The continuation of my 7th grade novella, Shadows of the Night.

I watched as the breathtaking Rocky Mountains passed below me. Someone was explaining all the sights to me. I assumed it was my mother, but I couldn’t quite make her out. Suddenly the plane started making a strange buzzing noise. The person who I assumed was my mother got a frightful look in her green eyes. The strange buzzing noise was getting louder and louder. My stomach had suddenly been left in the air above me as the plane plunged downward.
“Mommy, what’s happening?!” someone screamed. Everything blacked out as a ear-peircing shriek silenced the air.
Slowly, I was aware of the strange buzzing noise again. I opened my eyes cautiously and realized my alarm was going off. I shivered as I remembered my dream.
Thank goodness the week’s almost over, I thought. It was Thursday and I wasn’t sure how I had made it though the week so far. Marcy had Laurie wrapped around her little finger so tight Laurie wouldn’t even look at me. My other friends were still talking to me, though, so at least not everything was going wrong. Laurie had not told any of them about my “illegal business” so they, too, were wondering why she was mad at me.
After my sister dropped me off at school, I looked around the school grounds for one of my friends. Instead, I ran into Cathy.
“Hi, Maria, how’s it going?” she asked.
“Well, I still don’t know who I could tell. You know I already told my sister what was going on, but I don’t think she would be right for the job. And Chuck’s nice and all, but I don’t think…” I shrugged.
Cathy sighed. “Look, Maria, I know this is painful for you, but Laurie might just not be the right one.”
“What do you mean? What does Laurie have to do with this? She’s off somewhere with Marcy.”
“Exactly. She’s off somewhere with Marcy, but you don’t want her to be.”
“Well of course not. Marcy’s bad news.”
“We both know that, but that’s not what I mean. What if Laurie were with someone else? What if she still didn’t ever want to see you again? That has happened before, hasn’t it?”
I twisted my hands together. “Well yes, but…but we became friends again.”
Cathy put her hand under my chin and lifted my head to face hers. “You want Laurie to be the one, don’t you?” she asked softly. “Well, I don’t mean to burst your bubble, but she might not be the best choice.” She looked at something behind me and said, “Well, it looks like you’ve got company.”
I turned around and saw Laurie coming towards me! Maybe this was a part of whatever Marcy had been planning.
“Uh, Maria, I have to talk to you,” she said to the ground. “I know I’ve been avoiding you, and I’m sorry, but I think you need to apologize also.”
What was she talking about? What did I need to apologize for? What right did she have to tell me that? For all she know, I was involved in something illegal. Did she want me to apologize for that?
“Um, well, what for?” I asked, trying to be polite.
“What for! Tell me something, Maria, am I your best friend?”
I hesitated. “Laurie,” I said softly, “I love you like a sister, but sometimes you can get away with murder and I always wind up forgiving you,” I shocked myself by saying this, but I realized it was the truth at the same time.
“Maria Phillips, you are jealous of Marcy, and that is why you should be sorry.”
I thought about this. I remembered what Cathy had said and realized what she had meant. “You know what, Laurie, I am jealous of Marcy. There, I admitted it. And you know what else, I’m also sorry you don’t think of me as a friend. I mean if you did you would tell me that you thought I was in something illegal.” She looked up sharply. “You would tell me about your parents, you would stick up for me instead of laughing along with the rest of the class, you wouldn’t even try to make me jealous…I could go on forever!” I exploded. “And do you know what else? You never even said one word to me about Karen’s accident! Not one word!”
I waited for her reaction, but she just stood there in shock wavering unsteadily to and fro. Then she put her hands to her face and crumpled to the ground.
“Laurie! I’m sorry, I had no right—“
“You had plenty of a right. That’s what you think of me—“ she cut herself off. “I’m sorry, that sounded selfish. How did you find out about all of that stuff anyway?”
“I think we need to have a long talk,” I replied.
“Now?”
“Haven’t you ever cut school before?” I teased.
She burst out laughing.
In third grade we thought we were too old to be going to school, so we took off, heading for the north pole to visit Santa, but we didn’t even make it to the next block before we decided to play house instead. No one had ever found out about that.
“Come on. I’ll show you something,” I told her and took her to my favorite rock.
I told her, “You’re not going to believe what I have to tell you, so watch this!” I made myself disappear in front of her and reappear in back of her.
“What is this?! How did you do that?” she exclaimed.
“Well, it all started when I was five…” I went on to explain what was going on.
