History Must Repeat Itself

Chapter 6

           Rolling over, I opened my eyes. The sun shone through my half closed curtains, making me groan loudly. I'd gone to bed early last night, my body exhausted from the lack of sleep and stress I dealt with. From how bright my room was, it looked like I slept long enough. 

I stumbled my way down to the kitchen. Glancing at the shoe mat, I was the only one home. Though I'd already guessed that from the lack of noise in the house. Taking a glass from the cupboard, I saw a poorly written note from Madison, saying she was with Max and would call later. 

I watched the glass fill with water as I considered what I was going to do today. I considered calling Eddie to push off the homework sitting in my backpack. Tilting the glass back at my lips, my gaze flickered to the roof, a spiderweb reflecting in the sunlight caught my attention.

It seemed that we'd neglected cleaning since moving in. After eating a piece of toast, I wandered back up to my room. In the back of my closet, sat some dingey boxes I still hadn't unpacked. I'd grown used to not completely unpacking, always having some boxes already to go. In the last box, I found a bleach stained pair of overalls, specifically kept for cleaning days. Getting my hair out of my way, I took a Blondie cassette down to the living room. Opening the cassette player and sliding in the bit of plastic, I cranked the volume.

I ended up scrubbing most of the house. It all seemed to flow one task into the next. I'd finish vacuuming and notice the kitchen counters needed cleaning. Of course, that went to the bathroom counters. The day continued like this. 

When I got to my bedroom, I was exhausted. Deciding to take a five minute break, I laid on my bed.

My stomach rumbled aggressively, making my eyes open. The sky had gotten significantly darker outside. Swearing, I hadn't meant to sleep all day. I wasn't as successful in my to do list as I planned on being. 

Walking down the stairs, I was a little surprised at how quiet the house was. I almost expected Madison to be home by now. I must have missed at least a dozen phone calls from her.

In the kitchen, I checked the phone. No new messages. My heart tightened briefly. Madison knew better than to disappear for this long without letting me know where she was. Her stories of monsters and evil science labs bubbled in my mind. Sighing, I rolled my eyes. I don't think those sort of things repeated themselves.

Thankfully, and no offence to my sister, Madison didn't have a lot of friends. There weren't a lot of places to check. The obvious place to start was Max's. I picked up the phone and let my thumb hover over the buttons. It was childish, but I didn't want to talk to Neil Hargrove over the phone. 

          I could see the Hargrove/Mayfield house lit up in the distance. I started pulling closer to the curb when a familiar rumble roared to life. Billy's Camaro shot from the driveway, screeching into the road. Noting Neil's car in the driveway, I tapped the steering wheel. I'd rather deal with Billy and driving like that, I could guess he was going to pick up Max. As I'd learned this school year, Max equaled Madison.

I did my best to catch up with Billy without breaking too many speeding laws. I pressed on the horn for a few seconds as I drove behind him before flicking my high beams three times. Billy stuck his hand out the window, flipping me off. I rolled my eyes. Obviously, he didn't realise who was following him.

On the main road, we approached a red light. I switched lanes, effectively cutting off a BMW, stopping beside Billy. He was already glaring at the bothersome car when I looked over at him. His face softened with recognition as I pointed to an empty plaza ahead. Billy got the message, nodding his head and screeching forward as the light changed to green.