Without another glance you whip around and limp away, not sure where it is you're going.
Once you make it down to the road, you continue going left. And you walk, slowly getting hungrier and colder. A truck passes you and immeadately stops. The man driving looks strangely familar.
"Are you alright? You look like you've been through a lot." He says in a deep voice.
"I have. My name's Ann Howlter,"
"Howlter? I'm freinds with Dil Howlter."
"That's my father!" you almost shout. If this man knew your father, then maybe he knew where he lives.
"Do you need a ride home?"
"Yeah, and I think my ankle is broken. Can you give me a lift?" You ask shakily.
"Sure, sure. Hop in."
You pull open the passenger door and step in, careful of your ankle. "What's your name?"
"Toby. What's your address?"
"6784 E. Rocked Rd."
"Really, that's my dad's nieghbor. Small world, huh."
"Yeah."
Once you are able to see your house, you sigh in relief. But then you see the faint blood stain on the road and think, this must be what the driver saw. Without meaning to, you picture Andrew looking up at the truck and you scream, startling Toby.
"What?" he slams on the brakes and looks over at you.
You are sobbing uncontrolably now. You just barely get the words out, "M-my brother, An-Andrew, was hit by a truck l-less than a month ago."
"Oh, I'm sorry." He wraps his arms around your shoulders, hugging you to his chest. Your parents have been too busy dealing with their own grief that they've barely asked if you were okay. So you cling to Toby, wanting all of his comforting contact. You sob into his shoulder and he rubs your back.
"I'm fine from here, thanks for the lift." You open the door and step out, on your bad ankle and collapse on the ground. You cry out, and alert him. He jumps out and runs around the truck and helps you up.
With you in his arms you get a really good look at him. You then realise he's just barely an adult, with green eyes. You nod at him and try to step away but he doesn't let you.
"Let me help you," he lifts you into his arms all of the way and carries you up to the house. He opens the door and you see your worried parents.
"Annemarie!" Your mother cries.
He sets you down and you walk into your mother's embrace. "Thank you, Toby." You say, clearly dismissing him.
He leaves and you sigh as you realise that you are safe at home.
~0~
A few weeks later and you start to pull your self together. Surprisingly Toby helped you through it all. You learn that he only graduated the pervious year, so he was only a couple of years older. Other than your brother, you've never been freinds with anyone else. Most people would think that would be a terrible life style, but you didn't care.
Today was Friday, and you had plans after school with Toby. When the last bell rang, you raced out of last period and quickly gathered your books, trying to get to the bus on time. Throwing your sweater on, you run out of the school to see none other than toby himself.
"Hey Ann!" he calls out.
"I thought I was meeting you at my house?"
"Change of plans," he gives you a lazy half smirk.
You giggle and get in his truck. You guys drive away from the high school, and drive for a while, sharing casual conversation. "Where are we going?"
"Its a surprise..." He looks over at you to smile for a quick second. And in that second both of your death certificates were signed.
"What's happening?!" by his tone, you know that something terrifying is going to happen. .
"What?"
"I can't move! My foot keeps going faster, we're going faster!" His arms hold the wheel steady, locked in place.
You look ahead and notice that your driving towards a curve in the road. As the guard rail approaches, Toby repeatedly tries to tear his arms off of the wheel. But it's no use, his arms won't budge. The truck hits the railing, smashes through it and flips over.
Your whole body flops around inside the truck and after another turn the truck stops, on its side. You lean heavily into Toby, and take a moment to catch your breath. You head is pounding and you are dizzy, and there's blood. Lots of it.
The windows and windshield shattered and rained down glass shards all over you. You turn your head to get a glance at Toby, he's unconscious. You lift your arm to shake him awake. After a while, he doesn't respond so you press two fingers to his neck.
No pulse.
You take a moment to absorb that information. Sobbing while trying to get out. You try to sit up, grabbing the window frame to pull yourself up.
Instead, you grab onto a shard of glass, slicing your palm open.
You cry out, which then turns into a scream. "Help! Help!" Nobody is around to answer you.
Annemarie...
And now your hearing voices in your head...
I can save you, you only have to chant this spell...
You've lost any other form of hope, so you claw at this one. "What spell?"
You know it.
Suddenly, like a flip of a switch, you start chanting something low and not understandable. One moment afterwards it feels like a blanket was drapped over your shoulders.
"What's happened to me?!" You ask the broken windshield panicly.
I've entered your body. That's what its like to have a spirit inside of you.
"Oh."
You don't have to speak outloud. Just think about what you are saying.
Like this?
Yes.
What is your name?
Evelyn.
Why are you doing this?
It has to be done. No more questions, let me heal you.
Okay.
All over your body, unbearable pain. You scream at the shock of it. "What are you doing to me!?!"
Healing you. Look at your palm.
You lift up your hand to see the wound is actually closing and slowly disappearing. Not even a scar is left.
Woah.
The pain slowly ebbs away, and you are strong again, able to pull yourself out of the truck window. Everytime you cut yourself,it hurts for a second before healing on its own.
Now, let's get you home.
You suddenly have no control over your body, but you conintue walking forward.
What about Toby?
It was a terrible accident he got in, by himself.
But-
No! That's the story. There is no evidence of you being here and you won't speak of it any other way.
Okay.
One tear trickles down your face as you picture Toby the way you left him.