I tap out of the conversation, going into another, typing out another message.
'Just got here! Come find me inside :)' The three dots appear after a few seconds. The ding alerting me again, reading the message and smiling softly.
'On my way, little fox. I'll find you in no time :) -Seb'.
I turn my phone off after reading the message twice, and make my way inside the restaurant and securing a table for two, seeing as this was the type of restaurant that didn't need reservations.
Five minutes pass as I'm sat in the wooden chair, my eyes scanning across the other faces in the room, friends, couples, all enjoying their time together, I can't help the quirk of my lips as I smile softly at the other happy faces. My fingers strum against the table cloth absentmindedly, the sound of the clock and the soft strum of an acoustic guitar echo, as sudden thoughts spiral through my mind palace.
'He's not coming, is he..? Not again.. damn it. I knew I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up, what was I even thinking..? So stupid of me-' My thoughts are suddenly interrupted as a pair of brown dress shoes come into my vision, splotches of darker brown appear on the shoes, if anything, they have a slight red tinge to them..? My eyebrows furrow as my orbs slowly scan upwards, spotting a familiar face, my heart skips a beat. My body moving on it's own, pushing back on the chair, hearing it scrape against the floorboards.
"Hey Kara, it's Sebastian" A gentle rugged voice protrudes out of his full lips, his pristine teeth showing as a soft smile plants onto his face.
"Sebastian, Hey! You uh, you look great. Please sit down." I let out a nervous laugh, my heart tingling. I sit back down into my seat, waiting for Sebastian to join me. He lets out a warm laugh, pulling out a chair, causing his blazer sleeve to rise up, I watch as his white shirt underneath has a splotch of red on the outline of his cuff sleeve. My eyebrows furrow as my thoughts swirl. 'Odd.' I think to myself, lost in though as Sebastian settles in his seat across from me.
"Me? No no, c'mon. You're glowing, Kara. Look at you, I mean, you're incredibly beautiful. I hope you know that." His eyes stare intensely into mine for a moment, my face burns as a tinge of pink rises to the surface, I look down and shake my head a little, letting out a nervous laugh, I look back up to see Sebastian's eyes already focused on me, my heart skips a slight beat, our eyes boring into each other for mere seconds, before we both break out into a smile.
The rest of the evening went smoothly. Our jokes, our laughs together, it felt like we had know each other our whole lives. But for some reason, something felt.. off. Maybe it was just the butterflies, but either way, my cheeks had hurt from smiling so much. After our meals, we had walked out onto the terrace of the restaurant, seeing as we were the only ones out there for the moment, the fairy lights added to the atmosphere, it almost felt like we were in a fairy tale. We were both leaning against the railing, staring out at the stars, talking about our lives. Sharing deeper secrets, our likes, dislikes. What our favourite colours were- which by far, is the most important first date question.
"I'd say red. It's just so vibrant and can mean deeper things. Like.. love." Sebastian's answer comes with no hesitancy, he looks over at me and smiles, then looks back as the stars.
"I see.. I'm totally different. I love greens, all types, any types. It's just beautiful to me." I shrug silently, letting out a subtle laugh.
A few seconds pass, as we both stare up into the stars again. The silence doesn't last too long.
"What do you really want out of life, Kara?" Sebastian's sudden deep voice cuts into the peaceful silence. I look over at him, his eyes trained onto the night sky, my thoughts rotate as I think if an answer.
"What do I want? Well.. I guess what everyone wants. Success, happiness, money. You know." I shrug, my answer seeming like the most obvious one.
"I'm not talking about everyone else, love. I'm talking about you. Think deeper." My heart skips a beat at his pet name for me. I swallow a lump in my throat, shrugging again.
"Think Kara. You know what it is. You can say it, it's okay." His gentle and comforting words seem to irk me a slight bit before I let out a sigh, hesitating before answering.
"I guess.. I just want more. It's selfish to think, I'm so grateful for all the things I have, truly, but.. I feel like there's something missing. And I hate myself for thinking it." I furrow my brows, my heart turning heavy, a sour taste forms into my mouth at my own selfishness. I feel a warm presence atop of my hand suddenly, I look down, seeing Sebastian's large hand resting upon mine. I flutter my eyes upwards, my eyes meeting his dark brown eyes. A gentle smile forms on his lips.
"Hey. It's okay to want more, Kara. You're only human after all. You're strong, and .. beautiful. And if love is what you're missing, maybe you won't have to look too far to find it." His words sink into my ears, my heart, my soul. I look into his eyes as I feel this sudden pull towards him. We're both silent for a moment, our eyes focused on each other. He slowly raises his free hand towards my left cheek, softly brushing away the strands of hair that had fallen into my face, and tucks them behind my ear. His face leaning in ever so slightly, I stay still, almost frozen, holding my breath. His face approaches even closer, our noses almost touching, then a familiar ding of a phone notification breaks us out of our trance like stare. We both let out a soft laugh, our heads both moving away from each other, our hands both moving instinctively to where our phones are. I look down at my purse, zipping it open and grabbing my phone, I turn it on and am surprised to see two missed calls from Sara. I furrow my eyebrows, deciding to shrug it off, switching my phone off again, my eyes darting up to look at Sebastian.
