You’d think that moving to a new school in the middle of the year would be easy. Easy for who exactly? The house our family moved into was big. Two stories tall, your average four bedroom house. It was in the middle of a rich neighborhood. Surrounded by the nice cars and identical houses. The bedroom I had gotten stuck with was a pale off-white, peach. It was ugly. I wanted something a little more dark, something that actually made me feel comfortable and at home. So I took my things up to the attic. Two little windows and a dim lamp would make me happy. I set up things similar to the way they were back home. Bed beside the window, and the desk placed close by. I liked looking out the window at night. It was refreshing to be able to have such a horrible day, and see something so beautiful before you sleep, and continue on into the next day. It takes the thoughts and washes them away like a wave of the ocean. To make you at least try to make the next day better.
I wasn’t tired. I couldn’t sleep. This place didn’t scare me but it kind of made me quite uneasy. I decided to unpack the rest of my stuff that I had stuffed into a box, setting on the desk. I look a pair of scissors and sliced the box open. The first thing on top was my mirror. I took it out holding it in front of my face. My green eyes seemed to be less green today, and a bit more gray. My dark brown hair was thrown back into a messy ponytail. My face was just as pale as it was when I left my old house. My old friends. My old life.
A spark of light flashes outside my window from a light pole. I look and on the other side of the street there was a man standing there, staring up at me. He was watching me. He didn’t look away when he seen me looking. He continues staring. I heard the engine of a truck coming. It passed by the man, and when I looked back that the place he was standing, there was nothing there. I set all my stuff down and walked over to the window. Looking out trying to find where the man had gone. There was nothing but a few leaves rolling in the wind. I found it strange that he had just disappeared.
I went down stairs with silence as I crept down the stairs. I didn’t want to wake anyone. When I opened the door, the cool autumn breeze blew in from the crack in the door. I stepped out looking around. I seen nothing but some leaves. The wind was blowing slowly. I felt a chill go down my spine. I walked down the walkway that led to my front door a few feet. I was standing there about to give up when someone ran into me falling on to the grass. I looked down to see a girl about my age. She had pretty blonde curls in her hair. Mascara ran down her perfect face. She was crying. She was in pain. She had fear in her eyes. Her pale blue eyes held more then tears. They held everything she was thinking and going through. You could see the fear, the pain, everything she felt was in her eyes.
“Are you okay?” I asked helping her up. She struggled holding onto me. She was looking around like something was chasing her, or she was in a trance and didn’t know where she was. She looked at me holding onto my arms. She looked at me. She didn’t say anything.
“Are you okay?” I repeated.
“No, and neither are you as long as you’re here.” She said, jerking away from me and running into the darkness that surrounded us.
I looked around but she was gone. She was swallowed whole by the darkness, never to return. It made me feel weird to be out in this air that seem to sweep people off of earth, for good. It was as if everyone was being removed but me. Everyone I looked at would just disappear. When I turned around I came face-to-face with the guy that had disappeared behind the truck. It was completely quite outside. You could hear my breathing change. I began to breathe heavier. He looked into my eyes. I could feel his breathe on my face. It sent chills down my spine. He gave off a weird vibe that I wasn’t used to. It seemed like he’d only bring me bad news.
“Oh, Hello.” I said.
“Hello.” He replied in a deep, low voice.
“My names Kat, short for Katelyn. What’s yours?” He took his time.
“Damon.”
“So what are you doing out here, Damon?”
“I’m here to inform you.” He replies. I looked at him puzzled, I didn’t know what he meant.
“Wait, it’s a little late for you to be trying to sell me something.” His icy blue eyes focused on mine reading everything I thought.
“I’m not here to sell you something. I’m the devil. Its time for you to choose.”
“What choice?” I asked looking at him with a puzzled look on my face.
“Every year, I pick a town and go pick six children, which I will visit when they turn sixteen. Then they will be able to choose their fate.”
“So, I was chosen?”
“Yes, you can either die and become my wife, or you can choose to live, but watch a loved one die.” I looked up into his eyes. I thought he was joking, but his eyes said different. They were serious. They were emotionless. Cold and dark.
“How long do I have to decide?” I asked.
“Thirty minutes. I’ll be waiting then.” He didn’t wait for my answer. He drifted into the darkness. The wind blew my hair into my face. I moved it out, turning around walking into the door. I sat down at the kitchen table. It didn’t take me long to choose. I decided to write my parents a letter to tell them good bye, forever. It read:
Dear Mom and Dad,
I feel as though I am doing the right thing here. I cant tell you why or how, but I just feel that this is the right thing to do. Just trust me on this. As soon as I’m gone, you will be safe.
Love you always,
Kat
I folded the note up, placing it in the middle of the table. I knew she would be heart broken, but I knew that either way they would suffer, but at least this way they will be able to move on and I wouldn’t be taking a mom, or dad, or even a young son, out of the picture. I knew they would be able to recover and this would make the family stronger.
I walked down the hallway towards the door. I was walking to my own death. It was like suicide, but in a savoir type of way. I was saving them from death, at least for now. I stepped out the door, the cold breeze of fall hit me like a bus. I shut the door slow behind me facing it. When I turned around he was standing right in front of me. I jumped, startled. He took a step back. The dim light from the light pole showed a slim part of his face. He was smiling.
“So, what’s it going to be?” He asked.
“Kill me, spare my family, take me as your bride.” She said letting the tears run down her face. He stepped forward, trusting his arm towards my chest. A piercing sharp pain shot through my heart. He jerked his arm back with an object in his hand. I looked down, it was my heart. I looked at his face for the last time. He was smiling. My vision was becoming blurry.
“I stole your heart…literally.” His grin was the last thing I seen until I lost my vision and dropped to the ground.