After I had explained everything to her, she told me her family was actually doing better! They still were talking divorce, but Laurie felt it might be for the better. Her parents never really go along because they were both too stubborn to admit to each other what they did wrong. They’ve been getting better at that, though, she had told me. Laurie didn’t show any emotions about it, but I could tell she wasn’t mad anymore, just sad. She was a strong girl, though, and could help her sister and brother through what she had been through.
We cleared up the “illegal” business I was in and I was about to tell Laurie about how I have to choose someone to protect me, but I received a warning from somewhere.
“DON’T!” the words echoed in my head. Oh no, I thought. I could feel what was coming.
I saw Laurie shiver as dark clouds moved over the sun. Something was different this time, very different! “Oh no!” I cried. “Oh no, oh no!” I grabbed Laurie’s hand and in a split second we were in the school yard at the same time we left it.
“You fools, there is no place to run!” This time I saw a man appear behind us after the words evaporated into the air. He was pulling something out of his pocket. A gun! Why would he need a gun? Because he’s going to kill you! I answered myself. You either give up your soul or die. He was going to kill me! I told myself to run, but I couldn’t. Run! You’ve go to run! He’s using the gun so the other kids would think he was just a criminal, if they saw him at all. The other kids! Wouldn’t they call for help. No, I told myself, it would be over before anyone would realize what was happening.
“Run, Maria!” The commandment came from someone else. It was Laurie. The man was heading straight for her and she was telling me to run!
“Go Maria, don’t worry about me! It’s you he wants! I’ll try to hold him off, just run!”
I started running towards a group of kids.
“Hey, Christine, what’s the big hurry?” Chuck called out. Suddenly I got an idea.
“Hey, Chuck, can you get all of these kids to do some police work, and I mean fast!”
“Sure what’s the prob—“
“Laurie is about to be shot!” I screamed. “Please! Over there!” I pointed and Chuck yelled, “Come on you guys, this is serious!”
When everyone realized what was happening, they started running towards the action. Suddenly a shot rang out, silencing the air. Everyone froze. Laurie crumpled to the ground.
“Laurisa, NO!” I screamed.
“Nobody move, or I’ll kill the girl,” the man’s sinister voice threatened. Then at least she was still alive! This was all my fault.
“Laurie, are you all right?” I cried out. There was no answer.
“Oh, Laurie!” She had saved my live, and now she might be dead! Suddenly I didn’t care what happened to me. I realized I was being selfish about this whole thing. I had hurt Cathy, Karen, and now Laurie and all I had thought about were my problems. I wanted to be the good friend. The one who could stand up for the other, because Laurie had never really shown that she cared until now. But now I started to run to Laurie. She might die because of me! I ran faster at the thought.
“Where are you going? He might kill her!” Chuck shouted after me, but he remained where he was.
I just kept on running. The man seemed to be struggling with something. His face twisted and was turning red. he did nothing to stop me. I knelt before Laurie and held her hand.
“Laurie,” I pleaded softly, “please wake up. It’s me, Maria.” I felt my strength and love port into her and give her support. It was my own, mortal stregnth and not my angelic powers.
“Dear God, I’m sorry I did this to Laurie. Please forgive me,” I begged as I tasted the warm, salty taste of my tears streaming down my face. “Please.”
“I forgive you,” a soft, gentle voice said from below me.
“Laurie! Oh, Laurie!” I hugged her gently so I wouldn’t hurt her wound.
“Maria, you saved me, you did! I was in a dark place…” She shivered. “It was just…” she seemed to be searching for the right word. “Horrible,” she finished. “You came and got me. You asked God to forgive you, and he did! And he made me well! Maria Phillips, you’re more than just a best friend. You’re an angel!” We both smiled through our tears.
“Is everyone alright?” Chuck asked and I was suddenly aware of the crowd that started to form.
“Chuck! But the man…” I didn’t see the man anywhere.
“It was really weird. He started shaking his head like he was trying to get rid of something and then it looked as though he vanished, but he probably went behind these bushes, then around the side of the school. He was just one of those people who wanted a little more excitement, but I didn’t expect to see someone like that around here.” He looked at Laurie’s wound just below and off to the side of her collar bone.
“Gosh, how did you manage to get by that? It looks like something you could have died from. Here, I got these in the nurse’s office.” he pulled out a clean bandage and started putting presure on the wound. Laurie winched.
I heard the sound of a siren growing louder and louder.
“Do you hear that?” I asked.
“Is that an ambulance?” Laurie asked.
“Yes, it is.”
She groaned. “I hate hospitals.”