Dear Catharine,

I have to write to you to make sure you understand why I’m gone. Why I disappeared without a trace. I’m going to tell you, but you have to understand why I left, and why I didn’t tell anyone about my absent. I’m writing a series of letters to you, to help you grasp the whole concept, this is the first one out of a couple. But most of all after I explain this series of events to you, you have to promise you won’t come looking for me. You have to know why I hid sooo many things from you that led to that fallout between us. And I’m sorry for all the secrets that I left behind. But you’re the only person I can trust. You have to stay put because this is urgent, something dangerous and I can’t drag anyone in to it. So as my best friend you can’t tell anyone but my sister, because she will understand. Please, promise me.

Now that the whole urgent thing is over, it all started about three weeks ago. Normal day, big bright sun, and the start of the new semester. I was walking with you as usual, talking and laughing, and of course dreading more school. Everything was normal until my glance flickered out of the corner of my eye, that’s when I believe it all began. Sort of a chain reaction thing if you will. I saw a black silhouette standing in the middle of the street, and I guess I did a double take because as I glanced back again, remind you in a split second, that person was gone, vanished in to the air. But I still felt eyes tracing my every step to school that day. I felt…scared, frightened and unsure at that point in time. Those are emotions I had never really witnessed till then.

But, I shook it off. So I was stupid and I ignored it. Eyes might be playing tricks or, well I was just lying to myself so I wouldn’t be scared. You were oblivious and didn’t notice, but that’s okay. You didn’t see my weird expression I must have made, but don’t blame yourself. I wasn’t even sure what I saw was real, well real at the time. I was way off.

Around the end of the day, which was a pretty good day. I had a little paranoia every so often but I shoved it deep within myself. I opened my locker and spied a note. Just an ordinary note, looked normal, I even smelled it and sure enough plain and ordinary. Maybe I had an admirer. That got me a little excited. But when I opened it, it was anything but simple and ordinary. I think my mouth hung open in shock for a minute. In scribble writing I made out the letters.
YOU ARE NEVER ALONE, I’M ALWAYS HERE
Could have been a joke, but right then I was connecting the dots with the figure I know I for sure saw on the street that morning. The words hung in brain forever even as I’m writing this under an old willow tree. I can’t seem to shake the ugly, horrible words out. I still make a habit of glancing over my shoulder, which in the end you noticed. I’m sorry, I’m just…really sorry about everything.

Anyway, as I hustled over to you and Angela, surprise, surprise, glancing over my shoulder, you spotted the note in my hand. You seemed suspicious and I blew it off saying just a silly love note. WRONG! You asked to see it I yanked it out of your hands, and said it was too embarrassing for you to read. Doubt gleamed in your eyes but you carried on anyway. Every so often I caught you staring at my note that I clutched in my hands. But then you swiftly looked away.

Later when you had dropped me off at my house I yanked open that door and retreated to my room. Of course I chatted with the family a bit, but I was a little jumpy. A worried feeling settled on my heart and it wouldn’t let that emotion go. When I walked into my room I dropped my stuff with loud BANG! What I saw was worse than the note in my locker. I mean way worse. My room was a wreck, somebody was digging through every inch, and I’m not exaggerating, of my room. As that bag slammed on the floor, the black figure was throwing clothes out of my drawers. He looked up, and even though I couldn’t see that nasty smile he was giving me, I sensed it. I was paralyzed in my spot, then without moving he bolted, and then jumped through my window. I rushed over to the edge, but there was nothing. And I know you know this, but I’m on the third level of my house. From that moment, but I guess I always knew, I was never going to be safe again.

Next letter will be here soon. I promise.
Your still best friend,
Lucy