10

That street was 10 minutes away, Mike was trying to keep her mind from wondering away again, so he started talking about the football game he had last week. Lilly didn’t really listen she was too nervous, in her mind she replayed her driving by the street and finding her mother, but it was way too easy. But why would she disappear and not come back, what happened that day the fire accrued and whose funeral did she go to?

“We’re here” mike said while stopping the car, he turned in head and looked her deep in the eyes “don’t bring your hopes up, if we don’t find anything it will still be ok. We’ll be fine” she sort of ignored it and responded “yeah I know” got off the car and started walking towards the house. It’s a burnt down house, it’s abandoned. Lilly reached to the doorknob, she wanted to open it but before even touching it the door squeaked open. She took a step into the house and tried to go up the stairs before mike screamed “STOP” she stopped immediately and turned around her eyebrows frowning at him “what?” She screamed back “the stairs” mike said and picked up a big stone and threw it on the stairs, and the stairs crackled like a pice of paper. “Oh god, thanks” Lilly exhaled, they looked around slowly hoping they wouldn’t fall into the basement. She heard steps and turned around fast, and again behind her, so Lilly turned again, and again it was like the steps were Circling her. Two little girls dressed up as witches ran out the house, “relax, its just kids being kids, they probably thought no one was here” mike explained trying to comfort her. A 10 was drawn on the wall she looked at mike and asked him “isn’t 10 your jersey number?” He took a minute and answered “yeah. It is” they walked to what seemed to be the kitchen and found her mothers phone on the table. She picked it up with shaking hands, “what’s happening” mike asking while trying to find what every was wrong. Lilly lifted her head and Mike saw eyes red “is my moms phone” she said, but she wanted to add something to it, but she couldn’t get it out of her mouth, it seemed like someone was strangling her. “What is it” mike asked. “My mom, she died in the kitchen, she was burned alive in the kitchen”.

Lilly was Lying on the bed and couldn’t go to sleep, she turned to the other side of her bed and couldn’t stop thinking about that phone. Lilly closed her eyes and opened them again, she was standing on a frozen river and heard a sweet voice calling out her name, she ran after it and when it stopped she looked down and the river cracked. Lilly fell into the lake she tried to grasp for air, but the water was fighting her. Everything stopped the water was still for a split second, as she tried to push herself um she was held from the ankle and pushed down her last scream, after that just air bubbles appeared on the surface. Lilly woke up and pushed herself um and inhaling air as if she was drowning for 10 minutes.