As Lauren plopped her bag onto the ground, she felt the instant relief, and the new weightlessness of her shoulders. Sighing, she said “Thank god those awful seven hours are finally over”, before immediately heading to the kitchen. A few seconds of tough decision making filled her head, before deciding on the strawberries that were snuggled towards the back of the fridge. Along with that, she grabbed a glass of water. She turned to grab her bag, but when she looked back, the water was fizzing. She was slightly confused, but the fizzing was gone as soon as it had come. So, she figured it was just her imagination. She headed upstairs, and Statistics, Anatomy, and Government drove her focus until she felt like she was going mad. Tonight was her only night off from work, and she just wanted to relax. Growing up with a single mom, things had always been harder. She had been working since she was fourteen, just to help pay the bills. She was very smart, but couldn’t afford the schools she desperately wanted to go to. So, she worked as hard as humanly possible, trying to get scholarships.
Hours passed, and a knock was heard downstairs. Dying to take a break from her homework, she went to see what it was. But nothing seemed out of the ordinary, so she assumed it was the cat. She continued her homework, but was disrupted by yet another knock downstairs. This time, it was coming from outside. She peeked out of the door, and was shocked at what she saw. Dirt was strewn everywhere, and garden supplies littered the ground. Plants were pulled from their roots, lying limply where they had been tossed. Her fear heightened, and she wondered who had done such a thing. Then something very odd happened. She blinked, and everything was completely normal. Her stomach dropped, and she immediately ran inside. She reached for the phone and tried to call 911, crying hysterically. Yet, when she pressed the buttons, no sound came. Nor would the light, that signaled the phone was on. The crying continued, as she tried to figure out why the phone was disconnected.
She slid onto the ground, trying to make sense of what was happening. No matter how hard she tried, nothing made sense. She carefully got up, and retreated to her room. She locked the door, and stood by with a bat. She didn’t know who or what was doing this, but she was ready. An hour passed, with no sight of anything or anyone. She relaxed a little, and sat on her bed. She took several deep breaths, trying to control the tears she couldn’t keep back. She slowly returned to her homework, trying to get the incident that had just occurred out of her head. It was getting late, and she knew she should start getting ready for bed, despite the fact the she most definitely wouldn’t be sleeping tonight.
She tiptoed across the cold wooden floor, over to the bathroom. She was about to open the door, when something grabbed her neck. She gasped, struggling to allow air into her lungs. She tried to scream, but no sound escaped. Still struggling, she tried to look back and see who her attacker was. She twisted her body, trying to ignore the slow, buzzing darkness that began to cloud her eyes. Finally, her head was tilted in a way that allowed her to see who had been hiding. Her heart skipped a beat at what stood before her, for it was the scariest thing that could have been there. It was nothing. Everything was just as it should be. No one was grabbing her neck, and her breathing was just fine. She just stood there for a moment, too much in shock to even attempt to process what had just happened.
Several minutes passed, and she finally had begun to realize the events that had just occurred. Sobbing, she crawled to the door, too terrified to even stand. She slid down the stairs as quick as she could manage, and bolted through the front door. She flew onto the grass, desperately trying to find something to comfort her shaking body. She was freezing, but she didn’t care. She couldn’t move, even if she tried. She heard a bush shake to her left, and clung to the grass even tighter, until her hands turned white. Another hour went by, and Lauren slowly lifted her body from the ground. Her fingertips were blue, and she couldn’t feel her feet anymore. Nevertheless, she knew she needed to leave, anywhere. She walked about a mile, before hearing a twig snap. She stood, frozen. At this point, she couldn’t tell what was real, and what was in her head. She trusted nothing, so she began to run.
She made it a few steps, but once again, someone grabbed her neck. She was screaming so loud, yet no one could hear her. As she thrashed around, it was as though the world slowed. She noticed the trees, and how they gently swayed in the wind. The squirrels were scattering, startled by her screams. She heard her heart, pounding faster than ever before. Her breath was coming in short breaths, falling quieter by the second. Black dots filled her eyes, growing bigger and bigger. She heard a girl cough to her left, and time sped right back. She sang out one last feeble scream, before everything went black and her body went limp.
Shay Molane heard a sound, something that sounded similar to a scream. It was late, and she couldn’t imagine why any children would be playing outside, as the time was well into the night. Nevertheless, she went to see what it was. She stepped onto the porch, and looked towards the Vitzue’s house. The lights were on, but everything was calm. She had always liked the Vitzue’s, but was slightly jealous of the daughter, Lauren. She was so smart, yet somehow managed to remain humble. With a sigh, Shay headed right back inside, tucking her long blue hair behind her ear. She figured the scream was her imagination, as no other  sight of distress stood out.
As tired as Maria Vitzue was, she was glad that she could finally get home after her long day of work. She grabbed her bag, and hopped in the car. After about fifteen minutes of driving, her neighborhood appeared. She turned into the street, as calmness succeeded her body. As she grew closer to the house, she noticed a mass lying on the grass. She slammed the breaks, and rushed to see who the victim was. The closer she was, the more familiar the mass looked. Once she was close enough, her stomach dropped. Lying in the ground was her daughter, Lauren. Her neck was covered in finger marks, and her entire body was a light blue. Near her hands, three dark blue strands laid on the dirt. Immediately, she knew exactly whose hair that was. In shock, she screamed as loud as it was possible. Before she knew it, the police had arrived, and ambulances carried her poor daughter away. She looked next door, and saw as Shay Molane was being brought out in handcuffs. She struggled, but was eventually forced into a car and lugged to the station.
Days passed since the incident, and Lauren had thankfully woken up. She would need lots of therapy, but would be fine. Shay had finally explained what all she did. She had broken into the Vitzue home before Lauren arrived, and contaminated the water system with chemicals. When Lauren took a drink, it caused hallucinations that made her crazy, thinking things were happening that really weren’t. When she went outside for the last time, Shay really did strangle her, before disappearing and pretending nothing had happened. Maria watched in horror, wondering how such a sweet girl could perform such a horrible act. Lauren watched silently, all the parts beginning to click in her head. Everything finally made sense, and she could sleep knowing that the person that did this would be forever behind bars. That was, until Shay escaped.