The Beginning

"No Grandma, I don't think I believe it. You keep doing this, and I always tell you that I admire your storytelling, but that's all it is. Stories. So now, please let me get ready for the festival. I told Kai that I would be there at 5 pm, and it's 5:15 pm!"

It was Nova. A young girl who's getting ready for the second festival of the year. It was always the same. Drunk teenagers, loud music, and a band that no one knows but for some reason, everyone is jumping up and down to their songs.

She was standing in the hallway of her grandparents' house, putting on her shoes while her long ponytail got in the way.

"Be safe, Nova, and call your parents if something comes up, okay?" Grandma shouts from the living room while drinking the herbal tea that Nova brought from a fancy tea shop close to her school. It was there for maybe a month and a half, but the smell when you go inside is amazing.

"Don't worry! I have my phone. Bye-bye!"

Nova quickly opens the door and puts her phone, which has been ringing this entire time, to her ear.

"Yeah?"

"Seriously? We said, 5 pm."

The voice from the other side belongs to Kai, her friend from highschool. He was pretty short, had messy brown hair and a small scar above his left eyebrown. He was also really impatient and hated being left alone with the other girls from their group, especially Winnie. She and her gossip were something that Kai couldn't stand for long.

"Sorry, had to listen to one of my grandmother's stories again. I'll be there in 5." Nova laughs. "Hopefully!"

Nova was walking through the parking lot that was full of cars and bicycles. People were already there, the loud music was echoing through the whole block. It was a cold day, and the wind wasn't helping at all. Nova looked up and noticed some dark clouds that were forming above her head. "Storm?" she thought.

It wasn't long before she finally spotted Kai, Winnie, and Rosalie hanging near Winnie's black car. It was a pretty expensive one. Winnie got it last year for her birthday from her parents. A smile formed on her face as she waved at them. Kai seemed relieved, Winnie was waving like crazy and Rosalie was busy rummaging through her brown backpack that was about to fall apart.

Winnie gave Nova a warm hug and looked her up and down.

"Wow girl, are you sure those ghost stories aren't messing with your head? You look tired." Winnie had a big smile on her face as she kept looking at Nova's face.

Nova opened her mouth and pretended to be shocked. "And here I thought Winnie Flores was a nice girl!"

Winnie put her hand on her forehead and said, "Oh dear lord, please forgive me for I have sinned!"

They both laugh but stop as soon as they notice Kai looking at them with his typical annoyed face.

"Done?" he said.

"What? Jealous?" chuckled Winnie.

"Let's just go, please?" He sighed and shook his head.

Winnie followed close behind him. She grabbed him by his arm and started giggling again. Nova was just about to take a step toward them when something touched her back.

"Rosalie? You good?"

Rosalie was a short girl with short curly hair that had a pretty light brown color. She usually wore big sweaters and jackets that covered her figure. She reminded Nova of herself when she was younger, and she felt some kind of responsibility for Rosalie, like everyone in their group. Rosalie was standing behind Nova, her arm fully extended to her, her finger touching Nova's back.

"Today is the full moon!" She mumbles. Nova frowns without saying a word.

"It's important!" Rosalie adds.

Nova's frown turns into a confusion as she turns around toward her friend. "Important?"

Rosalie kept staring into her big green eyes until she blinked a few times. The wind got a bit stronger, messing with her curls and skirt.

"Music, let's go listen to the music!" She shouts, grabs Nova's hand, and runs towards the crowd of people standing away from the parking lot.

There was everything; colored lights, speakers, a stage, people were drinking and dancing and Nova was blindly following her friend who was headed towards the other two who were standing in the middle of the crowd, dancing away.

Kai had a hand around Winnie's shoulders while she was enjoying some sort of pink liquor in her cup. Nova soon forgot about the weird thing with Rosalie and happily joined the others.

The cold air was hitting Nova's face as she was happily dancing with her friends. But there was something that caught her eye multiple times tonight.

It was Rosalie. She was enjoying the festival as much as others, but there was something about her eyes that didn't add up. Emptiness almost. Maybe she was just feeling ill and didn't want to ruin the fun. That's what Nova wanted to think, and it stayed that way in her head for quite some time.

