..Mom...?

…Mom…?

I sighed of relief as the final bell rang.

“Yes!” criedKara. The other students rushed out of the classroom like a herd of buffalos.

“Is it awesome or what?” Kara asked me as we strolled quickly to our lockers to retrieve the rest of our things.

“More than awesome,” I replied happily. “It rules.”

I nodded. “That’d be fun. I’ll tell Emma, too.”

We walked down the front steps of the school. The bright sun shone down mercilessly, and the air was hot. I was happy that we’d finally be away from those stuffy classrooms for a while.

God, I hope tonight’ll be fun, I thought. I wish my life wasn’t so freaking boring.

I scooped the mail up as I walked inside my house.

No answer.

I let out a cry.

She got up from the ground and stared at me. She had beady green eyes with no pupils, lots of wrinkles, and large red lips. The lips then curled into a smile.

My blood turned to ice, my heart stopped dead in its tracks, and my hands began to tremble violently. “W--Who are you?” I whimpered.

I gasped in shock. I wanted to run, but my legs wouldn’t move. It was like they were cemented there.

The creature was absolutely terrifying. It was like a monster from a Steven King novel. It was creeping toward me slowly.

Something grabbed my foot as I ran and pulled me back. I was then suddenly upside down. It took me a minute to realize that the monster was holding me upside down.

“Let go of me!” I yelled. “You are not my mother!”

It growled. “You don’t talk to your mother like that!” She held up one of her long, razor-like claws. “Looks like you will have to get punished . . .”

Grinning, she jabbed her index finger into my stomach.

She dropped me on the ground. My vision began to get blurry. “Don’t worry,” she whispered, “this is for your own good. After all, a mother knows best . . .”

~*~*~*~

“Honey!” shouted a voice from outside my bedroom door, which was closed. “Wake up, it’s time for school! It’s your last day, remember?”