• Prologue

    “Stay out of my room, and out of my stuff; I’m tired of you taking my clothes all the time, my stuff doesn’t belong to you!”
    “Well get over it, it’s not like you can’t just take them back later. Gosh, why do you have to be so stupid?”
    Here it goes again, me and someone in my family bickering over something; typical day in this obnoxious house. The only up side to living here is being able to escape, well usually at least. Everyone here in my family has their ups and downs the way that I see it. We get mad, get over it, and get on with our lives.
    This year is hopefully going to be as fun as last year. Last summer, on vacation in Utah, I actually was there long enough to make friends, a boyfriend or two, and catch up with my grandparents and cousins. I can’t think of a better place, than Koosharem, to just relax and have fun in a small town.
    I just recently found out that my grandparents aren’t going to go to Utah as early as I was hoping, though, so I am going to come up with a way to get there ahead of time. I don’t care if I have to work doing 5 thousand jobs just to get money to fly there; I’m going to make it there on way or another. The sooner I can get out of there the better.
    Since I am graduating this year I am most likely going to just find someway to stay up in Utah, that is unless I am going to go to college right away; that isn’t a really big issue through my eyes right now though, considering I plan on going to college about a year or 2 after I graduate.

    *****
    Well school is over now, and I am finally on my way to freedom. My mom said that I am able to take the car up to Utah, since no one else really needs it. So I’m on my way, ready to get down there and tackle the abandoned summer house, with all its spiders, bats and anything else that decides to inhabit the house when no one is around.
    I made it to Page and decided to stop at circle K to get a drink, some snacks, and a just take a break from driving. I haven’t even been driving for a year yet so it still scares me to drive somewhat. I haven’t driven on the freeway since today, but it was pretty easy once I got past Yorkshire.
    Looking through magazines I decide that I should buy a map to just incase; hopefully I can even figure out how to use it if I really need too.
    Getting back in my car I headed back out and on my way over the Glen Canyon Dam; my favorite part of traveling to Utah.
    As I traveled along the road I made sure to pay more attention to where I was going, than to what was around me. The last thing I needed was to get lost on this abandoned road.


    Koosharem

    It has now been 91/2 hours that I have been traveling in the car making my way on the 10 hour drive by myself to Koosharem, Utah. I usually travel with my family but this year I had to travel alone because I was eager to get away from the big city where it was now a hot and humid 113 degree day, and to go see my friends that I met last year. My grandparents usually travel up first and set up the house for when everyone comes, but this year it is my job, and to add to this excitement I get to hang out with people and not have all the restrictions, like bedtime or cousins, holding me back.
    As I looked at the clock I realized that I should be at the house in about fifteen more minutes. I turned on the radio to calm the many butterflies that now fluttered around in my stomach, and relaxed to my new favorite song by Megan McCauley.
    I arrived at the house at 12am; the house still looked like it always has just a lot more empty. I could see the big broken window, which was fixed with two 5" boards and a large screw, it lead to the kitchen. The other three visible windows led to the living room and the room upstairs bedroom. The walls of the house are wood that are covered in faded red paint, and there is a recently new porch set up that's big enough to hold a small party on. The door that we use mostly to go in and out of the house is an old rustic door with a hole filled screen through the top half of it.
    I got out of the car and headed up the porch steps and unlock the door so I could get my stuff unpacked and clean up the house for when my family came up. I went inside and grabbed one of the dining chairs to prop the screen door open and started unloading my bags into the downstairs bedroom. After I had gotten all my bags inside, I dusted the rooms, vacuumed the rubber stairs and set up all the beds with sheets and blankets. I had also called someone from town and asked them to come turn on the water for me.
    When I finished unpacking I took a shower, then dried off and put on my plain brown shirt and my blue jeans, slipped on my shoes and then headed out to town. The first place I went was to the Merc. I bought a soda and stuff to make sandwiches later for when I got hungry. Then I headed to the cafe and picked up some DVDs to watch when it was too late to be out.
    When I was tired of walking I decided that I'd go home and change into some comfortable pants then get ready for bed. After I had gotten done changing I watched Deja vu and save the last dance, then headed upstairs to go to bed. I pulled back the pink comforter and one of my sheets then pulled the white string hanging from the ceiling to turn off the light and crawled into bed.