"I'll check mine later." I let out a slight laugh, suddenly growing silent as Sebastian's brows furrow.
"Is everything .. okay? Sebastian?" I quietly ask, almost cautious. My eyes watch his face come to the realisation me still being there.
"Hm? Oh yeah, sorry about that fox. Shit, I hate to do this, but I really need to run. It's .. urgent." His eyes dart up towards mine in almost a frantic state, a deep frown etched upon his features. He switches his phone off, tucking it back into his pocket as he looks at me, starting to slowly back away.
"Oh uh.. yeah, no it's okay. I hope everything is okay." I couldn't help but be disappointed, even slightly distant at his answer. A soft sigh sounds out, as my eyes look down towards my shoes, a sudden warm presence comes closer towards m. I feel the warmth of two fingers underneath my chin, tilting it upwards, as my eyes slowly flicker into Sebastian's orbs.
"Don't be so down, little fox. I've had a really great time tonight and I would love for us to do it again. I just.. really want to kiss you but I'll wait. I promise you. Kara. There's really something about you. I mean, you're breath-taking, and brave. And I know that you belong to everyone and anyone right now, but tonight, you belong to me." My heart flutters in my chest, then suddenly twists into something darker, something more sinister.
"I.." I quietly let out as my eyes stare into his, watching as he slowly leans in again, and this time, lands a sweet kiss on top of my forehead. He holds the kiss for a second then pulls away, walking backwards slowly
"I'll see you very soon, Kara. Promise." He gives me a warm smile, an odd smile, as if.. it had a hidden meaning. He turns his back and proceeds into the gloomy night.
I stand still, and watch his retreating figure disappear. I blink a few times, his unsettling words echo in my head.
'Belong.. to him? What..? How crazy.. It's late. I should.. go.' My thoughts spiral and clash together, standing still for a few more short moments, then looks away and starts the trek back towards Jenny. I subconsciously turn my phone on again, clicking onto Sara's contact information and tapping the phone icon. The dial tone rings twice until she picks up. I place my phone to my ear, my other hand fishing into my purse, looking for my car keys.
"Finally cougar! I've been trying to get a hold of you. Something feels a little off, Kara. But anyway, tell me. Did you end up fucking his brains out or what?" I cant help but roll my eyes at Sara's reply, although hesitant to answer and what she first said My reply treads back to the start again.
"Don't be stupid, Sara-"
-present-
After the full and twenty long minutes of explaining the entire story to Sara, which was surprisingly uninterrupted. I manage to make it back to Jenny, clicking the button on my keys to unlock it, pushing the handle and opening it, I slide into my seat and get myself comfortable, placing my purse down into the empty passenger seat. I plug my keys into the ignition, the stereo crackling to life but the engine off, no sound comes from my stereo as my Bluetooth hasn't reconnected. I furrow my eyebrows at the long pause of silence from the other end of the line. My eyes flicker towards my phone as I put it down from my ear, checking to see that the call was still on.
"Sara? Hello? Are you pranking me?" I call out, getting nothing but more odd silence, which instils a slight off feeling to settle into my stomach. All of a sudden, crackling sounds are heard from the other side of the line, and what also appears to be a subtle chilling shriek.
"Sara..?" My voice wavers as I hesitantly call her name again. The crackles become louder and then all of a sudden a ding noise is heard, notifying me that the call has been disconnected. I click out of the contact information and into my messages. A ding notification pops, saying that Sara had sent an attachment image.
My eyebrows furrow even deeper, my finger hesitantly hovers over the chat, then I press on it.
My eyes immediately widen, as the bile in my throat rises up, my eyes stinging with hot tears, my heart dropping violently inside my chest.
Sara was dead. Her throat slit, arms and legs cut off. Her head.. detached. A metal device strapped onto her face, forcing her eyes and mouth open, giving the look of her still being alive but she wasn't.
The three familiar chat bubbles appeared again. The next message read.
'Tonight, you belong to me.' My throat grew tight, my form shaking as the chill that ran down my spine irked throughout my entire soul.
All of a sudden, the stereo crackles to life, this time, a series of haunting notes of a song echo echo in my ears and throughout the car.
'I know, you belong to someone.'
My breathing turns erratic, as my eyes flicker everywhere around me, hot tears blur my vision, as my eyes catch a glimpse of something from the rear view mirror, situated in the back seat. My eyes focus on the reflection. My body freezes, my skin clamming up, the twisted realisation at the familiar figure.
The sound of humming the next line of the song resonates, then transitions to a sing along, causing a chill to run even deeper down my spine.
The sinister and aberrant smile on the figures face quirks up as they sing along.
"Tonight, you belong to me."
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