Seconds, minutes, and hours passed, and it hit 9 pm. The crowd calmed down a bit, and Nova found herself sitting on the green grass next to the stage. Rosalie was leaning against Nova's shoulder, and Winnie was playing with her golden hair while she was lying in Kai's lap. Even though Kai always complained about Winnie, they were close.

"Today was amazing!" Winnie shouts while lifting her arms in the air.

"You're drunk, aren't you?" asked Kai. Winnie just shrugged her shoulders and got up on her feet.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow!" She waved her car keys and giggled.

"Yeah, no. You can't drive." Kai stood up and took her keys.

"Hey! I didn't drink that much."

"Nova, I'll take her home. See you tomorrow you two."

Kai waved at the other two, who were sitting comfortably on the ground. He and Winnie both disappeared in the darkness, and soon after, they were gone.

Nova looked at her friend, who was resting her head against her shoulder and gently tapped her forehead. Rosalie quickly opened her eyes and looked around.

"We should probably head home too." Rosalie yawns and stands up.

She runs her hand through her curls and turns towards Nova, who also stood up and did the same thing.

"Be careful on your way home, Nova. It's not safe." She says and starts heading towards the parking lot with her hands behind her back, humming some sort of tune.

Without saying another word, Rosalie was gone, and Nova was standing in the dark corner next to the stage all by herself. Rosalie was always a little strange, quiet, and she was really into reading books. S

he never talked much outside of their friend group, but today was very different. Be careful? It's not safe? Maybe she was just worried since it was late and the streets are dark, but it didn't feel like she meant it that way.

Nova was holding her phone close to her chest as she was walking through the dark street. The trees were dancing in the wind, and the cold air was pushing Nova to go even faster. Maybe it was also fear and confusion.

She didn't feel quite right, and she wanted to lock herself in her room and sleep. There was something else nearby, in the shadows maybe.

"I wanna be in my room already…there is definitely something wrong here.." she thought to herself.

She passed by multiple stores that were already closed; a bar that was still open for another hour; a pet store; a coffee shop but she kept looking down at her feet. She knew where she was going, but she was too scared to look.

Her phone suddenly rings. Nova stops for a few seconds, cold breath escaping her lungs as she holds her phone close to her. She slowly looks at the screen, and she sighs in relief. Her cold fingers press the answer button and she puts her phone to her ear.

"It's almost 10 pm, Nova. Where are you? " The sound of her mom's voice makes her feel safe, even if it's just over the phone.

"I'm just around the corner, mom. I'll be there soon."

"Are you alright, Nova? You sound like something happened."

Her mom was always worried about her, not letting her go anywhere without asking and always making sure that she got home safe and on time.

"Yeah, no. I'm good. Just cold." she said while her eyes looked around, making sure that there was nothing there.

Her breathing got faster when she noticed in the corner of her eye a silhouette of something or someone standing close to her. She put the phone down and kept looking forward. Her eyes piercing through the dark street, she slowly turned around, her eyes moving toward the shadows she saw a minute ago.

But there was nothing there, not a sound, no one.

Later on, she noticed some girls on the other side of the street, laughing and obviously drunk. Maybe she saw them. Maybe the feeling that someone was standing behind her was just her imagination. This time, Nova forgot about walking.

She sprinted towards her house, opened the door as quickly as she could, and locked it behind her. She was panting as her back was pressed against the front door. She had no words, just different scenarios playing in her head. She bluntly said hi to her mom and went upstairs to her room. She locked her door, took off her jacket, and made sure the window in her room was also closed.

Nova fell onto her bed and closed her eyes. Finally able to relax, she slowed her breathing and calmed down. It was only a matter of minutes before she fell asleep.

The wind was still outside, playing with the leaves, but now heavy rain had joined, and the raindrops were hitting Nova's window. It was 1 am, again. Every single night. It kept happening without a reason, and Nova was praying each day that it would stop.

She could hear a gentle knock on her door once again.