    Just a Dream


    I woke up to the sound of footsteps; I thought they were coming from someone walking around either on the steps or just by them. Without turning on the bedroom light, I got up and started looking around, I checked the stairs, the bedrooms pretty much the whole house, but there was no one there, even the doors were locked. I grabbed a cup out of the cupboard and got myself a drink of tap water. After checking the house one more time I headed back up the stairs to go to bed again, that was when it happened. More footsteps were echoing through my room, I listened carefully, and then the realization of where they were coming from hit me. Whatever it was that was walking around was in my attic. There are mice, and bats in the attic, but I don't think any of them could be that big. I ran down stairs, grabbed the flashlight and a hammer and headed to one of the openings to the attic. One by one I pried the nails out of the board that blocked a passage to the attic, then set the board on the floor. As I set the board down the footsteps stopped. Inside of the passage there were small steps that led up into the attic, that were covered in about 2 inches of dust. I turned on my flashlight, pointed it up checking to see how far the steps went up. There was about 7 steps then an empty space. By now, my legs were all ready shaking and I was scared to find out what was up there. I headed up the stairs and could hear the footsteps quietly start up again, then stop. Coming up to the top of the stairs I shown my light around the dark attic, there were a few couches lamps and other furniture that we didn't need. I stepped up into the attic and started looking around. I tried looking for a light but there wasn't one, so I just used my flashlight. I found pictures, but nothing suspicious, until I swept the room real quick one last time. By the couch two pairs of reflective green eyes stared right back at me, then before I had time to react something hit me hard knocking me to the ground and pinning me there. I tried to scream but it caught in my throat.
    "Who are you and what do you want?" a deep threatening voice said to me. "Well?"
    I tried to stay calm and regain my voice to answer. "M...m... my name is Kia; I live here during the summer." I answered knowing that he could hear the trembling in my voice.
    "Who are you?"
    He hesitated.
    "My name?"
    I nodded. "Mmm hmm."
    "Brian" he said as he moved to sit beside me.
    I sat up, "What are you doing up here, and how long have you been here?"
    "A few years, my family was moving; I didn't want to leave so they left me behind."
    "Why would they do such a thing?"
    "There was this girl; I fell in love with her, and they didn't approve, they thought that the only way to separate us would be to move."
    "Where is she now" I asked
    He stood up and walked over to a small wooden dresser and picked up a glass pumpkin, tossing it from one hand to the other.
    "She died, shortly after my family left."
    "Oh, I...I'm sorry I shouldn't have asked"
    "It's all right"
    "Have you left the attic at all for all these years? I mean, because it's all closed off and there's no openings."
    "I...I uh."
    He stopped looked around then said "So miss 20 questions where do you usually live?"
    Hmm, why was he avoiding my question? I looked at him curiously but I answered.
    "I live in Phoenix, Arizona."
    "That's pretty cool I guess." he said "do you still go to school?"
    "I did, I graduated this year"
    "Ah, so...hmm. How old are you again?"
    I looked at him wondering if I've been giving him too much information about who I am. He hasn't really hurt me yet or anything like that so he can't be too dangerous, and from his stories he's loved someone before. So how bad of a guy could he be? I looked up at him from where I was sitting but I couldn't see his face, my flashlight had just died out and we were in the dark.
    "What?" he said as I turned my head, how could he tell I was looking at him?
    "Nothing, do you want to come back inside the house with me?"
    "I probably shouldn't" he said turning away from me and walking over to the dresser again, and setting down the pumpkin.
    "Come on it's not going to hurt, it's not like a little light is going to kill you. Besides you can't stay up here forever, it doesn't look like you have any food up here. You can stay in the house with me while my family is still up in Arizona."
    "That would be nice but I don't think you would want me living with you."
    I started walking toward the stairs, then turned around and walked backwards as I talked.
    "Come on it'll be fun, and I won't get so scared from being in the house alone."
    It was silent for what felt like 20 minutes, though it was probably only half a minute.
    When he answered his tone was upset and he spoke quietly.
    "Alright"
    "Whoo" I shouted and jumped in the air. I was so excited that I didn't even think about how close I was to the stairs. More than half my foot landed off the top step, and I fell forward. I felt a sharp pain in my hand but couldn't see what had happened to it. I walked down the steps to look at it in the light. Brian was already there with 2 wash cloths, one wet and one dry, and a box of band aids.
    "How did you get those so fast?" I asked
    "It doesn't matter now hurry up and clean your hand off" He looked away as he handed me the wet cloth.
    "Thanks, are you ok? You don't look so good"
    "I'm fine" he said looking at me and smiling
    It was then when I realized how charming he was. The shape of his head is heart shaped, and though his face was covered in dirt, it was a beautiful, pale but normal skin color. The kind of skin color I always wished I could have, instead of my dark tanned skin. He had Sparkling neon-like green eyes, and caramel colored hair, that was covered in dust. His smile was perfect with white, strait teeth.
    I was so taken in by how beautiful he was that I had forgotten about my hand. When I looked down I almost went into shock, I have never seen so much blood before. I wrapped my hand in the wet wash cloth and rushed down stairs to wash my hand off. The cold water rushing over my hand felt good. I was relieved to find out that the cut on my hand wasn't that big, I had probably just fallen on a nail or something. I poured peroxide on it then put a band aid over it. As I turned to head back upstairs I saw Brian standing there, I didn't know he was there at first so I jumped.
    "You scared me" I giggled.
    "Sorry, I didn't think I was that scary looking" he laughed.
    We both just sat there laughing for a few minutes. It's nice that we get along so well, I thought.
    "Well you kind of do with all that dirt on your face" I smiled at him. Then I grabbed a wash cloth out of the drawer, ran it under the tap and walked over to him.
    "May I?"
    He didn't answer but the look on his face said that he wouldn't mind. I washed off all the dirt on his face, and got some of the dust out of his hair. The rag in my hand was so dirty it looked as if I had just rolled it around in dirt. I ran it under the tap one more time to wash out most of the dirt, and then threw it into the hamper.
    "Thank you" Brian whispered as I walked past him to go upstairs.
    It caught me by surprise so I just stopped where I was. I turned around slowly to reply to him, and suddenly he was there. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me to him. When his lips met mine it was like a bomb went off. I couldn't help but to wrap my arms around his neck. Though I've had boyfriends before and I've been kissed before it never felt like this. I've never felt more cared for, than by this one guy who I haven't known for nearly an hour. It felt like we've been kissing for more than an hour, though it was only a few seconds before he stopped and backed away.
    "I'm sorry" he said.
    "It's ok. Really. You apologize too much" I quietly laughed
    "Sorry" He said with a smile.
    "Come on." I said
    "Where?"
    "I have to close the attic; I need you to hold the board as I drive the nails through it."
    "Alright"
    We closed up the attic then headed to bed. He slept in the blue room right outside mine, and we talked till we fell asleep.
    By the time I woke up it was 12:00 in the afternoon.
    "Brian" I yelled. There was no answer. I walked around looking for him but the bed was made, the hammer and flashlight were where they belonged, and the attic board looked like it had never been touched or moved. I looked down at my hand flipping it over and over; there were no marks from when I had cut my hand open. Was it just a dream?